How many real mechanics do we have...?

[Bartman39]

If anybody has any of the 5.4s still in use change the plugs out to champion plugs, not the autolite/motorcraft ones.
The champion ones are 1 peice design you speak of so they don't have the same problems as the autolite/motorcraft ones. They cost a little more but are well worth it if you save yourself from haveing to remove 1 broken plug.

Exactly what we replace with... :thumbsup:

 

[Pacfanweb]

I'm an aircraft mechanic, does that qualify me
I could probably pass the ase tests with ease.

I would hope so....ASE tests are a joke. That's why you see every service station monkey with ASE patches.

 

[Bartman39]

Possibly...?

Do you know what an IAC is...? Or what a 3 circut Dominator is...? (kinda a trick question) :sneaky: Might ask what where a Torrington bearing would be used in an engine...?

No internet searching either


Not that these would qualify or disqualify you but some I thought of off the top...

Hummm...? Did`nt see iGas answer any of these questions...? Anyone else...?

 

[Zargon]

i was employed as a motorcycle mechanic till I quit to do IT full time

 

[IcePickFreak]

Did auto body for about 8 years, been wrenching on the mechanical end of things since 14 but never worked as a mechanic. You get in enough of it in doing big hits and resto's and the like anyway.

 

[mike2fix]

IAC is an Idle Control valve, attaches to the throttle body and does as it states.

It's been a while, but I would guess the Dominator is one of the BIG Holley carbs.

Torrington bearing would normally be used as a Thrust control bearing, usually camshaft thrust.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I know where the gas goes in! There's an arrow by the gauge that tells me which side of the car!

 

[Bartman39]

IAC is an Idle Control valve, attaches to the throttle body and does as it states.

It's been a while, but I would guess the Dominator is one of the BIG Holley carbs.

Torrington bearing would normally be used as a Thrust control bearing, usually camshaft thrust.

Mike... Ding...Ding...! Winner :thumbsup::biggrin: (Great trader alert too...!)

Yep the Idle air control is used on most any EFI system and of course controls the idle speed by varing air intake to fuel trim...
Dominators are the higher end racing type carbs from 750cfm to...??? (have see some 1450cfm custom rigs) most common is a 1050cfm
Aftermarket Roller camshafts require a torrington bearing to take the rearward thrust so it wont drive out the cam end plug or chew up the block and when set properly keeps the roller lifters in alignment with the cam lobes...

 

[mike2fix]

Thanks Bart.

I spent about 20 years in the Auto parts business but haven't done it in a long time. The Dominators were just getting more popular then and I did build a motor or 2 with roller cams. It seems as I recall some of the gear drives that were popular because of the noise they made also sometimes came with the Torrington thrust washers. My daughters drive Supercharged 3.8's and they are sensitive to condition of the IAC valve, so I end up removing them now and then to clean.

 

[halik]

financial engineer ...

 

[PhoKingGuy]

financial engineer ...

You probably know more about your S4 than an Audi certified master tech.

 

[halik]

You probably know more about your S4 than an Audi certified master tech.

Actually you'd be surprised, audi master techs know their shit. I pinged one of the guys i know about my misfire problems and shot him some fuel trim and timing data to see what's up. He pinpointed the issue right away - air leak around the intake mani.

Got phenolic spacers and RTV siliconed the whole thing, no more misses

 

[slag]

The sparkplug setup on the 3V is notorious. Carbon would weld the plugs in place and make them very difficult to remove. That was corrected in later iterations, but the early ones: yuck.

The 3 Valve design was a compromise. It didn't have the costs of 4 valves (which usually require dual overhead cams instead of single in most cases). When it went VCT, it only required a single VCT module because of the single camshaft, etc.

It was a great idea to extend the life of the 5.4L motor - the 5.4L modular was very old. It didn't make the power of the newer V8's in it's displacement, but the 3V setup let it compete for another half-decade at least until the new designs like the 3.5 ecoboost and 5.0 liter could get in place. The 3V 5.4's were still bullet-proof and made a bunch of Ward's top-10 engine lists over and over again.

Ford stagnated their engine design for too long - prior leadership with different objectives. The new leadership really seems to get it. Good engines, but past their prime a bit. That's been fixed now. Good lord do I want a new Mustang GT =).

My 97 with the 2 valve/cylinder 5.4 is a gas sucking hog with little power. It does ok, but not great. What year F150 with the 3 valve 5.4 is a good year to get?

 

[slag]

Possibly...?

Do you know what an IAC is...? Or what a 3 circut Dominator is...? (kinda a trick question) :sneaky: Might ask what where a Torrington bearing would be used in an engine...?

No internet searching either


Not that these would qualify or disqualify you but some I thought of off the top...

No google: IAC is Idle Air Control
3 circuit dominator - no idea
Torrington Bearings are used in transmissions (maybe other places also, but I replaced one when I rebuilt my Explorer transmission)

 

[DietDrThunder]

Shade tree, but I'm not afraid of tackling the hard stuff:

I'm a software engineer on the F-35 program and write software for the Helmet Mounted Displays.

 

[Bartman39]

Cepak...

I'm a software engineer on the F-35 program and write software for the Helmet Mounted Displays.

Das kool... :thumbsup:


Looks like your not afraid of much so that puts you in the "mechanic" end of it...


Slag... Good on the first and last and as I said the 3 circut Dominator is kinda a trick question... I should explain just a bit... Dominators come as either 2 circut or 3 circut to start off... The 3 circut version was designed more for road racing and partial throttle situations where the midrange needed to be richer which is why the extra fuel circut but it was also found to work good on boats which require a rich midrange... The 2 circut version will transition smoother and is more tune-able for both hot street and all out drag racing... You would think the opposite that the 3 circut would be the better of the two but it can be a real PITA to tune and depending on the setup you may find it working for you one day then the next you curse it and threaten to melt it down to make toy army men and cheap cosmetic jewelry...

 

[Viperoni]

Do IT at work, but I'm definitely a shadetree.
Built my own motor, do most of my own work and on my parents cars.
I just recently changed the plugs, thermostat, o2 sensors and control arms on my dads 02 Altima. If you know that car, you know it's not a small job.

 

[Pulsar]

My 97 with the 2 valve/cylinder 5.4 is a gas sucking hog with little power. It does ok, but not great. What year F150 with the 3 valve 5.4 is a good year to get?

Actually, if you can live through another year or so of your current car, I'd wait for the new smaller engines to come back off leases - you could go with a used Ecoboost or the small non-boosted V6. They'll still be under the factory warrant and any real problems will have already been fixed.

The 3 valve will be a slight improvement over your 2 valve, but I don't think you'll get the substantial improvement you're probably really looking for. I'm guessing, but I suspect you'd be disappointed with only a couple mpg gain as opposed to the huge gains you'd see waiting a year and getting a used v6-powered F-150 (with more torque than your current engine!).

It's not that I'm putting you off from a current year F-150 (I own an '08 that I just bought used with 18k miles for $24k). But I think you'll be happier in a year if you can wait.

 

[exdeath]

Torrington bearing: first thing that came to mind for me was the spring perch bearings on a coil over strut used to keep the spring from twisting and binding when turning.

Bottom right.

Dominator I had to think about, then I remembered the trade mark name for Holley carbs and figured it had something to do with that with 3 circuit being idle, cruise, power? I prefer my "1024 circuit" fuel injectors, I'm an EFI guy, carbs were before my time ;P

 

[alkemyst]

lolz...mechanics wanting to be engineers.

They should focus on following book instructions rather than trivia.

 

[Bartman39]

lolz...mechanics wanting to be engineers.

They should focus on following book instructions rather than trivia.

A "mechanic" is beyond the book, it takes more than a manual to know how to troubleshoot many issues and a working knowlege while found in books is not always clear to everyone... If you rely only on a book then your only as good as the book...

 

[halik]

I'm a software engineer on the F-35 program and write software for the Helmet Mounted Displays.

More pics from work!

 

[Demon-Xanth]

I think ASE is the automotive equivalent of MCSE.

 

[alkemyst]

A "mechanic" is beyond the book, it takes more than a manual to know how to troubleshoot many issues and a working knowlege while found in books is not always clear to everyone... If you rely only on a book then your only as good as the book...

These guys think too BIG. In the day of R&R, throw away parts; we need more line cooks not sous chefs trying to reinvent the Quarter Pounder.

Stick to the book kids, when I am looking for exotic work I will probably be going to a guy that doesn't have a million little certificates on his wall for 'Advanced Cooling Evacuation' and 'Advanced Spark Plug Replacement'.

kthx, just replace the alternator and get my car back to me.

 

[exdeath]

More pics from work!

No cameras allowed, and you haz no clearance anyway