Ever run into a random error on a web page? Car break down for no reason? Door in your house not closing right?
We run into various errors or problems on a regular basis in our lives. Knowing how to troubleshoot and work towards a solution is a valuable skill. Even being able to just identify the root cause can go a long way to helping out the person who can fix the problem.
The Problems
To walk through my tips for troubleshooting I’m going to walk through three problems I’ve had. First was the new post page not loading in WordPress. The second was the steam safety valve on my steam engine going off unexpectedly. The third was my VW Beetle stopping suddenly.
For each problem I’ll walk through how I used my tips to work through the problem. I’ll also point out places where I didn’t follow my usual steps and it added to the problem. Always remember, it’s OK to make a mistake, you just need to learn from it.
Slow is Fast
When troubleshooting you have to recognize that trying to go fast to a solution can cause more problems. It’s important to think through what you are doing, and to step back if needed. There is a saying that slow is smooth and smooth is fast, that is very true when troubleshooting.
In the case of my breakdown in Rosie going fast and questioning my knowledge added time to finding the problem. Not only did it add time, it added a lot of frustration. Conversely my safety valve issue with my steam engine went smoothly because I worked through the problem and took my time.
Defining the Problem
The first major part of troubleshooting is defining the problem. The better and more precisely you can define the problem the easier it will be to find a solution. Defining the problem in a lot of cases can take longer than solving the problem.
Repeatability
The first step in troubleshooting any problem is making sure it’s repeatable. Depending on the problem this may be easier or harder to accomplish. You also have to make sure to reproduce any problem as safely as possible.
For the issues I was having with WordPress reproduction was simple and low risk. I simply reloaded the page as a first step. I then backed out to a working page and navigated to the new post again. For both paths I was still presented with a blank page.
With the problems on my steam engine reproduction becomes a little trickier. While the safety valve is designed to be used and tested I prefer to keep it’s use to a minimum. Part of reproducing this issue involved careful management of the fire to make the pressure increase slower so that I could better watch all of the variables.
For Rosie reproduction was as simple as trying to start her back up. In this case some care has to be taken to not keep trying over and over quickly to avoid damage to the engine. There were also some complications around watching what was happening due to the overall location of the ignition and engine.
After you have tried to reproduce the issue you’ll be looking at three possibilities. The first is that you can easily repeat the problem making it easier to test the why and document steps. The second is a problem that occurs randomly, these can prove frustrating to solve. The final outcome is you can’t reproduce the issue. In a lot of ways not being able to reproduce is the worst and best outcome, good because the problem is gone, bad because you can’t be sure.
Reproduction Steps
Now that you can reproduce the problem it’s time to start learning from it. In order to be able to find a solution either from Google, a mechanic, IT tech, or any other resource, you need exact steps to reproduce. Gathering the reproduction steps together separates an average troubleshooter from a great one. Anyone can type an error code into Google, but not everyone can make sure the problem described in the result matches their own.
With the issues adding a new post in WordPress the basic reproduction steps were quite simple. I went to the posts section, clicked on Add New, and arrived at a blank page. The additional steps I took were refreshing the blank page to see if it was some load error. I even went so far as a forced reload of the page to check cache.
For the steam valve reproduction steps were as simple as raise steam, watch the gauge, valve pops off at a different pressure than expected. By controlling the fire and adding cold water I was able to bring the pressure up slowly to get a better idea of exactly what the gauge read when the valve popped. Controlling the speed at which the problem is reproduced is also a big help in being able to take note of everything happening.
With Rosie getting the reproduction steps with a few permutations was a little more time consuming. The basic try to start her again was easy. Trying with the choke set or various states of the accelerator was also easy. Trying after the engine cooled some was just time consuming. Permutations to get the same error from multiple reproduction paths is another great help in finding the root of the problem.
Collecting Logs
The final step for defining the problem is collecting the logs. For software products or computer issues this means the literal log files. The logs on a more physical device means the state of any gauges, fluid levels, temperatures, etc. The whole point of this final step in defining the problem is that you should be able to hand all of this into off to someone else and them need to ask few if any questions.
With the add post issue in WordPress the first logs I looked for are the javascript console logs in the browser. These are easy to get and can quickly point to major problems. Another set of logs to gather are the actual WordPress logs. The final set of information I collected is using a health check plugin to look for any major incompatibilities.
On my steam engine the logs are the pressure gauge and the water sight glass. I also looked for anything out of the ordinary with the fire, smoke, plumbing, or the safety valve. Most of the inspection was visual at this point as the engine is up to temperature. It’s very important with a steam engine to make sure you are frequently taking a mental log of all of the various pieces of information that the engine gives you.
With Rosie, like any car, your logs are the states of gauges and indicator lamps as your first level. Those are something you can check and watch while driving. The next level is the various fluid levels for the engine. The gauges and fluid levels are what caused me an issue with rushing. In my hurry to fix the problem I didn’t do a good job checking the fuel level and assumed the gauge was right.
Research
Now it’s time to take all of the information you gathered and look for solutions or other information to gather. In most cases this is where I go to Google and try to search based on error codes, what I’m seeing, or general information about where I’m seeing the problem. A lot of the time you’ll need to read through a large amount of results. This sifting process is where the more you know about the problem the better you can sift.
My search into the add post issue lead me to a number of posts on wordpress.org. This is a case of being able to quickly gauge the reputation of the site since it is home to the WordPress community. These results lead me to the health check plugin that I used to check if the plugins or theme were the issue. Additional posts also pointed to other steps that can be used to narrow the problem like clearing browser cache and trying another browser.
Online searches for troubleshooting a steam engine can be a lot more difficult. Thankfully I live in an area with a large number of people who know a lot about steam engines. Since my valve issue happened before the 4th of July parade I just walked over and asked the man who worked on my engine after I first got it. He pointed out that my assumption with the issue being the valve may be wrong. He also pointed out how I could test both.
Research for the issue with Rosie spanned Google, my wife’s grandfather, and a book I have. My online research ran me into some problems due to the problem I caused above in how I checked the fuel. My wife’s grandad was able to find the fuel issue and get me back home so I could read and think. Slowing down to research is what pointed me to the fuel sending unit to actually be the problem.
Open a Ticket
Now that you’ve defined the problem and researched it you have a choice to make. You can either proceed down the troubleshooting path and work to a solution, or pass it to someone else. Whether you’re opening a ticket with your IT team or taking your car to a mechanic the information you gathered will help them and you. When you pass everything along the other person will be better able to gauge how long it will take. The wealth of information will also help reduce the amount of times the person will need to ask you additional questions.
The Road to a Solution
If you decide to fix the problem yourself now comes the stage of troubleshooting where you work to a solution. The method I tend to use is iterating through steps I find during my research. Some steps are their to further narrow a root cause, and some are to fix the problem.
Workarounds
When you are working towards a solution to a problem you might also find a workaround. In some cases it makes sense to use a workaround so that the problem isn’t preventing you from doing something until you have time for a full fix. Workarounds are always trading some convenience for time to solve fully. They can be a lifesaver in some cases depending on what the problem prevents.
The safety valve on my steam engine had a simple workaround of running at a lower pressure. Based on the research stage I knew that there was a chance that either the gauge or the valve was off. Since I didn’t have the ability to test either, but knew that the pop off was at a consistent point on the gauge I just worked to stay below that point. That workaround allowed me to safely get through the parade.
With the fuel gauge issue on Rosie I didn’t know what part of the gauge was the issue. The workaround in this case is to simply add a known amount of fuel and budget a conservative mpg to get home. While this workaround could be used over a longer distance it contains a risk of running out of gas again.
Testing
In a lot of cases the research you conduct will lead to things to test in order to know what solution will work. Sometimes you will have already done some of the testing as part of reproducing the issue. Other times you’ll be able to rule out the test based on some differences in what the post is describing vs what you are seeing.
The research for WordPress pointed to testing steps like disabling plugins and themes as well as trying a different browser. Using the health check plugin I found while researching I was able to quickly test with the plugins and theme disabled. This test did not resolve the issue, which pointed to it not being a WordPress problem directly. When I tested in a different browser everything work which did point to my browser being the issue.
For my steam engine the test that was recommended to me was to check with another gauge. My engine has an air fitting that I use for compressed air to move around short distances. I was able to connect the air compressor and use the gauge on the compressor as a second reference. This test pointed to my engine gauge being off by 10 PSI.
Rosie was the easiest to test once I had done the needed research. The fuel gauge on my particular bug is entirely mechanical. The basic test is to open the sending unit and make sure when the float arm moves the gauge on the dash does. When I opened the sending unit the arm was stuck, freeing it fixed the problem.
Implementing a Fix
All of the testing and research should now have you pointed at a solution. The complexity of the solution may lead you to pass off your problem to someone more experienced or skilled at this point. Sometimes the testing itself has solved the problem. No matter what the end is in sight.
With my WordPress issue the testing pointed to an issue with my browser. Additional testing showed clearing cookies and cache did not resolve the problem. At the time I was using a fairly out of date version of Firefox so I tried an upgrade. Once my browser upgraded the add post page was backing working as expected.
The fix for my steam engine will take more time. I will need to either have my gauge fixed or get a new one. Fixing a gauge is outside my skill set and is the point I will need to send it off for repair. Either way I have a solution.
Rosie was the easiest fix of all. A quick tap of the float arm and everything was working. I took the additional step of moving the arm over its full travel to check for sticky spots. Moving the arm more got everything moving smoothly. This is a problem I will have to keep in mind in case it comes back unlike the chance of return on the other two.
Conclusion
This is the basic process I use to troubleshoot problems. How long the process takes or how involved it becomes varies greatly from problem to problem. I’ve had some problems take months, others only an hour.
Hopefully this guide helps you solve your problems. While not giving exact solutions it should point you in the right direction.