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The old timer at my shop in Tulsa pulled a plug and just stared at it for a full minute before saying anything
Last Tuesday a guy named Dale who has been turning wrenches for 38 years picked up a spark plug from a truck that came in running rough and he just held it up to the light and stared at it for a solid minute without saying a word. I was waiting for him to grab the gap gauge or the scope, but he just looked at the color on the tip and the wear on the electrode and knew it was running lean. He handed it to me and said to check for a vacuum leak at the intake gasket instead of guessing at the fuel system, and sure enough it was cracked right there. Made me realize I jump to the scan tool way too fast when half the answer is already sitting in my hand. How many of you still read plugs before you plug in, or am I the only one who got lazy about it?
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xena_brown5024d ago
Guilty of grabbing the scanner first, but Dale just proved me wrong.
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sethc1424d ago
Ever notice how the guys who are best at their jobs are the ones who slow down and just LOOK first? Same thing happens with doctors who actually examine you before ordering fifty tests, or cooks who taste the food instead of just going by the recipe. There is something about hands on knowledge that a screen can't give you. Dale stared at that plug for a minute because 38 years taught him the answer was already there. We got spoiled by tools that do the thinking for us and forgot the basics still work.
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