What's the dumbest thing that you've done while working on your car? - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

vstech · #31 07-09-2015, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clemson88

I'd owned and worked on GM cars for a few years. I decided to tune the Olds up a bit with plugs, points, rotor button distributor cap and condenser.

I snatched everything off and reassembled it all exactly as I had done my 67 ChevyII SS. It wouldn't fire a lick

I had to call my brother in law to get it going again. Guess?

follow up would be nice...

m1tch · #32 07-09-2015, 05:26 PM

Knocked the plastic fuel lines whilst taking off the inlet manifold on my om606 engine resulting in about a week of chasing air leaks, not that stupid, just really annoying!

Dan Stokes · #33 07-09-2015, 10:07 PM

Starting on MANY rusty car projects in the first place. Now, I don't DO rust. Especially if I'm going to flip it, I start with a rust free (or at least VERY low rust) 1 problem car. I used to get them that needed a trans rebuild AND engine work AND rust repair AND interior work AND........ I don't do that any more, especially the rust part.

Now 1 problem - decent body but needs trans repair, for example. Done and out the door quickly enough to still make money on it. Tires and detailing don't count as a "problem".

MAN that is hard-won knowledge.

Dan

cfh · #34 07-09-2015, 10:34 PM

"decided to take it for a drive. I did so without confirming that the hood was latched; shattered the windshield, and put some fresh dimples into the windshield cowl... Yay me.".

I've done that; thank goodness I was able to slam on the brakes as I saw the hood coming up - still creased the corners of a nice aluminum hood on my W126. Pulled a similar stunt when I was a kid with a '54 Chevy - the hood was not bolted on at all - held on only by gravity. I can only imagine the sense of wonder and amazement felt by the lady behind me when my hood went sailing up and over the car....

Mölyapina · #35 07-09-2015, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by otto huber

- Don't work on your car without someone being within shouting distance.

I think this is probably one of the most important things you can do.

I remember one of my first times changing the oil alone, I pushed the pan under the car, pulled the drain plug (which I magically did not drop into the drain pan), and walked away from the car for a few minutes to do something. When I came back, I found that the way I had positioned the drain pan had allowed oil to flow into the drain pan when the oil was gushing from the pan at a 45 degree angle, but once the initial gush was over, the flow straightened to go straight down and hit the pavement instead of the pavement

I then rushed for several minutes to clean up a mess from under an immovable car, and then searched for the drain plug to reinstall it (by this time, the oil had all drained out), and couldn't find it. After ten minutes of searching, it hit me and I started rifling through the trash, where I had thrown all my paper towels after cleaning up the spill I had created. Sure enough, one of the paper towel bunches felt heavy, and when I opened up the paper towels, there was my bolt!

I think the change went smoothly after that.

OM617YOTA · #36 07-12-2015, 10:31 PM

Played the "is there enough room in the drain pain?" game and lost, and had to clean up the mess. Not all that bad, all things considered.

cooljjay · #37 07-13-2015, 01:23 AM

A lot I am sure I would rather not remember....but last was almost slicing my finger off on my headlight.....

Attempting to fix the grille on the inside of the euro headlight, I opted to lay the lens on the ground...a screw driver slide off my lap and hit it just right....then I opted to try and super glue it....ooopppsss slip...and slice....

Needless to say I ended up also using the super glue on me

Mark DiSilvestro · #38 07-13-2015, 04:13 AM

The most memorable, 'dumb' experience was in the early '80s with my '61 Ponton 180b. I decided if I was going to drive a slow car, I should at least be comfortable. So I cobbled together a custom AC system from assorted salvage-yard parts.
Using a Sanden compressor and condenser from two different '70s Mazdas, custom-made brackets, a Honda waterpump pulley, an aftermarket filter-drier, and a Fintail hang-on Kuhlmeister with the blower flipped 180 degrees because the Ponton dash didn't have a hollow space behind the glovebox for the Kuhlmeister's motor to hide behind, I finally had an air-conditioned 180b.
One shortcut was re-using the high-pressure AC hose fitting that came with the Sanden compressor, which originally had a crimped-on hose that someone had cut off. So I cut off the remains of the crimped hose and collar, then ground some shallow grooves in the smooth aluminum pipe and clamped on a length of AC hose, then pumped it down and charged it up with R12.
I took the Ponton for a spin and made it half a block, reveling in my cold AC, when there was this loud bang, like a shotgun blast, combined with the metallic thud of a detached hose slamming the underside of my hood, and a large white cloud that swallowed the front of my car for a few seconds!
So I wound up buying the correct 'barbed' AC fitting for use with a clamp-on hose, properly re-attached my AC plumbing, and actually enjoyed driving an air-conditioned Ponton for a few years.

Happy Motoring, Mark

Clemson88 · #39 07-13-2015, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

Coil wire off?

Or firing order out... Olds firing order is weird, as cap is in front... What year olds?

Firing order. It was the 330 engine in a late sixties Cutlass. The 18436572 of a chevy is correct but the olds crank rotates the opposite direction of the small block chevy thus the direction on the distributor cap is opposite.

Everything else was perfect.

Sorry I took so long to get back.

Simpler=Better · #40 07-13-2015, 09:56 AM

The todo list:
>Install heated seat pads
>Move seat bracket back 3" for legroom.

What happened:
-Installed heated pads
-Cut wires with angle grinder while removing old seat brackets.
-Spliced wires back together
-Installed bolts that were too long, limiting seat motion to half of stock
-Finally got it right. (Woohoo leg room!)

x_X

Hogweed · #41 07-13-2015, 10:28 AM

in about 1993-4 i had purchased this 1983 bmw 320i bauer euro with some minor electrical issues. i had the car for a few days and drove it to work at the bar. after my shift i came out and the car had no electic whatsoever. fearing the worst i neglected to check the simple stuff first and spent an hour digging around the wirirng to find "the problem" which ended up being a loose battery terminal......insert head slap here

pdx_diesel · #42 07-14-2015, 07:23 PM

About a decade ago, one of the first DIY projects I took on other than an oil change was replacing a radiator in a Dodge Caravan I bought for $500 from a guy that I worked with. He hit a deer and damaged the radiator and the front hood/grill area. You could barely tell by looking at it but the damage was just enough so that the hood latch wouldn't open the hood. So I did then as I still do today when I don't know much about a repair I'm about to make: go to the junkyard and tear their cars apart every which way until I figure it out.

I come home from the junkyard and over the course of two days, I carefully, methodically remove the latch from the hood to open it and replace the radiator. Of course, not a difficult job, but having completed my first repair, I was quite excited to take the vehicle on a test drive. Everything worked as it should as I drove through town. Then got on the highway to zip back home. That's when the speed was enough to catch air under the hood, which I forgot to reattach. You might be able to imagine the scene that follows. Hood flies up, against the windshield, obstructing 100% of my view, as I'm traveling at 60mph.

Had to buy another hood and some new pants to finish off that job.

Simpler=Better · #43 07-15-2015, 02:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hogweed

in about 1993-4 i had purchased this 1983 bmw 320i bauer euro with some minor electrical issues. i had the car for a few days and drove it to work at the bar. after my shift i came out and the car had no electic whatsoever. fearing the worst i neglected to check the simple stuff first and spent an hour digging around the wirirng to find "the problem" which ended up being a loose battery terminal......insert head slap here

It's ALWAYS the ground connection!

w123love · #44 07-15-2015, 08:38 PM

Was on a mission to do oil cooler lines and a new oil filter waffle gasket on the oil filter housing. Shove some paper towel wads into the ends of the oil cooler hoses, at the filter connection end. Continue to patch things together when I got that feeling....did I ever take those wads out?? Sigh...apart it goes.

Found my positive battery terminal on the diesel wagon was corroded away due to neglect. Installed an aftermarket clamp down style terminal connector, but could never get the car to start. The bendix in the starter would lock out after a half revolution. Did the ol smack it with a hammer deal about a dozen times...never could get it to turn over. Bought a new battery. Still same issue. Had it towed to my indy. He tightened the terminal connector. Vroom-vroom it went. /facepalm.

OM617YOTA · #45 07-15-2015, 10:45 PM

I chased an air leak in my fuel system for darn near two years. Rebuilt the injectors(needed it anyway), massive amounts of headaches and even thinking I had a loose rod for awhile. Even bought a whole new engine, the knocking was so bad and so regular. Put an upgraded primary fuel filter on and bam. No more issues.

Two years. Well over a grand in parts, including the new motor still sitting in it's crate.