Old timer at a truck stop near Flagstaff gave me a tip that saved a job

Struggling with a seized injector on a 6.7 Powerstroke, this guy saw me looking lost. He walked over, said 'try tapping the housing with a brass drift before you crank the puller again.' It worked first try. What's the best piece of advice you ever got from another mechanic?

3 comments

3 Comments

murray.cora1mo ago

Remember that trick with a stuck brake bleeder screw? My buddy was ready to torch a caliper. An old guy in the next bay told him to heat the screw head red hot, then immediately touch an ice cube to it. The quick shrink broke the rust seal. Thing cracked loose like nothing.

hannah3201mo ago

My uncle showed me a similar trick with a candle wax. Heat the fitting, then touch the wax stick to it. The wax gets sucked right into the threads and breaks the rust bond. It's exactly what @allen.iris said, those old simple fixes are always the best.

allen.iris1mo ago

The best advice is always the simplest. It's never the complicated theory, just a little trick someone saw work once. Those old hands have forgotten more fixes than we'll ever learn.