3/9

3/2

h

2/23

This week what I learned from the most was fixing a license plate light. The most challenging part of it was that it came to the shop with parts of it missing. This made it hard to figure it out by taking it apart. The light was missing and all the wiring was missing/cut so I had no idea where my power and ground came from.

2/16

Since we moved the shop to the new location most of my time has been spent organizing. My main role lately has been getting everything so that the shop runs smoothly and efficiently. There is so much to clean, organize, and figure out that I'm always busy. Besides the shop there's a shed and another storage area attached to the parts room. The entrance to the shed is too narrow for a forklift or a pallet so I've had to get everything in there by hand. The most difficult by far was the steel rack and all the shop steel. The idea was to get it inside so it wouldn't be covered in rust. I also have to go on a lot of parts runs to the local machine shops for flywheels etc. What I've taken away from all this is how to run a very busy shop and keep it moving forward. Since I'm the most familiar where everything is and how the new shop works I get a hundred questions a day. Whether it's the new oil catches, parts washer, how all the filters and oils are setup, how to bleed the airlines of moisture there's always something to have to know.

2/9

One of the things that I'm trying to improve on is finding problems during a service. There's a lot to look for and a lot to know to the point of it being overwhelming. There's so much that you can miss, but at the same time you're trying to complete the service as quickly as possible.

ECM model number of a Heston tow truck.

Engine placard on a reefer.

Helped Lally line up his engine during his motor swap for an SSC truck.

Air leak in the air line in this picture

Another torque rod where the bushing is in really bad shape.

Loose nut on a driveline

Cracked cross-member that's been repair welded poorly

Same thing on the other side of the cross-member

Oil coming out of the exhaust

Bushings in these torque rods are shot. 

12/8

I ended up changing out a 5th wheel on a Semi. I had to use a heel bar to get the pins out of the bushings. It's heavier than it looks so I used the forklift to remove and replace it via a lifting pin. After assembling it I learned how to grease a 5th wheel properly.

I was asked to find an air leak on a 30 year old Kenworth owned by Tiger Construction. A co worker had spent all day on it and still couldn't find all of the leaks. He found some of them but the truck would still leak air overnight to the point of being empty. I ended up pulling up a schematic with Jeff and going over how the air system works and ways you can separate which system are actually leaking.

What I actually learned was using a schematic to systematically work my way across an air system until I found the big leak on this truck. I started from the Wet Tank and worked my way back until I found bubbles on the air lines after spraying with soapy water. It ended up being a section of air line near the rear axle. I couldn't tell if it was leaking due to chafing but there were many hose clamps on it in an attempt to repair it. Just that 8 feet of hose had over half a dozen leaks in it that were substantial. I replaced the air line with DOT approved 1/4" OD tubing which the truck didn't have on it to begin with. That's a violation and it wouldn't have passed a truck inspection at the scales.

Using a pin to lift off the 5th wheel.

Reused the bushings on the 5th wheel.

12/1

servicing turcks (PMI)

fuel filter

u joints and driveline

# 2 and 3 u joint after the transmission

slip yolks being out of spec (rocking inside the yolk)

broken  caps