to your car......repair or maintenance .
1) Letting Walmart change my oil.....
2) Driving F150 years ago w/temp light on....don't do that.
1) Letting Walmart change my oil.....
2) Driving F150 years ago w/temp light on....don't do that.
Stupidest thing you've ever done (or not done)
- Thread starter Speak2Mountain
- Start date
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Decades before cordless phones I was changing my oil and an sending unit. I had drained the oil, changed the filter, refilled it, and then changed the oil sending unit. I got a phone call from my GF at the time. My father came out to tell me and I went in to answer the phone. About half an hour later I went out to finish. I started the engine with the oil sending unit removed. A mess was an understatement. I shut the engine after shooting/spraying about 3 quarts of oil everywhere. Lesson learned....
1) Failed to check the mounting boss after removing an oil filter from my brother's Odyssey. The old gasket stuck and I screwed the new filter onto it.
A mess resulted.
2) Unwittingly purchased and installed a cheap water pump on a family member's Saab. I didn't know about the cheap parts NO GO list. The water pump failed within 3 years.
A mess resulted.
2) Unwittingly purchased and installed a cheap water pump on a family member's Saab. I didn't know about the cheap parts NO GO list. The water pump failed within 3 years.
I popped a coolant hose 30 miles from home. Drove 10 miles before I realized what happened. Drove the remainder at full speed just to see what would happen while keeping an eye on the temp gauge (which was still responding to throttle).
Nothing happened. No coolant in the head but plenty in the block (which is why the temp sensor was working). It was winter and I was driving a turbo-diesel. I did sell a year later.
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Probably the dumbest thing I've done over the years was buying all the cars I have, new. I can forgive the first one, can't rent an apartment while driving a beater. But the rest? That and buying a starter home, should have stretched myself a bit more. And should have put more into my 401k, and probably a bunch of other financial stuff.
Nothing happened. No coolant in the head but plenty in the block (which is why the temp sensor was working). It was winter and I was driving a turbo-diesel. I did sell a year later.
*
Probably the dumbest thing I've done over the years was buying all the cars I have, new. I can forgive the first one, can't rent an apartment while driving a beater. But the rest? That and buying a starter home, should have stretched myself a bit more. And should have put more into my 401k, and probably a bunch of other financial stuff.
Back in 1990 or so I had a numbers matching 340 duster. It was low on oil. Oil was $.78/qt back then. I refused to pay $4/qt for oil at a gas station and burned the 340 up.
Back in the day...
Coolant change in one of my Toranas...running short on spare cash.
Didn't have the right amount of antifreeze for 50:50
Made it up with used brake fluid (glycol).
Whole lot "split" into a filthy oily mess.
Requiring change out and caustic flush.
When I really only needed 33% AF anyway in the first place.
More recently
RP 75W140 in the diff of my recently sold Nissan Navara - came out gluggy black.
Replaced it with Shockproof...and it chattered like it was naked in Antarctica.
Coolant change in one of my Toranas...running short on spare cash.
Didn't have the right amount of antifreeze for 50:50
Made it up with used brake fluid (glycol).
Whole lot "split" into a filthy oily mess.
Requiring change out and caustic flush.
When I really only needed 33% AF anyway in the first place.
More recently
RP 75W140 in the diff of my recently sold Nissan Navara - came out gluggy black.
Replaced it with Shockproof...and it chattered like it was naked in Antarctica.
Let's see. I jacked up an '88 crown vic on a slope and didn't chock the wheels. It promptly fell off after I removed the wheel. I shot myself in the face with hot coolant. I drank and did a brake job once. Sprayed brake clean on a rotor and it bounced off and sprayed into my eyes. This was after I dropped a freshly packed bearing into the dirt. Twice. I worked on a leaking fuel pump while the car was running and caused a spark. Yeah I'm dumb. To my defense I was youger with all of this and thought I was invincible. I'm lucky I'm not dead.
2001 Crown Vic, replaced both front lower control arms. Torqued the rubber bushing mount bolts in the air and not on the ground. Paid for a front end alignment and after about a week of ignoring the bushings squeaking on every bump, they gave out and had to redo the whole job. Expensive lesson learned.
I was doing a transmission fluid drain and fill on the Cherokee about 8 years ago when I first bought it. I over tightened the bolt on the transmission pan, and stripped the threads right out of it. I ended up having to buy a pan and wait 3 days for it to come in. I use a torque wrench now just to be sure.
With my dad age 14 using an 1980's vintage jack lifted our 85 AMC Eagle to top of jack to change tire. Car was a little bit tettering. When I put the spare on the car started to fall over my dad pushed me back and crash it went onto the drum brake.
We got a great laugh and memory out of it.
No damage except premature lockup in slippery conditions.
We got a great laugh and memory out of it.
No damage except premature lockup in slippery conditions.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Not seeing empty gasket groove on old oil filter
(You only have to do that once)
(You only have to do that once)
Originally Posted by Leo99
The morning after an oil chnage, my wife complained the car sounded louder than usual and smelled funny. I forgot to replace the oil fill cap. Man, what a mess.
With my 81 Omega I left the oil cap off when adding oil at a gas station once. Set it on the air cleaner where it creased the hood. The car was leaking a bit of oil out the rear main seal so a bit of oil smell was normal so I didn't notice anything until I checked the oil at the next fill up... Not all that much oil came out surprisingly, but it could have gone badly if I didn't check the oil so often...
The morning after an oil chnage, my wife complained the car sounded louder than usual and smelled funny. I forgot to replace the oil fill cap. Man, what a mess.
With my 81 Omega I left the oil cap off when adding oil at a gas station once. Set it on the air cleaner where it creased the hood. The car was leaking a bit of oil out the rear main seal so a bit of oil smell was normal so I didn't notice anything until I checked the oil at the next fill up... Not all that much oil came out surprisingly, but it could have gone badly if I didn't check the oil so often...
I very recently did an "extremely simple" electrical repair to some side indicator lights that needed replacing on my truck. What could possibly go wrong?
Well I spent 3 weeks without the cluster lights and tail lights before I gave up trying to trace the fault and brought it to a shop. They had it done in an hour.....
It didn't even really need fixing in the first place! It was just a "Hey why not do this while I'm at it?" decision.
Well I spent 3 weeks without the cluster lights and tail lights before I gave up trying to trace the fault and brought it to a shop. They had it done in an hour.....
It didn't even really need fixing in the first place! It was just a "Hey why not do this while I'm at it?" decision.
Dating a certain girl ........
Originally Posted by IndyIan
Originally Posted by Leo99
The morning after an oil chnage, my wife complained the car sounded louder than usual and smelled funny. I forgot to replace the oil fill cap. Man, what a mess.
With my 81 Omega I left the oil cap off when adding oil at a gas station once. Set it on the air cleaner where it creased the hood..
I dented a girls hood. She had a 70 Camaro with a 4 speed. She didn't have an airfilter. Just a 4bbl Holley on a hirise manifold. I put an air filter on it and the first time she dumped the clutch the air filter stud came up through the hood.
Originally Posted by Leo99
The morning after an oil chnage, my wife complained the car sounded louder than usual and smelled funny. I forgot to replace the oil fill cap. Man, what a mess.
With my 81 Omega I left the oil cap off when adding oil at a gas station once. Set it on the air cleaner where it creased the hood..
I dented a girls hood. She had a 70 Camaro with a 4 speed. She didn't have an airfilter. Just a 4bbl Holley on a hirise manifold. I put an air filter on it and the first time she dumped the clutch the air filter stud came up through the hood.
Originally Posted by WyrTwister
Dating a certain girl ........
marrying a certain girl...
Dating a certain girl ........
marrying a certain girl...
Owned a 91 Ford full size Bronco for 22 years.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
From rumpity, rumpity, rumpity, to rump … LoL …
Originally Posted by E150GT
Let's see. I jacked up an '88 crown vic on a slope and didn't chock the wheels. It promptly fell off after I removed the wheel. I shot myself in the face with hot coolant. I drank and did a brake job once. Sprayed brake clean on a rotor and it bounced off and sprayed into my eyes. This was after I dropped a freshly packed bearing into the dirt. Twice. I worked on a leaking fuel pump while the car was running and caused a spark. Yeah I'm dumb. To my defense I was youger with all of this and thought I was invincible. I'm lucky I'm not dead.
A friend of mine lost a friend of his by not chocking the wheels and using the emergency brake. He was on a sloped driveway with the front wheels on ramps and removed the driveshaft on his wife's car to replace the yoke or yoke bearing.
The car rolled off the ramps and killed him.
My friend said he knew his way around a vehicle pretty good but just wasn't thinking that day, obviously, when that happened. He left behind a beautiful wife who is still a mess to this day. Thankfully they had no children.
Be careful out there people. Life can be fleeting.
Let's see. I jacked up an '88 crown vic on a slope and didn't chock the wheels. It promptly fell off after I removed the wheel. I shot myself in the face with hot coolant. I drank and did a brake job once. Sprayed brake clean on a rotor and it bounced off and sprayed into my eyes. This was after I dropped a freshly packed bearing into the dirt. Twice. I worked on a leaking fuel pump while the car was running and caused a spark. Yeah I'm dumb. To my defense I was youger with all of this and thought I was invincible. I'm lucky I'm not dead.
A friend of mine lost a friend of his by not chocking the wheels and using the emergency brake. He was on a sloped driveway with the front wheels on ramps and removed the driveshaft on his wife's car to replace the yoke or yoke bearing.
The car rolled off the ramps and killed him.
My friend said he knew his way around a vehicle pretty good but just wasn't thinking that day, obviously, when that happened. He left behind a beautiful wife who is still a mess to this day. Thankfully they had no children.
Be careful out there people. Life can be fleeting.
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