| Blogs > spiritwoman45 > Life in the Canyon |
|
D##n Computers Computers control everything today. Not only that they seem to be an integral part of the whole and cannot be separated out. Case in point. My car was doing some strange pattern of overheating. It began to heat up when I drove around town or sat at low idol but did fine on the open road, climbing hills etc. It would cool down as soon as I hit the open road regardless of terrain, speed or effort. It’s a stick shift so I was able to maintain the same RPM’s in all incidents. I did all of the usual stuff – checked coolant level, checked oil, looked for leaks etc. – nothing. I drove it for a couple of weeks under every possible situation and the problem remained the same. In the old days the first thing I would have suspected was a cooling fan or as happened in my van the fan clutch. All more than I could handle so it was off to the mechanic. Of course not just any mechanic can work on my car but fortunately I have a good shop I have used for years. They are expensive but do excellent work on specialty cars and stand by their results. The service manager was of the same opinion as I was about what the problem might be. I left it for diagnosis and treatment. They called me this AM. Turns out I was right about what the problem was BUT that is not as simple as replacing the fan clutch these days. After a lengthy discussion of computer workings rather than mechanics I learned that like many things in today's vehicles the cooling fan is part of a complete unit. The Individual components, in this the chip that receives the commands from the car’s main computer and actually operates the fan speed cannot be replaced individually (oh, I am sure it can but not in ordinary shops), therefore the whole fan assembly needs to be replaced. As I learned with a previous specialty vehicle even if you can and do the work yourself or know someone who can it is next to impossible to get the component parts that make up the various "modules" and if taken apart some never go back together correctly. Ah for the good old days before computers when mechanical things were just that and worked logically. Spiritwoman ^i^ |
|||
|
My Dodge is old and a diesel, doesn't even have glow plugs, most of the stuff on it is mechanical, but now my Toyota P/U is a 2015, everything is computerized. Really a nice truck, but if I ever had to give up one of my trucks, guess which one it would be? Yep, the Tundra would be gone in a heartbeat! The more computer stuff they put on vehicles, the less we can do our own repairs.
| ||
|
It seems to me that the more "MODERN" vehicles become, the more complicated the problems become. I long for the old days when you could do most of your own maintenance. Alfie...
| ||
|
Ranger, what can I say? You have a very wise son! These old diesels go forever and talk about a work horse? I have to say they get the job done! Whereas my Tundra is a nice truck, but pulling the horse trailer is a little too much for it. I used it once for hauling, never again.
| ||
|
My late husband never wanted a new-fangled car that ran on computers..... what would he think today if he were still alive? I just saw a commercial about some kind of phone that uses your fingerprint to do all kinds of things. What WILL they think of next? Be a prism, spreading God's light and love, not a mirror reflecting the world's hatred.
| ||
5/12/2016 9:34 am |
Love your new definition of fan. Fortunately the service manager is in the older age group so knew exactly what I was talking about. Worst part is when the vehicle malfunctions for any reason it becomes nothing more than a couple of tons of useless steel and plastic. Spiritwoman ^i^
| ||
5/12/2016 9:40 am |
I long for my 1967 Camaro SS 350. No computer and no smog or emission equipment. Biggest mistake I ever made was trading it in. They are worth a fortune now.  Fossil Second time around I got a 1984 Fiero. I listened to no one about getting rid of it. It is still sitting in the yard at my house. I plan on restoring it someday just becasue. Spiritwoman ^i^
| ||
5/12/2016 9:42 am |
My Dodge is old and a diesel, doesn't even have glow plugs, most of the stuff on it is mechanical, but now my Toyota P/U is a 2015, everything is computerized. Really a nice truck, but if I ever had to give up one of my trucks, guess which one it would be? Yep, the Tundra would be gone in a heartbeat! The more computer stuff they put on vehicles, the less we can do our own repairs. Spiritwoman ^i^
| ||
5/12/2016 9:45 am |
It seems to me that the more "MODERN" vehicles become, the more complicated the problems become. I long for the old days when you could do most of your own maintenance. Alfie... Spiritwoman ^i^
| ||
5/12/2016 9:48 am |
My late husband never wanted a new-fangled car that ran on computers..... what would he think today if he were still alive? I just saw a commercial about some kind of phone that uses your fingerprint to do all kinds of things. What WILL they think of next? Spiritwoman ^i^
|
×
×