Mistakes, errors and generally dumb things while repairing cars - Page 3 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Ralph69220d · #31 04-13-2006, 11:42 AM

In the late 60's a friend ran the oil out of a '53 Chevy straight six. It didn't have bearings, as such, on rod and main journals, but a poured babbit (brass). They were destroyed. I found a short block at the junk yard and put an engine together. Well, in those days, non-detergent oils were common. I assume the short block I bought probably used non-detergent oil. Well, I switched it to detergent oil after the rebuild. Started fine, then lost pressure. The filter was a steel cannister and used a paper filter. Valve train got noisly after a minute or so. Pulled the filter and it was full of sludge. Replaced filter and valve train again got noisy after a minute or so. It was at this point I realized the detergent oil was loosening every bit of sludge in the short block. Eventually, after I don't recall how many filter changes it cleared up. I should have given the short block a good cleaning prior to piecing a "new" engine together. I was a good mechanic on Detroit Iron in those days to have known better. Complacency. I think the majority of preventable problems I've had after working on any aspect of an automobile in my life can directly be traced to me being complacent in my thinking.
Second quick one. Late '60's. Worked in gas station as gas pumper & mechanic; often alone. So, did oil change on car, finger tightened the drain plug on the oil pan. Car came in for gas & I didn't remember that plug wasn't tight. Guy leaves after his oil change. I see a couple of minutes later the oil trail coming out of shop bay. Followed for ten miles, or so, before the trail stopped. Turns out it was right at the guys house before valve train noise turned to valve train and rod noise. Apology was not accepted, nor should it have been. Complacent again.

Ralph69220d · #32 04-13-2006, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cudaspaz

Then we took a death ride in the road runner, had the strongest stock 440 I ever drove, needless to say ,I bought the roadrunner.
.

Yeah, those 440's were monstrous torque & horsepower machines. I recall a stock hi-perf 440 would beat a stock 426 hemi in the quarter mile, same chassis & gearing & transmission. A half mile race & the hemi couldn't be beat by any stock car though, including the three two-barrel 440's.

gregbenz · #33 04-13-2006, 02:21 PM

As a lad I got to drive my dad's ford country squire station wagon. It had an occaisonal starting problem that required an assistant to mess w/ something under the hood while I turned the key. One day after it fired up I threw it into reverse to back out of the driveway. Well I didn't realize that he had left the passenger side door open...and it got bent backwards like a banana when it hit the tree. Needless to say I had to make up a story about some S.O.B. hitting it in a parking lot and taking off. For some reason he didn't fix it for about a month. I managed to get it almost to close and used the seatbelt wrapped around the pillar to hold it shut. My mom really didn't appreciate having to get in on the driver's side and slide accross the seat for a month.

865sp300e · #34 04-13-2006, 03:00 PM

At one time I had an old garage with wooden doors that had a rope to pull the door up or down. I'm backing my car out the garage looking back over my right shoulder. The car feels like it is bogging down so I give it more gas. Suddenly a load bang on the front of the car. Ends up the rope hooked itself on the left outside mirror. The mirror was torn off and the door slammed down onto the hood leaving a nice dent across both fenders and hood.

James L · #35 04-13-2006, 04:55 PM

bought some used Bosch w126 euro headlights.... took off the lens and decided to clean the reflectors, first a little H20, no problem, then windex, then P21 S cleaner...BIG MISTAKE, took the reflective finish off and left me with brown! man I was mad at myself!!! this cost me since i could not find new euro light parts...tried painting brown area and reflective hvac tape (looks like crap, although the tape looks better)...ended up buying more euro lights off ebay and forum members for parts and or replace.

do not clean reflectors with any thing but a fine cloth and water and then be real careful. better yet leave em alone.

andmoon · #36 04-13-2006, 05:11 PM

I'm surprised not one person has put gas in their diesels.

Fourings · #37 04-13-2006, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andmoon

I'm surprised not one person has put gas in their diesels.

I've seen that happen. It wasn't me. I can tell you that a Jetta GLX does not run well on diesel, and the injectors howl.

t walgamuth · #38 04-13-2006, 07:23 PM

a few weeks back i was coming back from indy from a stressful meeting. i was driving my 03 dodge with cummins and sixer. i was kindof upset and talking under my breath. so i pulled into the station i prefer to fill at and had to pull on the wrong side of the pump (the one i normally dont use) and so i picked up the diesel nozzle from the end of the pump filled up and headed home. the dodge was rattling like crazy andif i stood on the gas it kindof died. smoked like crazy too. hmmmmm. so i pulled into my drive and took the gas cap off and smelled. it smelled suspiciously like gasoline. 'those rascals at family experess have filled their diesel tank with gasoline', i said! so i got a glass jar and headed back out there and went to draw a sample from the diesel pump. humph! it was diesel. course i filled from the wrong pump.

numb nuts!

what a pain. it took my brother all afternoon to siphon out 30 gallons and distribute it out amongst the gas vehicles he and i own.

fortunately it doesnt seem to have done any damage....except to my pride.

tom w

Palangi · #39 04-13-2006, 08:42 PM

For some reason I decided to add a quart of oil to my old OM621 200D while it was running. On that engine, the timing chain is directly under the oil filler cap. Discovered that a timing chain can throw oil 50 feet or more. Oiled the side of the house real good.

ROGER E. · #40 04-14-2006, 12:30 AM

My 911 had two triple throat Webers which seemed to collect dirt in the idle passages. So, once or twice per year I removed them for a thorough cleanout. Each cylinder had it's own intake stack with two steel studs. So, each carb bolted down with six 13mm nuts, each with it's own steel spring washer. Normally, I would remove the washers with a magnet (after removing the nuts) being certain to have all six in hand before lifting the carb. But this day I had brain fade and didn't remove all of them before lifting the left carb off. Straight up and straight back...that's all I had to do. Sure enough, I bumped the carb on something and one of the washers dropped off, straight into the stack, down through the open intake valve into the cylinder.

After the appropriate review of my four letter word vocabulary, I called a friend. "Gotta rope?" Bring it over. We towed the car to the Porsche dealer and left it with a big sign on the steering wheel."Do not rotate engine!"

The pulled the engine, put it on the stand and turned it upside down. Out came the washer.

Even with the new clutch disc they installed just for the hell of it, the bill was only $100. That WAS a long time ago.

I took a lot of s**t over that one, I can tell you.

Richard Wooldridge · #41 04-14-2006, 02:03 AM

Way back when, I had a 1973 Datsun 240Z, bright orange. Neat car, my pride and joy at the time... Well, I decided one Friday evening to replace the front strut shocks. I welded up a spring compressor to do the job with, being very very thrifty at the time. I pulled the right side apart and changed the shock no problem, but when I did the left side a peculiar thing happened. I had set the spring off to the side while changing the shock, and suddenly heard a loud whishing noise - I was doing this under the tree, of course... The spring had shot up through the tree so far I couldn't see it, and it didn't come down for about 5 seconds. When it finally did, it landed right on top of the car, creating a nice dent just behind the windshield right above the driver's seat. Looking at my homemade spring compressors, one of the straps I had welded to the rod wasn't strong enough and the hook had unfolded under the stress of the spring tension. I redid all the hooks, finished the job, and drove the car over to my brother's son's auto paint shop, where he fixed the dent and painted it by Sunday evening so I could drive it on Monday!
I could have easily had my head taken off by this one, I think. So be careful when working with kinetic energy!

al76slc · #42 04-14-2006, 06:18 AM

When I was about 15, decided to rotate tires on Mom's 64 Chevy. Friend came over while I was working, and we were talking. Got the lug nuts partially tight on one side and forgot to finish all with the lug wrench.

Mom got a mile or 2 before front and rear wheels on 1 side fell off. Fellow who helped her on the road told her she should sue the installer. Never told Dad for which I am eternally grateful.

haasman · #43 04-25-2006, 04:56 AM

Years ago a friend who worked at a Porsche shop was charging the battery in the front trunk of an old 356.

The hood wouldn't stay open so he used a short stick to prop it open. He let the battery charge for four or five hours.

Later when he checked the battery and it was warm, he pulled the battery connectors.

There was a spark that caused an explosion of the accumulated hydrogen gas that blew the hood of the car and my friend across the workshop. He was OK. Car was not.

Haasman

Hirnbeiss · #44 04-25-2006, 06:57 AM

by any chance?

t walgamuth · #45 04-25-2006, 08:52 AM

not any more. we all used to work at chernoble though.

tom w