I always take pride in my DIY repairs, especially when I see the Stickers on new cars--an average of what, 21,000 $ at 5 years of payments at 450 a month?

The downside is when I make a mistake. I made two the last few weeks and they were pretty humbling and left me exhausted. The funniest thing is that they coincided.
First I tried to build my own center muffler out of spare pipe and flanges to save my self---as it turned out, $150--right here on Mercedes Shop. I thought the unit would run about $300. Luckily--or unluckily--I ran into a friendly Midas Guy who helped bend the tubing and gave me all kind of free stuff for $30 cash--which I had to force him to take.
You just cant compete with the pro's when it comes to exhaust building
I welded and welded and cut and cut, but the thing would just rattle and even after I got it fit--the dam&*( thing missed the key frequency that needed to be eliminated and the car sounded horrible in 3rd gear at acceleration. It sounded home made Add to the Comedy was my jack rebuild. i almost destroyed a hein Werner jack that runs some $400 in today dollars-- I tried to weld the drain plug to eliminate occasional leakage.
It turns out you can't weld in an oil environment. You just can't. Even if you think you have got it clean, it still bubbles up. What made it hysterical was the weld collapsed as i was jacking the car up to remove my lousy homemade muffler--the jack oil squirted out in a Classic keystone Cops stream right into my face.

The two mistakes surfaced on the wrong day when I was sleep deprived. I kicked the jack a nd I tried to remove th exhuast system and got frustated and took it off with a Sawzall. Thats what a bad day it was.

Total cost of my errors was low. But I wasted 3 days and almost destroyed a $400 jack.

Thanks for your willingness to share your mistakes with us. This is the reason I chicken out of car projects that involve very much real mechanical ablity.

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

Oh, you're lucky, BTW. Your Midas guy was WAY more helpful than the one I talked to. He wasn't willing to do anything for me short or installing a $3,000.00 exhaust system. As I started driving off from his shop, I discovered that he didn't even bother to make sure the hood was all the way latched.

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

I have been in similar situations and sleep deprivation always compounds simple mistakes that otherwise can be detected early and corrected.

Sleep good, no sleep bad.

__________________
1993 W124 300D
-297K on the clock as I type this.

All in a days work. Well, can you retap the drain plug and use a different bolt/washer?

You did get off cheap. I've made mistakes too that could have been really costly, but ended up costing some pride with a good dose of humility.

Thanks for sharing!

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K

"It turns out you can't weld in an oil environment"

On top of that its probably cast your trying to weld, which isn't easy.

__________________
For Sale: 1982 MB 300TD
1995 Chevrolet Suburban 6.5TD

Sold: 1980 IH Scout Traveler- Nissan SD33T Diesel

welding, like for exhaust work or bodywork is a snap...

but real welding where you really understand what you are doing in terms of metallurgy and the type of welder you are using probably takes YEARS to learn-- I might as well have been using Elmers Glue--I feel very DUMB

The best was on another thread about checking the vacuum line to the transmission. The guy hooked up the vacuum, left the hood unlatched to not pinch the vacuum line to the guage. Went for a drive - cost him a windshield and a hood.

LMAO

welding is something that you just have to practice alot at. after about 2 years years of welding just about everyday i have come to be a great welder. Just keep practicing at it and one day you might be better than me. I dont mean sound arrogant because i know of people who are better than me, but like i said the more you practice the better you get.

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http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s...titled-1-3.jpg
1981 300d

every post you submit, you remind me more and more of my dad!
keep on posting carrameow

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Some learn by reading, some learn by watching, some learn by doing, some just never learn. Your doing a great job. Your teaching! Thanks...

__________________
92 300D 2.5L OM602 OBK #59

Any time you do something you have never done before the chance of failing is high. But what is the choice. You can sit by the TV the rest of your life eating chips and drinking Beer and never do something dumb or you can live a little.
Everyone who has tried to do something "Feels Your Pain".

__________________
84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

the two things i don't do: exhaust fabrication. tires.

you're brave to even go there.

*cheers* to you

__________________
1982 300sd from craigslist $800 greased on one tank with NO CONVERSION in the Hot Texas Sun. (currently dead & awaiting engine damage investigation and/or longblock swap)
new daily: '03 vw 5speed jetta tdi wagon. bagged&chipped

I do feel for you Carrameow... I got my suburban from my dad... he was having issues with the truck, so he CUT THE upper cat out of the vehicle to see if it was an exhaust restriction in one of the cats... anyway, it made no difference in the power of the truck, other than the obvious noise... turns out the distributer cap was busted, and doing a very poor job of spark distribution (man I am glad I drive a diesel now...) anyway, guess what chevy wanted for a replacement cat? 950.00... now it is a bolt in dual cat, but still!!! (and that was in 2001...I can't imagine what they want for it now...) I went to pep boys, bought a cheapo cat for 75.00 and welded into the existing set of pipes... still holding in there.

__________________
John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

well... since were on mistakes..








I recently rebuilt my 1990 honda crx engine, and took it for spin to break in the rings. The radiator hose exploded and the engine overheated, miraculously the head did not warp! but it got hot enough to leave metal from the piston on the cylinder walls. so.. theres one of my mistakes, 500$ mistake..

__________________
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?

As long as they would add one additional commandment for you to keep thy religion to thyself.
George Carlin (Wonder where he is now..)

1981 240d (engine donor 1983 240d) recently rebuilt engine hurray! - No more.. fought a tree and the tree won.

pearl black 1983 240d 4speed (Converted!@$$%) atleast the tranny was rebuilt.