Wrenching Woes - Car Work & Tool Discussion Thread

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Melon
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So, what's the dumbest thing you've ever done whilst working on a car?

Got any nifty "Must-have" tools in your box?

Got any hints/tips/tricks to share?

Any job you're pretty proud of taking on yourself?

Share them all here!

Got these a while back, and love them:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002A ... UTF8&psc=1
4zilch wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:46 am I'm a fucking failure.
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Melon wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 11:57 am So, what's the dumbest thing you've ever done whilst working on a car?

Got any nifty "Must-have" tools in your box?

Got any hints/tips/tricks to share?

Any job you're pretty proud of taking on yourself?

Share them all here!

Got these a while back, and love them:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002A ... UTF8&psc=1
I was rotating my tires once and somehow completely spaced on one of the wheels and didn't tighten the lugs past an initial hand tighten, didn't even hit them with a wrench at all, let alone torquing them to spec :yikes: Drove around for a day with a weird vibration and noise wondering :dafuq: was was going on.. Talked to my dad about it that night and he went and checked all my lug nuts and was very :disappoint: when he got to that wheel. No clue how my wheel didn't fall off. All my lugs were still in there too :impressive:
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listing to smoking tire podcast
"whats the dumbest shit you ever did working on a car"

dude has to weld a gas tank
so he washes it out a couple times real good, fills with water, strikes an arc

BOOM

dude says it shot water like 10 ft in the air
his boss was literly ROTFL when he told him what happened.

but it didn't ruin it, but it was deformed.

so he bashed it back into place for the most part, finished what he was doing.
said the car held an extra 2 gallons of gas after that.

This was for the dudes race car he ran with his boss, so it ended up being an advantage.
brain go brrrrrr
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4zilch
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Melon wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 11:57 am So, what's the dumbest thing you've ever done whilst working on a car?

Got any nifty "Must-have" tools in your box?

Got any hints/tips/tricks to share?

Any job you're pretty proud of taking on yourself?

Share them all here!

Got these a while back, and love them:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002A ... UTF8&psc=1
Dumbest: forgetting to drain the coolant before removing a water pump on a GM 3.1L

Nifty: Marc Parnes wheel balancer for my KTM. http://www.marcparnes.com/KTMS.JPG

Tips/tricks: probably

Proud: Ducati valve adjustments, changing a clutch on a fox body Mustang while parked on a snow covered, rock driveway.
As the only published author in a well-known motorcycle publication in the room...
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goIftdibrad
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Dumbest thing i ever did that resulted in no injuries?

Trying to go to a trackday in college with the rabbit. fucking axle seal starts leaking like the week before.

I got the seal and not the clip. My stupid apt. landlord didnt want me working on the car at the complex. So i did it at a friends place. he didnt have jackstands. I worked WAY under a lowered car on a jack. Real dumb.

Then, at the end of the day i fucked up the install of the axle cup and it came off on the way to the track. No drive. Had to call mom and dad for a tow. :(

Dumbest thing I did that resulted in injuries? (not wrenching but car related)
Race car seat got hot sometimes. well it was getting REALLY painful on my leg/hip area. But I dont want to stop, we doing so good. Just block out the pain.
Then the pain stopped.

I had 2nd degree burns, the area is still numb.
brain go brrrrrr
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[user not found] wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 3:55 pm Best tool in my toolbox:

Image

Right after this:
Image
I really need to not :scrooge: and buy some snap ring pliers.
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
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Detroit wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:01 pm I really need to not :scrooge: and buy some snap ring pliers.
The cheapass harbor freight ones are terrible but eventually get the job done.
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troyguitar wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:02 pm
Detroit wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:01 pm I really need to not :scrooge: and buy some snap ring pliers.
The cheapass harbor freight ones are terrible but eventually get the job done.
I didn't even know they made them. I swear I've looked before and couldn't find any.
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
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Wait. Fuck. I meant band clamp pliers.

My brain is shot.
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
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Detroit wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:07 pm Wait. Fuck. I meant band clamp pliers.

My brain is shot.
:derp:

I don't have those, I'm too cheap for that sort of thing.
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Detroit wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:07 pm Wait. Fuck. I meant band clamp pliers.

My brain is shot.
Oetiker pliers?
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I can't think of a 'dumbest' but I'll share some :derp: moments.

I was getting my GTI on ramps, got about 1/2 way up and ran out of momentum, so I gave it some gas. *Thunk*
Passenger side wheel spun the ramp straight up under the car, fortunately it was being supported on the jacking point.
4zilch wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:46 am I'm a fucking failure.
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CorvetteWaxer wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:26 pm
Detroit wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:07 pm Wait. Fuck. I meant band clamp pliers.

My brain is shot.
Oetiker pliers?
No, dis.
https://www.amazon.com/OTC-4525-Cable-T ... B000F5JM0O
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
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Detroit wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 5:04 pm
CorvetteWaxer wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:26 pm

Oetiker pliers?
No, dis.
https://www.amazon.com/OTC-4525-Cable-T ... B000F5JM0O
Yeah those were handy on the VW intake clamps.
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Melon wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:40 pm I can't think of a 'dumbest' but I'll share some :derp: moments.

I was getting my GTI on ramps, got about 1/2 way up and ran out of momentum, so I gave it some gas. *Thunk*
Passenger side wheel spun the ramp straight up under the car, fortunately it was being supported on the jacking point.
Dem FWD torques, :doe:
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Changed the oil in Corvettes with nothing but ramps and a floor jack. Sitting in the car with the brakes pressed and the e-brake pulled, not the smartest decision in the world, but when you have a dad that likes to DIY as much as possible, you work with what you've got.
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4zilch
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Story from this weekend, and a lesson why you shouldn't use spark plug sockets with the rubber grommet inside...buy a magnetic one.

Changing plugs on the FiST, installing #2 plug, removed socket and the rubber grommet stuck to the plug. I didn't realize it, until I tried to put the coil/plug boot on and it wouldn't properly seat. Unfortunately doing this pushed the grommet down to the point where I couldn't get a socket to make contact with the plug flats and remove the plug.

:rage: commences:
tried smallish sockets to see if any could "grab" the grommet
tried to use safety wire to make a lasso and pull it off.
tried levering it off with a long skinny screwdriver

All to no avail, I had to pull the valve cover to get enough clearance to access the spark plug. No small chore in of itself - very difficult to remove intake piping that runs down to the turbo and up over the top of the engine near the wiper cowl, fuel rail, and high pressure fuel lines. It was still tight access, but I was able to use an exacto knife to cut a slit in the grommet and then was finally able to pull it off with my safety wire lasso.

All in a 20 minute spark plug change turned into 3-4 hrs of :rage:

In hindsight, I wish I wouldn't have fucked around so long trying to get creative in pulling the grommet off and just gone straight into disassembly...
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4zilch wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 9:54 am Story from this weekend, and a lesson why you shouldn't use spark plug sockets with the rubber grommet inside...buy a magnetic one.

Changing plugs on the FiST, installing #2 plug, removed socket and the rubber grommet stuck to the plug. I didn't realize it, until I tried to put the coil/plug boot on and it wouldn't properly seat. Unfortunately doing this pushed the grommet down to the point where I couldn't get a socket to make contact with the plug flats and remove the plug.

:rage: commences:
tried smallish sockets to see if any could "grab" the grommet
tried to use safety wire to make a lasso and pull it off.
tried levering it off with a long skinny screwdriver

All to no avail, I had to pull the valve cover to get enough clearance to access the spark plug. No small chore in of itself - very difficult to remove intake piping that runs down to the turbo and up over the top of the engine near the wiper cowl, fuel rail, and high pressure fuel lines. It was still tight access, but I was able to use an exacto knife to cut a slit in the grommet and then was finally able to pull it off with my safety wire lasso.

All in a 20 minute spark plug change turned into 3-4 hrs of :rage:

In hindsight, I wish I wouldn't have fucked around so long trying to get creative in pulling the grommet off and just gone straight into disassembly...
I epoxied my rubber grommet in after the same thing happened to me. Fortunately I had enough room to grab it off, but since I've done this, haven't had an issue yet.
4zilch wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:46 am I'm a fucking failure.
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So, what's the dumbest thing you've ever done whilst working on a car?
Had a Hi-Lift for my lifted S-10 (because it had so much lift no regular lift would work).
Image
I thought I had clipped the clip to hold the handle in the vertical position, but it wasn't. The bar rotated down, clicked once (you raise and lower it in single clicks), and shot the entire force of the weight of the vehicle from that click back into the bar and the bar flew up and popped me in the jaw. Nearly broke my whole lower face. It was a solid hit, I swear I thought my jaw was broken but it was just super swollen for a few days.

Got any nifty "Must-have" tools in your box?
I've used THIS more than I thought I would. Especially on the GTI. Gets some really weird angles that make my life a lot easier
Image
That and an Impact Driver. I've used the shit out of mine.
Also I've used my Quik-Jack super often.

Got any hints/tips/tricks to share?
A few things I do when working on something.
1) When I drop something, like a screw, or small pin, I immediately stop and don't move. I let whatever it is fall and I look and listen. It helps me see any change in motion so I can actually see if fall and bounce under my work station or under a tire or something. Might sound dumb, but I find I spend 10 seconds looking for something rather than 10 minutes of :wtf:
2) I use some toolbox trays similar to this one for organizing work.
Image
Basically as I remove things, I put the screws that I take off from left to right as per whatever piece it goes to. That way, when I'm reassembling it I can go from right to left and know that these 4 isolated bolts are used to put this sensor on, and then next to it is the bolts for the next part. If there's more than one size of screws/bolts for a piece or it's complicated, I'll use some small ziplocks to store them and put them inside the proper tray as to which step it goes to.
3) If possible, I usually try to put screws back where they go after removing a piece. That's if I don't want to store or organize them, or if the project requires me to remove a LOT of pieces. It's easier to just see "Oh this part goes here, the 3 bolts that attach it are still on the engine".



Any job you're pretty proud of taking on yourself?
Rebuilt a 700r4 myself. Ended up with 6 neutrals. Twas a great weekend of frustration and cut hands as I realized that they deck the metal parts inside of transmissions and don't break the sharp edges.
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Yeah, there is a hose clamp somewhere in the C5 right now, I looked, and felt, can't find it. Sigh.
4zilch wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:46 am I'm a fucking failure.
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Melon wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:29 am Yeah, there is a hose clamp somewhere in the C5 right now, I looked, and felt, can't find it. Sigh.
Hose clamp pliers are on my list of things to get. There's always one or two clamps involved every time I need to remove something. Charles, the Humble Mechanic guy recommended a set that has worked awesome for him in the shop. I was considering getting the one he suggested.
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Melon wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:29 am Yeah, there is a hose clamp somewhere in the C5 right now, I looked, and felt, can't find it. Sigh.
I was changing pushrods last month, and dropped a rocker bolt while working on the passenger side. Did just as acid said...stopped immediately and listened. It didn't hit the ground.

FUUUUU

I looked all over, couldn't find it. The passenger side of the C5 is crazy cramped, so looking was futile. I found the most logical drop path would have left it on the crossmember, so I grabbed my extendable magnet pen and scraped it around. Sure enough, it picked it up right next to the motor mount. Then it dropped again, but I knew where it was for certain. 5-10min of :triggered: and I pulled it out.
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
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Acid666 wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:32 am
Melon wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:29 am Yeah, there is a hose clamp somewhere in the C5 right now, I looked, and felt, can't find it. Sigh.
Hose clamp pliers are on my list of things to get. There's always one or two clamps involved every time I need to remove something. Charles, the Humble Mechanic guy recommended a set that has worked awesome for him in the shop. I was considering getting the one he suggested.
I need to buy a set too. Channel locks just aren't cutting it anymore.
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
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When I had my TSX, during my "ricer" days. I took off the hood carpeting, and left the spare tire in the garage for weight reduction broooo. After a while, when I was heading to the gym, I got a flat and the spare tire was at home, so I had to call my dad to bring my spare, called me a dumbass for doing that :lol:
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Detroit wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:33 am
Melon wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:29 am Yeah, there is a hose clamp somewhere in the C5 right now, I looked, and felt, can't find it. Sigh.
I was changing pushrods last month, and dropped a rocker bolt while working on the passenger side. Did just as acid said...stopped immediately and listened. It didn't hit the ground.

FUUUUU

I looked all over, couldn't find it. The passenger side of the C5 is crazy cramped, so looking was futile. I found the most logical drop path would have left it on the crossmember, so I grabbed my extendable magnet pen and scraped it around. Sure enough, it picked it up right next to the motor mount. Then it dropped again, but I knew where it was for certain. 5-10min of :triggered: and I pulled it out.
Lol exactly why I learned to just stop and look straight ahead. I've got a work bench that I'm usually working near and there's empty oil cans and grimy shit under there. If I can know asap if something like a ball bearing has kicked itself in one direction or another I can save myself the pain of pulling oil-filled shit out and having to dig in that crap.
I've currently got a 3" 3/8" extension somewhere in the tube frame of my Silverado that I can't find. It ain't making any noise so I just left it. I wish I would of saw it fall in there though. Could of helped me locate it.
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