EquipmentWorld.com | March 2014
35
maintenance
|
by Tom Jackson
|
TJackson@randallreilly.com
A completely different mind-
set is needed when chasing
down electrical problems in
heavy equipment
They get what I call 'happy hands.' Guys don't know what's
going on electrically, so they start tearing things to pieces.
It makes the problem worse.
"
"
ELECTRICAL
TROUBLESHOOTING
E
ven the best mechanics and techni-
cians tend to get brain freeze when
faced with an electrical problem. Fleet
managers and shop supervisors who
get impatient with the lack of progress
only make things worse.
Why? Because mechanical work and electrical
work are two different animals.
"If you try to apply mechanical logic and
thinking to an electrical problem, you are pretty
much doomed to fail," says Dan Sullivan, who
teaches electrical diagnostics and has authored
a book on the subject used in many tech and
vocational schools.
Failure to understand these differences is a
big problem, Sullivan says, leading to frustra-
tion, wasted shop hours, needless repairs and
unnecessary downtime. The solution, at least to
a mechanic or his supervisor, is almost counter-
intuitive.
Thinking through
electrical diagnostics
Photos: Dan Sullivan
