DIY Mechanic Mistakes

[woodlandfarms]

Had a good laugh, thought it was worthy to share

The Ten Most Common Mistakes DIY Mechanics Make

 

[KennyG]

I hate it when you post things about me.

 

[skyhook]

I didn't see anything about left over spare parts,:confused2:
I've learned to take pictures, lots of them, if I can remember where my camera is.

 

[otlski]

So mine is removing a specialty bolt that cannot be replaced easily. Then thinking "I need to put this down somewhere special where I won't forget where it is and I can't knock it to the floor".... Minutes later I have already forgotten where I put it.

 

[gwstang]

I've got several buckets of left over....errhhh...I mean "spare parts" left over from years of working on hot rods. They always seemed to run ok afterwards. I just figure they were "un-needed" parts anyway. I just wish I could have remembered where/how they went on after taking them off...lol. :ashamed:

 

[woody]

So mine is removing a specialty bolt that cannot be replaced easily. Then thinking "I need to put this down somewhere special where I won't forget where it is and I can't knock it to the floor".... Minutes later I have already forgotten where I put it.

did that last week and then found it in the washing machine, now how did that get in my pocket

 

[orezok]

A friend an I owned a motorcycle shop in the 60's. We sold Kawasaki and Maico. We sold a Maico to one guy and after a while he brought it back to the shop in a basket. Somehow he ran the gearbox out of oil and toasted it. He bought all new parts but couldn't figure out how to put it all back together again.

Since we had been selling them for less than a year, I had never been inside one. We didn't even have a factory shop manual. With a little luck and a lot of patience I got it back together again and it worked flawlessly. ...and not a single part left over! It was fun figuring out where all the bearings, snap rings etc each belonged.

 

[farm boy00]

I had a simplicity garden tractor. Had to split the rear end. I had to put the rear wheels on it to move it after putting back together. After cleaning up my tools and selling the tractor i found 4 lug nut bolts. The tractor has the other 6on it. Ohh well more spare parts

 

[farm boy00]

I also was taking the wheels off my 79f150 and the lug nuts were Rusted on. I learn the hard. I now have 4studs on my rear passenger side

 

[Oaktree]

I also was taking the wheels off my 79f150 and the lug nuts were Rusted on. I learn the hard. I now have 4studs on my rear passenger side

When I was a teenager, a friend of mine bought a Valiant for his first car. He didn't know that Chrysler products back then had LH lugs on the driver's side. He broke off 3 lugs by trying to brute force them off before he asked for help. :duh:

Luckily, it was the front and all we did was replaced the brake drum.

 

[Wagtail]

I didn't see anything about left over spare parts,:confused2:
I've learned to take pictures, lots of them, if I can remember where my camera is.

You reminded me of my Navy days when we'd slip a few extra screws/bolts into another blokes job, when he wasn't looking.

Ah, yes... good times.

 

[MossRoad]

Had a good laugh, thought it was worthy to share

The Ten Most Common*Mistakes*DIY Mechanics Make

Geeze, I was guilty of all but #2 (I always use proper jack stands).

 

[skyhook]

You reminded me of my Navy days when we'd slip a few extra screws/bolts into another blokes job, when he wasn't looking.

Ah, yes... good times.

LMAO...thats a good one, I remember when i was younger working in a steel factory, as a newbie, I guess it was my turn, so they sent me to the "stores" (parts counter in the mill) for a "SkyHook,
back and forth until I finally figured it out,lol...it was so funny, thought I'd use it as a nick for this site.

 

[Wood_Butcher_Dav]

Sometimes ignoring torque spec i would use German torque... that being good-n-tight.

Dave

 

[oldballs]

IIRC, I did the front caliper/discs on a '78 Plymouth. IIRC, the left side and the right side were different. So I religiously put the parts in two separate buckets labeled "Left" & "Right". Then proceeded to switch the buckets when replacing the components. DUH-h-h-h.:duh:

 

[mbohuntr]

ALWAYS....... replace the timing chain cover and gaskets BEFORE putting the harmonic balancer and radiator back in...... :muttering:

 

[Mace Canute]

LMAO...thats a good one, I remember when i was younger working in a steel factory, as a newbie, I guess it was my turn, so they sent me to the "stores" (parts counter in the mill) for a "SkyHook,
back and forth until I finally figured it out,lol...it was so funny, thought I'd use it as a nick for this site.

I heard a story once (supposedly true even! ) where a construction crew played that same trick on a freshly hired young fellow. As the story went he diligently went looking for a skyhook and where else do you find things but in the Yellow Pages in the telephone book where there was listed a crane outfit named Skyhook Cranes. Since he didn't know what size they needed he decided that he had better error on the side of caution and he ordered up their biggest unit which showed up on site soon enough.

 

[KennyG]

Years ago I was rebuilding the engine on a very old Datsun pickup. I took the engine to my Dad's well equipped shop to tear it down, put the parts in boxes and took them home. After a long delay in finding the rebuild parts, I found I had a couple of half circle shims that almost, but not quite, matched the crankshaft thrust bearing sizes. After a few sleepless nights trying to figure out what I had done, I called my Dad and explained the problem. He described the mystery parts exactly, then laughed and told me I had spacers for an Allis Chalmers WD-45 clutch. Apparently they were in a box I grabbed to throw parts into.

 

[davesl708]

What mistakes??? Hold my beer and watch this!:thumbsup:

Left over parts were not needed anyway. Just the manufacturer driving up cost.:confused2:

 

[mbohuntr]

Sometimes ignoring torque spec i would use German torque... that being good-n-tight.

Dave

I used to work in a custom fab shop, we used the German method of "Hagenslashen...":shocked: