Well, as some of you may know... I work for a certain spark plug company... effective next week I'll be handling mother Mopar as my account... which means I'll be helping spec. out spark plugs for all the Dodge family... specifically items like the SRT's (they just tested the SRT Caliber - sadly I wasn't involved)... but...

I know it's a little late for our cars since the Neon is gone...but a lot of the engineers there have these SRT's (Neon's)... so I'm hoping to get some good insight and information about ways to improve our little rides... if I find out anything cool, I'll try and post it up!

Hopefully you guys don't move this post... ha-ha...

 

Hey, looking forward to any information you can provide!!! Thanks!!!

Dusty

 

Funny, I'm changing jobs too. Getting away from Diamler though. No great loss as I work(ed) on diesels at a FreightLiner Dealership. FreightLiner is Part of (Diamler Chrysler). Not much technology knowledge is transferrable to a Neon. Only worked on trucks for the last year and a half. Aircraft before that. What I can tell you is; 14.5 liters of Cummins N-14 can make about 2200 ft lbs of torque and about 550 hp or an equally sized Cummins ISX with DOHC's can make about 650 hp. Most deisels have 4 valve heads, many have dohc or at least ohc, all have crazy compression, all use intercoolers, many now are coming out with sequential turbos, catalyst exhausts and have some kind of EGR, 30 lbs of turbo boost is very common, some go as high as 60 lbs or more, it takes over 2000 lbs of fuel pressure to work the injectors with that much squeeze. One oil filter takes 4 qts of oil, many engines have 2 filters, most large engines take 40 to 44 qts of oil. Cool Huh? I say no great loss because deisel truck wrenchin is nasty, nasty, nasty work. I will not miss it. I had no (inside) parts connections or special pricing because I did not have a Diamler employee number. The discount I could have gotten was still more than what stuff costs retail through an online parts house like moparsupercenter. Also, where I'm going is paying 3 dollars an hour more and it's a much cleaner environment. (I'll be working on giant electric motors and generators) So I'm excited and counting the days till I quit. (6 more) WoooHoooo!

 

cool deal Pressurecooker... I hear diesel mechanics (I apologize if that is not what you did, I am not belittling the job!) make decent cash?? I've only known one gentleman who did that sort of work and he had some fun toys ;-)

 

Dude, I'm here to tell ya. If it's a big enough shop (like the Freightliner I'm leaving) you may have 1,2 or a few guys making something North of 20 dollars an hour, but not far north. You might even have one guy in the upper 20's, but rest assured that a-hole has pictures of the boss or has married into the family somehow. He will also have to have every cert known to exist and a CDL and have worked there over 15 years and been in the biz for at least 20 and been to every school. The vast majority at even a good paying place like I was at, are making in the mid to high teens. Not spectacular money by my standards. I was making in the high teens back in the early 90's in construction and then as a motorcycle mechanic when I got out of the AirForce. Freightliner was only paying me 17 based on the fact I was working as a truck mechanic over at International Harvester (who is notoriously low paying) for the last year. That and the fact that I was a career aviation mechanic (17 plus) and had a 2 year vocational school in automotive from way back in the carbureted days (early 80's). I know a lot of kids who make in the high teens and think their in tall cotton and if they are young, have no kids, no house and share a room with some buddies, yeah sure it's good dough. They can spend nearly every spare dime on thier car and have one badass car. (I work with one just like this) His 2001 Grand Prix will kick my SRT-4's ***. The deal here is, I'm almost 41, have two lovely kids and a house and satellite and internet and credit cards and pets and and and.....well you get the idea. I am too old to be starting over learning a trade or not being paid for my experience or leadership abilities. 17 may be ok for someone starting out, but I need something better and I have the background, track record, education and expertise to command more. My pitfall untill now, was that I moved into an area where my aviation background was of very little good to me or a potential employer. Until now. Ha ha! I have fallen into a business that while not aviation, can use my background to further thier agenda. Bonus to me is, the Vice Pres, who interviewed me used to be in aviation too. He believes that his background there helped him to succeed and he wants more like him in the company. Way cool! trucks is an honorable profession, but it's a dirty, nasty and very often very physically demanding one. My hats off to anyone who continues to do it day to day. God Bless them.