Auto Assembly Career Guide and Counseling

Question: How would robots being introduced affect real wage and employment of unskilled workers in auto assembly line?

Answer: although I can see unemployment in the short run soon after that the robots would increase production output so much that it would outstrip falls in wages -causing increased real wages.

Question: What is the difference between the bolt carrier & gas piston assembly on a semi-auto AK-47 and a full auto? Can a full-auto bolt carrier be used on a WASR 10/63 without changing the function of the weapon? I know it couldn't make a semi-auto into a full auto, but just to be on the safe side, would it be illegal to use one?

Answer: The only difference is that the full-auto bolt & carrier is case hardened to a higher Rockwell Hardness Rating. Yes the full-auto bolt & carrier will fit and perform properly in your gun. No it will not make it full auto. Semi-auto bolts have been found to crack and even disintegrate when used in full-auto AK's. They are made to a lower Rockwell Hardness just for that reason so, they cannot be used in a semi-auto that has been converted to full-auto. For that reason you will get longer life out of a full-auto bolt. And yes, they are a legal replacement part for your gun.

Question: does anyone know of a place on the web where i can find diagrams of auto parts assembly for free? i have to replace the cv axle in a 1993 dodge grand carvan and i need to know how it comes apart and how it goes back together, does anyone have any suggestions on where i can find a diagram of how it is suppose to look before and after?

Answer: Most major car manufacturers have a book that you can purchase that is used specifically for auto repair. Check with your local "auto parts store" for a book... i bet they'll have it!! :)

Question: Are American auto manufacturers putting their assembly plants in Mexico to reduce illegal immigration? Less incentive to come across our border! OK - here's a secret - I was being very sarcastic. Just a thought.

Answer: You are some kind of weird dreamer! This is the most naive thing I have ever heard. Meanwhile millions of US automaker employees are running out of unemployment benefits.

Question: What is the hourly wage for assembly line workers in the auto industry? Hi Johnny :) Our local Chrysler plant closed today for 30 days. They will receive 95 percent of their pay during that time!!! Great website reference Reggie :)

Answer: I'm curious how that works. The Company shuts down the plant for a month and still pays people 95% of what they would have made if they went to work. If the company is in financial difficulty what are they saving by doing this? What is wrong with this picture?

Question: Wheel bearings - I'm a novice at auto repair - should I just replace the bearings or the whole hub assembly? I can get bearings for about $30, hub assembly for $130 - It's a 2003 Ford Escape - 2wd. Front passenger bearings are the ones that are out.

Answer: Replace the hub assembly. You are much better off in the long run and will prevent doing the job twice when you find out the hub is bad anyway.

Question: how much training and education does it take to get a job at an auto-assembly plant?

Answer: High school diploma, they train you. But you usually have to know someone to get on.

Question: How do you change a hub assembly on a 99 pontiac grand am gt auto 3.4l. ? I am getting a loud rubbing sound and smoke from my drivers side wheel. I do need front brakes and it could be my caliper sticking but I think its the hub. Is this difficult to change in this vehicle? Does anyone have a process with photos? Thanks

Answer: Autozone site dude: http://www.autozone.com/shopping/repairGuide.htm?pageId=0900c15280187f7f

Question: Are there any auto manufacturers that sell their cars directly out of the factory? Being that auto assembly plants generally are not equipped to sell and/or deliver cars to the general public, are there any manufacturers that will let you buy a car and drive it right off of the assembly line?

Answer: No, you can not. Only because the manufacturer is not set up to see to the end customer. Volvo had a thing set up in Germany when I was there where you could purchase your Volvo from a local dealership and drive or fly to the factory and pick up your car because you would have the vehicle identification of your car at the time of purchase. I don't know of any where here in the US that would allow you to do that. I think if that could be done then people would stop going to car dealerships.

Question: What railroads served the auto plants of Detroit in the 1950? In the 1950's most autos were shipped by rail from Assembly plants to points and sent by truck to dealers. As a rail history nut, which RRs in the 50's serve the major auto assembly plants in the Detroit area ?

Answer: Hmm, well, looking at a January 1970 Official Guide of the Railways, which should be able to give a good idea of the fallen flags that served Detroit in the 1950s, below are a number of the companies that served Detroit: Pennsylvania Railroad New York Central Norfolk & Western Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Chesapeake & Ohio Baltimore & Ohio (had connections via trackage rights, so I'm not sure if they actually served any plants) Wabash Pierre Marquette (although, by the 1950s they were a subsidiary of the C&O, of course) Both of the Canadian roads, Canadian National and Canadian Pacific The Nickel Plate may have also had trackage rights including the Ann Arbor and Grand Trunk Western, although again, I'm not sure if they actually served any of the plants in Detroit. These are not all of the lines, I realize, but I believe that the PRR, NYC, and C&O (not counting the Canadian roads) for the most part had the market cornered in Detroit.

Question: I have been told that my auto air conditioner lines are leaking and I need a new assembly at a $500 cost.? Why cant they just replace the lines?

Answer: they should be able to replace the lines,if you don't think the know what they are doing get second opinion from another shop,the should be able to just replace tho lines, re-charge the system on it but that can be really expensive these days to do,good luck

Question: How much does Honda pay an auto factory worker on an assembly line?? Thank you.? I needed to know if Honda pays its workers more then Toyota or does GMC pay the best salary?? Thank you.

Answer: well look at the union scales unskilled is 15- 22 skilled is up to 32 per hour. plus benifits the big 3 are pretty much the same. uaw check the pay scales they are all listed its no secret

Question: the axle assembly of my auto's tire leaks grease..what is the problem? its a pathfinder nissan

Answer: Sounds like an inner axle seal which is leaking into your wheel bearings. Please rectify quickly or your wheel bearings will f***k up and so will your differential because of lack of oil............Good Luck......:)

Question: Can I change a headlight assembly on a 2000 Toyota MR2 Spyder without removing the bumper? I have a headlight assembly that needs to be replaced on my 2000 MR2 Spyder. The auto mechanic wants to charge me $350 for the assembly PLUS $100 per hour for labor. He says the bumper may have to come off and if it does then the time to replace the assembly might go from 1 hour to 3 hours. Sounds like a lot to me! Thanks for your answer.

Answer: go to Advance Auto Parts ask one of them and they should be able to help you. DONT pay that much for a mechanic to do that!! Advance can lend a helping hand and pretty much tell you how to do it.

Question: Who should shoulder the blame for the collapse of the North American auto industry? I blame the following from most to blame to least to blame: 1) Unions: unsklled assembly workers getting $70000+ a year to do something a monkey could do. Theres your problem. How can any company survive with these greedy slackers? Companies have been forced to put cheaper parts in their cars leading to a lower quality, just to finance these insane wages for a bunch of greedy unions. 2) Design: Concerntrating on SUV's and really doing nothing new with their car designs in the last 20 years has meant that N.A. auto manufacturers have no longer got the attention of car buyers. They seem boring. 3) Oil prices: Killed whatever buying of SUV's was keeping the companies afloat. Also increased their freight costs, their raw materials costs etc. 4) Import ingenuity: Lets face it; Toyota, Hyundai, Honda etc. have simply cut the fat, streamlined operations, designed well around consumer needs, and have great cars at a great price.

Answer: I blame the Unions for striking over coffee breaks and an additional dollar and hour when they already make 30 bucks an hour to install the same bolt all day long. Also I blame our government for giving subsidies to any coporation. If corporations were allowed to fail, new and better ones would rise in their place to fill the void in the market. Michigan just paid Ford 300 million to not close down any plants this year. 300 million to not cloe for ONE YEAR! This is a joke and we need to let them fail. Same for the Airlines and the Oil companies. Its a corporation problem, not just an Auto problem.

Question: where might I find free auto repair manuals and illustrations? I'm repairing the brakes on my 92 volvo and I think a screw, I think called the brake assembly screw, is stuck or frozen and the other the tread is stripped and I need to replace them. It has a spring around it and it's one screw that screws down into another. I put the pads on the passenger side already. I need an illustration to find what to ask for at the auto parts shop.

Answer: well aint that some sh*t. ha, my husband was looking for the same thing. You can go to your local library