Old timer on a service call taught me more about leveling than my whole apprenticeship

I was swapping a controller board in a 1990s Otis at a mall in Denver last month. This guy maybe 70 years old just watched me for a minute, then asked if I knew why the car was stopping 3/8 off every floor. He walked me through checking the selector tape tension without even pulling out a tool, just by the sound of the tape whirring. Has anyone else had a random encounter with a retired mechanic that totally changed how they troubleshoot?

2 comments

2 Comments

tylerlane1mo ago

Respect that old timer thing but I see it a little different. You can learn a lot from those guys but they also pass down bad habits and old wives tales that don't hold up to modern sensors and software. The real skill is knowing when to trust the tape and when to trust the code.

john_johnson751mo ago

Man, I once had an elevator guy tell me I was leveling like I was trying to park a cruise ship. He was right though, I was all over the place. Still stings a little.