Yea, the other 2 weeks was when the plant was closed down for Christmas and New Years.
Oil Leak
- Thread starter Zo Cole
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bill1013
Full Access Member
Hmm...I've noticed that troubleshooting is a lost art nowadays. It's just remove and replace a part and if that doesn't work...pull another part and replace that one too. Call me old fashion, but basic troubleshooting is something the younger generation just doesn't get. In a hurry to fix it, impatience with technology? Is it me? You can tell me...I can take it...your humor and satire is refreshing!
A big part of that is impatience but I feel the biggest reason is two things. So many people think that a trouble code tells them what is wrong and what part is needed. It tells you what system is having a problem and diagnostics is required to pinpoint that problem. Too many times people think technology is so advanced that the code is the answer to all the questions in their mind.
The other reason, and I think the biggest reason, is that dads are not teaching their sons and daughters the ins and outs of vehicle maintenance and repairs and showing them how to do it. I was one of 4 boys. My dad showed us all how to work on vehicles. Mothers and fathers nowadays just don't do that anymore except for rare occasions. That has been going on for close to 3-4 generations.
wjburken
Supporting Member
This is why my three oldest kids; 16 (son), 14 (son) & 12 (daughter) all got a set of tools when they turned 8 and have all helped with work on cars doing anything from changing the oil, changing spark plugs to replacing radiators, brakes and shocks. My rule for them is if your going to drive a car, you are going to know what it takes to maintain them and fix them. Whether or not they enjoy doing it later, they will at least be able to talk intelligently with a mechanic and know if they are getting the run-around or not.
Case in point, my son was driving his 2004 Grand Marquis and had the check engine light come on. He stopped, called me and told me what the OBDII reader I had in the glove box was showing for a code and asked if it was ok to keep driving. It ended up being a slow O2 sensor response so I said yes, but he knew enough to check it out right away and how to use the reader.
There’s a huge part of today’s young people that for one thing don’t have a dad around period, and there’s a huge part that don’t even get their driver licenses when they turn 16 and don’t plan on driving until they find out it’s kinda useful. By then all they want is something to get from point to point and haven’t planned on anything other than that. There’s no pride in owning a nice vehicle, there’s no plan on owning one so to think they are ready to take care of one is stretching it. Things are changing, soon the ones that have vehicles and drive will be the minority. It’s the same with owning a house and learning how to fix things when they break, they’re growing up without a clue nor the interest to learn how. They don’t realize they will have to pay people $150 per hour to fix shit they could have learned how to do.
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Joseph Garcia
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Another newer trend over the past 20 years or so related to cars/trucks for teenagers, is that too many parents buy their teenage kids a brand new car for their first car, using the 'for safety reasons' as the excuse. The real reason is often that they don't want to look bad or 'poor', compared to their kids friends' parents. Kind of like keeping up with the Jones.
My sons went to a high school where 75+% of the parents bought their teenage kids brand new cars for their first car, many times expensive cars, so there was lots of peer pressure on me and my wife to do the same for my two sons. Nothing doing! I had my two sons start saving for their first car, as soon as they could start working part-time, which I made them do at an early age (many of their friends never worked a day in a full-time job or part time job, until they graduated from college). They were clearly very unhappy about it, and complained to me about how bad they would look in front of their friends, and how hard it would be to get a date in the competition for available women to date. I said, "Too bad, but you will thank me some day for this."
Both of my sons saved over $2000 each for their first cars, by the time that they were 16, and could get a license. We went out looking for used cars, and each of them bought their first cars, used, with close to 100k miles on them, and I supplemented their life savings with up to $1500 of my own money to close the deal. (This was a lot better deal that the $200 ************* that I got for my first car, which needed immediate repairs, just to make it run.) I knew that these cars would break down soon, and they would have to use the training that I had given them for years, working on keeping our family cars running.
You know what? In later years, both of my sons each individually thanked me. (Oh, and I thanked my father, too.
)
My sons went to a high school where 75+% of the parents bought their teenage kids brand new cars for their first car, many times expensive cars, so there was lots of peer pressure on me and my wife to do the same for my two sons. Nothing doing! I had my two sons start saving for their first car, as soon as they could start working part-time, which I made them do at an early age (many of their friends never worked a day in a full-time job or part time job, until they graduated from college). They were clearly very unhappy about it, and complained to me about how bad they would look in front of their friends, and how hard it would be to get a date in the competition for available women to date. I said, "Too bad, but you will thank me some day for this."
Both of my sons saved over $2000 each for their first cars, by the time that they were 16, and could get a license. We went out looking for used cars, and each of them bought their first cars, used, with close to 100k miles on them, and I supplemented their life savings with up to $1500 of my own money to close the deal. (This was a lot better deal that the $200 ************* that I got for my first car, which needed immediate repairs, just to make it run.) I knew that these cars would break down soon, and they would have to use the training that I had given them for years, working on keeping our family cars running.
You know what? In later years, both of my sons each individually thanked me. (Oh, and I thanked my father, too.
)
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Or in the case of my daughters 23 year old boyfriend who has never picked up a tool of any kind in his life, let his mother pick out his brand new Toyota Corolla (yech) even though all he wanted and could afford was a used car so now he has a $400 a month note for 6 years and will be upside down on a car he doesn’t even really like, and is a manager at a movie theater. My daughter asked about helping him get him into my trade, in the construction field, as an apprentice where he would start out making more than he’s making now ( was making before Corona) and end up making around 100k a year with a great pension when he retires but I just couldn’t set him up for failure. I cringe when I see him do anything that even resembles actual physical work and I can’t bring myself to try to show him anything because it’s just so awkward watching him use a tool. The guys would have chewed him up and spit him out if he had been accepted into the apprenticeship program (which he wouldn’t have been). His mom and dad are still married so his dad didn’t show him a thing growing up, probably because he didn’t know how to fix things himself. I was watching him use my car wash brush the other day and I had to walk away; my daughter could use the thing better than him. It was like he didn’t have a clue how to hold it and I wasn’t going to step in, I didn’t want the poor guy to be embarrassed. I can’t help him at this point of his life without it being really awkward.
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Zo Cole
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Thanks Man, definitely didn’t take it serious. I clown around myself. I was laughing reading all the comments. I’m usually 3,000 miles between oil changes. I do have 237K on it though. When I’m between oil changes, it tends to get down to below 20psi at idle and just below 40 psi over 1500. I’ve also done tune up but found oil on the plug close to the fire wall on the passenger side. Therefore I have a misfire. A few people around here has told me to put in the thickest oil to keep the pressure up until I swap the engine. I get good power on the highway but had that “good ole Chevy lifter tap” so I’m told. This is my first Tahoe and like it a lot .
@Rocket Man, Mark, he is likely of the opinion that NERDS will rule the world and he can pay for anything he needs done. But to have a problem with a car wash brush is very funny.
My wife that passed had 3 boys. The youngest wanted me to look at his car problem. I said I would but only if he was there for the whole thing. Diagnosis and repairs. He said no and he took it to someone else. He paid them and my work would have been free but he said NO. That kid was a train wreck sometimes.
My wife that passed had 3 boys. The youngest wanted me to look at his car problem. I said I would but only if he was there for the whole thing. Diagnosis and repairs. He said no and he took it to someone else. He paid them and my work would have been free but he said NO. That kid was a train wreck sometimes.
He is starting to learn his parents haven’t been all that truthful as he grew up, and still are deceitful. They told him he can afford a new car and required full coverage insurance like them, eat out at restaurants all the time like them, save up for and buy a house, travel a half-dozen times a year, etc, all on his 30k a year. They tell him they don’t make much more than that ( they both have low paying jobs) but they fail to mention they’re fostering 3-4 kids that have difficulties and all I can figure is they make a LOT of money doing that because they live WAY beyond their means. Mexico twice a year for a week each time, Cali twice a year, Florida, they have a new GMC Denali pickup, new Tahoe, nice house, etc etc and act like he doesn’t know how to make his money go far enough. Poor kid doesn’t have a clue what things cost but he’s starting to figure it out. I’m not helping by letting him live here for free but he makes my daughter happy and is a good guy. They are saving to buy a house but my daughter will be on the mortgage and will be the breadwinner as she is getting her nurses degree in a couple months.
