Wow that was dumb...

[TTCummins]

I know as mechanics we have all had our moments when we stood back and went BRILLIANT!!!

Shortly after picking up my 300CD I was doing an oil change and basic maintenance wiping out all the oil in the air cleaner and I was like, hmm don't want to get anything in the intake, better plug that. Well I buttoned things up and took her out for a drive, to my shock it was doggy and had no power. I went to the video store for a quick drive and on the way back I gave it hell away from a stop light. At which time I looked in my rearview mirror to see the hugest plume of smoke ever and suddenly it dawned on me that I didn't take that rag out... No harm done, and it actually seemed to be more peppy afterward, maybe the engine just needed to be wiped out.

So what have you done on your car that made you say DOH!!!

[Jadavis]

Are you saying your car injested and processed the rag with no ill effects!!!!!

-Jim

[TTCummins]

Yeah, it was one of those blue paper type shop towels. My car was an NA car so no turbo to damage. It happened a few times in the 7 years I worked at a heavy machinery service facility. Pretty funny when it does though to see these flaming rag bits flying through the air everywhere.

[2.5Turbo]

I've dropped plenty of tools down into the belly pan on my car. Adds a good 20 minutes to any job

When troubleshooting my no boost situation last year, I had to take apart the airbox to access the wastegate transducer. The airbox has an airflow sensor on it, so that had to get unplugged. When I finished doing what I was doing down there, I put the airbox back in place. Cleared all codes in the EDS and took a drive...still no boost. Stood there in front of the car fiddling with things while I thought about what else it could be. Then I saw the empty receptacle on the airflow meter and noticed that I had trapped the plug underneath the airbox. Removed it again, retrieved the plug, put it back and the boost was back

[Jadavis]

Originally Posted by TTCummins

Yeah, it was one of those blue paper type shop towels.

Paper! Ok, I can handle that.

-Jim

[deanot442]

I cross threaded my pre-chamber retaining ring and blew my injector and ring into my hood. That was a WTF?!?!?/DOH!!!!! and AW ****!!!!!! all in one..

[lutzTD]

Originally Posted by deanot442

I cross threaded my pre-chamber retaining ring and blew my injector and ring into my hood. That was a WTF?!?!?/DOH!!!!! and AW ****!!!!!! all in one..

hmmmmmm i wonder if that is the source of the inside out dent on my hood

[Telecommbrkr]

Originally Posted by TTCummins

Pretty funny when it does though to see these flaming rag bits flying through the air everywhere.

I don't care who you are, that's fuuunny...


I spent days and nights prepping and cleaning etc. putting another engine in our '82 300SD. Everything worked great, that was July. Come fall when here in Canada tempuratures start to head towards zero, I realized that I had forgot to plug the cord back into the block heater before installing the manifolds and putting the engine back in the car. That cost me a starter the one winter and lots of electricity running a fan heater under the hood all night. I tried putting one of those magnetic heaters on the pan but it fell off and all I was left with was the cord and a small piece of plastic from the heater housing. I've now bought a thin stick on pad but the fan has gone throught the rad and the car is parked for now...

[tangofox007]

Any time I do something that needs to be undone before operating the vehicle, I lock the keys in my tool box as a reminder. Just today, that extra step preventing me from starting the engine with a ratchet wrench still attached to the crankshaft bolt. If the keys had still been in the ignition switch, I would have broken something.

[connerm]

When I was in high school, I installed a block heater in the upper radiator hose.

[Hatterasguy]

Happens all the time, an 8V92Ti sucked a fleece through after one of the mechanics left it hanging on the turbo. Chewed it right up, just some smoke.

[t walgamuth]

ONe time I was replacing the rotors on my 74 240d and ruined or lost a couple of the allen head bolts that hold them on. I said...."Oh well, the wheel lugs will hold them on" ....so I buttoned it up congratulating myself on my genius (all the while ignoring a litttle voice which was saying wait a minute).

So about a week later one of my kids called me and said the left front wheel was kindof locking up all on its own. So it was a DOH!

The rotor sheared off the three bolts and lodged itself aginst the rotor and so forth. I had to have it towed home.

Fortunately no big damage done. I was sooooo lucky it happened at 15 mph rather than 50 or 60 or 70!

Tom W

[vstech]

nothing yet to report... being taught mechanics by an Air Force Maintenance Chief... (my dad) makes you REALLY REALLY REALLY follow procedure...
by the book, record what is not in the book for the next guy... look for a better way to do it, and WRITE IT DOWN. make copious notes, put everything back where it goes BEFORE you are finished. cleanliness next to godliness.
all that being said,... I have left entire toolboxes worth of tools inside cars in my days... and I have found my fair share of tools on cars I have worked on behind others...

[Tymbrymi]

Originally Posted by tangofox007

Any time I do something that needs to be undone before operating the vehicle, I lock the keys in my tool box as a reminder. Just today, that extra step preventing me from starting the engine with a ratchet wrench still attached to the crankshaft bolt. If the keys had still been in the ignition switch, I would have broken something.

Doesn't break anything... just loosens the bolt on the crankshaft. Found that one out through experience... requires something like 250lb/ft to tighten.

[lutzTD]

last weekend I was showing my 300D to JackG. when I popped the hood my mighty vac was sitting on the driver inner fenders wedged behind the ice cube relay cover. at least I did remember to reconnect the trans modulator line I was testing.