D**! As simple as my 85 300D is, why do I still keep making Technical Mistakes?
 

D**! As simple as my 85 300D is, why do I still keep making Technical Mistakes?

The other day I thought I had air in my fuel lines ( my car was having trouble cold starting ) and I posted about it. Everyone said check my glo plugs. I did and it turned out 3/5 were dead!!
I thought I had a bad brake booster but my Vacuum pump was dead. I almost replaced the Booster which is megabucks.
I thought I had a bad brake caliper but I had abad master cylinder.
I may not be super Tech, but I do know my way around OBDI and II cars and i do have parts of a working Brain when i am fullly awake and caffeinated!I use a scope and chips at work. Its embarssing getting correct advice from kids half my (44 yrs) age sometimes!

Everyone goes through a period of brain farts :rolleyes: I have nothing but respect for you with some of the things you have undertaken. My God, I wouldn't even attempt most of them.

my dad used
 

to say "if you aren't making any mistakes, you aren't doing much".

i have to remind myself of this almost daily. you are still money ahead of where you would be if you had hired half that work done. i have been driving these benzes for almost thirty years total and i can often diagnose things right the first time, but certainly not always. some things just defy certain diagnosises.

even the professionals often end up changing parts and not solving the prob.

tom w

I offer this as an alternative.....Take it to a dealer........See? Now isn't that easy.....Grab a cold one and bask in your "I can do it and save boatloads of $ demeanaor.... :sun_smile

Many vehicle systems are complex. A failure in the system can maifest itself with symptoms that apply to more than one component.

The history of the individual working on the vehicle will affect his judgment. If I have found that a low reservoir and subsequent draining of fluid in the m/c was the cause of my brake loss, I'm far more likely to suspect the exact same problem in the future, when the rear brakes go out. It's human nature.

It takes a very careful analysis of all the data for a single individual to be successful with a complicated problem. Many times, the personnel at the dealership do not perform this analysis. They focus on one specific part and pretty much have the solution before the analysis is ever done. So, they change the part and the problem remains.

With this forum, you get the input from 15 (more......sometimes) different people , all with different experiences with the same symptoms. If you read all of them carefully, you obtain far more insight as to the potential problem than you can otherwise do by yourself.

Sometimes we get into a discussion regarding the problem with many possible scenarios explored and hashed out.

I recently remember a lengthy discussion regarding whether the brake booster or the vacuum pump was at fault. It's a very difficult diagnosis because a leaking brake booster can have the exact same symptoms as a weak vacuum pump. It may have been possible that both the pump output was low and there was a slight leak in the booster.

So, Richard, don't kick yourself for a misdiagnosis. That's what the forum is for. If you have doubts about a diagnosis, generally, the depth of the forum can set you straight. It's a very valuable asset.

I will add, for the benefit of new members, that the best solutions are provided to those members who can provide some hard data and detailed explanations of the symptoms.

Well said. This diesel forum is like a giant brain with far more experience than any one of us could ever gain. The only thing it lacks is its own ability to search thru its data and come up with a solution. The 'search' function is the closest it has. But someday, an enterprising programmer will develop that appropriate tool, and the giant brain will be able to hypothesize and diagnose way better than any of us. Of course by then, there won't be many 616's and 617's left.

Whew I thought I was starting to get brain weary....
 

Whew I thought I was starting to get brain weary....its funny in the office whenever people get into conversations about cars, I conspicuously quickly vacate the premises...I only trust two or three people where i work w/r to questions about Car technical issues..everyone else, I fear more than myself...

Mechanical stuff and technical stuff are quite different...

Being in the Technical end of things myself I have seen many very competant techs have trouble changing a flat tire....

Count your blessings you have the fortitude to stick through a job.....the details can be worked out here.... :D