AN MD80 HAD THE RAM AIR TEMP INDICATOR DEFERRED BY MAINT CTL DURING THE PUSHBACK OP WITH NO LCL MAINT INVOLVEMENT.

Narrative

DURING PUSHBACK; THE THRUST RATING INDICATOR COMPUTER'S RAM AIR TEMP INDICATION RED FLAGGED. THE PREVIOUS DAY I HAD FLOWN THE SAME AIRPLANE AND THE RAM AIR TEMP INDICATOR HAD BEEN PUT ON DEFERRED MAINT BY MAINT CTL AND WE HAD BEEN DISPATCHED WITH AN MEL DEFERRAL. MAINT REPLACED THE THRUST RATING INDICATOR AND THE INST WAS INDICATING PROPERLY DURING PREFLT. DURING PUSHBACK THE RAM AIR TEMP INDICATION RED FLAGGED. THE ENRTE MEL PROC WAS USED TO CALL INTO MAINT THE DISCREPANCY AND WE RECEIVED AN MEL DEFERRAL AND AMENDED DISPATCH RELEASE. I NEGLECTED TO NOTE THAT A MAINT PROC WAS REQUIRED BY THE MEL WHICH CALLED FOR MAINT TO 'EVALUATE' THE EFFECT OF THIS FAILURE ON OTHER SYS AND THAT THE WORDING IN THE OPS MANUAL REQUIRES THAT WHERE MAINT IS AVAILABLE AND THE ITEM DOES NOT REQUIRE A MAINT PROC TO BE ACCOMPLISHED THEN THE ENRTE MEL MAY BE ACCOMPLISHED BY THE FLC. AFTER RETURNING TO THE STATION HRS LATER AND DISCUSSING THE ITEM WITH MAINT PERSONNEL WE DISCOVERED THAT THEY HAD EVALUATED THE EFFECT OF THE MEL'ED ITEM AND WERE OF THE OPINION THAT THE ENRTE MEL WAS PROPER. THE VERBIAGE OF THE OPS MANUAL LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT IT WAS NOT. IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN OFF BY MAINT PERSONNEL AT A MAINT STATION. VERBIAGE IN THE MEL HANDBOOK INDICATES IT IS PERMISSIBLE TO HANDLE SOME ITEMS BY THE FLC AND THAT THE ENRTE MEL IS PERMITTED AT MAINT STATIONS AND THE FLC CAN PERFORM SOME ITEMS LISTED AS MAINT PROCS. BOTTOM LINE -- CONFUSION OVER DOCUMENTATION OF AIRWORTHINESS.