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My shop teacher always said to trust your ears over the scanner, but I'm not so sure now.
I picked up a trick from an old timer about finding bad injectors by listening to the engine at idle. He claimed you could hear a slight miss or click that tools might not catch right away. But on newer diesels, I've watched mechanics fix things that weren't broken because a sound seemed off, when a plug in would show the real issue fast. So, do you think learning to listen is still a key skill, or has tech made it less important?
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leo_black766mo ago
Old school tricks have their place, but on modern engines, a weird noise could be ten different things. Seen guys chase ghosts for hours based on a sound, when the computer would've pointed right at a sensor or code. Listening might catch something obvious, but without the scan data, you're just guessing on a lot of this new stuff. Tech hasn't made it useless, but it's definitely not the first thing I'd rely on anymore.
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susansingh6mo ago
Trusted my ears on engines, but a scan found issues I couldn't hear.
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emeryc215mo ago
Totally agree with Leo on this. Modern engines are basically computers with moving parts, so ignoring the data feels like trying to fix a laptop by listening to the fan whir. You might get lucky, but you're working blind. My old boss swore by his ears until a simple scan saved us from replacing a whole transmission over a bad speed sensor. What's the weirdest thing a scan has caught for you guys?
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