Very nice diagnosis, and it's true, as Dave says, you have to check all the parts connected with the problem. Often, like in medicine, the failure point is a symptom, not the cause. This reminds me of the stuff the guys in Gold Rush on Discovery have to deal with all the time with their second-hand back loaders.
This story is a good example of the fact that often the part that breaks is not the real problem. Sometimes, it's just an innocent bystander. This is important to remember in failure analysis. The impulse is always to focus on the part which broke, and try to find something wrong with it. But it's important to look at the entire mechanical system, rather than just one component in isolation.
I had the same thing happen to my 1985 Toyota Camry (albeit much more expensive). Luckily I was just pulling out from in front of my hour when the car stalled and refused to restart. I had the AAA tow to the local garage where they said the timing belt slipped. They replaced the belt and everything was find for a few months. Then the same thing happened again, this time I was two blocks from home. This time I had it towed to my brother-in-law's garage. The replaced the belt but also replaced both idlers. Never had a problem with the timing belt again. And I never went back to the other garage, either...
By experimenting with the photovoltaic reaction in solar cells, researchers at MIT have made a breakthrough in energy efficiency that significantly pushes the boundaries of current commercial cells on the market.
In a world that's going green, industrial operations have a problem: Their processes involve materials that are potentially toxic, flammable, corrosive, or reactive. If improperly managed, this can precipitate dangerous health and environmental consequences.
With LEDs dropping in price virtually every year, automakers have begun employing them, not only on luxury vehicles, but on entry-level models, as well.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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