Admit your Garage Mistakes - Page 5

chief · 08-01-2006, 02:34 PM

Has anyone seen the show bush mechanics. Its on ABC and I think DVD. It follows Aboriginals and their mechanic skills. Have a flat tyre, put spinix in the tyre. The car lost 1st, 2nd. 3rd and 4th gear. So one person would sit on the boot and direct while the car just drove in reverse. The fuel pump stops working so use the pump for the window washes, to get the fluid pumping need to sphyon the fuel through the pump, so what does a guy do, starts sucking till the fuel comes through, gets a mouth full than spits it in the carbie.

Great show and just great for laughs.

LUXO_8 · 08-01-2006, 02:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chief

Has anyone seen the show bush mechanics. Its on ABC and I think DVD. It follows Aboriginals and their mechanic skills. Have a flat tyre, put spinix in the tyre. The car lost 1st, 2nd. 3rd and 4th gear. So one person would sit on the boot and direct while the car just drove in reverse. The fuel pump stops working so use the pump for the window washes, to get the fluid pumping need to sphyon the fuel through the pump, so what does a guy do, starts sucking till the fuel comes through, gets a mouth full than spits it in the carbie.

Great show and just great for laughs.

love the way they findjust the right part over behind that bush, or over by the nearest tree etc...

howey · 08-01-2006, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MADNC_8

love the way they findjust the right part over behind that bush, or over by the nearest tree etc...

The tree branch that becomes a makeshift leaf spring and the omo and water mix as brake fluid are the two that stand out in my mind

Ringo · 09-01-2006, 09:49 AM

They cut down bits of woods for a new set of brake pads....

Question: They were in the bush without a hoist or a jack and needed to fit that 'new' tail shaft - what did they do?

They rolled the car onto its side and then stand there fitting the 'new' shaft...! Don't you wish you could do that?

I remember one of the guys on the show saying how much he liked fords - cause they run forever...!

chief · 09-01-2006, 11:41 AM

Also just watched it again. Love it where they will cut down a tree and make a new clutch plate.

wickedxe · 01-03-2006, 06:19 AM

i have been reading for a while some of the mistakes in the garage and thought that its time i post some of my best, I owned an EL falcon fitted with tickford d/fuel system which i was trying to sell the car had not been started for 6 months and it wouldnt start, after injecting petrol into the inlet manifold the car back fired through the inlet manifold and ignited the LPG which had been filling the crankcase via a faulty lockoff solanoid and blew the alloy rockercover to bits (a large pice landing 20 feet form the car). removeing the extractors off the head on my xf without first dissconecting the neg terminal of the batt and frying the ECU, a fuseible link, and the altenator.

overtightening No 1 sparkplug on my xf, starting the engine, standing over engine and being hit very hard in the chest by the sparkplug while reving the engine and getting 4 stiches to fix my chest. im sure there many more good ones, Please do tell.

naughtyfalcon · 02-03-2006, 11:51 PM

testing the compression in my hz kingswood and setting the engine bay on fire.
pulling spark plug lead off with out insulation on hands,,that hurts,,

GT-P 390 · 03-03-2006, 01:39 AM

I think you both need to have the shed keys confiscated

agony · 03-03-2006, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wickedxe

i have been reading for a while some of the mistakes in the garage and thought that its time i post some of my best, I owned an EL falcon fitted with tickford d/fuel system which i was trying to sell the car had not been started for 6 months and it wouldnt start, after injecting petrol into the inlet manifold the car back fired through the inlet manifold and ignited the LPG which had been filling the crankcase via a faulty lockoff solanoid and blew the alloy rockercover to bits (a large pice landing 20 feet form the car). removeing the extractors off the head on my xf without first dissconecting the neg terminal of the batt and frying the ECU, a fuseible link, and the altenator.

overtightening No 1 sparkplug on my xf, starting the engine, standing over engine and being hit very hard in the chest by the sparkplug while reving the engine and getting 4 stiches to fix my chest. im sure there many more good ones, Please do tell.

SOUNDS LIKE YOU SHOULD NOT BE LEFT ALONE AND STAY AWAY FROM MY CAR

XE351B · 04-03-2006, 03:33 PM

just today i was tightening up the extractor bolts when i arced the spanner from the starter motor relay to the motor and the motor started to turn over,, gave me a big scare......also jacking up a old car that i had and the jacking point gave way, it was rusted out from the inside.

Simmo · 04-03-2006, 04:39 PM

watching my mate try for 20 mins to loosen the fanbelt tensioner. i couldnt bring myself to tell him the threads are reversed. was too funny.

wickedxe · 01-04-2006, 11:53 PM

I do have pics of the el's motor after it blew up. im sure everyone has made at least one bad mistake. im happy to laugh at mine(tho they wernt funny at the time) the el was 4 years ago.
One of my mates owns an xb with a mod' 351 running a mechanical fuel pump, and last week it wouldnt start and he checked everything with no obvious cause. well after an hour of him working on it the smell of petrol became apparent, and he could find no leak. after checking the oil (it was the only thing he had not checked) he found it was a fair bit over the full mark and on draining it found that it contained petrol. the fuel pump had split the diaphram and when it was cranked over petrol was going into the sump. a new pump was all that was needed.

ronwest · 03-04-2006, 12:08 PM

didn't happen to me but around 20 years ago I knew a fella who jacked his car up, crawled underneath and the car fell on him. Many months in hospital, not expected to walk again etc.

He got to the stage where he could be released from hospital on weekends and his brother decided to take him fishing in his boat. The injured guy was in a wheelchair at this stage so his brother wheeled him down to the boat, lifted him up and placed him on the rear seat (so he could have a turn steering the outboard).

Brother proceeds to fill fuel tank but unfortunately is smoking at the time. Fuel catches alight, tank explodes and causes burns to 80% of the wheelchair guy's body.

Back to hospital for another 12 months.

Happy ending though. He's been up and about for years now. Even started his own business.

EA2BA · 03-04-2006, 12:15 PM

Quote:

Back to hospital for another 12 months.

Happy ending though. He's been up and about for years now. Even started his own business.

Let me guess making and selling fire extinguishers

or

Fire proof clothing

Kenaz · 03-04-2006, 12:38 PM

After putting an Explorer manifold on my EL, I connected one of the vacuum lines at the back of the manifold up the wrong way. Anyway while taking it for a test drive and wondering why the A/C wasn't coming out of the vents. Steaming hot coolant started to pour out from under the glovebox

: Thankfully no damage was done to anything. I cleaned the carpet and the Climate control still works fine since I connected the hose the right way

94Mustang · 03-04-2006, 01:16 PM

Reversed the firing order on a 302 Windsor. I thought the dizzy rotated clockwise (or was it counter clockwise?). I had the order right, just going in the wrong direction.

xrdreaming · 03-04-2006, 01:43 PM

Not checking that the o-ring was off the block when changing the oil filter. Started the car with the 2 o-rings on and had oil from ******** to breakfest

TEaaron · 03-04-2006, 02:04 PM

Pushed the brake while the front wheel was off.

quest · 04-04-2006, 09:38 AM

We have seen our share of people with plastic embedded in their faces.
Most of the newer diesels have an extra intake air heater along with glow plugs as part of a cold weather package
If it doesn't start the first time, one guy gets out & sprays a shot of ether in the air inlet pipe
The other guy turns the key on and BOOM - the plastic air filter box explodes
Makes a heck of a mess
Other than that , having an F550 fall of the hoist can be pretty nerve racking
Luckily no one was hurt

TURBO_GHIA · 08-04-2006, 01:22 PM

not resetting the chain tentioner and just doing it up as tight as i could end result one stuffed engine and no car for 3 months while i saved up to fix it

green_doctor · 08-04-2006, 01:51 PM

When i was redoing the timing on my clevo - took rocker cover off to find TDC, got distracted and ended up starting the motor with the rocker cover just sitting in place. a couple of seconds later, the smell of vaporising oil told me something was wrong. i'm still cleaning my engine bay!

ebxr8 · 08-04-2006, 01:56 PM

Just fitted an aftermarket cruise kit, tried to start car, no joy just click click click.
Spent an hour undoing ALL the cruise electrical stuff, checked starter, battery and everything else. Found out I just left the car in drive....

:

LUXO_8 · 08-04-2006, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ebxr8

Just fitted an aftermarket cruise kit, tried to start car, no joy just click click click.
Spent an hour undoing ALL the cruise electrical stuff, checked starter, battery and everything else. Found out I just left the car in drive....

:

shouldnt go click click if in drive, should do nothing at all.......

ebxr8 · 08-04-2006, 02:29 PM

yeah click click click from the key!!! :Reverend:

BPXR6T · 08-04-2006, 07:37 PM

*Bleeding brakes and forgot to put cap back on master cylinder. Brake fluid sprayed all over my new paint.
*When I was a kid I jacked up my old mans mint condition XA fairmont. Not knowing about jacking points I just put the jack under the sill and bent the whole thing in.
*Dropped container of thinners next to car whilst cleaning the gun about 30 seconds after the final coat. had to repaint the door bonnet, and front guard
*Back in my teens I jacked up a car from the diff center to put in a set of lowering blocks. Unbolted the diff, diff went up car came down
*My first car was a 4cyl torana. I painted it without rubbing it back properly. The paint fell off after a week.
*A few years ago I was helping my old man get an XB fairmont going. I pumped heaps of fuel through the carbie whilst it was cranking. My dad put his head over the carbie to see if fuel was coming out. Right then it back fired big time through the carbie. I saw flames come past the side of the bonnet and my old man running around the front yard with his hair on fire.
*Just last week alternator wires were hanging loose. I was under the car replacing an engine mount and they started shorting about 5cms front my nuts. Never moved so quick

And wickedxe, your not the only dopey one who has done that. My brother in law managed to turn a set of nice blue anodized Moroso rocker covers into scrap the same way.

S3SR · 08-04-2006, 08:04 PM

mistake i made was burnouts for god knows how long but i did them with steering on full lock and this was on grass, anyways did it long enough my power steering pump boiled over flowed into the exhaust cover or whatever that thing is, smoke everywhere - powersteering bottle was melted to the bottom of the cap and the spill thing was GONE...

theres one when i worked for Holden(only a week) and i stripped the fake nuts off a hubcap musta been hungover or something cant remember, and almost did what the silly person did with that F truck i didnt balance one of the patrols (they did nissan as well) and i hoisted it up and the front was getting higher and higher but no damage just dropped it back down and put it on the ramp

nice pics of the F truck thats awesome... only wish there was carnage (but no injuries)

xbgs351 · 08-04-2006, 09:14 PM

I started my car after my brother had just disconnected the fuel line to the carby. There are still some bubbles in the paintwork caused by the engine fire.

xtwagon · 11-04-2006, 09:37 AM

One guy I know needed a hose clamp for a bbq? he took the clamp off his missus cordia turbo, which she then went out to go to the shop, only when the fuel hit the exhaust, up the car went. She was not hurt.

In a dealership years ago in hobart, there was an apprntice who was not the full quid, we had the old hydrolic hoists, one was being removed, he parked a car over the post, even though the area was not to be used, he then got out of the car and bumped the up handle, next thing a Volvo was standing on it's front bumber as the pole attached itself to the rear floor pan and lifted the car.

Same apprentice had a 59 chev, was turning across the main road when it stalled, forgot it does not start in gear, thought there was something wrong, as was blocking the entire road, he lifted the bonnet in panic and virtually climbed in, one of the other mechanics seeing this, ran to the car, put in park, started with him still in there and drove into the workshop.

G0lg0tha · 11-04-2006, 10:06 AM

Stupidist thing I have done was on my first engine build, I was 16 and thought I knew everything....

I assembled the whole motor without any oil...stupidly thinking the oil pump would prime the engine!

obviously I had to re-rebuild it.. but after 100 000km its still going well

(1975 corollas never die..)

[Tonko] · 12-04-2006, 04:51 PM

i had just got the new windscreen put in the XD and was admiring it when a mate showed up. i was replacing the bonnet shield at the time, bonnet was down and i told him twice not to lift it, the emblem slid down the bonnet scratching the whole way down and then smashed my windscreen...another thing... the electronic ignition on the XD always gets people told the same mate to take off the air filter...ZAP...ZAP touched it twice... leans over to check something out.. Zap ZAP... puts the filter back on...ZAP ZAP... got zapped 6 times in about 2 minutes... at that point i turned the key off... was too funny to do earlier....