I remember going into a firestone store for something to be done to my'64 190D. They wouldn't let me drive it into the shop because of insurance reasons or some other BS.

One of their employees drove it in and didn't set the brake. It rolled out of the shop backwards, but not fast enough to do any damage when the back wheels hit the curb and stopped it across the street.

I wish there would have been a car there to see how good their insurance worked.

P E H

OOOOOOPS!

Busting the front sway bar after trying to avoid one of God's creatures after locking up the brakes.

I have way too many to post here. It would double the number of posts on this thread thus far.

I'm glad to see that folks here can laugh at themselves.

I will only post one. It's not my worst one, but I think the most humerous if you can look at it that way. Damage was absolutely minimal, especially considering what it could have been.

My existing shop building has doors on either end and room for two cars parked in front of two other cars. About 12 or 14 years ago I had my four wheel drive truck apart with both rear axles out and the rear third member out. The rear was on Jack stands and the front of it was at the back door of my shop.

Behind it was my 240D in its much younger days when I pampered it and worried about every little rock chip. It was absolutely pristine in those days.

My nieces were visiting on Labor Day weekend so I wanted to spend some time with them and my own family that afternoon. I was outside at first light to get some things done before they got up. I pulled my tractor to the front of the truck, nose to nose, so I could fill the tractor with diesel fuel from the tank in the bed of the pickup.

Remember it was very early and I don't even think I had coffee yet. The tractor was almost touching the front bumper of the truck and when I started it up to back up, I put it in a forward gear and let out the clutch just enough that it moved forward pushing the truck off the jack stands and into the front of the 240D. As it turned out, the drop hitch on the truck, barely hit the bottom of the license plate on the 240D. It could have been much worse.

Even though the shop is not real close to the house, the noise woke up the house and ladies started pouring out of the house in housecoats to see what had happened. I don't know if it was the noise of the truck hitting the floor or my yelling that woke them.

You just have to laugh at yourself though. It was like a line of dominoes.

Have a great day,

My very first oops--

I must have been about 5 at the time.

Dad was working on the '56 Studebaker in the carport, and I asked him if I could help him.

Being the ace mechanic he was, he must have thought I carried enough of his genes to know better, but that was yet future.

Car was in neutral, brake was on. When he asked me to step on the gas, I did. Floored it. Left it there.

Put a fan blade thru the radiator.

He understood that training, not punishment was in order, but it was awhile before I had enough nerve to come near that car while the hood was up.

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Nate Stanley
(Currently Benzless)
1985 F-250 6.9l 170K
2009 SCION XB 36.5K
2003 LS430 78K
2012 Kubota B 2320

My first OOPS must have benn when I was 9 years old. It was on my Dads 69 220D that I eventually came to own. I wanted to help him change the oil and he said I could take of the oild plu. I was under the car with the ratchet and loosened the bolt and took it off. I did not quite understand what would happen until the oil hit me in the head. Lucky for me that my Dad never change the oil on the car when it was hot. Imagine my Mom's expression when I walked upstairs with black oil dripping all over my head. Spent the next hour in the shower.

Henry

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63 190d (sold)
69 220D (sold)
69 280SL (sold)
76 BMW 2002 (sold)
86 190E-16v (Demised at Laguna Seca Turn 9)
87 300SDL (sold)
87 300SDL 135k
87 300TD 280k (sold)
95 E320W 211k
95 E320w 111k
05 C320 4matic
06 E320 CDI 90k (Totaled by a texting 19 year old girl in a nissan)
2013 GLK 250 Bluetek 4MATIC

Ran over my Battery Charger this weekend!!!! Thought I'd moved it out of the way.... rear wheel flattened it... not covered by Sears Craftsman warranty. Lucky for me my voltage regulator arrived today! Thank you Fastlane!!!

My usual ratio is fix one, break two, but am getting better. Was much higher last year. Am still learning!

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Mr Goodfahrt (pronounced FAIRT... means "good trip" in German)

1982 300D Turbo Pastel Gray (off-white) 200k+(?)
newbie but willing

i can't rember why now but i wanted to look under the front of my friends 300zx
so i had him drive up my ramps

this was his first stick and i was trusting
that he would know when to stop but
guss what he didn't i yelled stop just in time sort of .... he was on the edge about
to go over it took a 2 to 3 hours with my
tiny floor jack to get things right

I didn't witness this but the perpetrator(s) can't tell the tale. There have been fatalities resulting from welding sparks jumping into shirt pockets containing Bic-type lighters.

I've been so fortunate to have some spatter fall down inside my shoes before, burnt some nice holes in my socks and had a great feeling as it burned my foot but at least the socks seemed to have cooled it down a little. I think using the diegrinder at 120psi with a mean double cut bit going through cast iron with a short sleever shirt hurt worse though, it can really get those chunks of metal flying!!

My grand prix (car before the 84 MB, which was before the 83MB I have now) almost fell on me before, I was following the manuals instructions on swapping out the rear struts, pulling on something and the car fell off the jack and landed on my coggled up safety jack (cement block with wood on it). I called it a day right then and there, since I've bought at least 4 safety jacks which between my dad and I makes 6 safety jacks, 3 floor jacks, and about 5 bottle jacks. Shouldn't have any more of those problems!

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Jeff M.
Mercedes W123 DIY pages are now located here.
1983 / 1984 300D Sold
2000 CLK430 Cabriolet ~58k Sold
2005 Avalanche 4x4 ~66k

This post is not related to anything I did, but last night, my indy was trying to adjust the timing on my SDL as he had removed and resealed the inj pump and thought it was sluggish.

Anyway, he tried to adjust the timing and was using a hammer and screwdriver and cracked the casing of the injection pump.

Ouch!

Luckily he has an extra one.

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Enough about me, how are you doing?

That guy was a mechanic?!?!?!

I was able to adjust my IP by wedging a huge chipping bar down between the IP and engine block. I did make sure that all the bolts were loosened suffuciently. No problems here.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

German mechanic. Lot's of Beck's in him after hours.

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Enough about me, how are you doing?

Liet,

Did you remove the injector lines at the injectors before you moved the pump so you can readjust them one at a time? I think that's the way it should be done instead of the brute force method.

P E H

PEH, I know removing the lines is the right way to do it but no I didn't. I only removed the "blocks" that tie the lines together. I figure it saved me some time needing to rebend the injector lines later. Doing it by my "brute force" method also allowed me to "fine tune" my idle while it was running. I also put a piece of wood between my iron bar and the IP to prevent any damage to the IP housing.

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DJ


84 300D Turbodiesel 190K with 4 speed manual sold in 03/2012

Oh, this thread was just to painfully funny to read..
My chest hurts from laughing..