Old timer told me my injector timing was off by 3 degrees and I argued for a week

I was rebuilding a 6.0 Powerstroke last spring and this retired fleet mechanic watched me set the timing. He said I was off by 3 degrees and would burn a hole in a piston within 6 months. I told him I had been doing it the same way for 10 years with no issues. But then I double checked his method (he pulled the valve covers and used a dial indicator instead of my usual approach) and sure enough he was right. Has anyone else had that moment where you swear by your method and then find out you've been wrong the whole time?

2 comments

2 Comments

wendy_carr20d ago

That's happened to me more times than I care to admit. I remember swearing up and down that my method for setting valve lash on an old Cummins was the only way to do it. Turned out I had been doing it just barely wrong for about 15 years. The worst part was the old guy who told me was right and I had to eat crow in front of the whole shop. Now I try to at least listen when someone with more experience speaks up, even if my pride takes a hit. These old timers usually have a reason for doing things a certain way, and it's not always just because they're stuck in their ways.

davis.mia20d ago

And I swear that same pride is why we all still argue with GPS when our gut knows a faster route.