Fall13 Miles

Last week, I refreshed my winterizing procedure (for boats) on a twin screw Bayliner. I also had the chance to familiarize myself with a 260 small block Chevy motor by removing the heads (had bad compression and leak down numbers) and inspecting them. I learned what "tuliped" valves look like and what causes them to warp.

w: 22
t: 91

Fall13 Miles

Las week, I finished doing my starting/charging tests. I now have a good grasp on how to check the starting/charging system on virtually any vehicle (except an electric or hybrid car). I developed a solid basic understanding of truck air brakes and how they work. I also started work at LaConner Maritime Service. Whether its learning cold hard facts or simply having the chance to familiarize my self with a new engine, it always happens there. Last week it was two 260 merc-cruisers. I was doing a compression test and found this beauty of a spark plug. It explains the "doggieness" the customer was talking about along with some bad compression numbers.

W: 28

T: 69

Fall13 Miles

Last week I continued to grasp the concept of testing a voltage drop between two points. It is easy to carry out the procedure but understanding why and what the readings actually mean has been a small struggle to wrap my head around. After doing a handful of starting charging tests, I established a solid understanding of what and how voltage drops are/work. I also got some time in using the Midtronics battery tester and witnessed how useful the tool is.

Hours:
W: 18
T: 41

Fall13 Miles

Last week was both a refresher and a great learning experience for me. I learned how to test amperage by hooking up a volt meter inline a circuit. I also learned how to diagnose parasitic load draws by using an amp-clamp and testing across a fuse. Overall it was a very informative first week of school

Hours: 23