I don't make the rules.

The internet told me nobody can do this anymore.

Oct 20, 2026

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Replies (19)

· 1w

This is true. Possibly diagnosing ignition issues is on top of that.

· 1w

Try diagnosing burner issues in a steam car!

· 1w

That means that it’s time to raise your shop rates, Shawn.

· 1w

Lol. I'm booked 2 weeks out on small jobs. The thought has crossed my mind.

· 1w

Two weeks out is a good backlog. Plenty of work but not completely buried. It’s when you get to 6-8 weeks out that it stops being fun, which is what I’m buried in right now.

· 1w

Travis, Shawn, can either of you say "no" to a job? Most of the older guys in the business I know are loathe to turn anything down as they remember the lean times.

· 1w

Yes, but I really don’t like making a habit of it. I really only turndown jobs that I wouldn’t take even during slow times. If it doesn’t feel like the job will have a happy ending, you’re better off passing on it. Usually that means either rust work or a customer that has unrealistic expectations.

· 1w

Very, very seldom.
Never say no.
I've only fired one customer.
He wanted me to work on his vintage Mercedes V8. He brought me a couple completely worn-out Japanese quads from the 80s and was upset when I kept finding broken stuff as I fixed them.
Dodged a bullet with that guy.

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· 1w

😂😂

There is truth in this. Also, I'll agree with previous point about ignition systems. How many guys are out there that can rewind a coil?

· 1w

@alsancle not me!

· 1w

Shawn, I have a friend that still does it. Most guys squeeze a modern coil in to the case. He promised me I could come and do some videos of how he does it. Definitely something that needs to be saved for posterity.

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· 1w

Carburetors and point ignition are certainly not rocket surgery. If somebody can figure out how 8 billion electrons flowing through 47 miles of wire, three computers, fourteen dozen sensors, and about 10,000 microchips keep your spark plugs sparking and your fuel system fueling and keep your car on the road, they can certainly figure out how to tune a carburetor and a points ignition system. If they just take the time to start at square one, go back to the old books and manuals, and go through it point by point. And get some basic diagnostic tools like a vacuum/ fuel pressure gauge, a dwell meter, A timing light, and an a/f meter. Even I can do carburetors and points.

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· 1w

I prefer that it stays beyond the realm of knowledge for most people. It makes me look good. 😁
It's like Scotty on Star Trek.
He tells the Captain "I reconfigured the power coupling" rather than "I unplugged it and plugged it back in again".

· 1w

Do you guys agree that vacuum testing should be an immediate go to when a car is running like crap?

· 1w

A vacuum gauge has never been my first test.
If I can't tell why it's running like garbage, my first question is always "When was the last tune-up?".
I can usuall tell when a condenser is going bad or the dwell is out.
Verify everything is at base settings per the manual. Fresh plugs, set timing and carburetor properly, ensure mechanical and vacuum advance are working properly, check point gap and dwell are right, sub in a new condenser if needed.
If that doesn't fix it then compression test, fuel pressure check, vacuum gauge, check ignition wires with an ohmmmeter, cylinder leakage test, check for vacuum leaks with spray. Check float level in carburetor.

· 1w

There is so many different ways that a car can be running like crap. Where to begin? The diagnosis procedure depends on what the symptoms are. So the vacuum gauge isn't my first thing. Visual and driving and smelling and listening can give a lot of clues. Is it running rich? Is it running out of fuel? Does it bog or stumble when you step on the gas? Is it hitting on all of the cylinders? Does it run good when you first started and then get worse? Or does it run bad when you first start it and get better when it warms up?

· 1w

I forgot about the good old "cylinder drop test".
I have a tester that does it but on stuff like Model A's, I just use a screwdriver.
Use a tachometer, short each cylinder in order and watch to see the rpm drop. If one cylinder drops less or not at all, that's where to start.

· 1w

Shawn, guys that have a lot of experience like you can usually figure out a lot by the sound and smell of the engine. The problem with us neophyte guys is that we don't have that skill.

I completely agree with your tune up comment.

· 1w

When I worked at the service garage in the late 1970's, they had a Marquette scope that would do a power balance test. Assuming it was an automatic trans equipped car, we would adjust the carb up to a high idle, have someone hold the brake and put it in drive to load the motor. There was a knob on the console of the scope that you could turn to drop one cylinder at the time to check and compare RPM drop. (if it was a manual trans, we couldn't really load the motor, just run it at a high idle) It was pretty good at isolating the weak cylinder(s) quickly. Then we could track down the cause more easily. I wouldn't mind having a scope like that now.

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