Wrenching Woes - Car Work & Tool Discussion Thread

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Acid666
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MexicanYarisTK wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:37 am 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:
I think a lot of us have done these kinda things though. My buddy had a Focus that was gutted out for daily driving. "Weight Reduction" was his excuse. At that age, I thought it was brilliant.
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Other dumb instances on the mk6. I was installing white LED lights for the interior, and I managed to broke tabs of the housing that holds it in, so I had to order a new housing.

This one time, I was installing the short shifter and clutch bleeder block, before removing the intake, I took off the hose which appears to be the coolant, and spewed all over my shirt, so I quickly attached it back, luckily I had some g12 coolant at home.
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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.
yea, i lost a bolt in the grom friday. I had an extra from the removal of the stock intake so :aintcare: after about minutes of looking.
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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.
Yeah, nothing hits the ground in the C5.
:rage:

Radiator cleaning was pretty easy doe.
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Melon wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:00 am
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.
I chucked the grommet across the garage when I got it off. No chance to epoxy now :lolol:
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Detroit wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:33 am
Acid666 wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:32 am

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.
I used a set on the C5 hose clamps. Made super quick work of the job.
4zilch wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 8:46 am I'm a fucking failure.
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Relevant new Blipshift shirt.Image


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I almost bought that one, lol.
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Nothing too crazy for me. I've had some frustrating moments of dropping things, fighting cross-threaded bolts, etc., but thankfully I've never bitten off more than I could chew.

My biggest :derp: moment came as I was wrapping up the header install on my former Grand Prix. I got everything buttoned up from the top, jacked the car back up to install the downpipe, and transmission fluid started pouring out onto the garage floor. :wtf:

Bring it down and check all around the replacement trans dipstick that was provided to bend around the new headers. It all looks fine, seems to be seated properly, and I'm scratching my head. Jack the car back up, and yep...there's some more trans fluid. I drop the car down and after a couple minutes of wandering around the garage and driveway like an idiot I glanced at the old dipstick tube to see the rubber grommet that seats against the trans case at the bottom of it. D'oh. Pull that off, install on the new one, no more problems. :facepalm:
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General motorbike :derp:

Forgetting to put the kickstand down before taking the bike off of the rear stand :rage:

p.s. we need a wrench throwing gif
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4zilch wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:21 pm Relevant new Blipshift shirt.Image


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thats legit VW torque spec in the book for a lot of stuff. I had a long laugh first time i saw it reading the manual.
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GF was getting a grinding noise from her rear brakes.. started checking it out yesterday and in order to remove the calipers I needed a 7mm Hex head.. somehow all of my sets skipped from 6-8.. went to three different stores until I found one that finally had a kit with a 7mm :rage: Get the caliper off, and her inside pad is completely worn down and grinding the rotor. Looks like seized piston not letting it retract. Couldn't even force it back in enough to get a new pad to fit in there, so had to throw her old "pad" back in and tell her to take it in somewhere today.
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SAWCE wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 3:50 pm GF was getting a grinding noise from her rear brakes.. started checking it out yesterday and in order to remove the calipers I needed a 7mm Hex head.. somehow all of my sets skipped from 6-8.. went to three different stores until I found one that finally had a kit with a 7mm :rage: Get the caliper off, and her inside pad is completely worn down and grinding the rotor. Looks like seized piston not letting it retract. Couldn't even force it back in enough to get a new pad to fit in there, so had to throw her old "pad" back in and tell her to take it in somewhere today.
Some rear calipers twist back in, they don't retract straight.
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Melon wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 3:59 pm
SAWCE wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 3:50 pm GF was getting a grinding noise from her rear brakes.. started checking it out yesterday and in order to remove the calipers I needed a 7mm Hex head.. somehow all of my sets skipped from 6-8.. went to three different stores until I found one that finally had a kit with a 7mm :rage: Get the caliper off, and her inside pad is completely worn down and grinding the rotor. Looks like seized piston not letting it retract. Couldn't even force it back in enough to get a new pad to fit in there, so had to throw her old "pad" back in and tell her to take it in somewhere today.
Some rear calipers twist back in, they don't retract straight.
I tried that.. Was able to get it to twist, but it wouldn't retract at all..
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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?
I was trying to muscle an O2 sensor off of a mid-pipe and it wouldn't come loose no matter how much heat/lube that I tried using. When it finally did break loss with me on top of it like a wrestler, my knuckles slammed into the exhaust flange leaving a nasty gash that needed a couple of stitches.
Got any nifty "Must-have" tools in your box?
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Got any hints/tips/tricks to share?
Patient, be it. Take a break when getting frustrated.
Any job you're pretty proud of taking on yourself?


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Most proud:
Installed an intake, coilovers, and exhaust the first time without help.
Intake took 4 hours, exhaust 3, and coilovers took two days.

Most frustrating:
The last suspension install I did for the GTI. Splintered the tie rod nut and had to use a grinder to get it off. Then couldnt get the strut knuckle spread apart after 4 hours with a friend we called someone else who got it in two minutes. Then the shop who installed new springs on the struts did it wrong and they wernt seated properly. Finally the nuts from the previous suspension didnt work with the new one and I had to make a trip for new bolts. Total time for the swap was about 19 hours. This was my fourth suspension swap on a GTI. The one before took me 3 hours.

Tips and Tricks:
DONT BUY A VW AND MODIFY IT
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SAWCE wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 4:01 pm
Melon wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 3:59 pm

Some rear calipers twist back in, they don't retract straight.
I tried that.. Was able to get it to twist, but it wouldn't retract at all..
sometimes the piston will pop out if the pads wear too much. usualy easier to just buy a rebuilt caliper.
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Big Brain Bradley wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 10:52 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.
yea, i lost a bolt in the grom friday. I had an extra from the removal of the stock intake so :aintcare: after about minutes of looking.
The WRX had two radiator caps, I'm confident that one of them was still somewhere in the engine bay when I traded it in.
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Barnes93cb wrote: Thu Aug 03, 2017 11:15 am Most proud:
Installed an intake, coilovers, and exhaust the first time without help.
Intake took 4 hours, exhaust 3, and coilovers took two days.

Most frustrating:
The last suspension install I did for the GTI. Splintered the tie rod nut and had to use a grinder to get it off. Then couldnt get the strut knuckle spread apart after 4 hours with a friend we called someone else who got it in two minutes. Then the shop who installed new springs on the struts did it wrong and they wernt seated properly. Finally the nuts from the previous suspension didnt work with the new one and I had to make a trip for new bolts. Total time for the swap was about 19 hours. This was my fourth suspension swap on a GTI. The one before took me 3 hours.

Tips and Tricks:
DONT BUY A VW AND MODIFY IT
Man I feel ya.
This was part of the reason I sold my MKV GTI when I did. It was at 80K miles and I had done on the regular routine preventative maintenance, but up next was the water pump and timing belt. I looked up the work for it and said :nope:
ANd paying for a shop to do it.... MEHhhhhhhhhh.

I was also turned off with working on it after spending 10 total hours changing the thermostat. 5 For the first time, then another 5 when I pinched the oring from the first install and had a leak and had to redo the entire thing again. After that it was an easy choice to sell it and drop the money into a proper weekend car that was easier to work on.
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Barnes93cb wrote: Thu Aug 03, 2017 11:15 am Most proud:
Installed an intake, coilovers, and exhaust the first time without help.
Intake took 4 hours, exhaust 3, and coilovers took two days.

Most frustrating:
The last suspension install I did for the GTI. Splintered the tie rod nut and had to use a grinder to get it off. Then couldnt get the strut knuckle spread apart after 4 hours with a friend we called someone else who got it in two minutes. Then the shop who installed new springs on the struts did it wrong and they wernt seated properly. Finally the nuts from the previous suspension didnt work with the new one and I had to make a trip for new bolts. Total time for the swap was about 19 hours. This was my fourth suspension swap on a GTI. The one before took me 3 hours.

Tips and Tricks:
DONT BUY A VW AND MODIFY IT
working on germans is a bitch to deal with, even switching taillights are more complicated than it should be, I believe it took an hour to do the while thing, because it took a while for me to somehow install the tails in the trunk area where I had to angle em a weird way in order to fit.

My next car won't be a german unless I don't intend on working on it and be :waxer:
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Detroit wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:06 pm
troyguitar wrote: Fri Jun 23, 2017 4:02 pm

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.
They suck don't bother. So do the ones from sears. I had to order a nice set online, couldn't find them anywhere local. Of course now I haven't used them since 2013. :rolleyes:

I really love this thing, plenty of powa. I have the rubber on mine for no scratches. Bought it three years ago still looks new.

Image

I also love my Ingersol Rand air powered grinder, whatever it's called. Nice for cleaning rusty junk off brake parts.

And a set of AN wrenches always comes in handy, cause mucked up AN fittings is like a chick with a hot body butter face. Don't forget aluminum magnetic jaws for your vice, for assembly. ;)

Tips/tricks, nothing genius but I always use ARP assembly lube when working with aluminum threads & AN fittings to prevent binding or galling. I'm also a big proponent of loctite on certain bolts in high vibration applications.

When doing exhaust wrap, wrap rear to front so the "ridge" faces rearward for better aerodynamics. :P And instead of wasting money on those stupid metal "zip" ties that you can't get super tight no matter how hard you pull on them, use safety wire instead. You can either use these Twist Pliers giving it a cool twisted look, or just use the safety wire without the pliers and wrap it around itself twist tie style a couple times and it cinches up nice and tight, then tuck the excess where you can't see it. I usually would do three and it looks complete and holds the wrap that shit ain't goin no where. ;)

https://www.amazon.com/OTC-4795-Safety- ... B00BVL80LI

Plus safety wire pliers are fun to use for safety wiring your buddy's wrenches to one another. :lol: :D
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4zilch wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 3:22 pm General motorbike :derp:

Forgetting to put the kickstand down before taking the bike off of the rear stand :rage:

p.s. we need a wrench throwing gif
FU that sucks. Who here said they work on Ducati's? How about a noob leaving his new 916 in gear to a rolling stop, shutting off motor, coming back later after dinner, standing on pass side, push button to start and warm up, bike in gear lurches forward dumps over to the side because of spring loaded kickstand, causes 700 or so damage in broken clutch lever, turn signal indicator, scuffed mirror, and scuffed fairing. :angry:
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Caspian wrote: Sat Aug 05, 2017 1:33 am
4zilch wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2017 3:22 pm General motorbike :derp:

Forgetting to put the kickstand down before taking the bike off of the rear stand :rage:

p.s. we need a wrench throwing gif
FU that sucks. Who here said they work on Ducati's? How about a noob leaving his new 916 in gear to a rolling stop, shutting off motor, coming back later after dinner, standing on pass side, push button to start and warm up, bike in gear lurches forward dumps over to the side because of spring loaded kickstand, causes 700 or so damage in broken clutch lever, turn signal indicator, scuffed mirror, and scuffed fairing. :angry:
I've had a couple. The rear stand deal was on my Speed Triple IIRC.

Had a Hyper 1100 with an open clutch cover and failed to take it for a ride immediately washing to dry the clutch plates. Next day I start it up, pull the clutch lever in and drop it into first and, thanks to massive torque of the 1100, the bike lurched across the driveway. It took me what seemed like 5 minutes to wrap my head around what was going on (clutch in, bike moving :wtf: ) while the bike is bucking and lurching across the driveway. I finally reached for the kill switch when the front tire was about 6" from the door on my truck. Crisis averted, but my sure my neighbors got a good laugh out of it.
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4zilch wrote: Sat Aug 05, 2017 6:19 am
Caspian wrote: Sat Aug 05, 2017 1:33 am

FU that sucks. Who here said they work on Ducati's? How about a noob leaving his new 916 in gear to a rolling stop, shutting off motor, coming back later after dinner, standing on pass side, push button to start and warm up, bike in gear lurches forward dumps over to the side because of spring loaded kickstand, causes 700 or so damage in broken clutch lever, turn signal indicator, scuffed mirror, and scuffed fairing. :angry:
I've had a couple. The rear stand deal was on my Speed Triple IIRC.

Had a Hyper 1100 with an open clutch cover and failed to take it for a ride immediately washing to dry the clutch plates. Next day I start it up, pull the clutch lever in and drop it into first and, thanks to massive torque of the 1100, the bike lurched across the driveway. It took me what seemed like 5 minutes to wrap my head around what was going on (clutch in, bike moving :wtf: ) while the bike is bucking and lurching across the driveway. I finally reached for the kill switch when the front tire was about 6" from the door on my truck. Crisis averted, but my sure my neighbors got a good laugh out of it.
Nice. Sometimes a little bit of pucker is good for us :lol:
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