M113 Lynx photos needed for book project

[rob love]

Originally Posted by maple_leaf_eh

What is a TFR?

It is a technical failure report. They are like a Unsatisfactory Condition Report (UCR), but for the technical end. I had to fill out a number of TFRs over my military career, and even did one as a civilian contractor. The good thing with them is that they let a Life Cycle Material Manager know when there are repeated failures in a fleet that will demand their attention. As well, it can be a way for the mechanic in the field to get a higher level of technical expertise and investigation to result in solutions to technical problems.

While they are often replaced these days with an email query, those do not end up on a TFR summary. The summaries came out every quarter and listed all the TFRs submitted in that quarter along with the solutions if they were already found. By reading the TFR summary, a mechanic could occasionally quickly solve some of life's mysteries.

An example of this was when I worked in 2PPCLI tool crib. A fellow mechanic came to me asking for the front axle engagement (air) switch on the MLVW dash because it was leaking oil on the driver's foot. I told him that instead of the switch, what he needed to do was change the breather on top of the transfer case. He did that and it worked. I then had his MCpl at my counter asking how come I knew this crap. It was in the TFR summary for that quarter. Apparently, the main gaskets on the transfer cases were de-composing and plugging up the breather (vent) valve, causing pressure to build up in the transfer case. This in turn caused oil to run out the change switch on the dash. A new switch would do nothing.

How I do ramble on......I must be getting old.