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Troubleshooting


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In my day job, I manage a team of amazing people who are fixing things, solving probelms, improving processes, and in general troubleshooting.

 

Last week we had a series of unrelated long duration breakdowns. In looking at the lessons learned and opportunities for improvement I found something interesting with respect to troubleshooting.

 

Most components in most systems, no matter the size, or type affect the flow or motion of something. Weather it is a fast neutron running through the moderator in a Pressurized Water Nuclear Reactor or I dunno.. headlights.

 

The concept is deceptively simple and the common root cause of things that kick our asses when we are trying to fix/troubleshoot them.

 

Example: My headlights are dim/not illuminating the road well enough.

 

Key thing to focus on: Most components in most systems, no matter the size, or type affect the flow or motion of something. Therefore, be cautious about which path you run down in your troubleshooting process. Each component has at least two "paths/elements/influences on the medium is affecting".

 

In the headlights one path/element is everything associated with the electricity that powers the bulb. The the other is the light emitted by the bulb. Just because the problem report is that their is not enough illumination doesn't mean there is a bulb problem. It only means that there is not enough illumination.

 

Moral of the story: There is a difference between what we know and what we think we know when troubleshooting. This subtle detail is what I believe is at the root of the ass kicking one gets when solving problems..

 

My Datto philosophy for today...

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I know what you mean, with experience you tend to get a gut feeling for where to go first, but that doesn't always work. First off, it sounds like a ground problem, so check resistance to ground at the light, second see if you have full batt. power at the light, or is it dropping at the switch, and last but not least, don't forget that old lights DO get dim with time, and need repl. Sometimes a coolheaded approach like trying the lights while a turn signal is on will give a clue, other times I have no cool head to use! Sorry for long post, too much coffee...

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I learned the "step by step" and the "half step" methods. SbyS...you start at either end and check each part...then step to the next component in the line...mechanical or electrical. With the 1/2S....you check the beginning or end and then step to the middle of the circuit or line you checking, so you quickly know which half of the circuit is bad. Split in half again and check it.

 

If you have dim bulbs...I'd connect a line straight to the bulb....if they get bright...that says you're not getting enough current to the bulbs. Each connector/switch adds resistance to the circuit and limits the current flow. You still see full batt voltage at the light, but the current will be limited. The more corroded each connector/switch gets, the less current flow and more heat you will have.

 

I put a relay in PK's 521. I use the original wiring to trigger the relay, but it only needs a small fraction of the original current to turn on. The relay then provides, almost unrestricted juice to the bulbs. They brightened up a lot. Yes, I could have cleaned/replaced all the connectors and switches in the circuit, but they would simple corrode and create more resistance in the future anyway. The added advantage is that it removes the high current(and heat) from the light switch. I know in the trucks, they can get really hot. In fact, the fuses used to melt the solder out of the ends on PK's 521.

 

I did the same thing for the circuit powering the starter solenoid in my wgn. Anyway....

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