When I had to tune a distributor by hand at a car show

Back when I started, we did everything by feel. At a local show, a guy's vintage ride was running rough. I showed him how to set the points with a feeler gauge. A bunch of young mechanics gathered around, amazed. Now, they just plug in a laptop and call it a day.

2 comments

2 Comments

schmidt.brooke2d ago

You say kids with laptops have it easy, but that's not how I see it. Plugging in a scanner is just step one. Knowing what those codes actually mean and tracing down a wiring gremlin or a software bug takes a different kind of skill. It's not easier, it's just different. A bad sensor can make you chase problems for days, and you can't fix that with a feeler gauge.

emery_cooper2d ago

That feeler gauge technique is pure skill. I remember fumbling with one and getting the gap all wrong. The engine ran so rough it shook the whole car. Kids these days with their laptops have it easy, but I'd probably fry the computer too. Just my luck with anything mechanical.