"Week 10 Hydraulic Brakes and Performing a Relative Compression Test"

During this last week of class I had an assignment that for some reason I was just ready to jump on. The assignment was to preform a Cylinder Balance Test or Relative Compression Test a on the yellow International below. The first day the assignment was given out, I jumped right on it with a few other classmates. That's when the problems started, there was several of us trying to do the same thing with one laptop and the wrong data link connection. After watching the circus for a minute I decided I would be better off doing this assignment by myself like I was asked. When I finally got the opportunity. I grabbed the correct data link, the laptop, the keys and got to work. It didn't take me to long to preform this test. I was able to find my way around Internationals tech.service program- Service-Max fairly easily and once I located the Relative Compression Test, I ran it. These were the results.

Another assignment we were asked to do this week was to take a piece of hydraulic brake line about six inches in length and using two different styles of flaring tools (left pics below) put a double flare on each end and then put a 90 degree bend in it. This all sounded and looked to be pretty easy and it was. The hardest part was using the tools to flare the ends correctly. It took me a couple try's before I was comfortable with the end result.

Below are two links. The first is video I watched twice, it's a little longer but has what I thought to be a great explanation on the principles of the operation of hydraulic brakes. The second is to a short video that really helped me get a grip on Pascal's Law and how it is applied in hydraulic brake systems.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP58X0pxYQ4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxLTDtaRCZk


My reflection for the week would definitely be more of a reflection over the last year and a half. I have learned so much from this program and all my peers in it. It has been a lot of work to get to the end and all of it seems to have gone by so fast and not with out some head scratching. I think if there is one thing that I will really take from all of this, it is to take the time to understand what you are really dealing with, whether it be mechanical, electrical, or any type of system. Because if you don't you will go nuts chasing squirrels. This will be one of my last posts of my actual schooling, I will continue to learn like I do everyday only now my posts and the things I will learn will come from the field.

Week 10
Hours 21
Total Hours 250ish

Week 9 "Using the MODIS and the Laptop for diagnostics and control"

During the this last week of instruction we were given the assignments on several different engines. They all had to do with using a laptop and the specific program for the engine to find fault codes and the reason for them. Along with using Snap-On's MODIS to function some things in our 2003 Dodge.


The assignment I chose to work on first was why the 6.7 L Ford (in the center picture below) wouldn't start. After hooking up the laptop and choosing the appropriate software, I was able to find that there was only 85. something for a pressure reading in the fuel rail. This was not right, the pressure should have been much higher. My first thought that if there is no pressure in the fuel rail that would cause a no start on the engine, so I immediately went to the fuel rail and after a moment was able to find that the fuel rail pressure sensor was unhooked.

The next task I went about on was that of getting the MODIS and using it to operate the windshield wipers and the horn on the black Dodge. This task was fairly easy and completely helped me understand how I could use the MODIS in this type of application to find out if there was a problem with the windshield wiper switch and not the motor or maybe a headlight switch or anything that has a similar circuit running through the computer.

 I also spent some time this last week in the computer lab finishing up a computer assignment. The computer assignment was on CAT Engines Basics.

I ended up barely passing both tests. But I did pass one with a 88% and another with a 87%. I needed 85% to pass. This was a little you could say boring to some degree but had a ton of knowledge and it took me 2 times on each test to pass, so it was in no way easy.

Another assignment I was given was to go into the dyno room hook up the laptop to the Cummins ISX 485 we have in there and with the key on find the current fault code.

After getting the laptop hooked up right and getting into the proper program I was able to locate several fault codes, but the only one that was active and shouldn't have been was the VGT Actuator Driver Circuit. It had an abnormal update rate, so I went to where the Variable Geometry Turbo (VGT) was located on the Cummins and found that the sensor for the VGT was unhooked.

I think thing the I can reflect on the most over this last week is how technology has and still is allowing us more of an ability to diagnose problems with engines with out having to tear into them like cavemen and I got to say I like it.

Week 9
Hours 21
Total Hours 230 ish

Week 8 "CAT 3516 Assignment"

This last week I was pretty busy working on 3516 Cat assignment given to me by my instructor. Since the previous weeks work of getting all the parts off , dissembled  and cleaned went fairly well and there wasn't to much cleaning left to do, I started this week off by taking what measurements I could without getting in any others way. This meant standing at a table with several sises of micrometer's, bore gauges, height gauges, and all the tools in between. Below are some pictures of some of the stuff I was measuring.

Here I was measuring the thickness    Here I was measuring the thickness    In this picture I was checking the
of the flange on the cylinder liner.        of the cylinder block.                          thickness of the spacer plate.

 Here I was checking the diameter         Here I was checking the           Here I was checking the diameter
of the rocker arm shaft.                         diameter of the piston pin           of the valve lifter

 Here I was checking the bore in the bearing for the piston pin on a        This is me checking the bore for 
connecting rod and the measuring the bore to make sure it is in spec.      the valve lifter.

 After getting all the measurements I was asked to and even some more I was just curious about I began the mission of putting everything I had taken off and dis assembled back to and in its place.


                                  What the 3516 looked like while I was doing my measurements

After making sure everything was as clean as possible I began by installing the cylinder liner, the spacer plate, the piston. This all went without difficulty except that the bearing on the connecting rod kept slipping making it a little more fun.

Next I got my valve head back on and then began hooking up the rocker arms and making the proper adjustments. This meant adjusting the rockers so the valves would have a clearance of .015 in. for the Intake valves

and .030 in. clearance for the Exhaust valves.




With everything back in it's spot and torqued down to spec I was able to throw the manifold back on the head and step away from my first trip into a 3500 series Caterpillar Engine.

Well with everything back on the cat, and now it is time for my reflection of the week. It went well everything seemed pretty smooth. all week long, but that was just me. Now I saw plenty of other people who didn't seem to have had quite the experience with this assignment as I did. struggling a lot harder with things than they needed to. I think that I would dedicate my success on this assignment due to the having the 60 plus pages of specifications for the CAT 3500 series. It really helped have the ability to look different things up and know exactly what or how to do it.

These are some pictures of  an Engine Research Assignment and an Engine Worksheet that I did at the beginning of the quarter before starting on the Detroit 60 series assignment and the CAT 3516 assignment.

 These assignments definitely prepared and got me more familiar with different types of sensors and how they operate along with basic fuel systems there components and how they operate. There was also one page on cold start assist systems and how and when they function, I found this to be the most interesting part of the assignment due to the fact that I didn't know much about a cold start assist system. Now I do.

Week 8
Hours 23
Total Hours 200ish

Week 7 "CAT 3516 assignment and a little more"

This last week of school was shortened a little by the long weekend, but Tuesday morning I was right back at it. In my last blog I had posted how me and my group were pretty much done with our engines assignment, well we officially are. All we had to do was put the exhaust guard plate on, the valve cover on and clean up our work area. Again I really enjoyed getting into this engine.

Along with finishing the group engines assignment I began my next assignment of removing the1 cylinder head, 1 piston, 1 liner, 1 cylinder of valves, injector from this CAT 3516.

I was able to get everything removed and apart so I could start measuring and beginning re-assembly

 Here are some pictures of my progress, the removal of the head and injector. I got the cylinder of valves off along with the riser. I was then able to remove the piston, this was a little awkward at first. I ended up having to get the piston to the top of a stroke.I then had to turn the crankshaft back so I could fit a block of wood  between the rod and the crankshaft. I then turned the crankshaft until the block of wood pushed the piston out of the liner enough for me to grab. I was then able to get set up and remove the cylinder liner. One thing I began to notice right away was that nobody had ever taken this cylinder head or anything else off or out. I was chipping paint when taking off bolts and I couldn't believe how dirty everything was. Needless to say I was stoked.

 The thing I want to reflect on this week is definitely how different projects require different attitudes. Now I don't really mean like good mood or bad mood attitudes. I mean the confidence, the resourcefulness, the ability to adjust to your environment or project type of attitude. For me this was quite apparent  jumping from a big diesel engine to a huge diesel engine. When I was doing the same type of assignment on the Detroit s60 that I am doing on the 3516 now, I felt extremely confident, it wasn't that big I had a whole group to work with. Now I have no group and have to do the same things and more on an engine that is taller than me; and one cylinder head weighs 2/3 of my body weight. This can be kind of a daunting thought. That's what I mean though, it really isn't. These are the times when we pull up our pants and realize that if we bring the same type of confidence and resourcefulness to an even bigger job the end result will be the same except bigger.

Schematic for Sensor Testing Quiz

Week 7
Hours 21
Total 168ish