On Mon, 28 Nov 2005 19:50:03 GMT, Ignoramus4324
wrote:

On Sun, 27 Nov 2005 18:27:24 -0700, H. P. Friedrichs wrote:
It appeared that the old sensor had been struck by rock, and the core of
the sense coil had probably been fractured. I was left to wonder how it
is that, without the benefit of factory training, documentation, or
diagnostic equipment I could troubleshoot and repair the problem when
the dealership could not....

It is not true that you did not have diagnostic equipment, you had a
scope. You also had enough training to figure out where to look.

As for documentation, everyone would benefit from owning proper repair
manuals.

What these techs do is, for the most part, not magic, they follow a
[well designed] procedure -- except when the dishonest ones suggest
unnecessary repairs, as in proposing to start swapping one part after
another.

i

In many cases these mechanics are not so much dishonest as ignorant.
They just plain do NOT know how to troubleshoot.
The ones that have the manual, and know how to read it (that is an art
in itself - particularly with FORD Manuals) they blindly follow the
pinpoint tests - which can send you in 15 interlocking circles at the
same time if you do not use your PDT (Primary Diagnostic Tool)
(Otherwize known as the brain God gave you). Blindly following the
manual can cause you to replace many parts that are not part of the
problem.

In order to effectively troubleshoot today's systems, you MUST have an
understanding of how it is SUPPOSED to work, so when it doesn't, you
have a clue as to why.