Repairs are a drag. In case you missed that – I’ll say it again in bold – repairs are an absolute drag. This is a simple fact, a life spent around machinery is a life spent fixing that machinery again and again. There is no “escape,” in fact, the only escape to be had is the drive to the auto parts store to collect all of the necessary tools you’ll need to fix all of your broken things.

However, there is luck to be had for any poor soul who might find themselves neck deep in faulty equipment looking for a way out. There are procedures you can use to make sure repairs come up less often.

Abandon the “Trial and Error” Approach

Many mechanics (both amateur and professional) approach preventive maintenance with the same method – test, test, test until they find out what could go wrong with their machine. While this might seem like the only approach to troubleshooting, it often leads to hours of time spent looking at the wrong thing. Sometimes you might get lucky and find a potential issue within an hour. Other times you might spend days or even weeks looking for an issue – all the while wondering why you don’t scrap the whole thing and be done with it.

This is what trial and error will do to you

Instead of winging it – try dividing potential issues based on your senses. 

For example, look for:

• Increased or decreased temperature. Is your machine running too hot/cold?
• Abnormal noise. Is your machine making noise where it shouldn’t OR not making noise when it should be?
• Strange vibrations. Is your machine vibrating a little too much?
• Leakage. Do you see any outstanding leaks? What is the severity of these leaks?

It is most important that you follow up on what you see, hear, feel, or smell – as future problems with a machine are almost certain to arise from excess movement, heat, etc. If you can identify an issue with your senses, you can begin to rule out possible causes.

For example, if the temperature of a certain part of the machine is too high, you can pretty much guess that your issue is with that particular part. Using a method of diagnosis (and following the method strictly and in order every time) can create an accountable and dependable time frame that you can schedule for the repair of a suspicious part. And trust me when I say, “If a job is worth doing, it’s worth doing right.”

Struggling with a particularly difficult hydraulic or pneumatic issue? We’ve been doing this for over thirty years, and our staff is experienced with all sorts of issues. Let us know what you’re dealing with, and we may be able to help.