Stupid auto tricks?

[Richard]

There was once a thread titled Stupid Tractor Tricks.

As I have recently replaced a brake master cylinder (which has never worked during my ownership) on Brutus, I now have the thrill of having and being able to use "turning brakes". [img]/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif[/img]

These turning brakes have been found to be very beneficial and I have been using them lately quite a lot...even to the point of starting to be accostomed to using them "automatically".

Well, I just came back to office after errand and upon turning my Miata in a hairpin fashion to enter parking space, I could see where I had not cut turn quite sharp enough. No problem, I jabbed my left foot out and hit my left turning brake [img]/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif[/img] to help me squeeze into the parking spot. [img]/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif[/img] [img]/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif[/img] [img]/w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif[/img]

Thankfully, I ACTUALLY hit my clutch & nothing happend.

I couldn't help to laugh at my fortune/misfortune [img]/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif[/img] Somehow I don't think my Miata would have won the fight against some of those other automobiles (trucks actually)

Richard

[MossRoad]

Ever start an older manual car while it was in gear and forget to put in the clutch? I've hit a thing or two that way.

<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>

[Bob_Trevithick]

When I was many decades younger, a friend and I spent the day playing some computer game in which you had X number of ships, and if one got blown up, no big deal.. we had a few left.

Then we went out for food, and my friend **** near got us killed. He almost pulled out in front of another car.. and admitted that he was thinking, well, we have a few ships left still. Eeek!

Amazing the things people can do when they're tired or not thinking straight.


Bob Trevithick

[Jeff396]

Yeah, I don't remember exactly what I was doing to it but I had my wife start our Toyota 4x4 and she forgot to push in the clutch. Problem was I was standing in between it and the garage wall!!! Thank God for the concrete step our garage had about 4 ft from the back wall.

Here's one...I was working on my Bird, just like the one in the spinning graphic, trying to get the idle set properly. On this car you are supposed to do all of that with the air on and the car in gear. Soooo, I set the parking brake and turned on the air and put the car in gear. Problem was that this car had one of those parking brakes that kicked off when you put it in gear. No problem, the manual simply says to disconnect the vacuum and it will work. Sometime after that I noticed the air wasn't working. I determined it was because of where I decided to disconnect the vacuum. Sooooo, not thinking I reconnected it, off went the parking brake and away it went.[img]/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif[/img] Again, Thank God for the concrete step that house had in the garage. I'm pretty sure it would have ended up in the house if it wasn't there. Oh, and these two occurances were over 15 years apart and in two different houses. The moral of this story is that I no longer work on any vehicles without placing wheel choks!!!

Last thing, a while ago my wifes cousin was killed when the VW bus he was working on fell off the jackstands he was using. Noone was there when it happened and were pretty sure it wouldn't have mattered anyway. You just have to be careful when reefing on a bolt with vehicle setting off the ground. I still remember the story of the guy who pulled a car drive shaft, which was the only thing holding the car from rolling down the ramps he had it on. You can never be too careful!!!


Jeff

[jfakerj]

Richard
A couple of months ago I had a small problem with a forklift at work. I had been tractoring the day before(hydro trans). Well any way, I couldn't figure out why the forklift (auto trans w/shuttle reverser) kept wanting to go forward after I had move my foot over to where the reverse peddal should be. It took me several moments to figure it out. I just sat there shaking my head at myself hoping no one was watching. Since that time, I've almost done the same thing several time but caught it in time before I actually made the move with my foot. Hydro-(love - hate relationship)

Jerry

[Thomas]

Couple of winter ago I winter out and started my pick up to let it warm before heading of to work,put the transmisson in netural slid out the seat a close the door and the next thing I knew as I stood there w/my cup of coffee the pick up started to roll down the driveway[img]/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif[/img]
Well the pick up had just enough speed to go thru a foot snow bank but the first row of small spruces stop her.
There was no damage to the trees or pick up[img]/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif[/img]but it cost me $55.00 to get the pick up pull out.[img]/w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif[/img]
Talk about numbing it the first thing in the morning[img]/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif[/img]and the lesson would be have the extra cup of coffee before doing anything.[img]/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Thomas..NH [img]/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[AndyR]

When I was much younger, I managed to impale my brother-in-law's car[img]/w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif[/img] I had been brush hogging with my dad's old JD, which had a manure fork type drop-bucket with a pan on the bottom of the tines, leaving about 5" of points. well, I had finished, parked the tractor and left it in gear - the brakes were nothing great. A bit later, we were having lunch and heard a crash[img]/w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif[/img] We all headed out and found his station wagon nicely stuck in the left side passenger door. My suggestions that he tell the insurance company he was attacked by a tyrannasouraus(sp?) were not well received[img]/w3tcompact/icons/crazy.gif[/img] I thought it was pretty funny[img]/w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Andy in NH

[MossRoad]

I usually drive a van with a column shift automatic. Every time I park my wife's console shift car I reach for the column shifter to put it in park. It ain't there.

<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>

[MossRoad]

I once had a car with a 3 speed on the floor. I blew it up and swapped in a 4 speed. One day I was going to beat some guy out of the light. It turned green and I took off backwards.

<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>

[MossRoad]

A few days after I got my first motorcycle I was sitting in front of my workplace revving the engine while talking to some friends. I decided to get off the bike. I let go of the clutch and the bike went skyward. I hung on with my fingertips as my legs went past the rear turn signals. I managed to pull myself back on after riding my first wheely for about a half a block and just kept going. I didn't want anybody to know that I just about pooped my pants.

<font color=green> MossRoad </font color=green>