skyhook
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2013
- Messages
- 1,917
- Location
- Canada Ontario
- Tractor
- 1996 Kubota L4200 GSTC,(sold) 1994 JCB 210S 4x4x4
DIY Mechanic Mistakes
- Thread starter woodlandfarms
- Start date
- Views: 13416
lamanated
Silver Member
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2009
- Messages
- 224
- Location
- Nova Scotia and Zephyrhills Fl
- Tractor
- BX2360 JD 425 jd 455
Its sad, but looking at the Mach 1, those nickle strips under the door are worth a grand ,, we needed the 2 thin rocker panel trim pieces and the hood lip one.. they were $2100 last yr..
TJP89
Veteran Member
:laughing:
Must remember to put belt on pulley before attaching guard, turning on PTO, and wondering why mower won't work, and I know I put those bolts around here somewhere:mur:
And I wonder why it takes so long.
jrdepew
Silver Member
Ahh...I have so many of these stories.
I was rebuilding a buick 231 for my grand national powered cutlass and managed to fold a piston ring over when installing a piston. **** total seal rings with that "extra" piece on the top ring. I didn't notice until it was too late...engine smoked good.
Same engine, I put the timing cover on with a fresh gasket and then realized I forgot the cam button that puts slight backward pressure on the cam...
That car was a blast. It still had a 1/4 vinyl roof and was quite a sleeper. Recently sold it when I took it too far with a 12pt cage and a complete frame off build. I bought that car when I was 16 and sold it when I was 27.
Related to the sky hook stories, I have heard of newbies being sent off for "aluminum magnets" and "buckets of steam" before too...good stuff.
Joe
I was rebuilding a buick 231 for my grand national powered cutlass and managed to fold a piston ring over when installing a piston. **** total seal rings with that "extra" piece on the top ring. I didn't notice until it was too late...engine smoked good.
Same engine, I put the timing cover on with a fresh gasket and then realized I forgot the cam button that puts slight backward pressure on the cam...
That car was a blast. It still had a 1/4 vinyl roof and was quite a sleeper. Recently sold it when I took it too far with a 12pt cage and a complete frame off build. I bought that car when I was 16 and sold it when I was 27.
Related to the sky hook stories, I have heard of newbies being sent off for "aluminum magnets" and "buckets of steam" before too...good stuff.
Joe
jaotguy
Veteran Member
note to self ... install the torque converter before bolting the transmission to the engine and installing in car ....
DuckSlayer1017
Platinum Member
We always send the newbies to the "basement" in the plant to get the bolt stretcher:laughing: I work in a 1.2 million sqft plant with no basement. One time it worked so well I didn't see the kid until the next day. The best part is that most guys know that joke and keep telling the kid it's at the other end of the plant. It never really gets old though.
KennyG
Super Member
The followup on the bucket of steam story is the kid disappears for a few hours and finally comes back with a bucket with a half inch of water in it and says he couldn't keep it hot.
skyhook
Veteran Member
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2013
- Messages
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- Canada Ontario
- Tractor
- 1996 Kubota L4200 GSTC,(sold) 1994 JCB 210S 4x4x4
LOL...related to jrdepew, story, I bought a Dodge Demon, with a 340 in her, the thing smoked "bad".
So I rebuilt the engine, those 340's are a real breeze to rebuild, only to find out, it smoked just as bad as before.
Sooo, I took er apart again to verify what was up, when the wife came over and said, your leaking oil from the mufflerreplaced the muffler and all was good afterwards.
So I rebuilt the engine, those 340's are a real breeze to rebuild, only to find out, it smoked just as bad as before.
Sooo, I took er apart again to verify what was up, when the wife came over and said, your leaking oil from the mufflerreplaced the muffler and all was good afterwards.
OP
woodlandfarms
Super Member
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2006
- Messages
- 6,151
- Location
- Los Angeles / SW Washington
- Tractor
- PowerTrac 1850, Kubota RTV x900
I know a person who rebuilt a chrysler v8. forgot one of the pistons. In his defense, he had done a bunch of engines before (sort of guy who was almost assembly line) and his kid had taken the rod and piston off the workbench and, well, anyway,,,,
Wagtail
Super Star Member
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- Jan 15, 2013
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- 13,396
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- St Helens, Tasmania, Australia
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- JD 4105 / JD Z355E (48" deck)
Yeah, but you've got to watch out for the smart ones, ie: 50ft of shoreline = 50ft of heavy electrical power cable used to 'plug' your ship into the wharf power supply. VERY expensive and guaranteed NOT to bring a smile to your Chief's face.
True but if you do it while underway on a sub, not a problem. we only carried the pigtails and they were only used in situations where the shore facility did not have the proper connections.
True but if you do it while underway on a sub, not a problem. we only carried the pigtails and they were only used in situations where the shore facility did not have the proper connections.
cat fever
Elite Member
The thing I hate the most is dropping a bolt/nut or whatever. It is always going to land where you can't just simply pick it back up. Gonna be right in the middle under the car.
The other one is taking off an oil filter; just once I'd like to get my truck filter off without oil raining down. (Dodge with a cummins)
I will admit changing the oil in my Kioti was a breeze.:thumbsup:
The other one is taking off an oil filter; just once I'd like to get my truck filter off without oil raining down. (Dodge with a cummins)
I will admit changing the oil in my Kioti was a breeze.:thumbsup:
Jim Shooz
Veteran Member
Never got sent out for a lefthanded screwdriver or a packet of copper plated ohms.
LD1
Epic Contributor
Not sure if I'd classify alot of them as mistakes in the sense of a rookie or diyer screwing up. Alot of things on the list are unavoidable from time to time.
Being a mechanic by trade, stripped and broken bolts are unavoidable. And I am sure EVERYTHING is engineered with a torque spec. But I can assure u I don't carry around a torque wrench on my cart at work. And we have all had our share of burning chemicals in a cut. And I am guilty of not always using a special tool when the mfg requires. I improvise and usually make something that will work.
Last few hires at work have been fresh outta college-no experience mechanics. The two most common mistakes I see are 1. Using crescent wrench, pliers, or vicegrips way too much and boogering bolt heads. And 2. Not knowing when to ask for help
Being a mechanic by trade, stripped and broken bolts are unavoidable. And I am sure EVERYTHING is engineered with a torque spec. But I can assure u I don't carry around a torque wrench on my cart at work. And we have all had our share of burning chemicals in a cut. And I am guilty of not always using a special tool when the mfg requires. I improvise and usually make something that will work.
Last few hires at work have been fresh outta college-no experience mechanics. The two most common mistakes I see are 1. Using crescent wrench, pliers, or vicegrips way too much and boogering bolt heads. And 2. Not knowing when to ask for help
BHD
Veteran Member
I was baling one day years go, and the shear pin broke on the baler, I came to the house as I was out of bolts in the tool box of the tractor, I fixed the bolt and took a short brake, came back and the tractor would not start, I checked the fuel, charged the battery, even called John Deer, the service man was out my way but could not make there for a few hours, I said I have tried everything I could think of at that point it would turn over but not start, may be hit now and then and not start, about an hour had passed charge up the battery again good and crawled up in the tractor and thought I would try one more time before the mechanic got there, out of the corner of my eye when cranking the engine I saw the baler turning, pulled the PTO out of gear and amazing on how that help that tractor start,
got off called John Deere and canceled the service call, I felt dumb enough but would I have ever felt dumb if he showed up and pulled it out of gear,
Remember put tractor PTO in off before trying to start,
got off called John Deere and canceled the service call, I felt dumb enough but would I have ever felt dumb if he showed up and pulled it out of gear,
Remember put tractor PTO in off before trying to start,
aczlan
Good Morning
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2008
- Messages
- 17,540
- Tractor
- Kubota L3830GST, B7500HST, BX2660. Formerly: Case 480F LL, David Brown 880UE
Crack it loose (but not enough for it to leak), then punch a hole in the bottom of the filter with a screwdriver.
Once the oil drains out, remove the filter.
Aaron Z
void777
Gold Member
Ahhh the old bucket of steam joke. When I was a rookie welder/helper I was sent for a bucket of steam I went to the tool room and asked for a bucket of steam where upon my foreman helped with my problem he put a piece of dry ice in a bucket added water wahla steam followed me back to the job and to my coworkers suprize I handed him the bucket standing behind me the foreman told my co workers he needed a job # to charge it to I will never forget the look on their faces needless to say no more stupid jokes I asked the foreman why he helped he said the same thing happend to him years before.
timster2
Platinum Member
We would let the new guy start a carbon and valve job and send him to the machine shop for some carbon. The machine shop had a sandwich bag, the old paper kind, with some black power inside. When the new guy returned proudly with the bag of black carbon we would send him back for the grey carbon, told him it was a finer grit. This never got old :thumbsup:
