My options, and your opinions.

Booyah45828

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Not necessary anymore. Plug in to the OBD, do some parts changing, if that fails to fix it, change more related parts, if that fails, it needs a new engine.
Technicians = parts changers.
That Is diagnosing nowadays.
Jesusfreak, I am probably 30 miles south of you. My IDI is in Crestview where most of my jobs are. Maybe we can meet some day.
I reluctantly agree with this. A large number of techs in my experience do little diagnosing. A lot of shops charge the diagnosis fee in order to cover scanner costs. Our newest scanner offers a feature that gives the most to least changed components per trouble code. Makes it too easy for them IMO. Then again, can you blame a tech when a large number of dealers won't give any diagnostic time for them to actually figure out the problem? Then add that most shops have a 2 week lead time due to the tech shortage.

You also have to factor in American consumerism, comparing prices at every chance they can, even if it's not an apples-apples comparison. "Well so and so down the street only charges 10 bucks a tire to mount/dismount/balance. Does so and so clean the corrosion off the rim, and then apply a sealer to the bead so that it doesn't corrode and leak in 6 months? No? Now you know why your last set of tires needed aired up every other week."

I've got a cruze in here now that has been to a handful of shops, each one giving the ol parts cannon try. I've got several boxes of used parts in the trunk to prove it.

HD shops are different in my experience, in that they're not usually afraid to charge, and therefore will give techs time to actually figure out and fix the problem.
 

hacked89

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I reluctantly agree with this. A large number of techs in my experience do little diagnosing. A lot of shops charge the diagnosis fee in order to cover scanner costs. Our newest scanner offers a feature that gives the most to least changed components per trouble code. Makes it too easy for them IMO. Then again, can you blame a tech when a large number of dealers won't give any diagnostic time for them to actually figure out the problem? Then add that most shops have a 2 week lead time due to the tech shortage.

You also have to factor in American consumerism, comparing prices at every chance they can, even if it's not an apples-apples comparison. "Well so and so down the street only charges 10 bucks a tire to mount/dismount/balance. Does so and so clean the corrosion off the rim, and then apply a sealer to the bead so that it doesn't corrode and leak in 6 months? No? Now you know why your last set of tires needed aired up every other week."

I've got a cruze in here now that has been to a handful of shops, each one giving the ol parts cannon try. I've got several boxes of used parts in the trunk to prove it.

HD shops are different in my experience, in that they're not usually afraid to charge, and therefore will give techs time to actually figure out and fix the problem.
I agree especially that you called out HD shops. I thought the OP was over generalized. The shops that can actually diagnose tend to ride economic downturns easier and the shops that are throwing parts and battery/lube/brakes are greater impacted because people slow down on maintenance during those times.

There’s also some of the younger crowd with “scanner danner” dreams.

The dealership is not a good environment.
 

Jesus Freak

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Not necessary anymore. Plug in to the OBD, do some parts changing, if that fails to fix it, change more related parts, if that fails, it needs a new engine.
Technicians = parts changers.
That Is diagnosing nowadays.
Jesusfreak, I am probably 30 miles south of you. My IDI is in Crestview where most of my jobs are. Maybe we can meet some day.
Hey, man! I didn't notice this since I came back from my hiatas. But yeah, it would be cool to put a face with a few of y'all.
 

Jesus Freak

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Well, I wanted to revisit this since I'm back for a bit and have made a good deal of progress on this. The extreme busyness of doing this engine and me trying to regulate the "phone addiction" kept me detached for a bit.

So here's what I did, (and I apologize for not taking pictures, I'm terrible for not documenting anything) so I honed the crap out of the sleeved 6.9. I ordered one of the .030 over pistons from summit that @franklin2 found an reringed the engine, New rod bearings, gaskets, the basic po boy overhaul. I also used this as an opportunity to do some of the stuff that we all ought to do to our trucks, i.e. 3g alternater, coolant filter, headlight relays, and i addressed battery cable ends. I eliminated my a/c box area for space and I cleaned up the right fender area of stuff that hasn't worked in 20 yrs like the little vacuum sensor thing. I've also rerouted my fuel lines for better WMO accomodations. But the big ticket thing is a brand new IP and injectors. I bought this crazy cheap off a guy that was cleaning out an ambulance company and they were spare service parts, I actually bought them more than a year ago before I was even on Oil Burners. So it's brand new not rebuilt and the injectors are Delphi BBs.(I paid less than $400 for all that) So here's the plan and I'll try to bring this all to my IP thread too, but I'm planning on this engine to hold me over for about 2 years. I'm going to be doing a "build it right" build on the "wildcard" engine, when it gets here. When I pull this engine and IP out in a couple years, I'll tear it down, engine and IP and look for the mysterious "WMO death syndrome". Then I'll know and knowing.....is half the battle. I'm haven't actually crunk my engine up yet, I'm on the cusp. I got a little bit more plumbing to do on the fuel system and coolant and then that's it. The finances have ran low and I got other priorities right now. Just wanted to let the curious oil burners know what's up.

-The Jesus Freak-

I also made a new center console based off of one I made years ago, but this one is lower and I ran a router around it to pretty it up.
And I have the exhaust manifold from my aftermarket turbo on it, so if I really get ambitious I might China turbo it at some point.
 

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Jesus Freak

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I need a center console like that in my life. I'm tired of taking hot coffee to my manhood on my way to work.
When I was making it, I thought, "I ought to take pictures and do a thread on oil burners" but I didn't. Like I said in the previous post, I'm horrible about not taking pictures.
 

Nero

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Honestly I'm probably going to pay someone to make one for me someday. My carpentry skills are below subpar. Yours looks pretty solid man
 

KansasIDI

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No one under 40 is really interested in these things.

You would be surprised. I have 4 friends who own IDIs, all of them except 1, and myself, are under the age of 20. And I know plenty of other, well, call us kids, who have IDIs who I am not as well acquainted with. There is an interest among a few of the farm kids, and older farmers, of Northeast Kansas. I am not sure about other places, maybe in Florida, its warm enough and populated enough that fast, loud cars are more popular.

Sorry I realize that I am very late on this subject.

That center console looks super nice!
 

Jesus Freak

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You would be surprised. I have 4 friends who own IDIs, all of them except 1, and myself, are under the age of 20. And I know plenty of other, well, call us kids, who have IDIs who I am not as well acquainted with. There is an interest among a few of the farm kids, and older farmers, of Northeast Kansas. I am not sure about other places, maybe in Florida, its warm enough and populated enough that fast, loud cars are more popular.

Sorry I realize that I am very late on this subject.

That center console looks super nice!
I've decided to modify my statement, everyone under 40 is interested in these things, except in my area specifically.
 

HKT Firearms

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You would be surprised. I have 4 friends who own IDIs, all of them except 1, and myself, are under the age of 20. And I know plenty of other, well, call us kids, who have IDIs who I am not as well acquainted with. There is an interest among a few of the farm kids, and older farmers, of Northeast Kansas. I am not sure about other places, maybe in Florida, its warm enough and populated enough that fast, loud cars are more popular.

Sorry I realize that I am very late on this subject.

That center console looks super nice!
The fast loud cars are generally owned by the military kids here in NWF.
 

Jesus Freak

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The fast loud cars are generally owned by the military kids here in NWF.
Absolutely, especially south county like you are. Most people don't realize that even though you're 30 miles south of me, you live in "beach Florida" I live in a totally different world of farmers and rednecks.
 

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