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c/diesel-mechanics•daniel140daniel140•1mo ago

Hot take: I think the 'just replace it' crowd is wrong sometimes

I was helping a guy at a truck stop in Boise last year with his 5.9 Cummins that wouldn't start. He was ready to order a whole new injection pump for over $2,000. I asked to check the lift pump pressure first, and it was fine. I found a single frayed wire on the fuel shutoff solenoid connector, fixed it with a crimp and some heat shrink, and it fired right up. He was shocked that a 50 cent fix worked. When do you guys decide to actually diagnose instead of just swapping parts?
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4 Comments
sarah_fisher49
How many mechanics does it take to change a lightbulb? None, they just replace the whole wiring harness first lol. That story is perfect, it's like watching someone buy a new car because the gas cap was loose.
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mark436
mark4361mo ago
Start with the cheapest, easiest fix first. That frayed wire story proves the point. Throwing expensive parts at a problem is just lazy troubleshooting.
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kelly638
kelly6381mo ago
What's the worst expensive part you've seen someone throw at a simple problem?
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janah83
janah831mo ago
Ugh, saw a guy replace a whole transmission for a bad speed sensor. I just cleaned the connector on mine and it's been fine for years.
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