Diesel mechanic

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

3 years ago I had to leave my union hvac gig due to a knee injury, and subsequent side effects of arthritis. I can't climb ladders, and carry weight like I did before. As far as being on my feet I am fine for my current 10 hour shift as a refrigeration warehouse monitor and repair work.

Well it is not the greatest pay, and that currently fine. Plus the carrer ark requires going to management to get decent pay, and I prefer to stay in the field so to speak.

So I want to become a diesel mechanic as it allows higher pay, and a ability to move places I want to move at a later date.

So can I get diesel ASE's to start in the trade or is going to school pretty much it?

Trying to avoid school as it won't be easy, and reduce my ability to sleep greatly. I am currently on the graveyard shift.

[kwmech]

After working on those damn things for years, the last thing I would want to do now-a-days is 'get into the business', the amount of tech needed now to even diagnose a relatively simple engine is staggering. One little thing anywhere in the Can-bus system can kill everything. Had a dodge diesel years ago that kicked my but for 3 weeks. Every time I re-hooked the scanner to the truck I got different diagnostics. AND just about every system in the vehicle is an ECU from the AC module, instrument cluster module, cruise control, stereo, body module, engine....etc is all connected by the Can-bus so they all interact with one another. Anyways it boiled down to the last person that worked on the truck about a month before. Some yeaho at a 10 minute lube that serviced the transmission and rolled the wiring harness in the oil pan between the valve body and the front of the oil pan. Every time the transmission shifted the solenoid/s plunger would stab at the harness until eventually it was grounding out the Can-bus system. Talk about chasing ghosts. Now the new trucks require a 12K lift to remove the body of the truck to work on the engine, 'cuz the cab forward design 'is the shiznix'. Who ever thought of stuffing half the engine under the windshield needs to be bit... slapped into next year. Sorry for the rant, I'm still getting over the thread of the Auto Parts store junk

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

I thought about being a dealer or auto mechanic, but everyone says they are way worse.

Atleast with diesels. They make money so people are more serious about them.

Either way I have time to figure it out. So I don't have to make rash decisions.

[kwmech]

Originally Posted by Ziegelsteinfaust

I thought about being a dealer or auto mechanic, but everyone says they are way worse.

Atleast with diesels. They make money so people are more serious about them.

Either way I have time to figure it out. So I don't have to make rash decisions.

I didn't even get into the DEF systems and how they are destroying the engines before they're broken in. A engine without DEF can/would go 4-500K before needing any major work. Lucky if you get 1/2 of that now. Tractor diesels are getting worse after talking to my son-in-law who manages a Bobcat Dealer