stupid stuff

[ttocs]

I was just reading where someone gave some advice but with the warning that it was not the smartest thing he had ever done, but it worked. I am sure we have all done some stupid stuff while learning to work on cars, what is some of yours that is fun to hear? I am sure there are some good stories out there that maybe someone else can learn from and maybe get a good laugh at. No judgments, just entertainment. For example I can remember the first time I installed an amplifier I have to look back and laugh and shake my head. It was just a small pioneer amp(25 yrs ago at that) so I was only running a 12 awg power wire. I can still remember hooking it up unfused, and then VERY carefully trying to run it down between my fender/body. Have you ever played that game with a tape measure where you see how far out you can get it before it bends and falls down? Well imagine that only with a much more electrical/entertaining ending. Only made a couple of sparks but it was enough to learn me into a perty fart smeller.

 

[Silver95bird]

Made a set of mufflers last an extra month with a few cut up beer cans and some bungie cords, does that count?

 

[PinkieT]

Sent dash cluster out of my old Road Runner off for a rebuild. Put it back in, gauges worked great. Decided to drive to a parts store when the low oil level light started flashing. In old Mopars, they supposed to be steady! Oh crap! It would go on and off, couldn't figure out why. Did a palm slap when I realized it only happened on left turns. When I plugged in the dash harness I put the left turn signal bulb in the oil pressure idiot light socket and vise versa. No harm done except to my shorts!

 

[ttocs]

Sent dash cluster out of my old Road Runner off for a rebuild. Put it back in, gauges worked great. Decided to drive to a parts store when the low oil level light started flashing. In old Mopars, they supposed to be steady! Oh crap! It would go on and off, couldn't figure out why. Did a palm slap when I realized it only happened on left turns. When I plugged in the dash harness I put the left turn signal bulb in the oil pressure idiot light socket and vise versa. No harm done except to my shorts!

that reminded me of a funny one I had forgot about. When I first started stereo installing we had a customer come in with some early 80s buick that the dash required a LOT of work to integrate so they wanted us to hook the amp/sub up to the stock radio. No problem, my supervisor looked under the dash at the fuse box because gm's were known for having extra taps for electrical connections on their fuse box and there was a switched/ignition on that he hooked up to. Fired it up, tuned it, sent it out the door. The next day the guy comes back and tells us that the bass turns off when he goes over 45 mph. At this point imagine 2 installers turning their head 30 degrees to the side because that is the most messed up thing we had heard of. My supervisor grabbed his coat and went for a ride and confirmed at 46 mph the bass shut off. After some research that terminal he used was for the cruise control made to activate the system by going to ground at 46 mph to allow the circuit to energize.

 

[Burninriverdiver]

I changed the pads, rotors and calipers on my truck a while ago. I bled the brakes the best I knew how and the pedal still sank to the floor. I checked all the brake lines, replaced the master cylinder and bled them again with no luck getting any pedal feel. My mechanic buddy stopped by to help bleed them (was using a self bleeder bottle) and we still couldn't get it. I posted a photo asking for help online and within a minute the first post told me I had my calipers on upside down (put the passenger side on the drivers and vice versa). The brakes bled much easier with the valve at the top of the caliper.

 

[PinkieT]

I had rebuilt my 440 and was ready to put it back in the car. I figured it was easier to prime the oil pump with my drill while it was on the stand - on Mopar big blocks all you do is slide the distributor drive gear, which powers the oil pump off the camshaft, out. Chuck a hex shaft in your drill and spin away. Problem was I forgot to plug one of the oil sending unit holes on top. It primed all right - shot a stream of oil onto the garage ceiling, through the screen door, and into my kitchen. That was 15 years ago and my neighbor who was helping me is still laughing about it!

 

[OLD H2S]

I'm the encyclopedia of hard lessons ....

How about my buddies dads car would not start, I got the hood open and said "take the battery caps off", I turned around to get some water for the battery and BOOOOM he used a BIC lighter to check the water level. The hood of the station wagon looked like a steel tent with the imprint of the battery at the top. He was covered in sulfuric acid, but not his eyes, his dad was not amused.

 

[evilcw311]

I'm the encyclopedia of hard lessons ....

How about my buddies dads car would not start, I got the hood open and said "take the battery caps off", I turned around to get some water for the battery and BOOOOM he used a BIC lighter to check the water level. The hood of the station wagon looked like a steel tent with the imprint of the battery at the top. He was covered in sulfuric acid, but not his eyes, his dad was not amused.

Please tell us your buddies ok?!?!?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[g36 monkey]

O there are so many, but I'll give one of those "Oh Shit! That was close" ones.

My buddy and I had the timing chain tensioner in a vice, trying to get it to release or something. It was being stubborn, I had a big flat head screwdriver, putting tons of upward pressure on this piece to get it to budge. Well, it didn't, but I slipped off, driving that screwdriver inches from my buddy's face. It probably would have killed him, seriously.

 

[ttocs]

have I told my stupidest story about the time I locked myself INSIDE of an acura nsx?

 

[g36 monkey]

have I told my stupidest story about the time I locked myself INSIDE of an acura nsx?

Not that I recall, and we've known each other a LONG time.

 

[01yellercobra]

have I told my stupidest story about the time I locked myself INSIDE of an acura nsx?

Please tell us.....

I'm sure I have plenty I just can't remember them all. Old age sucks. There was the time my completely put together engine fell off the engine stand. The bolts just gave out when I was tightening something.

When I was a teen I was doing an oil change at a buddies place. He said something about the Dukes of Hazzard coming on TV. Rather than being smart and waiting I decided to rush through the change. I started the car and noticed the oil pressure was taking a bit to come up. About the time I was going to say something my two buddies start yelling at me to shut it down. I forgot to check the old filter for the o-ring. My engine had a nice fountain of oil shooting onto the wall next to the car.

 

[ttocs]

after 6 yrs of audio security installing in the midwest I was pretty confident installer when I moved to AZ. I got a 2nd job there doing installs again and found out I was suddenly not so confident of an installer in Snottsdale(scottsdale) Az. By that time I think I had been in any ford/chevy/dodge made but I think snottsdale had laws against them as the low end there was lexus/hummer. One day we had a nice original nsx in the shop as one of the bose amps had gone out and we had a repair place onsite. I had never been in an nsx and I took VERY carefull notes taking the door panel off to get to the amp/speaker behind it. I was a little surprised how cheap it was with plastic fasteners(37 or something crazy like that) and just a thin/light feel is what I am sure that they were after. Putting the door panel back on I first put the door lock rod through the door panel hole, and then lined it up on the door and proceeded to put the 37 fasteners back on. We were always in a hurry and in a small shop the guys were on me to get it out and onto the next one. I started the car up and out of habit, right before I backed any car out I always looked under it to be sure no parts/tools/equipment was moved or kicked under it. I grabbed the door handle but it was locked. So I went to grab the lock rod and then realized that while I was lining up the 37 fasteners the lock rod had slipped out of the hole in the door panel, and was now somehow wedged between the door panel and the door(held on by 37 fasteners did I mention?). It was at that point I realized I needed to pull the door panel off to get the lock rod out, but the door was shut and locked. I had just locked myself inside of an nsx.... I fought the urge to shat myself all over the interior and as I shut the motor off the other installers wondered what was up as I asked them to help me out of the car. I got to see them go through the same process of handle, lock rod, OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH FFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!! I crawled out the window and we managed to pull the door panel away from the door enough to grab the rod to unlock it. We ended up replacing some chrome trim across the top of the panel and thankfully the owner was cool about it.

Now who wants to hear about the installer(honestly not me) at that shop that glued his eye shut?!

 

[g36 monkey]

after 6 yrs of audio security installing in the midwest I was pretty confident installer when I moved to AZ. I got a 2nd job there doing installs again and found out I was suddenly not so confident of an installer in Snottsdale(scottsdale) Az. By that time I think I had been in any ford/chevy/dodge made but I think snottsdale had laws against them as the low end there was lexus/hummer. One day we had a nice original nsx in the shop as one of the bose amps had gone out and we had a repair place onsite. I had never been in an nsx and I took VERY carefull notes taking the door panel off to get to the amp/speaker behind it. I was a little surprised how cheap it was with plastic fasteners(37 or something crazy like that) and just a thin/light feel is what I am sure that they were after. Putting the door panel back on I first put the door lock rod through the door panel hole, and then lined it up on the door and proceeded to put the 37 fasteners back on. We were always in a hurry and in a small shop the guys were on me to get it out and onto the next one. I started the car up and out of habit, right before I backed any car out I always looked under it to be sure no parts/tools/equipment was moved or kicked under it. I grabbed the door handle but it was locked. So I went to grab the lock rod and then realized that while I was lining up the 37 fasteners the lock rod had slipped out of the hole in the door panel, and was now somehow wedged between the door panel and the door(held on by 37 fasteners did I mention?). It was at that point I realized I needed to pull the door panel off to get the lock rod out, but the door was shut and locked. I had just locked myself inside of an nsx.... I fought the urge to shat myself all over the interior and as I shut the motor off the other installers wondered what was up as I asked them to help me out of the car. I got to see them go through the same process of handle, lock rod, OOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH FFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!!!! I crawled out the window and we managed to pull the door panel away from the door enough to grab the rod to unlock it. We ended up replacing some chrome trim across the top of the panel and thankfully the owner was cool about it.

Now who wants to hear about the installer(honestly not me) at that shop that glued his eye shut?!

That sounds like a mess!

 

[PinkieT]

Just put a new fuel pump in my '98. Turned the key, heard the pump whine but it would not shut off, pressure never rose enough. My brother yelled at me to turn off the key. There was a puddle of gas on the floor under the car - the fuel filter was not hooked up. Palm slapped myself for days on that one!

 

[g36 monkey]

Just put a new fuel pump in my '98. Turned the key, heard the pump whine but it would not shut off, pressure never rose enough. My brother yelled at me to turn off the key. There was a puddle of gas on the floor under the car - the fuel filter was not hooked up. Palm slapped myself for days on that one!

That is a great way to drain the tank if you need to!

 

[PinkieT]

... and degrease the garage floor!

 

[SnakeBit!]

went to close the door, put my hand on the upper door frame (door glass was within a frame on the car) to close it and closed the door. then tried to walk away from the car and wondered why I couldn't. after seeing why I was trapped....then the pain came.

 

[01yellercobra]

went to close the door, put my hand on the upper door frame (door glass was within a frame on the car) to close it and closed the door. then tried to walk away from the car and wondered why I couldn't. after seeing why I was trapped....then the pain came.

One time I close my buddies hand in a truck door. We were doing something to my dads 87 Chevy and he was standing on the door sill. I didn't notice his hand on the frame so I closed the rear door. He calmly asked me to open the door back up. I asked why and he looked at his hand. I felt really bad.

As for myself I had s 94 Trans Am and swung the door closed but remembered I needed to grab something out of the car. Of all the places to grab on a door I thought the rear flange would be the perfect spot to grab. The door ended up bouncing off my index finger. I went to medical a couple days later because of the swelling. The nurse was extremely surprised to find nothing was broken.