That old Delta mechanic who showed me a trick with a paperclip

I was working a late shift at the hangar near Denver about 6 months ago, trying to trace a fault on a 737's nav system. This older guy, must have been 65, just walked over and handed me a bent paperclip. He said "stop chasing the schematics and think about where the vibration is." I thought he was crazy but he showed me how to use the paperclip to gently probe a connector while the system was powered on. Found a loose pin in less than 5 minutes that I'd been hunting for 2 hours with a multimeter. Never would have thought of something so simple. Has anyone else picked up weird tricks from the old timers that aren't in any manual?

2 comments

2 Comments

nathan1936d ago

Hang on, a paperclip? That sounds more like a good way to get a nice zap or short something out. I mean, sure, it worked for that one guy, but probing a live connector with a metal paperclip is asking for trouble in my book. There's a reason they sell those fancy little tools, and it's not just to make money. Maybe I'm just too paranoid about blowing up a circuit board, but I'd rather spend two hours with a multimeter than risk a three thousand dollar repair bill from a shortcut.

keithbennett6d ago

That paperclip trick is basically gambling with your ECU and a 1 in 10 chance of smoke. I've seen a buddy fry his BMW's ABS module using a bent staple for a diagnostic jumper, so that was a $1,200 lesson in patience. A $5 breakout box from Amazon saves you that headache and keeps your car from becoming a paperweight.