I've done this alone. It's easier with a second person, and sometimes helps prevent spills.

A. Things you need to get started:
1. The E4OD and 4R100 transmission system holds almost 18 quarts of ATF, and you must waste a couple of quarts to be sure you get it all purged and replaced, so buy 20 quarts of MERCON ATF [For the 4R100, use MERCON V]. You may use either conventional or synthetic, as long as it meets the above requirements.

The 4R70W transmission system holds about 14 quarts of ATF. The 4R70W uses MERCON V, and the MERCON V can be used on older 4R70W transmissions that were factory filled with MERCON.

2. I replace the transmission filter every other fluid change. Note that Ford does not recommend ever changing the filter. I've opened filters with over 300,000 miles that were not even close to being clogged.
3. Don't buy a new pan gasket. The original is reusable.
4. A 10 foot length of clear tubing and one hose clamp, sized to fit over your cooler hose. There have been different size cooler lines over the years, so check before buying!
5. If you don't already have a special funnel that fits into the transmission dipstick tube, then you will need one of those, too.

B. If you are changing the filter, drain the pan if your pan has a drain plug. If you are not changing the filter, jump to step 4.
1. If you don't have a drain plug, go to step 4 to pump out the pan, preventing an ATF shower! Return here after step 4 and one pass through step 5a.
2. Remove the pan and clean the pan and gasket, including the magnet on the bottom of the pan. Fuzz on the magnet is normal, that's why it is there!
3. Change the filter. It just pulls out, there are no bolts that hold it. It is held in place by the pan. Make sure that the O-ring is removed, too. Sometimes it does not come out with the filter.
4. Replace the pan, using the reusable gasket.
5. At this point you can drain the torque converter. Some people think it is necessary, but I don't. Running the engine in the next steps will pump the fluid out of the torque converter. If your transmission was built after August 2001, you don't have a drain plug in the torque converter.
6. To drain the torque converter remove the shield (or the rubber plug in some models) and turn the flywheel until you see the drain plug. If you also drain the torque converter, then the old ATF will not come out the return line until after the torque converter has filled.

C. If you drained the pan, pour new ATF into the filler [dipstick] tube until you have added about as much as you earlier drained from the pan. At this point overfilling by no more than one quart won't hurt anything.

D. Disconnect the transmission-fluid return line at the transmission - from where the ATF returns to the transmission from the cooler. This is the line towards the rear of the transmission. Clamp the clear tubing over the line that you removed from the transmission. This is where the fluid comes out.

E. This is where the second person comes in handy. One person starts the engine, while the other holds the line over the drain bucket.� A clothes pin can replace the person holding the line in the bucket.
1. Run the engine until you see some air in the clear tubing. As soon as you see air shut off the engine. Refill through the dipstick tube with the same amount as you just pumped out.

NOTE: If you drained the pan and the torque converter, fluid will not run out until you fill the pan a second time. Run the engine for 30 seconds, then stop and add six more quarts.

F. Repeat step 5 until you have added 19 quarts with of new ATF to the system with an E4OD or 4R100. Repeat until you have added 13 quarts with the 4R70W.
1. At least one time while the engine is running move the shifter through each position from P to 1, pausing about 5 seconds at each position. This will change some fluid that would otherwise be trapped in the valve body, accumulators, and clutches.

G. Remove the clear line and reconnect the cooler line to the transmission.

H. Check the fluid level and use the last quart to top off.

I. Properly dispose of the used transmission fluid.

J. Congratulate yourself! And your engine starter/killer person.

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INTRODUCTION

Austenitic stainless steels are widely used as structural materials in power, chemical, petrochemical, nuclear and other industries, because of high level of fabricability and excellent corrosion resistance. In these steels, due to plastic deformation or working, the unstable austenite transforms to martensite in a diffusionless manner. In case of operating components made of austenetic stainless steels, e.g. AISI type 304, AISI type 316, local plastic deformation associated with fatigue damage in components operating at room temperature (300K) and below may lead to precipitation of martensite. Detection and characterisation of small amounts of martensite in such steels is very useful for early detection of fatigue damage and hence for evaluation of in-service degradation

X-ray diffraction is used for quantification of martensite. Since marteniste is a magnetic phase in a non-magnetic austenite matrix, it is possible to exploit the magnetic methods of NDE for characterisation of martensite. A few such methods reported in the literature include eddy current test, hystetisis, and equivalent delta-ferrite based Ferritescope method [1, 2]. Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID) is an ultrasensitivie magnetic sensor, which typically has resolution of 10-14 T [3]. In recent years, SQUID sensors have formed the basis for several new magnetic non-destructive evaluation (NDE) methods and these methods have been applied to variety of applications [4-10]. Similarly, MBN methods are being increasingly applied for characterisation of microstructures in a variety of materials [2]. We have applied SQUID and MBN methods for characterisaiton of martensite in cold worked AISI type 304 stainless steel. This paper describes the details of the experimental set up developed and discusses the results of characterisation of marteniste. The sensitivity of the SQUID method is compared with MBN, delta ferrite, eddy current, and hysterisis methods. For the benefit of readers in NDE, detailed descriptions of operating principles of SQUIDs, different SQUID systems and interesting applications of SQUIDS to NDE are also given in the paper.

SUPER CONDUCTING QUANTUM INTERFERENCE DEVICE (SQUID)
Superconductivity

Superconductivity is a unique thermodynamic state characterised by the condensation of the conduction electrons into pairs featuring opposite momentum and spin (Copper spins) [3]. At absolute temperature (0K) all the conduction electrons of the superconducting material are condensed into these pairs. At elevated temperatures, an increasing number of excitations occur (pair breaking), leading to a number of phi-0;quasi-particles; (electrons with a missing counterpart) in addition to the pair condensate. At a critical temperature Tc, all pairs break and superconductivity ceases. Tc values of some important materials are given in Table-I.

Table-I Important superconducting materials

SQUID Principles
A SQUID essentially consists of a superconducting ring (in practice any shape, provided that the superconducting material completely surrounds a void) interrupted at one or two positions by a Josephson junction. The operation of SQUID sensor is based on two effects namely flux quantisation and Josephsen effects, observable only in the presence of superconductivity; Flux quantisation dictates that the flux inside the SQUID ring due to an external magnetic field can not change continuously, but only in multiples of , the flux quantum (phi-0= h/2e = 2.7 x 10-15 Tesla/m2). The Josephsoneffect states that a superconducting current can cross the Josephson junction, which consists of a weak link between two superconductors, up to a limit known as the critical current. These properties cause the SQUID impedance, measured after inductively coupling to arf current bias, to be a periodic function of the magnetic flux threading the SQUID. The net result is that the SQUID works as a flux-to-voltage converter with unparalleled sensitivity [4]. SQUID is the most sensitive magnetic sensor to date. It can detect changes in magnetic field of several femtotesla (10-15T).
SQUIDs with one junction are called rfSQUIDs and those with two junctions are called DC SQUIDs, because of different types of electronic read-out commonly used. Generally to reduce the influence of magnetic signals from unwanted sources, the SQUID itself is placed inside a superconducting shield, while the signal of interest is transformer-coupled to the SQUID through a small opening in the shield. If the SQUID is unshielded or if there is only a simple pick-up coil for the section of the transformer outside the shield, then the SQUID gives a measure of the magnetic field, and functions as a magnetometer. If more complex external coil structures are used, such as two axial coils wound in opposite directions and separated by a distance relatively large compared to the distance of one of the coils to the signal source, then the system functions as a magnetic gradiometer. This gradiometer coil configuration effectively serves to nullify a uniform background without having much influence on the signal from the nearby source of interest [5]. The pickup coil configurations for magnetometer and gradiometer are shown in Fig.1(a). In order to compensate for the electromagnetic disturbances from surroundings, second order gradiometers are used. Figure 1(b) illustrates how the pickup coil loops are flux transformer coupled to the SQUID loops.
SQUIDs were first developed using low temperature superconductivity (LTS) materials in the 1960s and became available commercially in the early1970s as relatively crude Nd devices with single Josephson junctions formed by a mechanical point contact between a screw and bulk material. The reliability of this design was limited and in the early 1980s thin film devices fabricated with microelectronic film deposition and photolithographic patterning processes superseded it. The technology of superconducting devices was advanced in 1986 by the discovery of the high temperature superconductivity (HTS) materials, principally YBa2Cu3O7-x which superconductsupto 92K. Through this is still a low temperature in everyday terms, the ability to use liquid nitrogen for cooling led to the belief that many previously impractical applications, including NDE, would become practical. Significant progress has been made by many industrial and academic groups to realise simple, portable HTS SQUID systems for NDE research.

SQUID Configurations and Systems
Most commercial SQUID systems have high sensitivity from DC to 10 kHz. They have a linear response and a wide dynamic range. When used with gradiometer pick-up coils, they can easily reject distant magnetic noise sources or ambient background magnetic fields. Typical sensitivities for LTS commercial SQUIDs above 1 Hz are in the range of 1-10 fT, while HTS commercial SQUIDs are limited to the range of 30-300 fT. Nevertheless, even HTS SQUIDs are more sensitive than any other magnetic sensor technology. Relatively simple fluxgate magnetometers have sensitivities in the range of 1 nanotesla (10-9T) - 1 picotesla (110-12T). If the magnetic signal to be monitored is sufficiently large, high sensitivity systems are not required. Detection of a localised defect using a SQUID pick up coil is approximately limited by the a) diameter of the pick-up coil and b) lift-off between the coil and the signal source. Here, the lower HTS stand-offs as compared to those of LTS, compensate for the lower sensitivity of HTS SQUIDs. The most important drawback of SQUIDs is that they work only at low temperatures; -269 deg. C for LTS alloys and 197 deg. C for HTS ceramics.

SQUID Applications in NDE
For aircraft NDE, while ECT methods are among the better techniques available, they are not effective beyond a depth of a few millimeters. However, using multi-sensor LTS SQUIDs detection of simulated cracks and corrosion damage in hidden layers has been demonstrated [5, 6, 8]. By raster scan imaging of the SQUID gradiometer over the object surface, an electromagentic microscope has been realised and scans of aircraft fuselage and wheels have been produced to demonstrate the advantages of SQUID over conventional NDE techniques [5]. LTS SQUID systems are not well suited for practical use because of the sophisticated and expensive cryogenics involving liquid He. Further the SQUID systems have to be mobile and capable of operating without any magnetic shielding e.g. in aircraft maintenance hangers where the level of electromagnetic disturbances is very high (up to the micro-Tesla range).
With the availability of high temperature superconductivity (HTS) materials, new avenues have been opened up for SQUID sensors and they are being used in a variety of NDE applications [4-10]. Some of them include detection of defects in carbon steels [7] and aluminium alloys [5, 8], detection of buried steel pipelines, detection of gross flaws in sub-sea steels structures, and fatigue damage assessment in austenitic stainless steel [9]. Because steel provides its own ferromagnetic signal, or is easily magnetised, SQUIDs make excellent detectors of discontinuities in steels. Remote detection of defects in stainless steel pipe walls in chemical industry and in nuclear rectors is possible by using SQUIDs. Similarly, measurement of magnetic field at the surface of a stressed steel structure provides a very sensitive information of microscopic mechanical behaviour, which is generally not observed via traditional stress strain measurements [6]. SQUIDs are being explored for early detection of defects or microstructural degradations in civil and military aircraft. There are continuous attempts to find a niche for NDE SQUID applications.

MAGNETIC BARKHAUSEN NOISE (MBN) METHOD
Magnetic flux perturbation occurs when an induced magnetic field in ferromagnetic materials is swept in a hysteresis loop and as a result what are known as Barkhausen noise emissions are produced. These are due to the result of discrete changes in magnetisation caused mainly by the irreversible motion of the 180° domain walls during the sweeping of the magnetic field. NDE method that involves measurement of these perturbations for characterisation of materials is known as Magnetic Barkhausen Noise (MBN) method. The perturbations are measured by using a pick up coil and analysed as MBN signals. The nucleation and movement of magnetic domain walls directly depends on various microstructural features such as cavities, grain boundaries, precipitates, cracks etc. MBN parameters such as Mmax(the maximum value of MBN signal generated during a hysteresis cycle), Hcm(the magnetic field at which the maximum MBN occurs), number of signal counts, and rms voltage of MBN signal have been used to characterise these microstructural features. Typical successful applications of MBN method include microstructural characterisation, characterisation of post weld heat treatment in weld joints, assessment of creep and fatigue damage, and measurement of residual stresses. A more detailed description of the MBN method and its applications can be found elsewhere.

EXPERIMENTAL SET UP
Arf-HTS SQUID magnetometer system shown in Fig.2 has been used in the present study. The SQUID is made of YBa2Cu3O7-x or 1-2-3 compound. Liquid Nitrogen is used as coolant for maintaining temperature. This SQUID system has sensitivity better than 5 x 10-15 Tesla/ÖHz at 1 Hz. Because of very high sensitivity, SQUID is not used directly to measure the magnetic fields. Rather, it is encapsulated in a superconducting shield, with the magnetic signal coupled to it by a flux transformer [10]. The flux transformer consists of a primary (magnetometer) coil placed nearer to the measurement position and a secondary (input) coil coupled to the SQUID, inside the shield, as shown in Fig. 1 (b). Scanning is performed so that external magnetic field from the specimens induces voltage in the primary coil and the current in the primary coil generates a magnetic field in the SQUID through the input coil. The SQUID output in multiples of phi-0 is digitised and stored in the computer. Software written in Labview; is used for controlling the scanner as well as the data acquisition. This software also consists of provision for filtering to remove background noise and to process the acquired signals. During measurements using SQUIDs, proper magnetic shielding is ensured to avoid the background field pick-up, which many a times buries the magnetic field produced by the desired variables in specimens, e.g. martensite in austenitic stainless steel. Averaging has been performed on the SQUID data to enhance the signal-to-noise by approximately three times.
For MBN experimental studies 3MA system developed by IZFP has been used.MBN measurements have been made using sinusoidal magnetic field varying between + 50 A/cm at 15 Hz. A surface pick-up coil having a 2 mm diameter ferrite core wound with 3500 turns of 220 micron wire has been used to receive the MBN signal and a Hall probe integrated into the pick-up sensor has been used to measure the applied magnetic field. Low noise pre-amplifier with band-pass filter has been employed for better signal-to-noise ratio. The MBN signals have been digitised and stored in a computer for the evaluation of maximum amplitude, Mmax.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Typical SQUID output from a 20% cold worked specimen as a function of scanning distance along rolling plane after averaging is shown in shown in Fig. 3. The pick up coil scan speed is 30 cm/s. The SQUID output of the 40% cold worked specimen at different scanning speeds is shown in Fig.4. As expected, the SQUID output is found to increase linearly with scanning speed. In order to detect very small changes in magnetic field arising from martensite, the maximum possible speed of 40 cm/s speed has been chosen for all further investigations. The SQUID output as a function of cold work is shown in Fig.5. It can be seen from Fig.5 that there is a monotonic increase in the SQUID output with the cold work i.e. with increase in volume fraction of martensite of SQUID. When fitted logarithmically, a correlation coefficient of 0.994 has been observed. Typical MBN signals from different cold worked specimens are shown in Fig.6. The peak MBN signal amplitude is plotted as a function of cold work in Fig.7. As can be observed in Fig. 7, with increasing cold work, the peak amplitude of MBN signal is found to increase.

In order to compare the sensitivity of SQUID and MBN method, experiments have been carried out using other NDT methods, namely X-ray diffraction, d-ferrite, eddy current, and hysteresis methods. In the specimens with higher cold work i.e. large volume fraction of martensite, the SQUID and MBN measurements are found to be in good agreement with X-ray diffraction, d-ferrite, eddy current, and hysteresis methods. However, the detection sensitivities are different for smaller volume fraction of martensite. SQUIDs and MBN methods have been able to successfully detect martensite in even 10% cold work specimen. However, the detection sensitivity of d-ferrite, eddy current, and hysteresis methods has been found to be relatively poor. While the lower detection limit for d-ferrite and hysteresis methods has been found to 30%, the limit for eddy current testing and X-ray diffraction method has been noted to be 20%. The SQUID and MBN outputs in rolling and transverse planes have been investigated and they have been found to be different, but confirming to the earlier observation [1, 11]. The SQUID and MBN outputs have been found to relatively high along transverse plane as compared to rolling plane. This difference in behaviour is attributed to the orientation relationship between the easy magnetisation direction, [100] of the martensite and the direction of the applied magnetic field.

The above studies clearly demonstrate the superior detection performance of SQUID and MBN methods over X-ray diffraction, d-ferrite, eddy current, and hysteresis methods for the characterisation of martensite. Further, on a comparative note, SQUID method has been noted to score over MBN method for two reasons viz. depth of interrogation and lift-off. Unlike MBN, SQUID has capability to detect very-weak magnetic fields emerging from a deep or buried source and to readily tolerate lift-offs of a few centimetres, thus offers a great potential for diverse applications.

CONCLUSION
SQUID and MBN methods have been developed for characterisation of martensite in cold worked AISI type 304 stainless steel specimens. SQUID and MBN outputs have monotonically increased with cold work i.e. volume fraction of martensite. Martensite in specimens cold worked to 10% has been unambiguously detected by these methods. This detection sensitivity has been demonstrated to be superior to other NDE methods such as X-ray diffraction, equivalent d-ferrite, hysterisis, and eddy current test methods. These studies clearly bring out the potential for using SQUID and MBN methods for early detection of fatigue damage by way of non-destructive characterisation of strain induced martensite.

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People hardly go for buying new forklifts for their single job. Also, the prices of forklifts have been increasing and so people go for renting a forklift. But you need to know that there are certain factors that you need to take into consideration before renting a forklift. So let us have a look at 5 tips before renting a forklift.

Visit different rental companies

You should be well prepared to visit different rental companies so that you get the best price that suits your budget. You also need to decide exactly what you are looking for and what you require in order to perform the job quite efficiently. So, when you go for researching different rental companies you would get the best one for you and that too with a good budget as well.

Choose the type of forklift

It is very important that you try to choose the type of forklift that you are looking for. There are forklift that comes with different power range. So, it is you to decide whether you are going for a heavy power or also looking for a diesel or gas. There are also forklift that have been designed for indoor use. So, if you are looking for outdoor terrain, then the best thing is to buy forklift that suits outdoor use. There are also electric forklift as well that do not emit any noise and does not consume more power as well. What's more, electric forklifts also help in maneuvering on uneven surfaces as well. You can also opt for propane powered models as well.

Go for the right style

The next thing that you need to have a look is the style of the forklift. You should try to ensure that the style matches you as well as the job you are doing. There are some models which require you to sit on it. Then there are others that allow you to stand up behind the machine. So, you should look at the comfort level as well. Do remember that if you are going to use the forklift for a longer period of time, then it would be very tiresome for you to stand or walk behind it.

Check the load requirements

Load is another important factor that is very important when you go for renting a forklift. You should look that the rental forklift is able to load heavy weighted items. You should also need to consider how much height your forklift needs to lift the load. Choosing the wrong one for you might become a serious safety concern.

Additional Equipment

You should look at whether you need any additional accessories. You should make sure that you get everything under one roof in order to eliminate the problem of additional equipments. There are examples like side shift, fork positioners...etc which needs to be considered while renting forklifts.

So, consider the load as well as the space available and you would be able to get the best rental forklift for your use.

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Definition

Acoustic Emission (AE) refers to generation of transient elastic waves during rapid release of energy from localised sources within a material. The source of these emissions in metals is closely associated with the dislocation movement accompanying plastic deformation and with the initiation and extension of cracks in a structure under stress. Other sources of AE are: melting, phase transformation, thermal stresses, cool down cracking and stress build up, twinning, fiber breakage and fiber-matrix debonding in composites.

AE Technique

The AE technique (AET) is based on the detection and conversion of high frequency elastic waves emanating from the source to electrical signals. This is accomplished by directly coupling piezoelectric transducers on the surface of the structure under test and loading the structure. The output of the piezoelectric sensors (during stimulus) is amplified through a low-noise preamplifier, filtered to remove any extraneous noise and further processed by suitable electronics. AET can non-destructively predict early failure of structures. Further, a whole structure can be monitored from a few locations and while the structure is in operation. AET is widely used in industries for detection of faults or leakage in pressure vessels, tanks, and piping systems and also for on-line monitoring welding and corrosion. The difference between AET and other non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques is that AET detects activities inside materials, while other techniques attempt to examine the internal structures of materials by sending and receiving some form of energy.

Types of AE

Acoustic emissions are broadly classified into two major types namely, continuous type and burst type. The waveform of continuous type AE signal is similar to Gaussian random noise, but the amplitude varies with acoustic emission activity. In metals and alloys, this form of emission is considered to be associated with the motion of dislocations. Burst type emissions are short duration pulses and are associated with discrete release of high amplitude strain energy. In metals, the burst type emissions are generated by twinning, micro yielding, development of cracks.

Kaiser Effect

Plastic deformation is the primary source of AE in loaded metallic structures. An important feature affecting the AE during deformation of a material is ‘Kaiser Effect’, which states that additional AE occurs only when the stress level exceeds previous stress level. A similar effect for composites is termed as 'Falicity effect'.

AE Parameters

Various parameters used in AET include: AE burst, threshold, ring down count, cumulative counts, event duration, peak amplitude, rise time, energy and rms voltage etc. Typical AE system consists of signal detection, amplification & enhancement, data acquisition, processing and analysis units.

Sensors / Soure Location Identification

The most commonly used sensors are resonance type piezoelectric transducers with proper couplant. In some applications where sensors cannot be fixed directly, waveguides are used. Sensors are calibrated for frequency response and sensitivity before any application. The AE technique captures the parameters and correlates with the defect formation and failures. When more than one sensors is used, AE source can be located based by measuring the signal’s arrival time to each sensor. By comparing the signal’s arrival time at different sensors, the source location can be calculated through triangulation and other methods. AE sources are usually classified based on activity and intensity. A source is considered to be active if its event count continues to increase with stimulus. A source is considered to be critically active if the rate of change of its count or emission rate consistently increases with increasing stimulation.

AET Advantages

AE testing is a powerful aid to materials testing and the study of deformation, fatigue crack growth, fracture, oxidation and corrosion. It gives an immediate indication of the response and behaviour of a material under stress, intimately connected with strength, damage and failure. A major advantage of AE testing is that it does not require access to the whole examination area. In large structures / vessels permanent sensors can be mounted for periodic inspection for leak detection and structural integrity monitoring. Typical advantages of AE technique include: high sensitivity, early and rapid detection of defects, leaks, cracks etc., on-line monitoring, location of defective regions, minimisation of plant downtime for inspection, no need for scanning the whole structural surface and minor disturbance of insulation.

AET Limitations

On the negative side, AET requires stimulus. AE technique can only qualitatively estimate the damage and predict how long the components will last. So, other NDT methods are still needed for thorough examinations and for obtaining quantitative information. Plant environments are usually very noisy and the AE signals are usually very weak. This situation calls for incorporation of signal discrimination and noise reduction methods. In this regard, signal processing and frequency domain analysis are expected to improve the situation.

A few Typical Applications

• Detection and location of leak paths in end-shield of reactors (frequency analysis)
• Identification of leaking pressure tube in reactors
• Condition monitoring of 17 m Horton sphere during hydro testing (24 sensors)
• On-line monitoring of welding process and fuel end-cap welds
• Monitoring stress corrosion cracking, fatigue crack growth
• Studying plastic deformation behaviour and fracture of SS304, SS316, Inconel, PE-16 etc
• Monitoring of oxidation process and spalling behaviour of metals and alloys

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I've replaced plugs on quite a few 5.4Ls now (the 4.6L with plug wires is similar) and once you've done a set they really are not as bad as they look. Contrary to what some people will say, you don't have to remove the fuel rails. The Coil On Plug (COP) assemblies will come out past the fuel rail. I take an old piece of seat foam and put it on top of the radiator support to the engine to allow me to lay on it without hurting my tummy. It makes the job way less painful.

Start by removing the cover over the throttle body (the black plastic cover that says "5.4" on it). There are three 10mm head bolts that hold it on. Next remove the air intake tube from the throttle body to the air filter housing. You loosen the hose clamps at either end of it, disconnect the connector on the AT (about half way up the air intake hose), the pull out the small hoses that go into the air intake tube near the throttle body. Next remove the brace from the power steering reservoir to thermostat housing. There are three 8mm or 5/16" head screws that hold it on. Now you should be able to see the COPs.

To remove the COPs you can use a 7mm or 9/32" wrench or nut driver or socket, extension and ratchet or all of the above. If you turn the fuel injectors to the side it will give you more room to work with the COPs. Unplug the connector on each COP by pressing the tab in and pulling on the connector. After you're done that just twist and pull the COPs out. A couple of the COPs on the driver's side and #4 on the passenger's side are a bit hard to get at but with some patience they will come out.

After you've removed the COPs take a blow gun and blow out the spark plug holes. Don't be surprised if there is rust and junk in them. Next you can actually remove the plugs. Use a combination of extensions, swivels (universal joints), sockets and ratchets to get at them. Whatever works best for you is good.

On the harder ones to get at I usually use a socket with a 4" extension, then a swivel, then a long extension, then the ratchet. The plugs are way down in the holes which is why I use the extension then the swivel. The swivel makes it easier to clear the firewall.

Set the gap on the new plugs to whatever it says on your emissions decal on the radiator support....usually .052-.056". Apply a small amount of anti-seize to the threads only on the spark plug. You can use a piece of vacuum hose or fuel hose over the end of the plug to get it started in the hole. Carefully start the plugs in their holes. If you can't get them most of the way in by hand with the hose take a look and see why not. Cross threaded plug threads are no fun! The plugs are to be tightened to 13 lb-ft. which is just hand tight with a short ratchet. Don't over tighten them! The threads in the aluminum heads have enough problems as it is. After that just put everything back together in reverse order. Apply some dielectric grease to the plug boots as well to help seal them.

I've done enough of these that I can replace the plugs in approximately 45 minutes but don't be surprised if the first time you do it takes a few hours.

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Thinking of buying used backhoes? It could be that you're trying to save some money or that its need may not be that vital to warrant a new equipment. However, buying a used one doesn't really have to mean that you need to buy the first one that you can lay your eyes on. You still have to consider their quality and even the service that can be offered by the supplier.

If you're thinking of purchasing used Caterpillar equipment or backhoe, you can take note of the following tips:

1. Check the essential parts of the Caterpillar equipment. Used backhoes should still consist of three parts. These include the tractor, loader, and the bucket, which can be found at the back end of the tractor. If one of them is missing or not functioning properly, ask the supplier if they can provide the part and how much it may possibly cost you. Of course, it doesn't hurt to inquire if you can get the missing part for free.

2. Conduct an inspection first before you buy used backhoes. Consumers tend to overlook the importance of having a thorough inspection. It doesn't mean that it's Caterpillar equipment it's not prone to wear and tear. In the same way, it doesn't mean that when the supplier says they're still in good working condition, the used backhoes are. Just to make sure that you're still making a good investment on your purchase-it's still your money anyway-check the equipment yourself. Take note of its hydraulics as well as mechanical and electrical issues. As much as possible, the parts should not be close to deterioration; otherwise, you could save on the purchase but spend a lot on the maintenance costs.

3. Bring an expert with you. This is necessary when you don't know how to inspect a used backhoe yourself. You may want to bring someone who knows Caterpillar equipment too well. Most definitely, the supplier can provide you with one, but to avoid any biases, you can select your own. In the end, though, the inspector can only provide you with recommendations, and the final decision rests upon you. Make sure that you can take note of everything that he's going to say.

4. Make sure that you can expect good customer support. If there's one thing that a used backhoe is prone too, it would be downtime, and with that, you absolutely need excellent customer support. Make sure that the supplier can extend the right kind of assistance to you. It should be able to give you the necessary parts as well as the overhaul just in case the entire Caterpillar equipment breaks down.

This also means that you should also know the company's policies when it comes to maintenance. How do they manage Caterpillar equipment breakdown? How long does it take for them to repair the used backhoe? How much would you spend for the maintenance? Can they offer discounts for a period of time?

Thinking of buying used backhoes? The best choice will be a Caterpillar equipment, and you can get it at Cleveland Brothers. They can also extend an exceptional customer support, where you can look forward to easy change of parts. You can also search through their website of the available backhoes that you can buy.

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Today welding is the most common method used for joining steel fabrications largely because of the speed at which joints can be made and the reliability of these joints in service. However because most welding operations are now relatively simple to perform it is all too easy to forget the complexity of the chemical and metallurgical actions that are taking place when the weld is being deposited. Therefore not surprisingly welds occasionally fail.

The most common causes of weld failure can be attributed to one of the following causes:-

Overload.
Before applying the various design formulas, the problem itself must be analysed and clearly stated. This is not always obvious, and trying to solve the wrong problem can quickly lead to insufficient design stresses. When a load is placed on a member, stress and strain result. Stress is the internal resistance to the applied force. Strain is the amount of "give or deformation caused by the stress, such as deflection in bending, elongation in tension, contraction in compression, and angular twist in torsion.

For example of this is a lifting lug on a pressure vessel. If the vessel is lifted by a spreader beam the loading condition on the lug consists of a simple vertical force putting the attachment welds either in tension or shear. However if the vessel is lifted with a rope sling the loading condition becomes more complex because there is now a horizontal component of the force to consider as well a the vertical one, which effectively increases the loading on the welds.

Joint Design.
A welded joint should be designed such that the welder can easily manipulate the electrode to ensure good fusion, particularly in the root of the joint. The profile of each run should be roughly as wide as it is deep; wide shallow weld beads and particularly deep narrow beads are both ideal candidates for hot cracking.


Solidification Crack
This type of cracking occurs when the weld is starting to solidify, in the pasty state, as it posses very little strength and therefore any residual loading is likely to cause it to break before it has fully solidified. The problem can be compounded by impurities that are forced out of the solidifying weld, becoming trapped in the centre of the weld during final solidification. Hot cracking can occur where their is a high degree of restraint in the structure of the fabrication or where the structure moves slightly as the weld solidifies.

A good example of this type of failure is on the weld used to secure the small plug in the mandrill hole of a spun dished head on a pressure vessel, a weld that many people do not take seriously because of its size. As the weld cools it contracts causing the plug to move , if the weld at the other side of the plug is still solidifying it could easily fail. This is because of the very high contraction stresses generated by the plug as the weld starts to solidify.

Bad Welding Method.Hydrogen Crack
It is very important when carrying out any welding to ensure that it is done correctly. Consideration has to be given to all aspects of the process and also the environment. Often welding has to be carried out under site conditions, the welding is often carried out in situation so that small general purpose electrodes are used resulting in low weld heat input which when combined with no preheat gives very rapid heat dissipation Which can create a hard micro structure particularly in the location of the heat affected zone. This along with high levels of residual stress will create the ideal condition for hydrogen Hydrogen Fisheyes In A Tensile Test Pieceinduced cracking,
which although normally associated with high strength steels can occur in low carbon steels if the conditions are right. The resulting crack may not occur immediately the weld cools down but some time afterward, therefore if this type of failure is expected non destructive examination should be delayed by at least 48 hours after welding.




Metallurgical failure.
Materials that are to be welded have to tolerate severe thermal transients created by the welding process without suffering deterioration of their mechanical properties or adverse phase changes. The metallurgical composition or temper conditions of certain types of metal may make them unsuitable to weld or may require special controls to be imposed during the welding operation. For example some steels that are easy to machine may contain high levels of sulphur that may result in cracking of any attaching weld. Therefore this type of material should not be used on load bearing fabricated items such as the eye bolts that are often found holding down manway covers on pressure vessels.

Weld Defects.
They can usually be attributed to the welders inability to set up and manipulate the welding equipment; although bad joint design and faulty welding equipment can also be responsible. The most significant defects are cracks and those that resemble cracks such as lack of fusion, cold overlap etc. This is because of the risk that the crack may become unstable and propagate when loaded causing a dramatic failure often by brittle fracture.

Lack Of Fusion Defect
Porosity seldom causes weld failure in multi-run welds however it is a sign that something has gone wrong with welding operation and can often be caused by other defects that may not have been detected such as lack of side wall fusion. Weld profile can also cause failure, if the weld size is too small because the joint is underfilled with weld then its load carrying capability will be reduced, if the joint contains excessive weld metal this can create a notch effect which can lead to failure by fatigue if the loading condition fluctuates. Bad fit up excessive root penetration on single sided welds can create defects in the root of the weld such as wormholes and even cracking. Distortion of welded joints can cause failure by buckling if the welded member is subjected to compressive loads.

Guidance on imperfection levels of welded joints is given in EN ISO 5817

To minimise these problems the following points should be considered:-

1.Design of the weld based on the loading condition(s) the joint will carry

2.Accessibility to enable ease of welding

3.Control of distortion

4.Careful consideration of the welding environment

5.Matching welding process with materials

6.A factor of safty applied to the design stress of the weld which should be based on the consequance of weld failure and the level of non destructive testing that is to be carried out.


For example a pressure vessel made to PD5500 category 3, (no radiographic inspection), can be up to twice a thick as an equivalent vessel made to category 2, (10% Radiography). Fillet welds and Partial Penetration welds should be used with care as they contain lack of fusion, they are only suitable for relatively low stressed joints that are not subject to any form of fatigue loading and should be used with a suitable factor of safety, which for fillet welds is at least two.

Once the weld has been designed it is then necessary to decide upon the welding method, this is then documented in the form of a welding procedure specification. The European Welding Standard for welding procedures, EN ISO 15609-1 (formerly EN288 Part 2), gives guidance on the content and format of such a specification.

However this document on its own is not sufficient because we need to prove that this welding method will produce a weld of acceptable quality possessing the right mechanical properties. Therefore it is necessary to simulate the joint in all essential features and weld it under normal production conditions. The completed joint can then be subject to both non destructive and destructive examinations to determine if the joint is going to be suitable for the application.

For most stringent applications the European Standard EN ISO 15614 Part 1 (formerly EN 288 Part 3) is preferred for welding procedure tests in steel materials and part 2 for Aluminium and its alloys. There are other parts of EN 288 that deal with alternative routes for qualifying procedures, other than a procedure test, for less onerous applications. See Welding Procedure Section for details.

Once we have established that the proposed welding method is satisfactory we then have to ensure that the production welds will also be of the same quality. This involves making sure the welders posses the required skill and knowledge to deposit sound welds in accordance with the approved procedure. Whilst we can be confident that the welder who did the procedure will be able, any other welder used must also demonstrate his ability by successfully completing a welder approval test. The preferred standard for this is EN 287 Part 1 for steel and part 2 for aluminium and its alloys. This standard not only tests the performance of the welder but also requires it to be monitored and revalidated every 2 years to ensure that the welders skill can be relied upon.

Finally make sure that when the welding operation is being carried out it is supervised and coordinated by properly qualified personnel.

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There are two industries that require tig welding certification.

1. Industrial piping, (including boiler tubes)
2. Aerospace and aviation (manufacture and overhaul/repair)

For tig welding certification in piping, pressure vessels, and boilers, ASME section IX of the "Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code" specifies the criteria for acceptable welding tests.

For Aerospace tig welding, the American Welding Society (AWS) D17.1 - "Specification for Fusion welding for Aerospace Applications" is the code for welding certification tests.

More often than not, a 6G position welding test is required to certify for Pipe welding jobs. On many boiler jobs, 2" heavy wall tubing is tig welded all the way out in the 6G position making the welder either switch hands, or at least get in some uncomfortable positions. That is why 6G position Tig welding tests are considered the most difficult.

Most of the time, sheet metal test pieces in the 0.020"-0.125" thickness range are used for aerospace welder qualification testing. The 6G welding test is only used occasionally because it does not accurately represent the scope of welding tasks performed for most aerospace and aviation welding applications. AWS D17.1 even has a provision for welders to certify on a scrap part or mock up of a weld that is not represented well by a plain groove or fillet weld.

ASME section IX Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code has been around for a very long time, but AWS D17.1 is relatively new and was written to replace 2 old Mil standards... 1595a and 2219.

One thing both welding certification specifications have in common is that the test welds that are selected to be used for certification tests only qualify the welder for a range of positions, thicknesses, and joint types. No single test qualifies for all the possible material, thickness, positions, and joint types that are possible. That is why some welders hold a dozen or more certifications.

One main difference in welding tests for these 2 industries is that the initial welding test for Pipe welding jobs are largely done using low carbon steel or stainless steel. Other materials like inconel are sometimes used also but not nearly as much as carbon steel and stainless.

In the Aerospace and aviation industries, It is not uncommon for a welder to be tested on carbon or low alloy steels, stainless steels, nickel alloys, aluminum, magnesium, titanium, cobalt alloys, and even some refractory alloys like Niobium...with separate welding tests required for each material category.

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As with most machinery you do not necessarily need a license to operate a powered pallet truck as the company who are requiring you to use the pallet truck will provide the necessary training. If the company fails to offer such training then you are at risk of hurting yourself or another person in which the company is liable. Although it is not required some companies with their training of powered pallet trucks give certificates to show competence of the machine, whereas other companies usually smaller companies do not give out certificates and only provide the training.

So what kind of training do you need to operate a powered pallet truck?

If you are working in a job where using a powered pallet truck is necessary you will receive training. A general training regime may look a little like this:

• An Introduction
• Theory and Video
• Operators Safety Code
• Responsibility under the HSE act 1974
• Battery Charging
• Truck Stability
• Motive and Hydraulic Controls
• Pre-shift checks recording

Once the candidate has gone through the proper training a few tests will be performed that the candidate will be required to pass. In the event that the candidate fails the tests, he or she will need to sit through the training again and re-take the tests.

The candidate will be required to pass:

• A theoretical test
• Pre-use checks
• A practical test

Always remember to never operate a powered pallet truck, or any type of machinery, without the proper training as this can result in injury and accidents which you personally could be held responsible for.

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The previous article in our Roush F-150 project truck series covered the Roushcharger intercooled supercharger installation article. Before and after power gains were left out and I'm sure many of you are dying to know the bottom line results. We did a series of dyno pulls before and after the supercharger installation in order to get a picture of the power gains. Graphs alone don't tell all the data unless I present some additional information with each graph.

You'll notice the graphs do not start at idle speeds. When you go from idle to full throttle on these trucks there is a sudden shock of power through the torque converter. With manual trannies you'll generally see numbers generated lower in the RPM range. The more power from the start, the higher the RPMs before the dyno's drum sampling settles enough to get good numbers. This power surge is even more apparent with the supercharger.

In the above graph you see stock horsepower and torque. There are a couple of things to note here, or the Roushcharger graphs persented later won't make sense. First, you'll see that this chart plots the truck's power all the way to 5800 rpm. This will not happen in real life driving. The 5.4L 3-valve V8 has shift points around 4800-4900 RPM so the graph in real-world usage would suddenly drop around 4900 rpm. Second, the abrupt drop-off at 5800 RPM is due to the factory RPM rev limiter.

In this chart you see the Roushcharger horsepower and torque. Again, there are a few things of interest here that help make sense of the plot lines. First, you'll see horsepower and torque drop off quickly at about 5400 RPM but it doesn't on the stop graph. This doesn't mean there is a power loss here. What is happening is the computer is kicking in the boost-dump to prevent over-boosting the engine. This happens at (according to the raw data from the dyno) exactly 5316 RPM. This does not impact the truck at all in real-world conditions with the standard Roush tune because the shift occurs at 4900 RPM, well before the boost-dump kicks in.
Here you see the graphs overlayed. The total power increase was 121.26 HP and 118.22 ft/lbs. torque. Based on the graph trends it looks like peak torque with the Roushcharger is actually much higher in the lower RPM ranges than this chart reveals (this truck will launch hard from a standstill). These numbers, for "at the wheel numbers" are impressive and well within Roush specs when you consider drive-line loses on a 4x4 truck with 20 inch wheels. The torque peaks very early meaning the truck starts up quick, and stay nearly flat across the entire rpm range, with horse-power increasing throughout the chart. What does this all mean? Basically, not only does the truck come off the line fast but it keeps gain speed very quickly without falling off in power like you'll typically see in natually aspirated engines. Unlike a Mustang GT, which takes time to get into its peak torque area, a Roushcharger equipped F150 is almost at peak torque right off the line. With proper launching for traction, most Mustangs don't stand a chance even against the much heavier F150.

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On-site Metallurgy

As one of many services, FORCE Technology offers
metallurgical analysis of fully operational components
or of stationary or non-removable machine
parts, which we can analyse on-site, even without
having to cut samples.
On-site analysis of a material’s properties makes it
possible to target further analyses, repairs and countermeasures
in order to get the system back into
operation again faster and at lower costs.

Materials Properties
We look at properties such as:
• Microstructure
• Crack type
• Defect types in the material
• Hardness (for tensile strength estimation)
• Type of alloy (possibly using PMI techniques).

Metallurgical Testing
Using a relatively small number of tests, we can
check components on receipt to determine, whether
they meet the requirements and provide you with a
detailed description of the metal’s quality, its heat
treatment, actual final structure and strength level.
Materials defects that can be typed and classified
on-site as insignificant are often accepted, thus
avoiding expensive repairs and delays. On the other
hand, materials defects or structural changes that
are erroneously classified as harmless, but which are
actually critical, may have wide-ranging consequences
such as shorter component lifetime or system
failure.

In our experience, on-site metallurgical methods -
unlike traditional NDT methods - can predict many
structural failures long before they happen, failures
that can be avoided by making limited repairs or
changing operational procedures.

Inspection
Too little or no inspection of metal components is
often the cause for systems failing or extremely inconvenient
repairs having to be made. Any metallurgical
inspection has to be based on fundamental
knowledge of relevant failure mechanisms and correction
of conditions for failure if unforeseen damage
should occur. This involves identification of the defect
causing the damage — identification based either
on experience with the system or on detailed
examination of the damage.
The cause of damage can be determined by on-site
non-destructive test methods. Cracks, for example,
can be identified as fatigue cracking, creep, stress
corrosion cracking or hydrogen embrittlement, or as
pre-existing defects in the material. Information on
the type of damage will then be used to determine
changes to be made in operating conditions or materials
selection so that recurrence of such damage is
avoided.

High temperature operation or unintended exposure
to heat can result in gradual weakening in the metal
strength due to structural changes that can be revealed
and monitored by on-site microstructural
analysis and hardness testing. Data from these test
methods and from service logging can then be used
to determine remaining lifetime of the material. The
advantage is savings from planned repairs and replacement
rather than waiting for failure to occur.
This kind of testing is routine at many power and
chemical plants.
After a fire structural integrity is a key issue. On-site
metallurgical testing can reveal which components
are actually damaged and must be replaced, and
which components can be put back into operation
again without risk.

Replica Techniques
At FORCE Technology we have worked with replica
over the last 25 years. In our work we apply both
the replica technique using thin acetate foils as well
as the replica technique using a two-component
polymer silicone rubber.

- On smooth and prepared surfaces:
A material’s microstructure can be determined by
directly examining a polished and etched surface
using portable microscopes. In most cases, however,
even better results can be had by making a copy or
replication of a prepared surface for subsequent
laboratory analysis.
A replica of the surface is made by applying a softened
plastic foil to the surface. This foil moulds
itself to the metal surface when pressed. After its
removal from the metal, the plastic replica provides
an exact copy of the etched surface microstructure,
which can then be examined under our laboratory’s
high-quality and very high-resolution microscopes.

Such replicas can be stored for decades and subsequently
used in comparative analyses. The replica
technique can also be employed to determine types
and causes of cracking, or to reveal whether cracks
are propagating. An expensive repair of an insignificant
defect will often be avoided this way.
The replica technique is widely used on hightemperature
components in power stations and
chemical plants; it enables inspection of the most
critical parts of a plant during short shutdowns. The
technique can also reveal whether an austenitic
stainless steel has microstructural changes that
could induce lower corrosion resistance than required.

- On complex and rough surfaces:
FORCE Technology also offers replica inspection
using high-resolution silicone rubbers. This method
allows the replication of rough, uneven surfaces
even at elevated temperatures whether it be for
metallurgical examination or documenting surface
appearances. It opens the possibility of accessing
remote and difficult-to-access-locations in applications
such as boilers, engines, gearboxes, reaction
vessels, pipes, tubes, dies, internal cavities, boltholes
and a multitude of similar situations. Moreover,
silicone rubber replicas are also applicable in sub-sea
environments and in nuclear reactor installations.
After removal from test site the silicon rubber replicas
are used for metallographic microstructure assessment,
crack characterisation and for surface
finish and profile measurements of for instance machine
components.

Hardness Testing
Hardness testing provides indirect but vital information
as to the tensile strength or wear-resisting properties
of a material, information that would otherwise
have to be gained from testing large specimens,
cut out of the metal to be tested.
We have portable equipment for standardised tests
such as Vickers, Brinell and Rockwell C, as well as
more flexible equipment for Equotip and UCI testing.
Hardness measurements used to test high-strength
construction steel ensure optimum properties. If the
steel hardness in the heat affected zone is too high,
the steel may be vulnerable to hydrogen embrittlement,
which can lead to serious failures. Hardness
testing can also reveal insufficient heat treatment or
changes in strength properties, e.g. after a fire or
equipment overheating.
If the metals used in a structure or machine have
characteristics different than what is required, the
consequences are often shorter lifetimes, expensive
unscheduled shutdowns, or serious system failures.
On-site testing of these materials can reveal any
changes in properties or non-compliance with specifications
and thus help keep repair an maintenance
costs down.


Other services
Among other related testing services performed by
FORCE Technology are:
• Roughness measurements
• Stress measurements
• Coating thickness measurements
• Measurement of stainless steels’ ferrite content
• Chemical composition analysis.

» Read More...

HP Tuners (www.hptuners.com) VCM Suite software gives professional tuners and enthusiasts people access to tuning parameters on Ford and GM vehicles. Currently VCM Suite supports a limited number of Ford vehicles (2004 – 2007 V8 F150s and 2005 – 2007 V8 Mustangs) but they are working on adding more vehicles to the database.

VCM Editor, the tuning portion of the suite, is a very powerful tool. Because the tool is so capable, it can therefore be dangerous in the hands of someone who isn't familiar with EFI tuning, especially Ford EFI tuning. For this reason, it is recommended to have a professional tuner set you up with a baseline tune, or spending time familiarizing your with the basics and spend a lot of time asking questions. Take your time and experiment with a few simple steps and try them out to see how they impact your vehicle before playing around with additional parameters.

VCM Editor isn't the first tuning software available to end users, but it does fill a niche quite nicely. It offers extensive reach, with access to hundreds of parameters available in the PCM, while presenting this in an interface that is easy to use with items grouped by type. VCM Editor uses a licensing technique which allows you to read and create as many tune profiles as you want from many vehicles. You purchase licenses to actually write the tunes out to a PCM. For instance, you can read your friends ECM to compare its base tune to yours without having to purchase a 2nd license, but if you wish to save modifications back out to his truck you'll have to pony up the bucks for a license.

HP Tuners also has a repository database of tunes but as someone who is experienced I recommend you stay away from using tunes of unknown quality made by people you don't know. You could easily end up causing catastrophic damage to your engine by putting an improper tune in it. At most you might want to use it simply to see what others are doing, perhaps getting a few ideas to try. VCM Editor does not use a handheld tuner. Instead it uses an OBDII to USB interface box.To program your truck you'll need either a laptop or a very long USB cable. The maximum USB cable length is 5 meters (about 16 feet, 5 inches). You can extend this with USB hubs but at some point this becomes unwieldy. For practical purposes if you don't have a laptop this product isn't for you. The software doesn't require much in the way of resources so if you can find an inexpensive, old Windows based laptop it should work for you. The first thing you'll need to do is read the OEM tune from your vehicle. Once you've done this the VCM editor will ask if you want to license it (ie, be able to write it out to the ECM). If you're just getting familiar with the software skip licensing the file.The first thing I did was start up the software and load up the PCM code for the 2007 F150 5.4L I'm going to tune. The PCM code is RXDF4B2. Tuning 101 and drive-by-wire throttle controls of the 2004 – 2008 F150 are very complex and beyond the scope of this article. Rather than showing all the changes (there can be literally hundreds in a good tune), I will focus only giving a very basic changes so you'll have an idea of how this software works.One of the handy things about the software is the window at the bottom of each section which gives handy tips about most available parameters. It won't teach you how to tune, but it will tell you what the table does in a very basic way. I recommend you take one of the tuning training courses available to get you up to speed or purchase a starter field from a reputable tuner. There are books available but none specific to the low level details of Ford tuning at this time.

Let's look at one of the most common changes: spark timing. Many beginners mistakenly change the "Global Spark Modifier" to change base spark timing. This is not something you want to do – at best it gives very gross control over spark advance and could very well get you results that are far less than desirable. It will not give you the results you're expecting. The most common place to address this is in the "borderline knock" table. Click "Engine", "Spark Control" and the "Borderline Knock". For 93 octane add about 6 degrees across the RPM range though you can add a couple of more degrees below 1000 rpm. Depending on fuel quality with some data logging you can get away with more timing advance, but 6 degrees is a good "safe" advance for 93 octane to start.

Here are the before and after screens:

Another thing to address is idle rpm when in gear. Move it up from 525 to 575. This will help throttle response and launch from a stop. For this, click "Engine" then "Idle" and change the "In Gear" idle RPM to 575. You should also raise neutral idle by a similar amount to keep the engine from making a large change in idle speed coming into or going out of gear. You can raise the idle even higher, say 600-620 rpm, but I don't recommend you do this if you do a lot of stop and go city driving because it can have a slight negative effect on fuel economy.

Next, you need to give the knock sensors the ability to add and pull timing more appropriately for 93 octane. Click "Engine", "Spark Control", "Spark Retard" and then "Knock Advance Limit vs RPM vs Load". Set all the fields to 7. Most PCM codes have a decent amount of spark retard they can pull. Make sure the "Spark Retard Limit" is -7 at the lowest loads and -12 starting from a load of .60. If not, adjust accordingly. If you have problems with consistent fuel quality you may want to increase these values. If you decide to decrease them (ie, the engine pulls out spark slower) make sure the advance rate isn't faster! Note that these are not the only tables needed to properly address spark advance and retard, but rather just a sampling of what's available in the software.

This is one of the areas you want to look at when data logging with HP Tuner VCM Scanner software that's part of the package VCM Suite package. Log the spark retard. Anywhere you see retard along the curve you'll need to pull some timing out via the borderline knock table. If all looks good, try adding a half degree where you can and log again. Repeat until you have optimal timing, just below where the PCM retards spark.

Here are the wide open throttle shift points. For naturally aspirated engines I prefer taking the 1-2 and 2-3 WOT shift points up to 5200 RPM and not touching the 3-4 WOT shift point. Shifting into 4th at WOT isn't going to happen on a stock, naturally aspirated truck, the speed is going to be much higher than the vehicle can go. For turbo and supercharged vehicles crank the WOT 3-4 shift way past any speed an F150 vehicle can reach in 3rd, such as 7000 RPM. The reason is that WOT 3-4 shifts are extremely rough on the transmissions and you don't want them to occur. There are plenty of stories out there of folks with improperly tuned truck grenading the transmission with a extremely high speed 3-4 WOT shift. The last thing you want to do on the track is lose your transmission at 140 mph! Additionally, with force induction engines you can also raise the shift points another 50 – 125 rpm to take advantage of the wider torque and horse power curves available.

Now, on to more features. When changing the shift points you need to make sure they do not "overlap" or you'll end up with a vehicle that does a lot of unnecessary shifting. Unfortunately, VCM Editor doesn't handle this in an easy way. The software allows you to pull up shift tables for each upshift and downshift, as well as graph these. Unfortunately I could not find a way to overlay the shift table graphs – this would have made the process much easier. Without it, pay special attention to the numbers. You may want consider loading the numbers into Excel and overlaying them as line graphs to make sure they shift points don't overlap. HP is aware of this issue and I've been told they are looking into solutions.


Without it, pay special attention to the numbers. You may want consider loading the numbers into Excel and overlaying them as line graphs to make sure they shift points don't overlap. HP is aware of this issue and I've been told they are looking into solutions.

VCM Editor allows you to graph most tables. Some, such as the upshift speed, are available as 2D line graphs. Where appropriate, some tables also have the ability to display 3D graphs.

In addition to the full spectrum of various engine, transmission and fueling controls VCM Editor gives you complete control of scalars and flags. For instance, you can change rev limiters, axle ratios, tire size, turn off individual OBDII codes if you plan to drive it off road and don't want the hassle of DTCs setting off the check engine light.

The software has pretty much everything a person needs to create a complete tune for their vehicle. The tables, flags and scalars available are also comprehensive enough for the professional tuner. The software allows you to purchase multiple vehicle licenses so the individual can use it with all his vehicles or the professional can take advantage of the year/model licensing to drive down the cost per vehicle tuned. In fact, you can tune as many 2008 F150s (and/or other year/models you license) was you want for only $699.00 and that includes the hardware.

The data logging software, VCM Scanner, is an extremely nice package when compared to its competition. For instance, the competition allows you to set up a couple dozen items to data log, the item colors and assign handful of them to digital "gauges", while line graphing the logged items along the bottom of the screen. VCM Scanner gives more detailed gauges and graphs:

VCM Scanner, when connected to your truck via a laptop and the OBDII interface, scans your PCM to obtain a list of standard OBDII signals it can log. Additionally, VCM Scanner allows you to custom log other items (PIDs) which are "non-standard" (such as Ford specific signals). Basically, any PID your vehicle can support it should be able to log. This has some positives and negatives. The positive is that you're not locked into only PIDs built into VCM Scanner's database. Any PID you know the number to can be data logged and there's no reason why you wouldn't be able to use this software to data log virtually any OBDII compatible vehicle, not just Fords. The negative is that you must define these, and none of the Ford specific signals are built in. You must have a signal reference available in order to define these. HP Tuners has told me this negative is something they are considering solutions for.
Other companies with data logging supply many Ford signals to log and that's a disadvantage to VCM Scanner, but I've also found with other software there are often signals not available and you cannot customize logging for signals the software doesn't know about. So, setup and data logging with VCM Scanner can be much more thorough but at the cost of some added complexity for non-OBDII standard PIDs.

Conclusions

VCM Suite gives great flexibility for those looking to make changes to their PCMs themselves, has a logical menu structure making things easier for new users and has a fairly complete set of parameters it allows the user to change. HP Tuners has been providing tools for GM users for quite some time and it was nice to see them make their products compatible with Ford PCMs. As the product matures and supports more Ford vehicles I have no doubt the company will become a major player, taking on companies such as SCT when it comes to tools for the end user. If you're willing accept the trade-off of not having a hand-held tuner you'll get a far more powerful tool in return, provided you have the time, talent and desire to learn the intricacies of Ford programming. Further, if you are having your car professionally tuned, and do not require a handheld, you do not have to pay for the handheld. It's not for everyone, but for those who feel the need to control the small details of how their vehicle operates is something worthy of serious consideration.

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AC yokes shall be capable of lifting:
1. 10 pounds with a 2 to 4 inch spacing.
2. 10 pounds with a 6 to 8 inch spacing.
3. 50 pounds with a 2 to 4 inch spacing.
4. 50 pounds with a 4 to 6 inch spacing.

DC yokes shall be capable of lifting:
1. 10 pounds with a 2 to 4 inch spacing.
2. 10 pounds with a 6 to 8 inch spacing.
3. 50 pounds with a 2 to 4 inch spacing.
4. 50 pounds with a 4 to 6 inch spacing.

T or F Technicians can wear photo chromatic lenses while performing a magnetic particle testing.

Who is responsible for the review of all written procedures or techniques?
1. A Level II or Level III.
2. A certified and qualified Level II or Level III.
3. A Level III
4. A certified and qualified Level III.

Procedures shall be submitted to the customer:
1. With the completion of the parts under inspection.
2. Prior to the testing of their parts.
3. Only upon request.
4. When a part has been rejected.

What type of magnetizing current can be used to perform testing to this procedure?
1. DC and AC only.
2. DC, AC and HWDC only.
3. DC, AC, HWDC, and FWDC only.
4. DC, AC, HWDC, FWDC and HWAC only.

When performing a magnetic particle test using fluorescent particles, the black light intensity should have a minimum intensity of:
1. 1000 uw/cm2 at the part surface.
2. 1,000 uw/cm2 at a maximum distance of 15 inches.
3. 1,000 uw/cm2 at a minimum distance of 15 inches.
4. 1,000 lux at the part surface.

If the results of any system performance test fail to meet the minimum requirements of this procedure:
1. A higher amperage setting may be used when the magnetic field is verified with a magnetic penetrameter.
2. The equipment can only be used if the magnetic field shows adequate field strength with a field indicator.
3. No part shall be processed until appropriate corrective action has been taken.
4. All results of the performance tests shall be recorded, filed and made available for review.

How often is a concentration test performed?
1. At the beginning of each shift.
2. Every 8 hours.
3. At the beginning of each shift and any time the magnetic particle machine has been turned off for longer than 15 minutes.
4. Only 1 and 2.

When a test is performed with a wet horizontal magnetic particle machine, the agitation of particles should be a minimum of:
1. 30 minutes.
2. 40 minutes.
3. 20 minutes.
4. 60 minutes.

A 100 ml centrifuge tube will have a fluorescent particle concentration of:
1. 1.2 to 2.4 ml
2. 0.2 to 0.4 ml
3. 0.1 to 0.4 ml
4. 1.0 to 2.0 ml

Why is the graduated portion of a centrifuge tube examined under a black light and white light?
1. This is performed in order to verify the particles still fluoresce.
2. Inspection for floating contaminants are easier to identify in the centrifuge tube.
3. Discoloration of particles can be identified and rejected if they do not fluoresce.
4. Inspection is performed for striations, banding or a difference in color.

If the L/D ratio is greater than 15:
1. The part should be inspected twice with a minimum of 10 percent overlap.
2. 15 should be used as the length when calculating the L/D ratio.
3. Ferromagnetic pole pieces of the same diameter shall be used to increase the L/D ratio.
4. A lower amperage can be used.

In all cases, fluorescent wet continuous magnetic particle testing shall be used for the testing of:
1. Class A components.
2. Petroleum hardware.
3. Aerospace components
4. Nuclear components.

In the residual testing method, when are the magnetic particles applied?
1. While the current is engaged.
2. Before the current is engaged.
3. Immediately after the current has been removed.
4. Immediately before the current has been removed.

When should the bath solution be changed?
1. When the contaminants exceed 30% or if the solution is noticeably fluorescent.
2. At intervals not to exceed three months.
3. At intervals not to exceed six months.
4. When the magnetic penetrameter no longer shows adequate indications.

When is corrective action needed during a water break test?
1. When an even coating in the test panel is present.
2. When the test panel shows signs of fluorescent particles under a black light.
3. Only when the solution shows signs of contamination.
4. When bare spots are present on the test panel.

Black light intensity from the face of the UV lens will be a minimum of:
1. 1200 uw/cm2
2. 1200 lux.
3. 1200 foot candles.
4. 1200 btu

T or F Magnetic particle machines shall be checked for internal shorting.

Prior to performing a fluorescent magnetic particle test, a technician should allow his or her eyes to adjust to a darkened area for a minimum of:
1. 5 minutes
2. 10 minutes
3. 1 minute
4. 2 minutes

When is pre-testing demagnetization required?
1. Always
2. Never
3. Only if prior operations have produced a residual magnetic field that may interfere with the testing.
4. Only of the part is placed in service next to magnetically sensitive gauges.

What type of cleaning methods are acceptable?
1. Detergents and solvents.
2. Vapor degreasing and wire brushing.
3. Blasting.
4. All of the above are acceptable.

All records of magnetic particle testing shall be kept on file for a minimum of:
1. 5 years
2. 7 years
3. 9 years
4. 11 years

How often is the ammeter accuracy calibrated?
1. Maximum of 3 months
2. Maximum of 6 months.
3. Maximum of 9 months.
4. Maximum of 1 year.

How often is the black light intensity checked?
1. Maximum of 1 day.
2. Maximum of 3 months.
3. Maximum of 8 hours.
4. Maximum of 2 days.

Small openings such as blind holes leading to the internal cores or passages shall be plugged or masked:
1. Unless otherwise specified by the customer.
2. Only when the customer requests plugging or masking.
3. Only when a dry magnetic particle test is performed.
4. Only when a wet magnetic particle test is performed.

To ensure detection of all discontinuities:
1. Parts should be inspected in at least two directions.
2. The highest possible amperage should be used.
3. Parts should be inspected with a black light.
4. Parts shall be magnetized in at least two opposite directions.

The magnetic field strength should be sufficient enough to:
1. Heat the part to curie temperature resulting in a high residual magnetic field.
2. Show all relevant discontinuities on a ketos ring.
3. Detect all indications, but not so strong that it may mask small indications.
4. Detect all indication on the field indicator.

Adequate field strength may be determined by:
1. Use of parts with known or artificial defects.
2. Use of a Hall-Effect probe gauss meter
3. Use of formulas provided in this procedure.
4. All of the above can be used.

Who is allowed to make accept/reject determinations?
1. The owner.
2. The level II technician
3. The level I technician
4. All of the above

When would a technician use this procedure?
1. When a magnetic particle machine is used for testing.
2. Whenever Mil-Std-1949 is referenced on the work instructions.
3. Whenever Mil-Std-1949 or ASTM-1444 is referenced on the work instructions
4. When no other procedure is available.

Calibration system requirements are performed according to:
1. ASTM E-1444
2. SNT-TC-1A
3. CP-1
4. Mil-Std-410

When magnetizing a component by passing the current directly through the part (head shot) the current shall be:
1. 300 to 800 amps per inch of part diameter
2. 300 to 800 amps per centimeter of part diameter.
3. 500 amps per inch of part diameter.
4. Determined with a Hall-Effect probe gauss meter.

For testing of inclusions in precipitation steels, higher currents may be used up to:
1. 500 to 1000 amps per inch of part diameter.
2. 1000 amps per inch of diameter.
3. 750 amps per inch diameter.
4. 1,200 amps per inch diameter.

The distance along the part’s circumference (ID) that can be effectively magnetized shall be taken as:
1. Two times the diameter of the conductor.
2. Three times the diameter of the conductor.
3. Four times the diameter of the conductor.
4. Five times the diameter of the conductor.

What level individual can make accept/reject determinations?
1. A Level I
2. A Level I under the direct supervision of a Level II or III.
3. A certified Level I.
4. A certified Level I under the direct supervision of a Level II or III.

What size are the smallest detectable defects that can be identified by this procedure?
1. It is not stated in the code.
2. 1/32 inch.
3. The smallest rejectable discontinuity specified in the acceptance criteria.
4. The smallest rejectable discontinuity specified in the rejection criteria.

The entire circumference of the part shall be tested by rotating the part. The required overlap field should be no greater than:
1. 10 percent
2. 15 percent.
3. 20 percent.
4. 5 percent.

For cable wrap or high-fill factor coils, the effective field extends:
1. 4 inches on either side of the coil center.
2. 7 inches on either side of the coil center.
3. 9 inches on either side of the coil center.
4. 11 inches on either side of the coil center.

The longitudinal formulas in this procedure only hold true if the L/D ratio is:
1. Less than 2 and greater than 15
2. Greater than 10 and less than 15
3. Greater than 2 and less than 15.
4. Greater than 2 and less than 20.

If the L/D ratio of 2 or greater cannot be achieved:
1. The part should not be tested with this procedure.
2. A shunt should be used to verify the magnetic field is adequate.
3. The part should be tested by the liquid penetrant method.
4. Ferromagnetic pole pieces of the same diameter shall be used to increase the L/D ratio.

The only time the residual testing method can be performed is when:
1. The customer specifically requests it.
2. This method can never be used.
3. The procedure requires a high amperage on a painted surface.
4. Fluorescent particles are used.

Demagnetization with an AC current and fixed coil should allow the part:
1. To be positioned in the center of the coil and moved to a point approximately 3 feet beyond the coil.
2. To be positioned as closely as possible to the side of the coil and moved to a point approximately 3 feet beyond the coil.
3. To be positioned in the center of the coil and moved to a point approximately 1 foot beyond the coil.
4. To be positioned as closely as possible to the side of the coil and moved to a point approximately 1 foot beyond the coil.

After demagnetization, the residual magnetic field shall not exceed:
1. 3 gauss anywhere on the part.
2. 2 gauss anywhere on the part.
3. 4 gauss anywhere on the part.
4. 5 gauss anywhere on the part.

Who has the responsibility to provide the accept/reject criteria for the part to be tested?
1. The contractor.
2. The testing laboratory.
3. The customer.
4. The procedure.

If the size or part configuration does not facilitate ink stamping:
1. Dying may be used.
2. Metal stamping may be used with the customers permission.
3. Red tagging acceptable parts may be used.
4. Etching may be used.

What are the minimum number of holes indicated when using wet suspension fluorescent particles with a central conductor and an amperage of 3,400?
1. 3
2. 4
3. 5
4. 6

All calibrated equipment shall have:
1. The calibration sticker placed on the calibration report form.
2. The calibration report on hand when testing is performed in the field.
3. A current calibration sticker affixed to it.
4. A calibration performed weekly.

Non-fluorescent magnetic particle testing will be performed with a visible light intensity of:
1. 100 lux
2. 1,000 foot candles
3. 10 foot candles
4. 1,000 lux

When performing a magnetic particle test using fluorescent particles, the background light intensity should be a maximum of:
1. 20 foot candles.
2. 100 lux.
3. 2 lux.
4. 2 foot candles.

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