Automotive Technician Interview

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I would like to introduce you to Mike; he has been an automotive technician for 30 years. Mike is an ASE certified Master Automotive Technician and a Toyota Master Diagnostic Specialist. I interviewed Mike to get a better understanding of how math and problem solving training will help me in this career field.
I started my interview by asking Mike how important math is to an automotive technician. Is it something you use daily or just occasionally? He indicated that math is applied every day and they could not to the job without it. They use measurement almost every hour of the day, with math calculations being very important as well. As he elaborated, the sizes of fasteners holding things together are a measurement, the correct size wrench …show more content…

Calculations are used with measurement to perform many of auto technicians’ duties. When performing a valve adjustment, the valve lash is measured using a feeler gauge. A feeler gauge is a piece of metal precision ground to an exact thickness. The lash measurement compared to the lash tolerance, if the lash is out of tolerance; is the measurement to large or too small. If the current lash value is too small, you have to calculate how much larger of a shim needs to be installed to bring the measurement within specifications. The valve shim that is used to adjust lash is removed and measured, the amount of adjustment is calculated and the proper size shim is installed. The lash is than rechecked to verify calculations and proper valve clearance. If any of your measurements or calculations are not done correctly this can be a long process, and the job only pays a predetermined hour amount, if it takes you longer than that time, you are working for free in most cases. Calculations are also involved in rebuilding an engine; the journals of a crankshaft are measured for their outer dimension, then the webs of the block are measured for their inner dimension, these dimensions are read into a chart that helps to determine the proper bearing size to go into the engine assembly to give the proper oil clearance. If your measurements and calculations are incorrect; the engine will have not enough oil clearance the bearings will over heat and …show more content…

Circuit resistance is critical especially when working on computer-controlled components, doing a DVOM, Digital Volt-Ohm Meter, resistance check on some of these sensors could ruin the sensor as some of the DVOM’s have to much internal resistance and send to much current through the component. Knowing when to do a resistance check and when to check voltage drop across components is critical, and knowing what the reading should be. Being able to break down a schematic to diagnosis it, can it be broken into smaller segments to make the diagnosis easier. With computers controlling more systems on the groundside of the circuit the introduction of corrosion can change system resistance and cause very strange results. Most all vehicles are now equipped with air bags, critical thinking is very important when working with an airbag system, a wrong decision can cause airbag deployment and harm to the technician and damage to the vehicle. More computer control systems in today’s vehicles means more circuits dedicated to communication between systems, malfunctions in these systems can shut vehicles down and leave people stranded. These electrical systems need to be considered when doing all vehicle repairs, from body damage repairs to jump starting a vehicle with a dead

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