new job

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blueturbofly

Well-known member
so far so good. easy job at a tool repair shop, 8 hrs a day 5 days a week, week-ends off, WAY LESS DRAMA then my last job, small great staff, and co-workers. the pay is less, but the stress is less- good payoff.

working on small engines, and power tools, corded and cordless- oh yeah, milwaukee cordless tools are junk. parts are more than the tool, and i have seen many bad batteries new out of the box.

the shop is the only authorized warranty repair depot for almost EVERY big box store out there- on the west side of canada. stuff gets shipped from the three different provinces to our shop for diagnose/ repair/ replace....wow.

they other repair guy and myself are getting a raise next pay period, the new owner is really pleased with the way we work, plus he fired the other ''mechanic'' earlier this week, for being a dumbass and costing the company money in return work- when something comes back, that was ''fixed'', but has the same problem, and needs to be fixed again for free- not good for business.
 
I'm really glad you are back at work and back with us again. Job hunting is super stressful, I'm glad your new job is turning out to be a good fit.
 
wow. more stuff came back today from the previous '' mechanic'' . mowers that wont start. and half ass repairs that he has done, that i need to undo in a timely fashion.

and a common issue i have been noticing? lawnmower blades installed upsidedown, then the adapter breaks, and the mower wont start.
and replacement parts costing more than the tool itself. so lots of stuff doesnt get repaired, we either get it for salvage, or the owner takes it home.
 
blueturbofly said:
wow. more stuff came back today from the previous '' mechanic'' . mowers that wont start. and half ass repairs that he has done, that i need to undo in a timely fashion.

and a common issue i have been noticing? lawnmower blades installed upsidedown, then the adapter breaks, and the mower wont start.
and replacement parts costing more than the tool itself. so lots of stuff doesnt get repaired, we either get it for salvage, or the owner takes it home.
Click to expand...

I've been watching Musty1 on youtube... you have a great job.
 
more returns from the previous mechanic....he must have been a hack...he could not even fix a co-workers mower, he tried 3 times, then the co-worker ''donated'' the mower back to the shop, for repair/resale or salvage.

and damn it people, dont lie to us about what happened to your stuff- we can tell as soon as we open it up if its just regular use or abuse, and how long something has been sitting with bad gas in it.....case in point
my current repair job was bumped to repair a CHINESE gen set. ''will not start, do complete tune up'' owner insisted that i do not throw out his fresh gas he just put in....um, store policy, your gas will be drained if needed to do repairs-

i started after lunch, had to strip the genset down to almost a shell to get the carb out....dirtiest carb i have seen so far, all the jets plugged and stuck in place, finally got it all apart and cleaned, guy stops by at 3:30 to see if its done, i mention that it was the most dirty i have seen- and the owner replies ''it sat in my shed full of gas for 6 years, it was indoors so it should be ok''
sure, it runs now, but the carb leaks . i spent 4 hrs on it.
fixed a honda gen set earlier in the day, pop one panel off and the carb is right there. easy peasy.

you get what you pay for.
 
wow more returns today from the previous mechanic. and when people pick stuff up that he worked on, we have to make sure that it starts/ works properly. again, someone came in to pick up their snowblower that he had worked on. i started it in front of the customer, and the carb started puking fuel on the floor... :beaten: .ok, fix that AGAIN....so after i fixed that, might as well check the drive and auger....AND the auger would not spin. that was easy, remove cover and put belt on properly. why the previous mech didnt fix it- lazy asshat. simple squeeze of the lever while running would have let you know that something wasnt right.
oh, and the carb he ''cleaned'' was still dirty :-/

and i already recieved a decent wage raise. :-D
 
it is really awesome that people think we are just dumb lawnmower/ power tool mechanics. we can tell if someone has opened up said ''item'' before we get to it. dont lie to us.
people bring us their stuff after their ''buddy'' tunes it up for them, then for some weird reason it doesnt run / work properly
lawn mower running at 5,000 rpm :-o - my buddy turned it up for me.....all the adjustment screws have been screwed with, and it gets frustrating trying to get the adjustments back to stock, let alone the dirty gas and carb that was the issue to begin with.

and battery power tools that have been dropped in oil, they try for warranty, we opoen it up to check the switches and motor....and oil pours out- call the customer, THEN the truth comes out-'' yeah, i dropped it in hot oil when changing the oil in my truck- warranty wont cover that ? :p NOPE
 
That's really nuts how some people abuse products and think the warranty covers it. I guess this is balanced by genuine defects that can occur and difficulty attempting to return, fix, or replace the product.

Also, I remember having to return a repackaged and obviously broken tool to the store, 5 minutes after I bought it when my gut told me to check it out in the parking lot before driving home. The clerk asked me if I had used it! :laugh:
 
wow still dealing with the previous ''mechanics'' mistakes. small rototiller, 2-stroke- writes down that it needs cable, kill switch...other than that he marked it as ''done''- co-worker gets the parts, installs them, it wont run. pulls carb, really dirty, spark plug very fouled- clean carb, replace spark plug- stil wont fire when pulled-sounds funny- i mention to him to pull the mufler and check the piston.....AND the piston is broken away from the rod, not even moving when the rope is pulled.....WTF- the fired mechanic is a real piece of shit-
the old owner told me my very first day- if it sounds odd, pull the muffler and check the piston / bore for damage, BEFORE going to deep into repairs- easy to tell how it was treated by the p.o if the bore is really scratched, or the top ring land is completly missing...aka running a two stroke on straight gas with no oil...
i already knew that trick from years of fixing two stroke bikes and what not....but their ''seasoned'' mechanic ? he is a joke. good thing they let him go. came across other items he marked as ''repaired '' that dont even work. makes the new owners, and the current tech and myself, look bad. goodbye and good riddance to bad luck.
 
wow do people bring in garbage for us to fix. like straight out of the dumpster garbage to fix. then get mad at the estimate to fix such garbage. oh well, i get paid by the hour, not the job. :-D
 
totally annoying- pressure washer waiting for a pump, since MAY, before i started working there...pump shows up thursday, fight to install it ( vertical drive pumps are garbage, imho ) clean carb, adjust top end rpm, repair rusted shut nozzle, only to have the new pump have a defective unloader valve- as soon as you let go of the wand trigger, the pump loads up with psi, and kills the gas engine dead. its the unloader valves job to bypass pressure when you let go of the trigger, but its not doing its job. defective pump. new out of the box defective. new pump was $200, plus labor and carb kit, tune-up parts... a quick 1/2 hour pump install , turns out to be almost 3 hours, just to find out the new pump is fubar

go out and buy a new one for $250 ~300 on sale....or buy a better, HORIZONTAL pump unit.
and people swearing up and down that their pressure washer didnt freeze- um, all it takes is a drop of water in the pump pistons to damage them. we crrently have 8 pressure washers of different makes. with cracked pump housings.
some of the pumps are $380 :-o but i only paid $250 on sale....

if you pay more than $200 for a vertical pump pressure washer, you got ripped off. plain and simple. and electric ones are no better, and alot harder to work on....

and lots of milwaukee warranty work....LOTS. chinese quality, at an american price. same with ''ridgid'' brand tools. go online and register your tool, or else no lifetime warranty !
hardly any dewalt, makita, or hitachi tools come in....either they are really good, or people have been brainwashed into buying ''the power of red''....
hmm my dewalt tools have been going strong for 18+ years.....and i have abused them. :laugh:
 
that's because the stuff the box stores sells is junk to begin with. The RWD Husqvarna threw a rod so the owners of the building bought a Toro front wheel drive. Tinny piece of crap can't mow a straight line to save itself.
 
blueturbofly said:
and lots of milwaukee warranty work....LOTS. chinese quality, at an american price. same with ''ridgid'' brand tools. go online and register your tool, or else no lifetime warranty !
hardly any dewalt, makita, or hitachi tools come in....either they are really good, or people have been brainwashed into buying ''the power of red''....
Click to expand...

That's funny, the only tools that lasted in our shop is Ridgid. After everything else was either destroyed or just stopped working the 10 year old Ridgid stuff just kept on going
 
blueturbofly said:
totally annoying- pressure washer waiting for a pump, since MAY, before i started working there...pump shows up thursday, fight to install it ( vertical drive pumps are garbage, imho ) clean carb, adjust top end rpm, repair rusted shut nozzle, only to have the new pump have a defective unloader valve- as soon as you let go of the wand trigger, the pump loads up with psi, and kills the gas engine dead. its the unloader valves job to bypass pressure when you let go of the trigger, but its not doing its job. defective pump. new out of the box defective. new pump was $200, plus labor and carb kit, tune-up parts... a quick 1/2 hour pump install , turns out to be almost 3 hours, just to find out the new pump is fubar

go out and buy a new one for $250 ~300 on sale....or buy a better, HORIZONTAL pump unit.
and people swearing up and down that their pressure washer didnt freeze- um, all it takes is a drop of water in the pump pistons to damage them. we crrently have 8 pressure washers of different makes. with cracked pump housings.
some of the pumps are $380 :-o but i only paid $250 on sale....

if you pay more than $200 for a vertical pump pressure washer, you got ripped off. plain and simple. and electric ones are no better, and alot harder to work on....

and lots of milwaukee warranty work....LOTS. chinese quality, at an american price. same with ''ridgid'' brand tools. go online and register your tool, or else no lifetime warranty !
hardly any dewalt, makita, or hitachi tools come in....either they are really good, or people have been brainwashed into buying ''the power of red''....
hmm my dewalt tools have been going strong for 18+ years.....and i have abused them. :laugh:
Click to expand...

Knock on wood but all my Makita tools are still going strong and I work them pretty hard. I just keep buying more of it because it never lets me down even though it costs a little more.
 
had one item i repaired come back on tuesday.....a CHINESE generator.....large suitcase type, fully enclosed, fancy digital screen, COMMAND START.... :laugh: JUST GIMMICKS TO SELL THE UNIT.
buddy purchased it from napa on a ''special buy'' sale-AKA- good luck on parts and service for said unit.
was new in2011, but sat with fresh gas for 6 years in his shed, so thats ok, right? carb was in terrible shape. so much corrosion, parts eaten away, parts frozen from fuel gum.....''i just put fresh fuel in it, and it wouldnt start'' :laugh:
then once i got it apart, i noticed someone else was in there, before me..... told my boss, i made note of it on the invoice.
customer denied that he had it open, when i showed him the marks on the wiring, he fessed up and said they had it apart, to fix the recoil....
holy crap there is wiring in there, compared to a NAME BRAND unit...
so i got it running good, after dumping his ''fresh'' gas , flushing fuel tank, new fuel filter, spark plug, oil change,and finally figuring out what was missing from the carb- a tiny sping had erroded away , from sitting with toxic fuel- he was upset that i dumped out his 4 liters of fresh gas, dumped ontop of what was left in the tank, and ontop of the crusty stuff...
there are no online manuals or diagrams for this chinese gen-set. nothing.
so, after all that, threw it outside, fired it up, hooked up a battery charger and charged a battery at the 40 amp setting for almost an hour...ran just fine.
that was two -three weeks ago?

it came back tuesday, complaint of only running for 30 seconds, dead battery, command start killing battery? oh, and the owner took it apart out at the campsite, said it would only run when they dumped gas in the spark plug hole...

tore the whole thing wide open- checked EVERYTHING i could think of- it has spark and fuel when it dies...hmmm

electronic carb, has electric choke and electric throttle plate....hmmm plus a electric ''anti dieseling'' solenoid , on the bottom of the carb...that solenoid was easy to test, but the electric carb throttle plates? nope, cannot test.
so, as per the senior foremans directions, i unhooked the anti-dieseling solenoid, and taped up the wires.

ran it for another 45 minutes, hooked up to a battery charger again...ran fine....not sure if it ran fine from unhooking that solenoid, or just from having all the electronics disconnected and re-connected a billion times inside that tiny little area...
myself, and the shop foreman, explained to him that we cannot properly diagnose a piece of equipment, that has ZERO technical support. foreman told him to buy a honda gen set. he asked me how to fix the problem. i told him to buy a honda gen set.
my boss told him that he doesnt want to see it again, to take it to a different city, that may have the tech support for it ( nobody does) :laugh:
the guy even went back to napa, and they laughed at him, said thats what you get for buying chinese- they work good when they work, but down the road when they break, there is nobody there for support...

DONT LIE TO ME, AND SAY YOU NEVER OPENED IT....doesnt matter what it is. i can tell.
i enjoy working on name-brand stuff- but even what was a good brand, are now being made in- china- ugh
 
large whipper came in- vise grips on fuel line- carb leaks fuel. ok , no problem.....until i get at the carb. owner ''repaired '' the carb, with ALOT of orange rtv, in place of the factory o-ring on the carb bowl. so much silicone that the float was stuck open iside the carb....WOW. needed a complete carb kit. everything was fubared with silicone.

then a 6hp trash pump came in- owner wanted it asap, but my boss told him he had to wait his turn....so i get the ticket for the repair-'' does not need carb cleaned, full tune up'' ummm....what? ok. dirty as all get out...doesnt start. spray carb cleaner into carb . fires up. check oil. contaminated with gas. rust / dirt in fuel tank. pull rope almost broken.
boss calls owner.owner is mad that it needs a bunch of work, including carb work...''it was running and had fresh gas a year and a half ago'' then why is it here ?
got the bowl off the carb. almost an inch of gasoline goo in the bottom of the bowl and the jet.

yeah, just a ''tune up dont clean carb'' :laugh:

lawnmower from can tire, warranty work, round 2, from swift current....puking oil out the intake, smokes...
adjust very loose valves...fire it up, still smokes, from the exhaust and intake...exhaust finally clears up, but smoke still seen from the intake....
so, parts man said change the oil, and see if it stiil smokes....engine oil is GREY, NOT BLACK....UH OH...change oil, roll it outside, had to wait for some customers to leave, and then try to start it -SEIZED UP SOLID :-o
that was the complaint, and why it was sent to us for repair back in june...'' engine seized, customer ran it without air filter''
some people just try to get that warranty :bored:
 
people please dont buy HYUNDAI generators- they are complete garbage. way too many electronic controls, that are prone to failure on these units. 3 of them this month, one has random surge / overload issues (been back 3 times ) and the other two have failed starter circuit boards...$400 for a new starter board. cant bypass the board, it also controls the electric carb, and the command start features. wtf- command start on a gen set :laugh:
they can still be pull started, but the electric start does not work.
buy a honda gen set. they are designed to be field repaired. parts are easy to get. not the hyundai type- ALL the plastic needs to be removed to get access to almost anything. :bored:

other than that, its going pretty good. staying busy. gotta watch the other guy, he likes to throw out lots of stuff, or tell people to go buy a new one.....thats his go to if he cant figure something out....gets annoying hearing him complain how he cant figure out how to fix something, or how he uses a hammer to take something apart....when there are screws....
 
did some work on an older WATER COOLED HONDA gen-set... a straight 2 cylinder with a whopping 393 cc displacement....purrs like a kitten.
a customer dropped it off as salvage, he had no clue what was wrong with it, was just getting rid of it. its old, the other guy just wanted to strip and toss it, but i told him no, that i want to see if it runs first. that was two or three weeks ago, finally had some spare time between customers to get a good look at it.
not a single decal on it saying how much wattage it is. will need to do some internet decoding to figure that out.
the parts guy already found the parts i need for it. but it takes forever to get parts from honda right now. but i can still get parts. its a honda, not a piece of chinese garbage.
 
Looks to me you have a great job now :laugh:

And reparing all those still repareble equipment must be really plesant.
Shame your collega is more like he is :-o
 
It is a decent job, out of the weather for the most part, hours are good, weekends off....My old job was 70+ hours 6 days a week....13 years of that
Now shifting gears to a slower pace is taking some getting used to....I don't need to get up as early, and I am home before the sun sets....weird....I get mandated breaks, whereas my old job was always full out. Eat while twisting wrenches ha ha-no more of that.
I go from heavy duty mechanic fixing loaders and such, to repairing mowers and leafblowers..... :laugh:
And crappy Hyundai gen-sets :bored:
 
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