Who works on there own trucks

Really Good Mechanics, or Technicians, as they're called today, Do Not Trust their Memory about specific dimensions, torques, and sequences. They are smart enough to have access to a good service library, and they know how to use it....they just let you think they know all!!

If your using this forum you seem to be able to read and are somewhat literate!!!! So I think you could probably at least read the service manual and hopefully find the appropriate section, as for fallowing the directions, well you let us know!!!

 

If you're an owner-op, and you don't do your own work on non-warranty items (within reason), you're just begging to fail.

 

LOL isn't that the way it is.

 

How so?

 

Can't speak for the c15 service manual, but it is in all my old Cummins and Detroit manuals. The procedure for all of them is the same, the only thing that really changes is the lash. The should be on one of the stickers on the valve cover. And Detroit's require an injector height measuring tool. But your cat shouldn't, the 3406 models didn't

 

I'll give an example.
I used to run a service truck.
For me to even tell my supervisor, "Okay, I'm on my way".. that's where the first $100 went (our call out fee).
From that point, the clock started ticking. $90/hour normally, $120/hour from 10 p.m. onwards.
30% markup on parts purchased... now, the boss man received from pretty substantial discounts from some vendors, so it may cost less for parts or it may cost more. That's all dependent.
One night, I had a service call for a LP driver with a company I will not name. Trailer emergency air line broke. We were the only ones willing to come to him and change it out at 3 a.m. I left from Broomfield (where the clock started ticking), picked up the air line from our shop in Commerce, then went to his location in Monument.
Looking at the old supply line, I'm pretty certain the warning signs were present long before I ever got called out. The time ended when I got back to the shop (based on an anticipation of return travel time). Would've been a hell of a lot cheaper to carry a spare and change it himself. If someone is going to lease or own a truck and make such a costly oversight, what else are they going to miss?
Now factor in if it had been a repair which I'd have had to go on-site and diagnose before I knew what parts to purchase. Let's say, a belt broke, and the operator didn't know it was because the AC compressor seized up. So, I'd have to go on-site, determine the issue, source and obtain parts, then make the repair. That adds up.

 

Maintenance IS the number one reason O/O go down. Aside from hauling too many marginally paying loads.

 

Thank you for making my point, maintenance is the straw that broke the camels back. A poor business person is the reason that it happened.

If an O/O can't afford to pay someone to change his tires, change the oil, do a brake job, etc. then he/she has either a income problem or a money management problem.

I typically do what I'm comfortable doing, have a shop with everything I could ever want to do almost any job. Sometimes I just don't feel like working on it, but I only let a very select few touch my truck. The only reason I do anything myself is I don't trust most anyone else.

 

You need a height tool starting with the E models

 

Oscar, that's why I started doing everything myself. Got tired of having to get the truck fixed three separate times for one single issue. The straw that broke this camel's back was giving a shop two days to replace the clutch. Only to blow 6 gallons of oil out in the first 50 miles on my way too pick up the next load. Not only did I piss off a good customer, I lost two more days for them to put another real seal in after screwing it up the first time. Plus having to buy a another clutch cause they wanted to reuse the oil soaked one. so for me, it's not so much the money savings, it's getting it done right and back on the road the first time. tho the money savings is #### nice.