Take apart - put together syndrome

Something doesn't work so you take it apart and troubleshoot all the components. You can't find anything wrong so you put it back together and...IT WORKS PERFECT! It has happened to me for forever but what's going on? My latest is the icemaker in the kitchen refrigerator. I spent hours and hours finding documents and troubleshooting. No, it wasn't frozen-up, (the most common fault it seems) the motor worked, the thermostat checked out, the heater passed muster. The water valve is OK and all cleaned out. (I've replaced plenty of those in different units over the years). Of course, I find nothing else that could cause it to crap out so put it all back together and...it works just fine. Go figure. I've had hundreds if not thousands of this kind of thing, I'll bet everybody else does too!

Reply to
Buerste
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It's the magic touch.

The knack

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I was always picked to go on road trips, not for my stellar company, but because 'dave can fix it'.

Dave

Reply to
Dave__67

Somewhere, somehow, something has moved out of position under load in the last ten years. WHen you take it apart and put it back all lined up properly again, you give it another ten years to get back out of position... ;) --Glenn Lyford

Reply to
Glenn Lyford

(...)

Problems that disappear by themselves tend to reappear by themselves.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

......just after you put that last screw back in.

Reply to
Dennis

My eyes are watering from laughing so hard. "I'm sorry your son is going to be an engineer." Boo Hoo hoo LOL

I didn't know they made Dilbert in motion cartoons.

SW

Reply to
Sunworshipper

....or just after tell everyone it's working again....

Reply to
rtandems

Oh, you mean "The Briggs & Stratton Effect".

Reply to
Tim Wescott

I call it "The Laying On of Hands". Can be supplimented with an exclamation of "Heal!"(or "HEEL!") at the appropriate time. Only works if you've stripped the item down to the last loose nut and bolt, though.

Stan

Reply to
stans4

1999, UPN (if you remember that network)

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Dave

Reply to
Dave__67

I'll have to keep a look out for that tape, not gonna pay $40. Yes, UPN, didn't last eh. The circle. triangle, square the sign of the aliens. Was reading/scanning Wiki and don't see Lucas or Spielberg mentioned, I thought they started that. Guess that's wrong, wonder where I got that from.

SW

Reply to
Sunworshipper

Not if you use your mojo and wave your spanner. :)

Reply to
Denis G.

I spent a good part of my life servicing stuff and that is a pretty common occurrence. If at all possible try to keep verifying that the problem still exists. Be really, really careful as you disassemble everything, noting anything that looks suspicious. Go back to step one if you do and verify that the problem still exists. Try hard not to give it a thump/slap, you should have already tried this route before you made up your mind to really try fixing it.

I fixed way too many things in my day simply and carefully removing the covers to get inside...

Write down as many notes/thoughts you have on it right now while they are fresh in your mind. When it happens again those notes could be very useful.

Reply to
Leon Fisk

Bad electrical connections, almost for sure. The only question is how long it will take to go bad again. All sorts of those tin-plated quick connect terminals, in a variety of forms and sizes, have slow corrosion of the contact area. If perfectly clean, applying 120 V will always break through the oxide. When not so clean, they can amazingly sit there with 120 V across them and no conduction, until you separate and remate the contacts. That's why when it matters (automotive "important stuff", aerospace, etc.) they use gold connectors.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Elson

What's really fun is tracking down 10 millivolts or so 'lost' due to fretting.

Dave

Reply to
Dave__67

It's quite likely an electrical problem with a connector. The metal in the connectors slowly oxidizes and eventually fails to conduct like it should. I learned long ago that step #1 was to unplug and replug all electrical connectors. The root cause of intermittent problems is usually the connectors. Art

Reply to
Artemus

You beat me to it. Art

Reply to
Artemus

Yes! Notes are extremely important.

If repairing for someone else, please remember to ask The Magic Question: "What happened just before this symptom appeared?"

Got a unit in with a weird symptom. I called the customer and asked The Magic Question. (And I'm Not Making This Up):

"I closed the top cover and noticed that it was pinching a wire in the hinge. That couldn't be it, could it?"

I located and repaired the damage to the pinched wire, secured it out of harm's way; was suddenly unable to reproduce the symptom! Complete functionality restored.

On another unit, customer asks about image distortion in a document scanner.

I asked The Magic Question and appended it with: "For example, was the unit dropped or perhaps hit?" The customer responded by nicely indicating they didn't require any further assistance.

Funny that.

The Magic Question is a heck of a time saver.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston

Oh Noooooo! I should have taped over the lens on my webcam.

--Winston

Reply to
Winston
Reply to
Robert Swinney

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