Used to set injector timing with a dial indicator and a prayer

On the old Cat 3406, we'd pull the valve cover, mount the indicator, and turn the engine by hand. Took half a day. Now my shop in Boise uses the ET software. Plug in, follow the prompts, done in twenty minutes. Miss the hands-on feel, but can't argue with the speed. Anyone else still break out the old tools for teaching the new guys?

2 comments

2 Comments

dixon.daniel1mo ago

Remember teaching my nephew that way last summer. He's in tech school now and said it made the computer data click when he finally saw the physical movement. That hands-on struggle builds a gut feel for what 'good' looks and sounds like. The software just gives you a number, but the old method shows you why that number matters. We still keep a spare indicator kit around just for that purpose.

leor371mo ago

Man, that's so true what @dixon.daniel said about it building a gut feel. I mean, the software tells you it's in spec, but it doesn't show you what a worn cam lobe actually looks like while you're turning it over by hand. You gotta see the physical cause and effect to really get it. Maybe it's just me, but that struggle makes the numbers on the screen mean something later. We'd be dumb to not use the fast new tools, but letting a new guy fight with an indicator for an hour is the best lesson they'll get.