Most of the diagnostic challenges that entered my bay were met easily, caused by pattern failures that I had seen often enough to recognize and repair quickly. Once in a while, though, the answers were more elusive and often caused my brain matter to knot up and lock up. I then would find myself assuming that some systems were OK when they were not, or overlooking component tests that I shouldn’t have. Once you find yourself lost in the maze, it can take a lot of time and energy to find your way back out.
The best solution, of course, is to avoid the maze in the first place.
I was lucky during my time as a technician working in a shop. I had the opportunity to meet diagnostic techs who were at the top of their game and tried to learn what habits they had that those who struggled didn’t have. One habit that stood out was their commitment to educating themselves. Every one of them would tell me that was a key to their success, and that constant education was a must in order to stay at the top of their game.
And they all had a routine that they applied to their troubleshooting challenges, no matter what system (drivability, electrical, chassis – didn’t matter) they were working on. They would stress to me that having a routine prevented wasted time and duplicated efforts.
If you’re reading this column, then odds are you too are committed to your continued education. And we at Motor Age are committed to providing you with the resources you need to succeed in doing just that, in print and online. And if you haven’t registered for Motor Age Training Live (part of Automechanika Chicago, April 24 to 26, 2015), I only have one question: Why not?
And the troubleshooting routine that will improve your diagnostic success? That’s the topic for the February 2015 edition of The Trainer.
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