Some people just don't listen!

[N3PUY 1,031]

I work in a automotive parts store and this old guy senior citizen has been talking to me for 2 weeks about a riding mower he's working on for a friend.  It's an MTD something.  It won't start.  I gave him all kinds of suggestions of things to look for.  And he had other people helping him.  I told him you need power from the battery to key to safety switches to solenoid.  He said he had the seat switch zip tied down.  Told him that only cuts off the fuel ... nothing to do with cranking.  The other day he was on his way to get an ignition switch... I told him I doubt if that's the problem.  He put a solenoid on it with the same results.  It would start jumping to the starter. I said sit on the seat, foot on brake, PTO disengaged.  He stopped in this afternoon ... "Nobody can figure it out".   I said "NOBODY?".     Well, after supper I went over ... checked for power starting at the battery.   And that's another story.  No power thru the PTO switch.  WHY?  IT WAS ENGAGED!  Decal on dash was rusted off.   OK... now the starter wants to turn, but like a dead battery.  He had a car battery connected to the tractor with 18ga  jumpers.   I moved the battery around on the fender and got the cables attached. He put his foot on the brake, turned the key and VROOOM!   Another MTD still running.  15 minutes diagnosis, 2 second repair... engage brain ... disengage PTO.  

[squonk 41,118]

I know what you mean. I also worked in a parts store. A guy comes in with the original battery out of his Ford pu. Wants it tested. It's 9 yrs old and has 8 volts in it. I sell him a new battery. 5 hours later he's back and want's to return the battery because his truck still won't start. He's going to have it towed to a shop. I try to convince him that the first thing they are going to want to do is put a battery in it. He insists so I give him his money back. An hour later the shop calls and needs a battery. I send them the returned battery and they mark it up so know he pays more for it. I think a cable was bad too.

[N3PUY 1,031]

Shops do it too! Just this week sent one a Delco battery... it's no good ... sent another ... it's no good .... sent a third .... got a call for a starter. And after the first one I asked if maybe he had another problem.

Edited September 6, 2014 by N3PUY

[AMC RULES 37,130]

Sounds like you'd make a better psychologist.    

[Save Old Iron 1,566]

Not sure this has anything to do with "old guys" or MTD tractors as much as understanding how electrical systems function and being familiar with efficient troubleshooting procedures.

 

Then sprinkle lightly with

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

 

and viola !!

Edited September 6, 2014 by Save Old Iron

[N3PUY 1,031]

Not sure this has anything to do with "old guys" or MTD tractors as much as understanding how electrical systems function and being familiar with efficient troubleshooting procedures.

 

Then sprinkle lightly with

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect

 

and viola !!

EXACTLY!

[Racinbob 11,081]

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias manifesting in unskilled individuals suffering from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than is accurate. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their ineptitude.

 

Huh???

[AJ_Thanatos 516]

I work in a automotive parts store and this old guy senior citizen has been talking to me for 2 weeks about a riding mower he's working on for a friend. It's an MTD something. It won't start. I gave him all kinds of suggestions of things to look for. And he had other people helping him. I told him you need power from the battery to key to safety switches to solenoid. He said he had the seat switch zip tied down. Told him that only cuts off the fuel ... nothing to do with cranking. The other day he was on his way to get an ignition switch... I told him I doubt if that's the problem. He put a solenoid on it with the same results. It would start jumping to the starter. I said sit on the seat, foot on brake, PTO disengaged. He stopped in this afternoon ... "Nobody can figure it out". I said "NOBODY?". Well, after supper I went over ... checked for power starting at the battery. And that's another story. No power thru the PTO switch. WHY? IT WAS ENGAGED! Decal on dash was rusted off. OK... now the starter wants to turn, but like a dead battery. He had a car battery connected to the tractor with 18ga jumpers. I moved the battery around on the fender and got the cables attached. He put his foot on the brake, turned the key and VROOOM! Another MTD still running. 15 minutes diagnosis, 2 second repair... engage brain ... disengage PTO.

Yeah I know what you mean. Electrical is kind of my sweet spot.. Some people get it some don't. And I have to constantly remind myself of that so I don't come off as rude to them when it takes me 10 minutes to fix an electrical issue that they worked on for a week. It truly is a great skill even if it is on an elementary level.

But what I gain on the electrical side of things I lack in the more important mechanical side..

6 one way, half a dozen the other..

[KC9KAS 4,741]

The Dunning–Kruger effect is a cognitive bias manifesting in unskilled individuals suffering from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability much higher than is accurate. This bias is attributed to a metacognitive inability of the unskilled to recognize their ineptitude.

 

Huh???

They think they know more than they do, and will not give people credit for knowing what they know!

[squonk 41,118]

Another one of my favorites. We had an electrical clinic for our shops. A good one  to with rigged up batteries,starters ,cables and what not.The very next day a shop called for an alternator for an Astro Van. We sent it and a while later called and needed another because it was no good. We send another. They call back ranting that the 2nd one was no good either. I go down there and find out they are using the van's voltmeter to measure the charging rate. Turned out the voltmeter was bad the whole time and the original alternator was fine.  

[Wheel-N-It 2,969]

Mike, its the same all over; We're surrounded by idiots!

And there are so many now I think for you and I to retire is the only way for most of them to go away

[RMCIII 838]

I sure am thankful for the education I received while in the Air Force on electricity, flow, electrons, protons, neutrons.... Diodes, transforms (step up, step down), circuits, balancing a load, PSM -36, 37, O-Scopes, tracing a wiring diagram, blah, blah, blah!...... Oh-yeah and this is still the same:

 

B
B
R
O
Y
G
B
V
G
W

G
S

[N3PUY 1,031]

I sure am thankful for the education I received while in the Air Force on electricity, flow, electrons, protons, neutrons.... Diodes, transforms (step up, step down), circuits, balancing a load, PSM -36, 37, O-Scopes, tracing a wiring diagram, blah, blah, blah!...... Oh-yeah and this is still the same:

 

B

B

R

O

Y

G

B

V

G

W

G

S

Yeah!  Those Bad Boys!   Hurray for Violet!  

[Aldon 4,826]

I never ran across Violet though:-)

[RMCIII 838]

NEVER WANTED TO RUN ACROSS VIOLET!  

[SousaKerry 501]

"Your turning Violet, Violet"

 

 

Oh you would be surprised at some of the idiot mechanic stories I get at work.  Typically our front line maintenance mechanics are promoted production line workers who showed a little promise.  Almost every time we in Engineering place a new upgraded component on the shop floor for a test we will find it removed within a few weeks by an off shift mechanic.  Usually they say that the machine was malfunctioning due to the new test component when the problem with the machine is completely unrelated but that new fangled gizmo must be the problem.

 

Only way to solve it is to tag it with a note that says supervisor approval needed for removal of this component.  My favorite though is when you find hammer marks on the outside of an electrical cabinet, cause a bigger hammer fixes everything. 

[RMCIII 838]

Oh, just do it the Air Force way.... Never hurts to NRTS... Pronounced NERTZ!

 

Non

 

Reparable

 

T.O.

 

Standards....

 

[Coadster32 793]

Too funny....but true.