Over engineering

ultrarunner · Jan 28, 2012

murphy1244 said:
I remember a Chevy Monza V-8 that you had to pull the engine to change spark plugs. :laughing:

We just cut a little hole in the floor pan and hours of labor with possible the possibility to create additional problems vanished.

Amazing little wheel spinners... the slightest touch and the wheels would spin...

RoyJackson · Jan 28, 2012

dynasim said:
Roy,

The petrochemical industry has whole departments focused on maintainability and reliablity. The consequences of equipment failure is significant, and they can have normal run times(with no shutdowns) of 2-4 years.

Chris

Oh, I believe you...I just haven't had experience with the petrochemical industry.
I know the medical device industry does extensive reliability testing, but I've never worked in that industry either...I try to stick with the little bit I know...well, I try...

Ridgewalker · Jan 29, 2012

I put the OP up because I thought it would give everyone a chuckle.
I wasn't intending to insult anyone or otherwise be offensive.

I do think some must have been guilty of over-engineering at least once due to the defensive tone of some replies. That was a surprise...c'mon guys, it's a funny! Kinda like the "rope a deer" story. I didn't see any farmers call foul on that one.

Since the engineers are so touchy I will offer up an "operator" story. Since we have all operated something at sometime I am taking a big chance here. If I disappear start with the "operators" union. :laughing:

So, a company had misprinted the bar code on their heart-worm medicine and needed to put a cover up label over them with the correct bar code. This involved tearing the "cellophane" wrap off, labeling and re-wrapping them.

On occasion a piece of the wrap would get caught in the cutter that separated the packages and you would have to shut down the wrapper to clear the jam.

Our "Operator" decided he was quicker than the rotary knives and had learned to use a finger to clear the jam. It worked for a while until one day he was a little slow and the knife took the tip of his finger off down to the first knuckle. (Clean cut, reattached.)

As you would imagine he was off work for some time while he recovered. (Non union) He just happened to come back to work the same day the insurance adjusted showed up. Who better to show the insurance man what happened than the guy it happened to thought the production manager.

So, he says go show the man what you did to lose your finger. The operator being happy to oblige gave a full demo which included sticking the same finger (other hand) in the machine and having it whacked off right in front to the insurance adjuster. (clean cut, reattached)

True story, I can name names if put on a stand.

Brad_Blazer · Jan 29, 2012

In terms of easy access car maintenance, I'm sure it's a battle between engineers and designers (The School of Design is not the School of Engineering), and marketing. Things that can only be serviced by a dealer create an important revenue stream.

In Germany, engineers seem to hold more sway. You can get a BMW with a cartridge oil filter right on top of the engine.
The Easiest Oil Change! - BMW M3 Forum.com (E30 M3 | E36 M3 | E46 M3 | E92 M3)

Travelover · Jan 29, 2012

Brad_Blazer said:
In terms of easy access car maintenance, I'm sure it's a battle between engineers and designers (The School of Design is not the School of Engineering), and marketing. Things that can only be serviced by a dealer create an important revenue stream.

In Germany, engineers seem to hold more sway. You can get a BMW with a cartridge oil filter right on top of the engine.
The Easiest Oil Change! - BMW M3 Forum.com (E30 M3 | E36 M3 | E46 M3 | E92 M3)

I worked in the auto industry as an engineer for 27 years and have insight into the packaging vs ease of maintenance tradeoff. I put myself through college working as a mechanic, so I have seen both sides of the issue.

When a car or truck is designed, it is done by teams of engineers, each working on their particular system - engine, electrical, brakes, exhaust, cooling, etc. They all come together under the hood and it is like a real estate land grab moderated by a packaging group that has to mediate all the conflicts between the design engineers, the assembly engineers, and service engineers. There are guidelines for how long any maintenance or repair can take, but this requirement can get bent if there is a major assembly or cost tradeoff. It is kind of like watching sausage or law made - lots of compromise and it ain't pretty. There is no excuse for some of the maintenance issues created, but I just wanted to provide some insight into the process.