Repair Mistakes & Blunders

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by Rob, Apr 23, 2011.

  1. Rob

    Rob Guest

    this came in a newsletter i get from time to time...





    I was 15 years old, and my older brother had just gotten a '47 Chevy. I kept
    overhearing the older kids in school talking about pistons, cylinders,
    shackles for lowering, glasspacks and all that, and wished I knew more about
    cars. So one evening, I snuck into the garage and lifted the hood of his
    car. I unscrewed the beautiful chrome-plated acorn nuts that held the valve
    cover on, and lifted off the cover. I had never heard of gaskets, and this
    one was cork, and it tore in two or three pieces. I looked at the
    complicated works underneath and noticed that some of the rocker arms were
    loose, so I tightened them all. Then I put the cover back on, making sure
    the torn parts of the cork gasket were lined-up right. Then I started
    tightening the acorn nuts on the studs that were to hold the cover on. I
    kept tightening because the nuts never seemed to get tight. Eventually the
    studs pushed right through the smooth tops of the nuts leaving them with
    what I would describe as "trap doors".

    I didn't say anything to my brother as he left for work next day, but he had
    plenty to say when he got home! The engine had overheated and oil was
    seeping out from the valve covers.

    I learned from my Dad as he tried to set things right that there was
    supposed to be clearance for the valves, and that sometimes you have to
    replace a gasket.

    Tom in North Dakota
     
    Rob, Apr 23, 2011
    #1
  2. Rob

    Joe Pfeiffer Guest

    This didn't, but....

    I still remember my first brake job. Which is fortunate, as it could
    easily have been my *last* brake job. The car was my '66 Charger (which
    I still own... hopefully I'll be able to reassemble the engine and then
    the car Real Soon Now), the year was roughly 1980, which would have made
    me 23 or so, the place was Seattle where I was a grad student at the
    University of Washington.

    I followed the directions (probably from Chilton's -- that's another
    lesson I've learned in the mean time) carefully. I don't remember if I
    had the drums turned.

    What I *do* remember is that the first time I drove it after finishing,
    going west on NE 50th, heading toward University Village (a road I
    remember as being about a 50% down grade, but which on checking doesn't
    even make the list of Seattle's 20 steepest streets), I had no brakes.
    Remember, 1967 was the year Chrysler adopted dual master cylinders.

    I was able to put the car in 1st (it has a manual transmission) to slow
    it down, and then stop it at the bottom of the hill with the parking
    brake. I then maneuvered it into the parking lot and walked home to
    pick up a jack and tools.

    I jacked it up and took the front wheels apart, and found that one of
    the front brakes (I want to say the left, but I don't remember for sure)
    had come completely undone -- the cable was off its pulleys, the shoes
    were floating loose.... I put it back together and drove home.

    I never did figure out exactly what I did wrong the first time. Clearly
    something, somewhere that needed to be tight wasn't. I've been pretty
    obsessive about checking and rechecking *everything* on every brake job
    I've done in the 30 years since, and I've never had another one go sour
    on me.

    I've always been sort of proud of the facts that I didn't run the stop
    sign at the bottom of the hill, and I didn't need to change my underwear
    when I got home.
     
    Joe Pfeiffer, Apr 23, 2011
    #2
  3. Rob

    NotMe Guest

    When I was in my mid 20's and been a new father for just a few years I can
    recalling making a weekend phone call to my father and my grandfather
    apologizing for all the 'help' I'd given them when they were teaching me to
    work on cars.

    I can also recall a phone call I'd received from my youngest son musing
    about how much extra time (by 2X or 3X) it took him when my then one grand
    daughter insisted on helping him work on the family cars.

    I wisely gave him the advice to make the adjustments so that the time was
    available to do both jobs right Good experiences all around and the kids can
    just about fix anything although I'm falling off the skill set due to age
    and infirmary.
     
    NotMe, Apr 24, 2011
    #3
  4. Rob

    DAS Guest

    Nice stories.

    DAS
     
    DAS, Apr 24, 2011
    #4
  5. Rob

    TM Guest

    "NotMe" wrote in message

    When I was in my mid 20's and been a new father for just a few years I can
    recalling making a weekend phone call to my father and my grandfather
    apologizing for all the 'help' I'd given them when they were teaching me to
    work on cars.

    I can also recall a phone call I'd received from my youngest son musing
    about how much extra time (by 2X or 3X) it took him when my then one grand
    daughter insisted on helping him work on the family cars.

    I wisely gave him the advice to make the adjustments so that the time was
    available to do both jobs right Good experiences all around and the kids can
    just about fix anything although I'm falling off the skill set due to age
    and infirmary.

    Here's one for the ages that I did:

    I was adjusting the valve lash--and timing--on my "prized" orange 1972
    Vega...my first new car...in 1972. I must've been 22. I also had just bought
    a new set of Craftsman wrenches and sockets (so already I was dangerous).

    After doing everything by the book, I went to fire up the motor...and
    something very, very bad happened.

    I had left my new ratchet on the crankshaft pulley. It caught on
    "something," and the notched timing belt slipped about, oh, maybe 10-20
    notches. Then the ratchet slammed into the radiator, putting a gaping hole
    in that.

    Not having a clue as to how to re-fire the motor at this point, I
    punted...and pushed the Vega six blocks to a local gas station, where a guy
    re-timed it for me. Took him about 10 minutes.

    Huge lesson learned on that one.
     
    TM, May 10, 2011
    #5
  6. Rob

    NotMe Guest

    My dad was a AI (inspector grade aircraft mechanic for the military). At
    one time he spent 3 years rebuilding an engine for a collector with a F4U
    Corsair (inverted gull wing aircraft you see in all the war movies involving
    the Pacific war).

    In any case he was near completion when some yahoo tossed a few extra parts
    in the pile. Old man completely disassembled the engine and redid the work.
    When he figured out who did what he beat the living hell out of the SOB.

    Were it me I'd have arranged for the SOB to steal more chain than he could
    swim with ... but then I'm less forgiving than my old man.
     
    NotMe, May 13, 2011
    #6
  7. Rob

    Rob Guest

    corsairs......flown by pappy Boynton i believe


     
    Rob, May 13, 2011
    #7
  8. Rob

    NotMe Guest

    Yes that's the one. Real sweat to fly but had built in gotchs if you were
    low and slow and goosed it for a go around. Killed more than a few new
    pilots until someone figured out way.
     
    NotMe, May 13, 2011
    #8
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