Trouble a game of patience

[Patch]

Eh guys thought I’d share this experience with you.

 You all remember my brother SK, well, a woman he is close friends with a single mom with a 10 year old girl and, is pregnant at the moment. She is not a well-balanced person, talks very loudly nonstop; I do my best to steer clear!

SK mentions her car broke down and I agreed to go take a look at it. The car was parked on a grade so a risky jack up but the obvious was the need for a battery. So they went and got one while I probed around. After installing it the starter would not engage, then it did but turned very slow, the car started one time.

She had scraped together many parts, a starter, right axel, 4 full sets of brakes, washer container all gathered in the trunk.

She couldn’t afford a mechanic so I said have it towed to my place and I’ll get it in order.

A long story ensued before the car finally showed up a couple days later. I was preparing lunch for a friend (a hot spicy cold pasta salad dish I had dreamt up) and off she goes like I am deaf holding a takeout chilly in her hands……(: oh brother

Yesterday I had time to work on this 8th Gen Honda Civic. Once I looked up the schematics for the starting circuit and known issues I took apart the Colom and stroked the ignition slowly while probing the start relay.

SK asked on his way to work asked what I found, I explained that it had to be the electronic side of the ignition switch and that she can likely count on returning the starter and the washer container as I had fabbed up a patch!

While I was pulling out the component SK had come back with a new electronic control module he picked up before heading to work? He went on to explain she had called him upset because I wasn’t answering the phone, (cashmere is my favourite troubleshooting song why interrupt perfection)  she was inpatient and upset because the “parts guy told her the starter had a flat spot and was the problem)!!!

Troubleshooting is a game of patients. It is the process of elimination; we must first prove the part failure by working our way to the part noting our measurements as we proceed! We have to ignore the obvious or the assumed failed part until we confirm whatever the circuit we are working on has been proven good before changing parts. That is troubleshooting.

In her shopping spree which is a $1000. All I really needed were the brakes and the battery. The axel needed a boot that’s $25. Including grease, the starter is fine, the hole in the washer is repaired (she needs an inner fender to stop it from happening again)! The switch is repaired as you clearly see below. Here’s the kicker: she won’t allow me to keep the repaired switch for say a young guy stuck trying to get to work with another Civic Gen 8 or whoever whatever the next case might be.. That’s right a shellfish hoarder yuck.

 

Look closely on the right and left after cleaned, there is a dimple in two of the contacts, flaw or purpose? Purpose, greater contact area signalling higher current demand. The one on the left is hard to spot but I remember cleaning it so it’s there. No sand  paper, just cleaner and grey scotchbrite.

[SpencerPJ]

Looks great. I have a sister that asks me to look at X, and two days later will call and say, 'ever since you looked at X, my Y has been having issues'. I count on it.  If she would only tell me about X and Y while I'm there.

[Flyinfool]

And then since you did that electrical work when a tail light burns out it will be your fault since it is electrical.

 

Yup I have played the game too.

[Patch]

Yup that's how it goes.

When I bought the 745 the fellow thought he blew his I don't remember what the name was X something. He had been racing it when in his words "it just blew up" "doesn't matter tho cause I found another one and going to swap the engines"

I went back with some troubleshooting tools and took a look around. The first thing I did was look at the engine and components from a distance, pull the dip and smelt then rubbed the oil between my fingers and well we know what a blown engine smells like and the grit we will feel, nothing, tho I could smell fuel.

I triggered each injector separately then check for spark on the packs he was using.

This being an older Jap model it had one large control plug that fed back from the ecm, when probing it I found the plug in place but not locked down, I pushed it in and no burnt anything, the torque in the mounts was what lifted the plug enough to free it that and the clips being busted.

No doubt the last running open throttle created a hell of a bang but, no proper follow thru spent money unwisely

My point I guess guys is that so many here have a vast amount of experience and, not just on ventures. When we read forum posts there are times when we get bated by the OP seeking your inputs. The questions themselves prove they need the experienced guidance that in my view means someone has to run point or take the lead, the whole of the forum pitches in filling in the color and the missing pieces as the threads progress.

I'd like to share this link I came across. This is for all the parents and grandparents aunts and uncles.

I think understanding mankind young and old is the key to patience:

 

 

Edited May 19, 2021 by Patch