Your (un)favorite "I can laugh about it now, but at the time....." moment(s) - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

vstech · #16 08-15-2007, 11:25 AM

the web is only so large... and there is only so much time in a life... I have WAAAAAAAAY too many of these stories from my time in the field. HVAC, GMAC auto repair, Machine shop, Computer installation/builds. If one learns best from mistakes, I must be a friggin genius !
anybody ever rebuild a dodge 318? well there is a slight difference from the multitudes of GM 350's I have rebuilt. dodge uses a gasket between the oil pump and the block... ya know how long it takes to trace a loss of oil pressure when that is the problem?

E150GT · #17 08-15-2007, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rrgrassi

YEAH!!! Here is one of the many dumb things...baptism by tranny fluid.

My first car, a '73 Pontiac Grand Prix. 400 cid, THM 400 tranny. I decided to change the tranny fluid and filter. I had my Chilton manual and followed the direction of loosening the pan bolts a bit, then making a "slope" by loosening the rear bolts to almost out with the others in a bit more so that the pan could drop and begin draining. Well the pan did not drop like the manual said it would. It was stuck to the tranny. Well I was under the car and my head was at the lower end of the slope. Took the rubber mallet and a gasket scraper applied between the housing and the pan...next thing I know, I got a tranny fluid hair and face treatment...

been there

lietuviai · #18 08-15-2007, 11:23 PM

Been there, done that too.

Damn GM tranny oil pans.

pawoSD · #19 08-16-2007, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lietuviai

Been there, done that too.

Damn GM tranny oil pans.

Yep, got it all over my arms changing my uncle's cavalier tranny fluid. Didn't leak when I put it back together though, so I was happy with it.

115k on the original fluid. The magnet in the pan was COVERED in metal filings!

And the whole pan was coated with metal "film". Took an entire can of brake cleaner to clean it up. Put synthetic Mobil 1 in, and a new filter. It loved it...still shifts great...currently 123k on it now. Original engine/tranny.

2.5Turbo · #20 08-16-2007, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bustedbenz

It's not related to the Mercedes but my most famous "it seemed like a good idea at the time" moment was a few (ok, more like eight or ten) years ago when they gave me my first multimeter for Christmas, it was a pretty nice Extech 460 or 463 or something like that, it's not with me at the moment... anyway, I was just playing with it, I knew how to set it to ohms and test my tongue to see if it still had low resistance the way it did five seconds ago, that kind of thing... and I knew that I could check the voltage of a wall outlet by setting it to ac volts.

But... I asked myself.... how many AMPS does that outlet have? :-D

I didn't realize that the time that amperage was a current drain measurement and not just a static "at rest" measurement - so I dutifully plugged in a power strip (so I could reach it easier or something) and set the meter to amps, plugged the positive lead into the amp socket, and stuck it in.

Pffffffttt.... needless to say, it shorted out the power strip... the circuit breaker on the strip saved the rest of that outlet and so forth I guess... but it melted the tip of the + lead on my tester, and fried the power strip... yeah, explaining THAT one to my dad was a lot of fun

I did that once a while back when I didn't know better

On an automotive related note, one day a few years back I was changing the oil in the work truck, a 92 Ford F150. I warmed it up a little, drained the pan and removed the spin on filter. Oiled the new gasket and installed the new filter. Filled with oil. Started the engine, let it idle for a while, and then decided to rev it up to build some pressure. I had my brother stand outside with the hood open to watch for leaks. All of a sudden he comes running around to the driver's door yelling and screaming and flailing his hands. I immediately shut down the engine. He told me a geyser of oil came squirting out from below the engine. I checked the dipstick...totally dry.

I got under the truck, drained the new oil, and removed the filter. Gasket from the old filter stuck on the flange and I didn't take it off.

Luckily I shut down the engine before any damage was done.

bustedbenz · #21 08-23-2007, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dawsonj3

which I discovered was due to the dozen or so hornets stinging my hand. It turns out that there was a nest.

At least it was hornets and not copperheads.

Markp · #22 08-23-2007, 10:47 PM

E320wagon94, did you say the AC compressor bolts seal the block??? Where you refering to a 617 MBZ???? I have never heard of this but it sure would explain some mystery oil leaks!!!

JimmyL · #23 08-23-2007, 11:00 PM

While searching for something else, I found this post from a while back:
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Valve adjustment -- Important information

Hi, my name is Jimmy, and sometimes I'm stupid!

(all together) "Hi Jimmy".......

When I do something stupid, I try to pass on the info to my fellow knot-heads. Some folks don't like to point out their snafu's, but it doesn't bother me really.
Well, my previous valve adjustments have been on an '80 300TD, and an '85 300TD. No worries on the process, I just take my time, and also clean everything I touch along with whatever is next to it.
Since I haven't had The Squash for very long, of course a valve adjustment is called for. So, I had to figure out how I was going to turn the motor. My mechanic says to use power steering pulley and don't worry about it. OK, I tried and it slipped. So, I loosened the pump and tensioned the belt very tight with the intent of loosening it when done. Well, it still slipped and wouldn't spin the engine.
OK, so I loosen fan shroud, remove radiator fan, then with much effort pull out fan shroud so I can get to the 27mm crank bolt. (I don't like to spin starter during this).
Well, I'm trying to spin motor with crank bolt, and it won't turn it either. Then I notice the car rocked slightly!
Ahhhhh
YOU MUST PUT A MANUAL TRANNY CAR IN NEUTRAL!! DUH!!!!!
I had not adjusted the valves on anything that wasn't automatic before, and never thought about it prior to my revelation.

Learn from my stupidity. I did......

BTW, all valves were very tight.

I also loosened back the power steering belt.

Markp · #24 08-23-2007, 11:18 PM

My previous daily driver was 96 Passat Tdi wagon. One day i noticed smoke/smell coming for timing belt area. After taking the t belt cover off, I thought the tensioner locked up since the plastic tensioner cover was all melted (as was the belt, but it did not break) I replaced everything and then the same thing happened again a week later. I replaced everything again. Guess what, it happened again!! Finally, after acusing the autopart store guys of defective tensioners, I realized that the intermediate shaft was locking up due to a loose vacuum pump, the gears would lose mesh and lock, causing the belt to get extremely hot and melt the tensioner. Luckily, it never lost time, but I still had a bad feeling about that car ever since. It was time to sell, amazing what people will pay for those things!

Another incident involves my little 15HP 4x4 tractor. I got it for cheap since the PTO and low range did not work. It was a worst case scenario and I had to rebuild the whole trans (alot going on in those little things) when I was finished, I realized I left out a snap ring! Oh well, it has been doing great for a year now and I will not go back in there again.

tjohn · #25 08-24-2007, 12:02 PM

My most painful is still this one. I will say that now that its over I'm glad to have done the job...

Cervan · #26 08-24-2007, 03:38 PM

jacking up my 1981 240d, with a jack, putting it in the middle of the car so i could lift up one side at a time to rotate tires, well i was in a hurry, and just jacked it up fast, i thought it was underneath... but it wasnt, so now on both sides the black running bar that goes across the bottom has a nice divet in it.

bellyboy · #27 08-24-2007, 04:54 PM

when we were starting out on a 2500 mile trip and within 20 miles i blew the ac #10 fuse twice in 90 degree temps,should i turn around? after 2450 miles of not blowing it, it acted up again intermittenly. for the last 50 miles - i needed to change the blower motor.

BlackSheep5 · #28 08-24-2007, 06:34 PM

well this one takes place in April 2003 in the Presidential palace compound in Baghdad Iraq, we were one of the first units there, 3rd ID.

this is a picture i took of saddams main palace from the back of another palace, well after this pic was taken everyone was on the edge looking up at the roof thinking about jumping off it into the water to go swimming. at the time i was wearing my kevlar like john wayne ( i had my chin strap tucked up in my band) so i look up at the roof with my back to the water and my kevlar falls off into the water! im holding my M4 at the time so i turn around and try to reach it just as it sinks under the water.

now im thinking "$%^*, im in the middle of a war and i lost my helmet!" I went and told the 1SG and the only thing he says is "i was looking for an excuse like that" and he starts stripping down to his "white tightys" and jumps in the water, well after about 30 mins and the whole troop swimming we found my kevlar.

Stevo · #29 08-24-2007, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bellyboy

when we were starting out on a 2500 mile trip and within 20 miles i blew the ac #10 fuse twice in 90 degree temps,should i turn around? after 2450 miles of not blowing it, it acted up again intermittenly. for the last 50 miles - i needed to change the blower motor.

I believe there is an up graded fuse for that, I thought it was #8 tho, someone will know.

gatorblue92 · #30 08-24-2007, 09:15 PM

taking your 6 month old truck off roading and getting stuck... i thought i hydrolocked the motor but i only stalled it out... i was younger and dumber at the time... now im older and dumber