WAINWRIGHT

So I had an interesting day finally. I have been working on a vehicle that had a host of problems. It came in with a leaky hub and required its bi-annual inspection. I am teamed with a military guy (to show me the ropes, since I am not familiar with the vehicles, and I have a fellow Callian employee. My fellow civiy used to be my sergeant way back when. Funny how in the military you meet people and eventually you see them again, the team lead was also my warrant way back when as well). So back to the vehicle story, we have been working on this vehicle for almost a week, (week over 1000 hours between the three of us), Like I said, it came in with a leaky hub, the others went working on the inspection, and I started on fixing the leak. So as I normally go, I do the easy fix first, then work my way till the problem is repaired. (And no chance of a comeback) I tightened the bolts to the hub, because they were loose. Then checked the fluid level to top up. There was no fluid at all. (BIG PROBLEM) so I had to pull the wheel off. Which had to be done anyways for the inspection? When I pulled the wheels, the brake shoes were soaking in oil. Now for those vehicle savvy types reading this, Brakes work on friction. Oil is designed to reduce friction, I’m sure you all can now do the math. So I told J (I will use the first letter of the names to make it easy) J is the army guy I am teamed with. (Poor him) either way. He came to look at it and said. It is leaking from the spindle. So I went under the vehicle and removed the axle. I took a look at the axle and found that it was worn in some areas. Not good since the axle is a solid piece of metal designed to take the torque of rotation. I also cleaned the seal area that stops the oil from leaking past into the brakes. (Hence the oils soaked brakes) after a through cleaning the seal surface was dented. So the took care of that problem, That is to big of a job to do at our shop. We send it across the road to another shop to replace the support arm. It’s about a day job just to do that. So I started the inspection on the side I was working on. Pulled the rest of the wheels, and had to replace some of the air line hoses since they were painted and cracked. The rest of the inspection went very smoothly with the three of us working well and fast. Yesterday we went to finish the inspection and start the repairs. Normally I repair as I go, but the “higher ups” wanted inspections then repairs done separately, not sure why but im only here to turn wrenches. (Almost like meatball surgery) Either way we started the repairs since the wheels were off. I replaced the hoses, brake chambers, and adjusted with in an hour. I’m starting to get the hang of it. Until the last wheel, last hose. (Go figure) I cross threaded the hose and connector. No big deal, I got a new hose and was looking at the connector that the hose goes too. I messed that up royally, and to make it even worse there is no replacement in the system. (Yar why me) As for the good thing today, on of the a/c (air conditioning) compressors was leaking, So J said if I wanted to tackle it, and of course to show im not as useless and the now hose and connector, I said yes. J evacuated the Freon. (Which isn’t Freon any more) handed me the compressor and said enjoy. I should have known soothing was up, when him and my other partner M, walked away to start another job. I even asked what do I do, and his reply was “I have faith in your mechanical abilities” and didn’t even stop. Eh what could I do, but start removing the old one. Easier said then done. The compressor is crammed in to a very small space, just large enough to get my fingers in, and maybe a wrench. I’m laying on my side in the driver’s area, which in a tank is also very small and cramped. I took a look at the manual, to find out how to remove the compressor, it was a boring read, and didn’t quite match the installation since a few mods were done. Oh well, I went in with a fist full of tools and a hell allot of hope lol. I removed the compressor after just after lunch, with a lot of difficulty. (I did start about an hour and a half before lunch.) Either way, I found out an easier way to do, after taking a lot of the housing and pumps off. So within the hour I had the compressor in, and ready to be charged and tested. This is where the story gets interesting, I found out as I reappeared from the depth of the LAV. The shop Forman came to me and asked how it was going. I said great it is in, and ready to get tested. He was surprised, I asked why so surprised. He explained to me that no one knew how to do it, since there was one guy who did a few years ago, and he removed the engine to replace a small compressor. I said how come you guys never did it yourself. At witch he replied, no one had the time to pull the engine out. I laughed and showed him how to do it quickly. Now I have at least 10 LAVs waiting for me to repair them. Oh well. It’s good to finally prove myself.