Things You Do Not Want To Find On Your Tractor!

1370rod

Well-known Member
I never point fingers at other repair jobs because I am certainly not perfect either. But occasionally I see work that angers me and believe I should show what not to do. This customer has owned the 1370 for only a little over a year and has know idea where this work was done. It was brought to me because of a head gasket problem. After head removal and block inspection I could not believe how bad the top of the block was damaged from someone grinding on it with some form of abrasive disc. The pic does not show it well, using a straight edge and light it is really easy to see the damage but it does not show up using a camera. The hose connecting the air filter housing to the turbo is badly damaged. Where the damaged end is clamped to the turbo there was no clamp. Instead it was wrapped with electrical tape that had opened up and was letting dust in the engine. It is going to get a new hose and we will keep our fingers crossed on those head gaskets holding. Rod
a168531.jpg

a168532.jpg
 
Some people should not be allowed to touch as wrench that"s for sure! Some copper coat might help you in that instance if your in doubt of it sealing well.
 
Rod: My grief comes from customers taking their heads, from CASE Diesels, to a "professional shop" where the valves & seats were ground. Then, of course, the complaint is that the tractor now is a hard starter.
 
True. What were they thinking using electrical tape instead of duct tape. One needs to be careful to always do it right the first time. Seriously, it amazing what you find at times. And when you talk about the thousands of dollars it costs to repair some of the damage it's scary buying used machinery out there.
 
the title said "things you do not want to find on your tractor" first thing that popped into my head was cat puke on the seat or chickens roosting on the steering wheel lol.
 
Agreed... duct tape for the hose

and JB-Weld for the block... just slather it on there, and wipe with a straight edge, then sanding with wood backed paper, and Bob's Yer Uncle.
 
That's sad but I have seen things like that before. On rare occasions where the customer has a issue with the top of a block and wants me to try something. We use Permatex Permasheild it used to be called Hylomar it works well on the older steel gaskets like on a 730 or 930.
 
years a go I walked in the the Ford shop to get a water pump. The head tech was grinding the head gasket off a mustang with an angle grinder. i questioned him about that method. he acted like he had done it several times.

I knew mustang belonged to a guy I went to school with. he told me a month later his gasket was out again and the dealer ( different dealer) said the head was so crooked it had to be replaced. he couldn't figure out what happened until I told him what I saw.
 
When a customer decides he will not spend the money to "fix things right" should the mechanic:
A) "Fix things right" and eat the extra cost himself;
B) Do the cheaper fix with no warranty; or
C) Reassemble it just as it was and send him to another shop?
 
I would ask the customer if he wanted option B or C. Just this morning I brought a hydraulic pump in to the shop to ask their opinion on repair or replace. The mechanic told me to take it home and disassemble it and decide if it was serviceable. He would have to replace the pump at the shop because the dealer's reputation is at stake. That is a mechanic I will trust. The only time I would do option A is if the customer was my father or my son. I will eventually inherit my fathers savings and my son will eventually inherit my loss. Arvin
 

We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today.

Back
Top