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The Stupidest Thing I've Done While Working on My 107...So Far

7K views 52 replies 33 participants last post by  db51 
#1 ·
Since I'm always game for a little humbling, I'll kick it off. Yesterday I finished setting my timing which required rotating the engine around to TDC with a ratchet. I pulled and reset the distributor, timing was great, closed it up and went for a drive. Came home 20 minutes later to check the state of everything under the hood and saw the ratchet and 27mm socket sitting half in the balancer pulley and half on the fan shroud. Since I removed the visco fan it didn't interfere with anything. Luckily the socket disengaged, obviously when I started it to check the timing.

I didn't tell my wife...

Matt.
 
#33 ·
not that stupid, just forgetful and off target

got the car to my mechanics, to do something to the rear brakes. Searched the car high and low for the locking wheel nut. Not in the glovebox, ashtray, door pockets or anywhere else.

He stuck it up on the 4 post lift anyway, and saw the nut was on the wheel, where I must have left it after putting the wheel back on at home.

The lucky bit was, I had driven 22 miles on the motorway to get there at UK speeds of 70mph ( and more). I was so glad the wheel nut stayed on.

On another occasion I did nearly jack right through the floor with a bottle jack, having missed the chassis member I was aiming for. That jammed the gas pedal fully open by deforming the floor around it. Ouch. Had to hammer the floor down before I could drive away to have a new plate welded on underneath.

It pays not rush, or be rushed.
 
#37 ·
Wheel nuts

got the car to my mechanics, to do something to the rear brakes. Searched the car high and low for the locking wheel nut. Not in the glovebox, ashtray, door pockets or anywhere else.

He stuck it up on the 4 post lift anyway, and saw the nut was on the wheel, where I must have left it after putting the wheel back on at home.

The lucky bit was, I had driven 22 miles on the motorway to get there at UK speeds of 70mph ( and more). I was so glad the wheel nut stayed on.

On another occasion I did nearly jack right through the floor with a bottle jack, having missed the chassis member I was aiming for. That jammed the gas pedal fully open by deforming the floor around it. Ouch. Had to hammer the floor down before I could drive away to have a new plate welded on underneath.

It pays not rush, or be rushed.
Holy shit! I must be really stupid- I've done so many of these things. I once drove 3 miles with no wheel nuts at all on an old TR3 and luckily when it wobbled on a corner the noise alerted me. I had to steal some from each of the other wheels to get home. What a cretin.
 
#34 ·
Mistakes list contribution

The most expensive was slamming an unadjusted door without sealing rail installed the night before bringing it in for inspection/registration. 1000s pieces of glass everywhere.

The most time consuming was using too much force on a rear brake shield nut which was turning, it snapped.
Drilled small hole and used bolt remover which also broke.
Used a Dremel grinding stone (3 mm dia) to remove the bolt remover, which worked very well, then cleaned up using a tapping tool, which I also managed to break. Fortunately it had small slots, so drilled it out with same Dremel grinding stone and retapped (6 mm) very carefully back and forth using rust remover.

This took more than 15 hours !
 
#35 ·
Watched ebay for a year for a new trunk lid, finally found a good one, 300mile round trip to pick it up. Got home and though, where can I store this till I can get it painted. Hmmm, lets push it under the Merc which is in the garage as its still winter. A few weeks later the sun came out and so did the car. Yes, I reversed it out of the garage right over the new trunk lid. :twak:
 
#38 ·
I am not sure how epic of a failure mine amount to, but here goes.

I had a 220D that needed a new water pump. I figured that I was smart enough and there was room enough, how hard can it be? When it is the original water pump and has not been dicked with in 36 years, PLENTY hard. I was able to back out the first bolt. Second was not as accommodating, but decided after much Kroil, to behave. Third bolt seemed to work, until it sheered off. DAMN. In for a penny, in for a pound. Went with the fourth, which came out, but the next sheered off, as did the last. $50 replacement became $600.

Same car, manual shift was messy as could get. I am third owner and prior owners had had it for around a decade each. Got under the car and saw that the bushings for the shift rods wear gone or looked like bits of rubber band any more. Parts is cheap, so I can just stick them on/in where they belong. Under the car, being gentle at first and devolving into a ravenous beast yanking and pushing, pulling and jabbing trying to insert the stupid rubber shits. Ended up I had engaged all the gears and the transmission locked up. I had to snag a used one for a nice cash outlay and tow it to a mechanic to swap out the transmission.

The 220D was my near downfall, but the 450SL did me in. I had cleaned up and played with the instrument cluster in an attempt to get it to seat properly. The original board was cracked and causing erratic behaviour, so I swapped in a good board but moved my gauges over. Seemed to work fine, for a drive, but when I looked down, I saw the temp gauge pegged out. CRAP, so I rapidly return home (three blocks) and shut down. Look under the hood, no overheating damage, so I figure the thermostat is toast and I need a new one. Get the T-stat and begin the disassembly of the housing. Unhooked the battery, and move the alt out of the way. The housing is a no go on coming off. Decide a persuader is needed, so move to larger bits of dimensional lumber to use as impact transmitters with BFH imparting blows. I had a 2x4 up by the firewall and in my smacking it slips, knocks the battery cable, which makes contact with the post, which then shorts out the whole mess, as the alt. has now been pushed into contact with some other thing it should not have touched. Smoke and flames ensue. Fire extinguisher is used, mess is made, car is towed to my Indy, who has to order a new harness from the Father land.

Once that mess is taken care of, he sits me down and advises me that in future I will be charged double should my car come to his shop to rectify my mistakes. I am forbidden to work under the hood. If I do, have to take it to somebody else to unfornicate my mess.
 
#39 ·
Anybody who owns these things will screw up ! I keep screwing up ! My most recent was pulling all my bearing caps and plastigaging all the bearings ! The popular myth is that these engines are bullet proof in the bottom end. It turned out to be true in my case. The bummer is that after the factory assembly torque, my insertion of the plastigage and retorque, then the reading of the plastigage and subsequent final torque, the rod bolts are beyond stretch spec. MB rod bolts are $ 30 plus bucks EACH ! Multiply that times 16, read it and weep ! :crybaby2:
 
#41 ·
My auto garage door openers have "door bell ringers" instead of key pads on the center pillar. So I'm working on my f-150 and it starts to rain, no problem, I'll nose it into the garage and finish. Side mirror hits button, door comes down - Gash, and not the good kind.
 
#42 ·
i was changing my thermostat in my 560 sl. it started raining so i wanted to get it in the garage quickly. so i closed the hood without noticing i left a tool on top of the air cleaner . and now i have a dipple on the hood with little spider cracks in it. not a happy camper.
 
#48 ·
Happened similarly to me.
Only that I had a plastic Oil Funnel sitting on top of the Air Cleaner and
a powerful wind gust blew the hood down on the Funnel. Like you I have a
small dimple with some little spider cracks.
 
#43 · (Edited)
Hey Aussimerc , looks like we are kindred souls my man! By the way, finally well enough, went thru back log of mail and found the guides. I need to check my engine, even though some learned individual said they won't fit. Assuming they don't, I'll take some pics and post part numbers and find another of the regular asylum members that can use them. Thanks a lot! Thanks for sending them. We'll find them a goos home!

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App
 
#46 ·
If there's another "Dumb Shit I've Done While Working On A Car" thread....I can't find it.

So...I'll post here.

Not a 107 story, rather my Ram 1500.

Driving back from Montreal through a snow storm the other day, I stopped for a coffee, fuel and top up the windshield washer jug.

Popped the hood of the RAM only to see a funnel sitting in the oil fill spout. Pulled the funnel out....it was filthy AND full of snow.....I guess I forgot that part whilst changing the oil.:)

What to do? Well it had been like that for 6 weeks and 4000kms....so carry on home to Barrie.

Went right to the dealer and bought a new filler cap while the truck got a fresh oil change in the lube bay.

Cost of this stupidity? $170.00
 
#49 ·
Ive done some dumb things as well

Most recently- the battery in the 300ce died so I left it charging with a tickle charger. the next day, I was eager to start the car and forgot that the charger was still in the engine bay (it was very small and the hood was down. When I started the car, the electrical cord was absorbed into the Fan and pulley belt system - and the belt jumped the pulley.

Previously- after a long drill weekend, I returned home and decided to back my civic into the garage. I backed into the garage with the side of the civic

Previously- I didn't secure the 5 lug nuts holding my rim to the car. luckily I heard the wobble in time.

Previously- I like to park my benzs together- side by side. well it snowed the night before. Usually I take them out on Sat for a quick highway run. I decided to attempt to drive it pull out of their spots instead of moving the snow
the 400e (green car) came within a inch of hitting the 400SEL.

Previously- I had 18s on my Benz but I decided to drive / turn aggressively and had a rear tire blow out.

Lady luck (my deceased grandmother) has been looking out for me. She saves me from catastrophic damages / injury.
 
#50 ·
Two events come to mind on reading this thread:

1. I painted my Plymouth Fury outdoors while a student... I successfully waited for a day with no wind and no insects. The paint job was perfect and left the car in a secluded spot to dry overnight. But I did not check the weather charts, that night was the first hard freeze to start the cold New England winter. The paint froze and crazed and ended up looking worse than the cheapest Earl Scheib rattle can finish. I had to drive that car for years as a constant reminder.

2. I had my Infiniti Q45 in long term stowage on the driveway and decided to be frugal and let the very expensive insurance lapse. Exactly two weeks after the policy expired a large tree fell directly on it, a total loss.

3. There's more but I need to be put on sodium pentothal remember it.
 
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