What do u do when, during a repair, you get SO F_ FRUSTRATED...
The day started Graet! I have it Made now!
I have a two lane driveway. I even have a new Car.
I also have the Day off!
That should mean I am bopping around town enjoying Life and the Xmas sales...
But wife took it the car on a last minute Day Trip and and now the Day off turns into a Nightmare.
Thought I would play with my Cars, I mean I have the Day off and nothing to do!!
They all run fine, except the car in the left lane, the Volvo which is jacked up, waiting for Parts....
What should I do now? Wax them? Vacuum them? Maybe take a spin?
No, I decide to put an engine block heater in the 85 300D Benz, so I jack it up behind my 87 300D and take it apart despite it being Freezing outside.
Even after I took the starter motor off, I couldnt get the old heater fitting off with any tool.
I mean, who owns a 29mm or 30mm socket in their tool collection? Isnt that the stuff you always rent or borrow or return?
So now I have to go to Sears..but my wife has the Car ( the new one). I could still take the 87 300D with some maneuvering...but guess what is blocking it in the right hand side of the driveway--my 91 Volvo Turbo, which I was playing with last week.
So here I am in the waning light and freezing gloom of a New jersey afternoon waiting for my wife to come home..
Despite starting the morning with 2 great cars....
I am going to do the right thing and STOP now. I am not going outside and flail away at the fitting with vise grips or pipe wrench for 2 hours..and even when my wife comes home in 30 minutes, I am not going to SEARS..
But I am still p>>>

Heh; I don't know what I'd do, but it looks like what you do is post to an internet forum about it

Sometimes you just have to walk away from it today, and start again tomorrow. Anyway, this is how it works with me and the things I do that frustrate the hell out of me sometimes, namely, programming. I spent most of my weekend indoors, in the office on beautiful days, feeling just like you do now and tearing my hair out due to a dead deadline, and finally had to throw up my hands and walk away, get some rest, and tackle it again the next day. The worst that can happen to me is get fired... the worst that can happen to you, I guess, is that your wife is pissed.

It also sounds like you might do well to have only one car torn apart at a time?

I follow Homer's advice...

Drink more beer.

Beer solves many problems.

What I would do is go inside and make a really strong Beam and coke and just relax.

Scott

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Scott
1982 Mercedes 240D, 4 speed, 275,000
1988 Porsche 944 Turbo S (70,000)
1987 Porsche 911 Coupe 109,000 (sold)
1998 Mercedes E300 TurboDiesel 147,000 (sold)
1985 Mercedes 300D 227,000 (totaled by inattentive driver with no insurance!)
1997 Mercedes E300 Diesel 236,000 (sold)
1995 Ducati 900SS (sold)
1987 VW Jetta GLI 157,000 (sold)
1986 Camaro 125,000 (sold - P.O.S.)
1977 Corvette L82 125,000 (sold)
1965 Pontiac GTO 15,000 restored (sold)

Those freeze plugs are a pain to get out, I still need to get my block heater installed, but I have been affraid of not being able to get it out... I've heard that a 5 foot cheater bar and some heat makes it easier...

"What do u do when, during a repair, you get SO F_ FRUSTRATED..."

I usually count it as a good day if I don't break anything in the process of performing the intended repair.

"I mean, who owns a 29mm or 30mm socket in their tool collection?"

After owning about 25 VWs and a few BMW motorcyles, I do. My wife almost killed me when I told her that I needed to buy 2 (more) 14mm wrenches that I could bend into "special valve adjusting tools". Hell, I even have a CVJ boot-band crimping tool.

In years past, I used to really enjoy partaking of mind numbing intoxicants and just laying under the car looking at how it all works. However, that was in a well lit, heated garage. I believe that the single most important aspect about not getting frustrated when doing a job (just eeking out having the right tools) is the work space. Even the simplest of jobs can suck beyond belief on a cold, dark, rainy night on a gravel driveway.

So, buck up, warm up and try to relax. You'll be less likely to break something.

My TD has lived a calm and warm life in Texas, which is a good thing, because it is in great condition, but its a bad thing, because it has no block heater.... I can get the kit for about 50 bucks, but its posts like this that make me afraid that 240,000 miles has frozen that plug in with no hope of removal... I don't have a lift, a heated garage, or even my own driveway, and you guys are right, simple jobs can suck a lot under such circumstances. Maybe I'll just get one of those stick-on oil pan heaters and be done with it.. Not as elegant, but I'll probably be less likely to go insane..

I agree, just have a little sip of whiskey and relax. You can tackle it tommorow.

Peace,
sam

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"That f***in' biodiesel is makin' me hungry."

1982 300TD Astral Silver w/ 250k (BIO BNZ)
2001 Aprilia SR50 Corsa Red w/ 5.5k (>100 MPG)

I thought the plug that you remove to install a block heater was a 19 mm. hex bit?

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The Golden Rule

1984 300SD (bought new, sold it in 1988, bought it back 13 yrs. later)

Like I said once before, if I am doing a repair that I know won't require them, I hide all the tools of mass destruction before I start. You know, cut-off saws, very large hammers, 1" impact, etc., can all make a bad day of repair turn into a bad week of repair if used in anger.

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Keep everything as simple as possible-but no simpler--Albert Einstein

You and I are both old enough to know that you need to stop and think about things, especially when it comes to a M/B. You need to think carefully before you act, because time is valuable and daylight is valuable, and parts are valuable.

I had to do the tank lines on the SDL last Saturday. You may have seen the post. However, I did not have the proper tool to take out the strainer. I had purchased a new strainer and I had trial fit all sorts of pipe wrenches and
channel lock pliers. After a couple of hours of playing around, I thought about it and decided that it was definitely not worth damaging the strainer or the tank. So, I changed the hoses and left the strainer for another day, when I will get the proper 46 mm socket.

Always make a plan with an exit strategy if things don't go as planned.

I haven't done an automotive DIY job yet until my last one where something didn't go wrong. My last job was a brake master cylinder replacement. I thought for sure there was going to be at least one bolt or bleeder nipple that just wasn't going to come loose. The Greasy Gods were smiling on me that Sunday morning my friends. I imagine those on high said a collective "we're not going to f--k with him anymore,he's been through enough over the years. Lets give him a break." Every single bolt loosened like butter. I didn't cross-thread anything, I didn't break anything, I didn't drop and lose any parts, no extra parts left over. I didn't make it worse than it was before. It's actually fixed and better for it. I guess patience and time eventually wins out in the end. Unless of course the car falls off the jacks and kills you before that happens.

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1981 240d
Newport,RI

Let's see, it's after 10:00 now, and he has not been online since his original post.............

Best thing to do when you get frustrated is what I do, walk away from it for a while. Way to easy to do damage in that frame of mind. Let your blood pressure drop and when you calm down the very thing that gave you trouble might be causing you trouble no longer.

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Proud owner of ....
1971 280SE W108
1979 300SD W116
1983 300D W123
1975 Ironhead Sportster chopper
1987 GMC 3/4 ton 4X4 Diesel
1989 Honda Civic (Heavily modified)
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Section 609 MVAC Certified
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"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Be very cautious about that block fitting. If your car has the block heater "freeze plug" already installed, all you need is the cord. If it did not come with the factory block heater fitting installed, you will need a 3/4" hex bit (allen wrench), combined with superhuman strength and the longest cheater pipe you can find. That MoFo is TIGHT.

Make sure that you know exactly what you are dealing with before you go any farther.

Steve.

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'93 190E/D 2.5 Turbodiesel 5-speed (daily driver)
'87 190D 2.5 Turbo rustbucket - parts car
'84 Dodge Rampage diesel - Land Speed Record Holder
'13 Ram 2500 Diesel
'05 Toyota 4Runner

I've been having luck with my magnetic oil pan heater, and last winter I also stuck one on my fuel filter and that also helped some with starting... One of these might be worth looking into: http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/ProductDisplay/s-10101/makeId-1000129/p-2471/c-10101/modelId-1001500