Pursuing my next career...? - E
On Monday, I attended the first session of AUTO 50B -- Applied Automotive Principles. Uhhh...loved it! I get to work with my hands and learn how cars work and how to fix them. And to top it off, it'll probably save me some dough in the long run -- definitely appeals to me. :P Anyway, it's just cool. And the instructors are so different than what I'm used to. My lab instructor has a day job as an auto mechanic, so he's blue collar. It was kinda refreshing -- none of this timid/nerdy/prideful engineer junks.
We did a compression test -- basically, you unscrew the spark plug, screw in a compression gauge, and crank the engine. Then you can measure the PSI in the cylinder. It'll tell you if something's wrong (low compression), but won't tell you where the problem is. The side benefit was, I saw how easy it is to change spark plugs. Pull the boot off, unscrew the plug, then do the reverse with the new plug. Easy peasy. I've been thinking about doing it for our Civic, but was afraid to. Now I have the confidence to do it. In fact, I might do it tonight, along with changing the oil and replacing the air filter. The basics of a tune-up. Hopefully I'll learn what else I need to do/look at for, say, a 60K service, for example.
I'm still trying to get into 50A, which is the lecture side of 50B. Hopefully I can get into Thursday's class. The instructor told us a little bit of his story. He was an accountant for 5 years, straight out of school. Growing up he was always tinkering with cars and stuff, and he started to transition to that. Worked as a mechanic for Volkswagen, then Porsche/Audi, and since then he's taught automotive technology full-time for 29 years. What a great gig! I think I'd love to be in his shoes.
I didn't get into the Tuesday session, but I got to listen to a bit of what he lectured on. Learned about the 4-stroke cycle, random car trivia, and even some smog check stuff. Apparently they check 3 main things: HC (hydrocarbons), CO (carbon monoxide), and NOx (nitrous oxides). HC comes from unburnt fuel, e.g. you'll have high HC levels if your fuel injection valves are leaking. CO is partially burned fuel -- I forget how they keep the levels down. And NOx is formed because of the high pressure of the combustion reaction -- higher pressure => more NOx, which is why engines today have a smaller compression ration than before. Interesting, ay? Cool, cool stuff. Makes me rethink my shying away from becoming a mechanic. At the very least, I'd like this to be a hobby. Hanah would like a house with a nice, spacious kitchen with lots of counter space. I'd be perfectly content if we just have a nice, spacious garage. :)
I should've taken this class a lot sooner!!!!
We did a compression test -- basically, you unscrew the spark plug, screw in a compression gauge, and crank the engine. Then you can measure the PSI in the cylinder. It'll tell you if something's wrong (low compression), but won't tell you where the problem is. The side benefit was, I saw how easy it is to change spark plugs. Pull the boot off, unscrew the plug, then do the reverse with the new plug. Easy peasy. I've been thinking about doing it for our Civic, but was afraid to. Now I have the confidence to do it. In fact, I might do it tonight, along with changing the oil and replacing the air filter. The basics of a tune-up. Hopefully I'll learn what else I need to do/look at for, say, a 60K service, for example.
I'm still trying to get into 50A, which is the lecture side of 50B. Hopefully I can get into Thursday's class. The instructor told us a little bit of his story. He was an accountant for 5 years, straight out of school. Growing up he was always tinkering with cars and stuff, and he started to transition to that. Worked as a mechanic for Volkswagen, then Porsche/Audi, and since then he's taught automotive technology full-time for 29 years. What a great gig! I think I'd love to be in his shoes.
I didn't get into the Tuesday session, but I got to listen to a bit of what he lectured on. Learned about the 4-stroke cycle, random car trivia, and even some smog check stuff. Apparently they check 3 main things: HC (hydrocarbons), CO (carbon monoxide), and NOx (nitrous oxides). HC comes from unburnt fuel, e.g. you'll have high HC levels if your fuel injection valves are leaking. CO is partially burned fuel -- I forget how they keep the levels down. And NOx is formed because of the high pressure of the combustion reaction -- higher pressure => more NOx, which is why engines today have a smaller compression ration than before. Interesting, ay? Cool, cool stuff. Makes me rethink my shying away from becoming a mechanic. At the very least, I'd like this to be a hobby. Hanah would like a house with a nice, spacious kitchen with lots of counter space. I'd be perfectly content if we just have a nice, spacious garage. :)
I should've taken this class a lot sooner!!!!
posted by haed at 2:03 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home