I am now retired but in my other life in the nuclear industry we had data bases for EOL (end of life) on "wear" items. The data base was created by planners with information throughout the industry. Not 100% foolproof but was an excellent tool for outages to prevent or help eliminate in service failures.

I'm not **** enough to go through information to create a data base but would certainly be interested in looking at one to make informed decisions about, what and when to out components. Service intervals for Oil changes and such are listed but what about water pumps? or alternators? A/C compressor? or front end parts?


Selfishly motivated for sure, but who wants in service failures? That truly sucks.

For instance my unit bearings lasted 150K (audible failure)
Front end steering components replaced 150K (ball joints failed, changed everything)
Steering box lasted 125K (new Red Head, flush and hoses)

Sure would be "nice" if FTE could do such a community minded service for the membership. Might make the "premium" service more appealing.

... just sayin'

 

Trucks aren't nuclear power plants though. If my alternator dies, I'll replace it (as happened to me last week). I'm certainly not going to pre-emptively replace parts, even if they are wear items. A new alt was $200 - pretty expensive to replace just so I don't have to make an unscheduled repair. And what if I get a bad one out of the box? It happens. Now I replaced a part that wasn't broken with one that is. That doesn't sound too smart to me. My truck still has the original ball joints and steering box. I would have already changed them - needlessly - had I followed your schedule.

 

I could get behind it. I am in Aviation and we work off of something similar. Granted with my rig I probably wouldn't replace items based on the schedule but I sure would use it to project future maintenance. Heck I would probably carry around spare parts as I go into the service window.

 

Aviation is like a nuclear power plant though. Failure is not an option, so things are kept simple, redundant where practical and cost is simply not a factor because of the overwhelming safety issues.

Trucks don't have those limitations. There aren't many mechanical failures that can kill people outside of brake failures, which are pretty uncommon. (Although not unheard of, as we all know...) Case in point: No one died when my alternator failed on me last week. Or the time before that when it died either.

 

I fly helicopters, failure is ALWAYS an option! I reckon I look at if from the other side of the coin. If it's going to fail I'd like to expect it and have the parts necessary to replace it. Nothing ever fails in a convenient location for me tho.

 

You understand I was making an analogy.... right? Engineers are kinda that way.

So when I was changing my unit bearings and ball joints.... replacing my good tie rod ends, that was pre-emptively "not too smart"... right?

or replacing the transmission cooler is pre emptively 'not too smart" because the tranny didn't over heat? but everyone says the 7.3 needs more tranny cooling so you upgraded to prevent early transmission "failure". Is that also in the realm of... "doesn't sound too smart to me". If your transmission did fail... do you think it would have failed in your driveway? or more likely fail going up a 6% grade with 10K hanging on the back on the way through the mountains?

I get run to fail. I see it all the time. I stop often to help those folks. It always costs more in some form... time, energy, vacations ruined and more often then not... requires assistance of some form. The run to fail... Those folks get attached to Mr. Hook or stuck on the side of the road until they're rescued. I'm guessin' but I'll bet most failures don't happen in your driveway. I have insurance... I bet you have insurance ... right? isn't using EOL schedule a form of insurance? EOL schedules doesn't mean you have to follow it or use it.... it's a reference, benchmark, guide, suggestion, a record of product failure. There are always anomalies. Like OEM ball joints that last over 150K.

Unit bearings are designed to last 100K. How do I know that? because Timken said so. EOL can be extended under certain conditions... such as greasing the hubs through the ABS hole or following Gooch's lubrication schedules or _______ fill in the blank with your secret sauce.

Bless your heart and may the road side angel forever be your guide.

 

Now you're just being an ***.

 

Autorotation, practice practice practice

 

I come from an aviation background and work in a factory now. The difference is that with plant processes and aviation, they have a really good idea of the type of usage the parts are subjected to. The max loads, the temperatures, etc are all controlled by regulations and operating limits with some variation for local climates. With a vehicle, two different owners can use them in a very different way in very different climates so the accuracy of a chart for vehicles would be very low, not to mention the quality of the replacement parts is not near as critical on an automobile, so the next MTBF cycle is anyone's guess.

 

and your really, really smart.

 

It's "you're".

 

Are you guys serious? If you have the money and want to PM before things go wrong, it's a good idea. Stop being dicks

 

Nothing wrong with preventative maintenance on your dime.

Nothing wrong with running 'till she drops' either... Also on your quarter.

The beauty of it is, we have the freedom to do either or neither.

FTE unofficial philosopher,

 

I come from an aviation background. Both fixed and flew them (my avatar). I understand both points of view (Dave and Andy). That said, I completely agree with Sean. This is not cookie cutter stuff. Each person will choose what suits them. Some people don't mind breaking down, as they have a plan (AAA & such) when it happens. Others (like me) can't stand the thought of being broke down on the side of the road, and replace stuff BEFORE it breaks. I am with Dave on that.

But I don't just replace stuff to give me piece of mind, either. I try to be smart about it, and consider how long a given part has been in service, analyze how it looks and is functioning and then decide what I am going to do with that part. I am with Andy on this point. I won't replace it if my experience and intuition don't set off red flags.

I am currently planning ahead to replace all the o-rings, orifice tube, crossover, drier, and compressor in my A/C system this winter. Why? It is 17 years old, and it is all original. I am starting to sense that it isn't getting as cold (or cold as fast) anymore, so it is time to spend a little money to ensure my family isn't sweatin' it out in the back of the Excursion next summer for ANY period of time.

I am also with Michael. Practice those auto-rotations...A LOT! I have had the opportunity to do one for real. Not fun. You better get it right, cause you won't get another shot at it.

There. I think I agreed with everyone.

 

...and stall spins...many many practices.