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When you do a repair, do you mess up as much as I do?
Honestly, I think i'm the worst DIYer on peach parts.
Now I didn't completely botch it (almost) but mistakes where made. For me it pretty much every time, then again all of these procedures where new to me. So when someone says "Ah it took me 2 hours to do xyz." I figure I'll complete it 2 to 3 times as slowly as they did. Ok lets go. Fan shroud install:It took my brother and I probably 5 mins to figure out which way the fan shroud went on :freak:. Coolant flush: Took off the wrong plumbing, behind the upper radiator hose, I thought the bulbous thing with the 3 sensors in it was the thermostat so I removed it like an idiot. Ended up putting back on. Filled fluid at the reservoir instead of the upper radiator hose. Forgot to torque down various nuts, and install drain plugs (thank god the car was stationary did not over heat.) Transmission fluid change: Didn't torque down bolts on the pan evenly enough so I had to do it over again. Got transmission fluid all over my clothes, face, and mouth :mad:. Drain pan plug immediately stripped, as soon as I loosened and lowered the pan a gust of wind blew transmission fluid everywhere.As I was searching for the bell housing drain plug I realized I was on the wrong side of the whole time....:bangin: Differential oil change: Installed drain and fill plugs in the wrong spot, AFTER filling the diff. Proceeds to remove drain plug WITHOUT some sort of catch pan to collect it so it doesn't got to waste :wallbash:Wasted a nearly a entire bottle of gear oil on the ground, now I'm pretty much covered in my entire torso and head with gear oil and transmission fluid. Had to use some spare gear oil I had laying around that was the wrong weight, 85w-140, instead of 75w-90...:dunce2: Went around shirtless collecting tools around the car, washed hair with dawn dish soap and called it a day. Still need to get new diff fluid still. |
LOL!!! you sound a lot like me. I read up and then do it, and then do it again... but, you'll get it. The important part is trying in the first place, its the only way to learn and get better.
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You're determined and have a great sense of humor, both admirable qualities.
Was this all in one day?? The struggle is part of the fun (except when you're in the middle of it). |
At least you're trying! I can't tell you how many people I know who are afraid to change their own oil and call AAA if they have a flat! So you made some messes and had to do a few things over again. So what, that's how you learn. You have the desire and ability to get back in there and try again. That alone is commendable.
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Don't beat up on yourself too bad. We've all had Oh $hit! moments when it comes to wrenching on cars. Some worse than others.
I've definitely lost my share of screwdrivers, prybars, etc (albeit temporary) from getting cut, pinched and the like...and generally ends with some tool getting thrown across the garage. One time I was using some makeshift hose spring clamp pliers rather than the proper tool and got a nice chunk of skin stuck in the clamp. Only way to get unstuck was to quickly yank my hand out and hope for the best. Prybar through the drywall. :eek: Very few of us can honestly say we've never done anything less than perfect on a repair. Something else to ponder...there are few people that care to keep our old relics running properly. Most "mechanics" these days rely on computers for troubleshooting...and are lost if no codes are generated to start on a diagnosis. Those of us who do want to keep them running like a swiss watch, we either get lucky and find a good old timer mechanic who can diagnose by sound/touch/feel...or learn to fix them ourselves. |
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Everything else was today. Started at 7:00am finsihed at 1 ;00pm. This wasn't as bad as when I stayed up all night doing replacing the entire front braking system and wheel bearings. |
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If you never done a job you are going to make mistakes even though you read up on it. The above is why experience is valuable and takes time to gain. Do-it-yourself threads that go smoothly make you think that if you do the job the same it will be fast and easy and are not as valuable as the threads that show how problems were delt with. |
I've learned the hard way to always have a tray for parts and tools next to me whenever I work on anything.
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Yes, sometimes it's embarrassing how one side takes 2-3 days and the other takes 30 minutes, for example a brake job.
But, as others have said, keep after it. I'm betting most folks here can relate from their own personal experiences with the frustration. They chuckle inside because they've done the same things. Sometimes the greater satisfaction comes from realizing everything you went through and it all worked out in the end. Usually, the only time I don't mess up a DIY is because I've already done it twice. ;-) |
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HOWEVER guess who always gets the phone call when someone I know is in need of a stray bolt or strange clip... :) |
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During a project I'll say "Right when this is done I'll get good at it and then I won't ever do it again/do it just a few more times." I was changing an inline fuel filter, pulled off the old one, grabbed for the new one for a quick swap and knocked it into the shock spring tower. Deep inside the coil spring. Laying on the bottom. A plastic part. Fuel supply line flowing.
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Oh boy.. the time i decided to change the in tank fuel filter screen and decided to trust the fuel gauges reading of "empty" - 30 mins before it got dark, last December.
At least 5 gallons of diesel went all over me, the driveway, and the 26 million sheets/blankets/rugs I ran around trying to use to soak it up. Epic fail, smelled like diesel for days. |
Your experience is pretty typical. I just put new brake pads on my Discovery II. Took about 1.5 hours on one side because I forgot that the washer on the retaining bolt that holds one end of the caliper is rectangular, not square. You remove only that bolt, swing down the caliper, replace the pads, and swing it back into place. But the bolt will not line up back in the hole if that dang washer gets turned 90 degrees. Almost thought I was going to have to give up and call a wrecker and take it to a shop. Then I just experimented by turning that washer back 90 degrees. Presto, went back together perfectly.
Other side took me less than five minutes after the tire was off. Then again, that's the only way you learn. Keep it up. |
I had my own "epic fail" moment when working on the SL recently. Changing the thermostat is no easy task on that car, the housing is on top of the water pump in a weird spot. When I had it all apart, I accidentally dropped a washer, which bounced off the radiator support, off the cover of the power steering pump and straight down the open hole in the water pump. Many swear words were used. Removing the water pump on an M117 is not a task you want to do - ever. I walked away and left it and came back a couple days later with a neodymium magnet on a string and was able to fish the thing out. Sometimes it pays to walk away, cool down, and come back with a fresh head on some of these projects.
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‘78 450SEL:
- Replaced valve stem seals. Within a few miles oil billows out the exhaust. Try to pull the head, puller tool snaps off in a chain rail pin. - Went for a test drive with the hood unlatched. Hood flips open and bends beyond simple repair. - Got a running start to push it up a trailer and smashed a fresh pair of fog lights. ‘87 300D - repositioned the car while radiator was out. No problem, only driving it 100 feet. Transmission lines were open so it dumped several quarts of a recent Mobil 1 fill. That’s just top of mind of what I care to admit. I know I’ll press the brake pedal with a caliper off the disc. Sixto 98 E320s sedan and wagon |
Everything I'm reading is lack of experience. You're learning and trying. It's trial and error. Don't do the mistake the next time and you're good!
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Yeah, I agree with everyone so far, it's about experience, thanks for the different point of view for things. Makes me look at this is in a positive light.
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A friend who worked in a premium restoration shop told me after a full resto and paint of a yellow Ferrari someone prepped and installed all of the remaining rubber seals with brake fluid instead of silicone. This was back when Dot 3 brake fluid was really caustic unlike today. It sat like that over a weekend.
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I do this as a regular basis monthly. when I feel that it's need some rest and remake it for the next journey.
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When I was just 18, so long ago, I helped a friend change the oil in his Rambler. Count the errors. Drained it into a pan, emptied the pan down the nearest sewer. Washed out the pan with carbon tet and drained that into the slop sink. Installed a new oil filter, made it good and tight with the wrench so that it wouldn't ever leak. Put the old filter in the trash barrel. Then filled with a gallon of Fox Head 10w-20. Watched the oil pool slowly spread out over the pavement. Lesson learned: make sure the drain plug hasn't fallen into the pan BEFORE you empty it into a sewer.
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You gotz to be kidding me and any one else who works on cars. It's a learning process. You're leaning. Now, if you make the same mistakes over and over and over ... start a thread then. Otherwise, each one of these lessons will build upon itself until you do tasks and new tasks with ease ...
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People have different aptitudes from each other. I started doing things at a fairly young age. There are things you pick up with experience of course.
There also are things that require learning. Around cars they are the conventional ways certain things are done. Many are not intuitive. So the less experience the more one should read up on dealing with the problem before starting. There is a wealth of material out there today. This was far less so when I was young. That covered we all will still experience unexpected things from time to time. Not having the right or enough tools for a job can make it very hard as well. Fortunatly I have never yet taken a bath with lubrication fluids. Perhaps there is still enough time. Their is more incentive today to do what you can with older cars. Commercial repair places are in general very expensive in comparison to the past. When you repair it yourself you have some control over the parts costs as well. |
Well unfortunately somehow I didn't tighten the fan clutch bolts tight enough to the fan, fan came right off the clutch and gouged a hole in radiator. I drove the car yesterday. this morning, and afternoon no problem. Then I let my uncle go the store.
Stupid uncle drove the car home while it over heated, I was furious, but once again it was my fault. Can I find another OM603 locally to swap out, yeah maybe in a few years. Going to get the coolant combustion gas tester once the new radiator comes in to see just how screwed I am. Don't be me. please don't. |
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So... where is the video with the Benny Hill music playing in the background:D Unfortunately, I have never had trouble with any type of mechanic job... My father was a top class A&P mechanic and as far back as I can remember I have always worked on cars with ease. I fondly remember helping my father working on VW’s in the parking lot... always have known what tools to use... nearly always can tell what socket size is needed, what wrench to use etc... But I ALWAYS start a job with the shop manual in hand to determine the proper course of action before loosening the first bolt. I took a job in 85 working at my neighbors alignment shop at 17, and the guy was worried at first, but quickly realized I didn’t make mistakes, and never started anything I couldn’t handle... The last time he was concerned when I was working on a job, he let me work on an customers old ford work truck... it was running rough and very loud... I started working on it, and boss went to lunch... he came back, the intake, and one head was on the ground, and my feet were sticking out of the hood... He worriedly asked if I had things under control... I told him the exhaust manifold had corroded away, and had burned itself into the head surface, destroyed the second port. I’d pulled the manifold, called a junkyard nearby to get a replacement head, had it delivered to the shop, began pulling the heads, and had already pulled the valves from the JY head and did an angle valve job... He didn’t worry about the kid anymore...:D |
Learning curve is always a hold up. I decided to replace axle seals on my front Dana 60 on the Dodge Ram. FSM said to do it one way and youtube vids confirmed. This particular year the locking collar on the passenger side doesn't come out unless you remove a shaft that holds the smaller gears in. This wasn't in the FSM or on youtube or on the forums.
You need a roll pin punch. A regular flat tipped punch won't get it. Truck has been inoperable 3 weeks and I'm leaving town tomorrow. Good thing I don't need to tow anything. It will only take an hor or so the next time I do it and I now have the tools. |
Rebuild an engine for 6 months in the cold and forget to torque a cam gear...then let's talk about this ;)
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I've had a number of these experiences and still have them.
Recently, I replaced the rubber studs on my air filter housing and didn't connect the oil return line. Then all of the studs broke except for one. I also didn't properly torque the oil pressure line and got oil on my carpet and shoe while I was driving. I've done a number of these. Other jobs I have done several times, I will find some new problem with them. Some of them for me are lack of experience. Others are just because the car is old and things break or don't want to come off that would not be a problem on a newer vehicle. I think it being a Mercedes compounds some of these issues. And parts availability when you need something ASAP can be kind of the cherry on the top. I have found my VW and Isuzu truck to be much easier to wrench on. But, I love driving the Mercedes every day and despite all of the needs it has, it has been very cost effective and is an amazing car. Dkr. |
Messing up is OK. It is part of learning and you look back with a laugh. I changed the oil once but forgot to tighten the oil filter lid. Started the engine and oil everywhere. But there are mistake that is fatal. Like working under car with jack only. Did not secure the spring with spring compressor etc. I don't work in auto industry and I am sure there are other dangerous practices which I am not aware of. May be we should list avoidable fatal mistake here.
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I mess up MUCH less than people who do it for a living.
This didn't start when shop owners went flat-rate. It's been this way since I can remember...late 60s/early seventies. |
John Muir (related to John Muir of the Muir woods) was an interesting guy, seaman, engineer, hippy and radical environmentalist. He also wrote 'how to keep your vw alive for the compleate idiot', possibly the prototypical 'dummies' book.
While a 603 car might only have a nut or two in common with an air cooled vw, the style of procedural writing and thinking '1. Open the engine cover and prop it with a stick so it doesn't hit you on the head' fills in a lot of the thinking, doing and understanding that doesn't come in a haynes book or FSM. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/96161.How_to_Keep_Your_Volkswagen_Alive I tend to diverge quickly, forget things, and work in fits and starts. Wrenching on cars, I've learned to deal with and work with larger and more complex systems, tasks, projects and levels of detail than I might otherwise. |
No, I'm not as bad as you.
I'm worse. Everything on an MB is chinese to me. I take photos, organize them in folders within a master folder then take hours to find the correct bolts, nuts and parts for every project. I might take three months to get around to doing a particular project because my research is so extensive and I'm so worried about breaking something or having it fail.
Everything turns out almost perfectly but I'm limited in working hours each day due to my health. Sometimes I just don't feel like messing with it for a week. I'm distracted by NCAA football this time of the year and move like a snail because of the distractions. I've been on this diesel/gas conversion project for two years now. I'm down to refitting the interior with all the fresh painted parts and redoing the front seats. I wish I was just 'as bad,' as you. |
[QUOTE=moon161;3767549]John Muir (related to John Muir of the Muir woods) was an interesting guy, seaman, engineer, hippy and radical environmentalist. He also wrote 'how to keep your vw alive for the compleate idiot', possibly the prototypical 'dummies' book.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/96161.How_to_Keep_Your_Volkswagen_Alive Same book was written for Toyota pickups - the smaller ones made 30+ years ago. |
I've been wrenching on my own vehicles since I was 18 and bought my first car (a 1971 240z). Now I'm 48, and yes... I do stupid stuff all the time.
I changed the t-stat in my 91 300d last week. Front end was up on ramps. I had a hose connected to the engine block drain. Of course, I was on my back looking straight up at the drain. Put a wrench on it, it gave, the hose fell off and I got a face full of coolant. In retrospect, I should've seen that coming (and technically, I did). Similarly, I replaced the front flex disc on the same car this past Sunday. Had a dickens of a time getting the driveshaft flange to let go of the disc. Did a little prying with a screwdriver. It broke loose and the shaft dropped, hit the exhaust and covered my face in rusty scale. Evidently, I spent a long time under there picking rust out of my eyes and ears because when I pulled myself out from under the car, some vultures were circling overhead (true story). My point is that stupid stuff happens, but don't let that deter you. Too many of my friends just take their cars to the stealership or local indy and hand over their wallets. You've got a knack that's going to save you thousands over the course of your life. And besides, I'd rather eff something up my dayum self instead of paying someone else to. My other fascination is old, antique, metal blade electric fans... ended up at urgent care for stitches one time. :D |
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