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All but the most exceptional mechanics need to look up details when doing complicated repairs.Photo: Cineber/iStockphoto.com
Sometimes, when I’m literally hip-deep in a machine, surrounded by tools and myriad parts, customers comment, “Man, I’d never get that thing put back together.”
My response is usually, “Well, it can’t be too hard, if somebody like me can figure it out.” Because, when you think about it, complex repairs are just simple repairs done in the proper sequence.
Replacing a bearing in a transmission is as simple as removing the old bearing and installing a new bearing. But getting to the bearing is the challenge. Having the right jacks and supports and tools to remove a cab, knowing how to split the cases, knowing the tricks to dealing with hydraulic lines and electrical wiring harnesses — there’s nothing super-complicated about any of the steps. It’s just getting them all done in the correct sequence with a minimum of fuss.
Sure, there are complicated aspects to major repairs — preloading bearings, setting backlash on gears — but many professional mechanics rely on tech books to walk them through the complicated stuff. A few veterans who specialize may have the intricate procedures memorized, but those guys are magicians who don’t live in my world.
In my world, I trudge through repairs by relying on tech books and hard-learned experience. I view every repair, no matter how complicated, as a series of simple steps that I just have to do in sequence, correctly. Most of the time, it works out OK.
