Declining mechanical aptitude

Maintenance/Repairs
21

I specifically want to respond to VDC’s post.

While I readily admit that the English skills (writing, spelling, and dangling participles) aren’t my forte, I do agree with the description of our society as having been “dumb[ed] down”. As indicated in my other posts, I believe a breakdown of the primary and secondary educational systems are a critical element of this trend. Over the past few decades a philosophy of allowing students to continually advance without having mastered basic skills has led to a significant population of basically uneducated high school graduates.

I don’t think fewer people (proportionally) posess mechanical aptitude, aptitude being innate, I just think fewer people ever learn the skills necessary for that aptitute to flourish. A minor point of contention, but I think one important to my point.

Pogo was right.

22

I am an old geezer, but I would differ from the view. Today’s kids are knowledgable about topics that are important to them, just as knowing the shock absorbers were for our generation, and knowing how to make the most of the corn crop was critical to our forefathers at some point. I do not know anything about agriculture, but I sure appreciate those still farming and stocking the supermarkets. Do I feel that is a major shortcoming? Not really. It’s just natural evolution of the society & priorities.

23

I agree - my son just bought (from thousands of possible combinations) the parts, assembled (with little reference to the 20 manuals that came with the parts) and got running a high performance PC, something I’d be very worried about doing. He upgraded the cooling, both for the CPU and the video card. So they’re learning about things important to them. No need to change out points and plugs every 6 months, so we shouldn’t expect them to learn it.

24

The posts to the observation of declining mechanical ability reads much the same as many discussions carried out at the Univ. Vermont where I taught for 30 years… there is no doubt that declining abilities to reason, think and lack of practical skills has occurred over the years. I witnessed this in the ability of my students to perform well on the “same” exams year after year. I gave out far fewer A’s in the late 90’s than I did in the early 80’s. The idea that we must all meet at the lowest common denominator is going to be the down fall of our intellectual future. IMHO!

25

As some may know by reading my previous posts from months back I started my “formal” college education this semester at age 53.

The young students do not involve themselves with the subject matter,or the Professor,they show no enthusiasim,interest in the work,sleep in class,show up late total loser’s

The classes are “dumbed down”,classes with no tests,just quizs,no mid term’s no finals,just show up and you will pass

I am taking a full online Algebra 1 class, we are required to post questions,examples,discuss our work. I am the only student that has made a post in 7 days. In class pass percentage is below 50 percent,online pass percentage is worse.

26

The “no serviceable parts inside” comment made me think of this. In the olden days, people fixed stuff like toasters, and some with minimal aptitude moved up to refrigerators, washers or dryers, vacuum cleaners and cars. My, some even lubed the motor bearings in table fans, box fans, and the circulating pumps or blowers on their heating systems. Now, even refrigerators and vacuum cleaners are disposable. Few kids ever see their parents with a can of 3 in 1 with the table fan so the concept of maintenance is foreign to them, not to mention repair.

27

I suspect that this most interesting of discussions will not reach any consensus. And that is OK too. But there clearly are forces at work which are driving the ability of students to think logically and systematically to lower levels of proficiency. I am of the opinion that in order for us to make basic progress in learning and knowledge and its applications in a theoretical and practical manner we must not look at the extremes of the bell shaped curve. In order for us to make basic progress we must be able to show that we are moving the entire curve upward. The average must be improving along with the upper and lower segments. So to see over a long period if progress is being made look at where the average person is. I am afraid the the average person in not doing better than what existed 20, 30 or 40 years ago. Sure the superstars might be brighter but the curve in its entirety is not moving upward and that is of great concern. I believe that many if not most cashiers in markets today would be hard pressed to properly make change unless the machine did not tell them exactly what the correct change is. This is a symptom of a massive failure in our basic educational systems.

28

“but when these few are gone, will there be someone to help”

Well - for my part, I am planning on living forever, so there will be one of us…

I am a mechanical engineer by trade, and it has never failed to amaze me how many of my peers do not work on their own cars because they don’t know how.

Neither of my daughters had any interest in getting grease into their manicures, but I have made them come to the garage and help since they will little, so they understand how cars work and how to diagnose and repair the problems. If nothing else, mechanics won’t be able to BS them as much. Both of them have surprised their male classmates when they correctly identified mechanical problems in their friend’s and friend’s parent’s cars, or knew how to PROPERLY and SAFELY jump start a car.

29

I’ve followed the forum for a while, but this is the first time I’ve ever made a post. As a 26 year old, I appreciate and identify with the discussion and would like to add my perspective.

From a young age, I always have had mechanical interests and aptitude. I vividly remember receiving a small screwdriver kit at age 7 or 8, and going around the house checking every screw I could find “to make sure they were tight.” During middle and high school summers, I worked in a machine/car restoration shop doing oddball jobs. In my (private) high school, I heard a rumor that the school was considering bringing back woodshop class. I talked to an administrator and voiced my enthusiasm for it, and I was first on the list when it started back up. I ended up pursuing an economics degree in college, but became known as “that guy in the back of the dorm parking lot under his car with a pile of tools.”

I do as much of my own work on my cars as I can. I always change the oil and do all the regular maintenance myself. I’ve replaced starters, alternators, radiators, springs/shocks, and so forth. I installed aftermarket air conditioning that uses all the factory mounts and controls, after I’d been told by my mechanic that if I wanted a car with A/C, to sell it and buy a comparable used one that already has it.

I’ll confess that, despite a love for all things automotive, my true love is classic boats, of which I have two. The “new” boat is 40 years old, and is small block Chevy-powered. I’m also in the middle of a keel-up structural restoration on a 50 year old wooden boat, which still has its original 6 cylinder flathead.

In regards to the discussion, I agree that fewer and fewer people share this interest. Perhaps it’s the complexity of cars today, or perhaps it’s a reflection of society and its “use it up and throw it away” mindset (yes, I too have repaired appliances that say there are no user serviceable parts inside). I guess that, in my case, it’s just what I love doing. I’ll end with an expression that has become a standing joke with a good friend of mine. It started when we were in 20 degree weather, unloading a rolling chassis for his Chevy truck restoration. “Hey,” he says while trying to warm up his fingers, “remind me why we’re not into video games…”

30

We each have been blessed with some talents while lacking others. With regard to most things mechanical it all just seems to make sense to me. Of course, having a Briggs and Straton 3hp and a Studebaker L-6 to begin on made my start easier. Perhaps today’s engines are just so overwhelming in complexity that a novice is scared away. I have known “technicians” who were quite familiar with computerized systems and their diagnosis but wasted hours looking for faulty sensors and digital problems when the engine obviously had a bad valve. For those of us who saw the evolution from flat heads with Marvel-Schleblers to DOHCs with MAF/PFI it isn’t quite as complicated

31

I’m NOT talking strictly about sense of direction. I’m saying that some people may be able to memorize FACTS but haven’t a clue on how to apply these facts. Math is very good example of that. People know how to add/subtract/multiply and divide…But give them a problem to solve where all you have to do is add/subtract/multiply and divide…and they haven’t a clue on how to apply it. When I taught CS and Math classes ALL the tests I gave were open book/ open notes. Yet about 30% would fail each test. The facts were right in front of them…but they had no idea how to apply those facts.

32

I think the concept that people with great mechanical aptitude are chosing to use this ability in jobs that are better paying than auto mechanics a valid one.

Same problem we’re having here with teachers…especially in Math and Science. Why get a job teaching when you can get a job in industry at 3x times the teachers salary…with a lot less headaches.

33

The young students do not involve themselves with the subject matter,or the Professor,they show no enthusiasim,interest in the work,sleep in class,show up late total loser’s

That’s true for a a lot of small community colleges. But it’s not for ALL colleges…especially the larger private ones. I guarantee you that’s not the case at schools like MIT/Harvard/Yale. Even at BU where I received my MS and taught undergraduate school at. Now it may be the case for the FLUFF classes. But surely NOT the NORM for the classes people are majoring in.

34

I hope that everyone noticed that, not only can CCComander35 fix and build stuff, but he can rite to!

35

A number of years ago, while talking with some of my kids friends about cars, a few of them said they liked to do “donuts” with their cars. I realized that we were in a downward spiral when they looked at me with a blank stare when `i said we did the same thing as kids, but called them 360’s. They didn’t get that 360 was a full circle in degrees.

36

In the Mid-West we called it “cutting cookies”

I am 1 week ahead in my online Algebra course,The Professor will not release the next chapter so I can continue. I must work at the “classes” pace.

27 students have 1 more day to post a whole chapters worth of discussion and not one has made a post. I am suppose to work at their pace HA.

37

Alot is listed as a valid entry in Merriam Webster.

38

How many of those same young people don’t know that water freezes at 32F or boils at 212F?

39

Orangevega–

Please check your dictionary again.

This does not exist in any of my dictionaries, in the context to which I referred. Unless you are referring to a municipality in India by the name of “Alot”, there are no entries for “alot” except for those that define it as the misspelling of the two words, [b]a lot[/b].

I suspect that you looked at the entry for the word “allot” (to divide something into shares or portions), or perhaps you found the entry for that village in India.

Please post the definition for the word, “alot”, that you found.

40

Most likely, a lot of them.