An old mechanic told me I was chasing specs instead of feel. He was right.

I was working on a 95 F-150, chasing a weird idle surge. Had the multimeter out, checking every sensor reading against the book. An old guy who's been turning wrenches since the 70s walks over and says 'you're reading the paper, not the truck.' He had me unplug the IAC, set the base idle by ear, and then plug it back in. Took me 15 minutes and the surge was gone. I still use my meter for diagnostics, but now I trust what the engine is telling me first. Has anyone else had a seasoned tech call them out on over-thinking a simple fix?

2 comments

2 Comments

roseb479d ago

My uncle had a similar thing happen with him and an old diesel mechanic. Guy told him to stop looking at the gauges and listen to the exhaust note for timing. Still grumbles about it years later.

felix3859d ago

My neighbor had a 1973 Chevy pickup that would die at stoplights. @roseb47 that diesel story reminds me of the time he spent three days swapping fuel pumps before some old farmer walked over and said the pickup was just vapor locking because the new pump was too close to the exhaust manifold. Swapped back to the old pump with a heat shield and it ran perfect for another ten years. Funny how the guys who learned on points and condensers seem to hear what a motor is actually saying before they even pop the hood.