1BROWNWRENCH
Amatuer Malthusian
Something seems fundamentally wrong with the coolant consumption. That should not happen with a sealed system if everything is working as it should. I would consider some oil analysis.
DIY maintenance on ford E450 utilimaster stepvans
- Thread starter HomeDelivery
- Start date
HomeDelivery
Well-Known Member
lol like these contractors will spend the extra money for that... they have a 3 year warranty so i'll keep checking on the coolant levels. other contractors already know about the oil consumption part though ~ they told me these fords love to burn oil
i just want to show these contractors how easy it is to maintain this type of vehicle; so they won't have to scramble around looking for a rental if they do break down.
fedex logo stepvan vehicle > budget, avis, enterprise, penske, uhaul
i just want to show these contractors how easy it is to maintain this type of vehicle; so they won't have to scramble around looking for a rental if they do break down.
fedex logo stepvan vehicle > budget, avis, enterprise, penske, uhaul
1BROWNWRENCH
Amatuer Malthusian
Your 3 years will be over in a blink of an eye.
HomeDelivery
Well-Known Member
update on the coolant issue: stabilized it seems that the manufacturer didn't tighten the plastic cap on the plastic reservoir
when i topped it off i made sure to turn the cap until it clicked into place ~ now it's a sealed system & is now pressurized as well ----------------------- dunno why they moved that pressurized cap from the top of the radiator to a plastic pressurized reservoir (didn't like seeing those types on some GM models as well)
other drivers don't give a damn during their pre-trip inspections and let their coolant levels go below the min-line
at least in brown-land, you have mechs & car washers to check/top off the fluids... it's weird that some upsers don't lift the hood and check it themselves during their pre-trip inspection besides filling up their own washer fluid
when i topped it off i made sure to turn the cap until it clicked into place ~ now it's a sealed system & is now pressurized as well ----------------------- dunno why they moved that pressurized cap from the top of the radiator to a plastic pressurized reservoir (didn't like seeing those types on some GM models as well)
other drivers don't give a damn during their pre-trip inspections and let their coolant levels go below the min-line
at least in brown-land, you have mechs & car washers to check/top off the fluids... it's weird that some upsers don't lift the hood and check it themselves during their pre-trip inspection besides filling up their own washer fluid
overflowed
Well-Known Member
Neither do Express, because it's not our jobs.
HomeDelivery
Well-Known Member
i know some of the orange couriers do lift the hood and check the levels during a pre-trip inspection ~ that's part of the DOT.
you're going to shoot yourself in the foot when the engine seizes up on the road due to no oil. A replacement engine costs down time & $$$ especially on those new Mercedes-powered freightliner/dodge sprinter vans...
had a HD driver neglect his pre-trip inspections & seized up an engine... now that stepvan is sitting in the parking lot until the contractor can scrounge up enough $ to get a replacement engine
you're going to shoot yourself in the foot when the engine seizes up on the road due to no oil. A replacement engine costs down time & $$$ especially on those new Mercedes-powered freightliner/dodge sprinter vans...
had a HD driver neglect his pre-trip inspections & seized up an engine... now that stepvan is sitting in the parking lot until the contractor can scrounge up enough $ to get a replacement engine
overflowed
Well-Known Member
I do check fluid but I don't change the parts. Not my job. Shouldn't be yours either.
HomeDelivery
Well-Known Member
oh ok... it's one of my side jobs that i can do since we're poorly paid to begin with in comparison to the brown guys
ImWaitingForTheDay
Annoy a conservative....Think for yourself
Seems that you care more about the trucks than the owner..I used to help out til I got shafted by the SCUM contractor.Never will i check oil ,antifreeze etc..Not my job,if it blows up Oh well..By the way you charge way to little for an oil change..Just look at the amount of precious time you save the owner..think about it.....my time was and is always more valuable then the few bucks I made. Never Again ....
HomeDelivery
Well-Known Member
you have a SCUMMY CONTRACTOR, i don't... and with all these new vehicles he's purchasing, i rather be in a logo-ed stepvan than in an inconspicuous rental vehicle, especially when it starts getting dark outside sooner.
ever since i started working out of a stepvan made for this type of job, my stops-per-on-road hour has jumped & i'm getting done as fast as MaineGroundDriver on some days ~ he finally got it on how these vehicles save time/money for his workers vs running around and opening/closing a roll-up door of a rental boxVan. plus rental rates are now more than the cost of owning a stepvan when he crunched the numbers
if your boss sucks in pay and treats you like crap, move on to a better contractor; that's what i did.
however, they all know we're replaceable; Fred S sees this & is treating their couriers the same way as Ground Contractors nowadays
ever since i started working out of a stepvan made for this type of job, my stops-per-on-road hour has jumped & i'm getting done as fast as MaineGroundDriver on some days ~ he finally got it on how these vehicles save time/money for his workers vs running around and opening/closing a roll-up door of a rental boxVan. plus rental rates are now more than the cost of owning a stepvan when he crunched the numbers
if your boss sucks in pay and treats you like crap, move on to a better contractor; that's what i did.
however, they all know we're replaceable; Fred S sees this & is treating their couriers the same way as Ground Contractors nowadays
MAKAVELI
Well-Known Member
Or it's the contractors who are treating their drivers the same as Fred S treats his employees. Monkey see, monkey do.
overflowed
Well-Known Member
I don't remember you saying you're a certified mechanic. I'm not messing with you or anything you're always respectful on here. My whole point being when I say, maybe you shouldn't be doing that is this. What will happen if you don't put something back together correctly and this newfangled truck breaks down and needs a engine overhaul? Do you think the contractor will say it's all cool dude? Maybe you should have him sign an agreement with you or something about the work your doing is all?
HomeDelivery
Well-Known Member
yes i have 3 ASE certs under my belt & also help the regular fedex mechanic when i have the free day on Mondays if i'm not doing something else; he does the internal engine work & other jobs that will take more than 1 day to finish. i do the simple stuff like PM & brakes & tires, stuff he doesn't have time for and a simple teenager w/ a motor-head mentality can do
i've already proven myself to them & should have went into a stealership as a mech to finish off my other certs. That'll be one of my ways out when my youngest is old enough to be going to school.
i've already proven myself to them & should have went into a stealership as a mech to finish off my other certs. That'll be one of my ways out when my youngest is old enough to be going to school.
1BROWNWRENCH
Amatuer Malthusian
Good you found it.
STFXG
Well-Known Member
Certified or not you can be held liable. At least get a liability waiver signed for work performed. Something goes wrong on the truck and you could be taken to court.
HomeDelivery
Well-Known Member
yes, yes thanks for that advice; its already built-in to the work order template that i got from teh internetz... plus, i don't work with the crummy contractors, only w/ the good ones that had treated me OK in the past ~ as a driver,manager, & as a mech
HomeDelivery
Well-Known Member
i know were going a bit off-topic but as soon as FedEx purchased RPS, they saw that cheaper labor can be had for an acceptable service level at Ground/HD. R1 saw it, as well as MrFedEx... i saw it both for team orange and team brown when they both want to boost the stock ratings by lowering their standards for a driver & make it so anyone w/ a pulse & a bit of common sense can run a route (not 100% on the first few days, but it's do-able).
it's all about profit now
MAKAVELI
Well-Known Member
You gotta give credit where it's due. This whole freakin mess is on Fred's shoulders and no one else. He is the mastermind, or as the kool aid drinkers would think, the messiah. Doesn't matter where his inspiration for screwing over the frontline workers came from. I'm a firm believer in karma and all this will come back to him at some point.
i know were going a bit off-topic but as soon as FedEx purchased RPS, they saw that cheaper labor can be had for an acceptable service level at Ground/HD. R1 saw it, as well as MrFedEx... i saw it both for team orange and team brown when they both want to boost the stock ratings by lowering their standards for a driver & make it so anyone w/ a pulse & a bit of common sense can run a route (not 100% on the first few days, but it's do-able).
GROUNDIsAHugeSCAM
Well-Known Member
HomeDelivery, I like your style. I haven't encountered many Ground drivers with your attitude. I hope your career goes well and if you enjoy your job, keep on keepin on.
HomeDelivery
Well-Known Member
i'm not staying here for the long run, just for another few years
as long as prospective employees of team orange and prospective ground/hd "vendors/couriers" know this is just a dead-end, "stepping-stone" type of job & not a career, all is good... it's just funny that people has to flock to this site to get the scoop of how this company is really being run behind the scenes
as long as prospective employees of team orange and prospective ground/hd "vendors/couriers" know this is just a dead-end, "stepping-stone" type of job & not a career, all is good... it's just funny that people has to flock to this site to get the scoop of how this company is really being run behind the scenes
