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A customer's offhand comment about his old truck made me rethink diagnostics
He mentioned the engine would only knock when it was under load on a hill, which pointed straight to a rod bearing. I'd been chasing ghosts in the computer for an hour. When's the last time a simple observation from a driver saved you a ton of time?
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sagesingh3mo ago
Sometimes you get lucky with a clue like that, but it could also be a dozen other things. A knock under load might just be bad gas or something way less serious than a rod bearing. Jumping straight to that conclusion seems a bit quick, idk. Maybe it's just me but I'd still check the easy stuff first.
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diana_flores253mo ago
People overlook simple answers while chasing complicated ones all the time.
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richard_wells591mo ago
You're right @sagesingh, I used to be the guy who'd tear an engine apart looking for the worst possible cause first. But after a few times where chasing the complicated stuff just wasted my whole weekend, I started going back to basics. Now I always check the cheap and easy things first, like bad gas or a loose heat shield, and it saves me a ton of headaches. I guess I just had to learn the hard way that simple answers are usually the right ones.
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