Scott in Bellingham Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 back in high shcool I had s bunch of friends over and we just got done installing a moter in my 73 corrola , while Im under the car hooking things up all the sudden the engine starts turning over like someones trying to start it, I scramble out from under quickley, no ones at the key, we disconnect the battery, it ended up the radiator had been mounted back in and the wiring harness got pinched and caused the short, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumpy Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 Like some one else stated, so many to choose from. I was helping the neighbor when I was 16. He ran stock cars and had just dropped in a new motor that wouldn't start for him. To much compression or weak starter or some thing, couldn't get it turning over very fast. So we decide to pull start it. No hood on car and I'm setting on fender adjusting the timing on the fly. Finnaly start to get some action from the motor attempting to start when it lets out a 18" back fire out the carb. Didn't have much facial hair at that age and after that pop I didn't have eye brows either! And it trimmed my hair for me at no extra charge plus left me with a really nice red upper lip and nose for the next week or so. As I've gotten older I try to tone down the stupid moves but haven't elliminated them totally yet. Bought Cheesemobile and got it running last fall. It's rusted up from it's life in the salt belt (Wis). The hood releese is broken and the safety latch sticks. I was test driving it around town and decided to take it up on the scenic highway for a better test. Go down the road a mile or so, turn around and on the way back spool the turbo up in 2nd gear. Hit 3rd and at 70 the hood flies up. I realized before it hit that I had forgot to latch the hood. Immediately scoot down in the seat so I can see under the hood to bring it to a stop with out running into the ditch or over the hill. Hood wrapped itself nicely around the winshield but didn't break it. Stop, close hood (Now 2' taller in front) and limp home. Set a jack stand up side down on the engine and pulled the hood down on it to bend it in the correct direction. It will close now but has a nice patten to remind me to latch it in the future. Stumpy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbasher Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 Ive got another bad one. I was helping a friend with her car, and trying to explain some car related stuff while going to work to diagnose the problem. I popped the hood, lifted it up, and saw some gas struts there. Figuring they are what hold the hood up I just let go to pull the dipstick. Usually I have good reflexes and this wouldnt have happened but the hood just fell right down on my head and almost knocked me on my rump roast. It really didnt help her confidence in having me work on her car My problem is that I'm always thinking too far ahead, and not about where my hands are or where I'm putting tools. I can work on cars really fast and know what I'm doing, but its always the stupid stuff that gets me and makes me look like an idiot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgd73 Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 This isn't all that funny, but I'll post it anyway.Upon repacking rear berrings, I noticed a washer with a tooth that bent over the nut to lock it, that held berrings in. Where as the tooth was broken, I repacked, put same washer in, torqued and went down the road to try it out. Noise was fixed, later that night impressed with how good it was going, I flew down the highway 50 miles or so, to start having a steering quirk, snappy back end feeling from car (it was moving from left to right). I stopped and on a hunch, checked wheels, and found one was loose, berring related. I popped berring cap off, and nut had completely loosened, I was within <.5 inch of losing wheel, after doing 80mph down the highway!:cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 Just last week, I was doing a timing belt and frontend reseal on a friend's 96 Legacy. Since it's an automatic, I had to figure out how to stop the engine so I could remove the crank pulley bolt. I tried a punch in one of the flexplate holes...the punch promptly fell down into the bellhousing, but didn't make it all the way out the bottom. Several minutes of cursing and trying not to throw things later, I decided that before resorting to pulling the engine out, I would jack the car up at various angles to try to get the punch to work its way down and out of the bellhousing. Sure enough, after jacking it up by the corners three times, the punch fell out onto the crossmember and I retrieved it with a magnet. That was a relief! After that, I decided to play it safe and replicate the crank pulley wrench as seen in the Subaru specialty tools section of the FSM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 go to fix a vacuum/fuel vent line of carb break plastic T connector-SHINT Go to parts store next day -pick up 1/4 by 1/4 by 1/4 t connector-don't fit WTF? go back to store and get a 3/16 by 3/16 by 1/4 T connector(grabed first 3/16 T connector I found)-It didn't fit DAMN.... back to store finally get a 3/16 by 3/16 by 3/16 T connector-two fit why wont third fit WTF? finally get pissed and grab T connector and rip it out of the car along with circlar object that runs off a vent on the hitachi carb-broke off one of the p;aces for a hose Now Im hoping that part is not needed and I can plug of holes all this to cure a fuel leak I got when I started it up yesterday :mad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 ok heres one for ya, happened a month or two ago. when I finished getting my lift done, I torque down all of the axle nuts, but before i went about fitting cotter keys I thought I'd take it around the block to make sure i got everything right and then check them again when i got back. well when I got back I got distracted and was so excited I had a running, lifted subaru I completely forgot about the cotter keys. fast forward two days, I was driving out to my school, MHCC, and after about 4 miles or so of going around 60mph it feels like one of my rear tires blew out(big BANG and then some scraping noises...) so I try to slow down and WTF no brakes, I finally get over to the side of the road and I see this ginormous tire roll past me along the median on the other side of the freeway and it keeps rolling for about 500ft. I get out, no rear wheel to be found, backing plate with about an inch or more ground off of it and I'm really confused. well, COTTER keys are not something to forget. Although, it was a really, really fun ride Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 Head gasket job on my '85 wagon. After about a month of working on it I put it all back together and it runs great! I take it for a short jaunt to town, and pretty soon the alternator stops charging, and the temp starts going up. The main crank pully wasn't tightened down, and had rattled loose. And reamed out the inside of the pully by rattling around. So I got to park it again and drive the beater '84 wagon for a few more days, and buy a new pully for it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marck Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 When removing my distributor, I used a breaker bar with a 22mm socket to turn the crankshaft until cylinder number 1 was at 0 degrees TDC. After I removed and reinstalled the distributor I went to start the car. It didn't start lucky me, but made a loud clunk noies. After spending some time figuring out what happened, I discovered that I had left the breaker bar on the crankshaft bolt. It swang around, caught on the oil pressure sender, knocked it loose (partially broken), and took off the crankshaft bolt and pulley. I did this two more times until the oil pressure sender completely snapped off allowing about half of the oil to drain onto the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keltik Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 Finished a perfect Oil change on my car taking every precaution not to let a single drop of oil hit our immaculate driveway. Made sure everything was good and engine full of clean fresh oil, lowered car off axle stands to the sound of my waste oil bucket being crushed under the car. The driveway had a lovely protective coating of 10W-40 KELTIK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tizzle Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 I recently changed the wheels on my legacy. Well turns out one of them was only hand tightened. I had forgotten to come back through with the wrench. I drove a good 20 miles before It became a big problem, since the wheel was about to come off. I didn't have a lug wrench with me, so I had to drive, and re-hand tighten it every 1/2 miles or less to get home. Had to stop about 20 times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xfinrodx Posted March 31, 2006 Share Posted March 31, 2006 My dad's all cool in his big ford 4 wheeling f-150, says I should go snowdrift breaking in my 1986 4x4 wagon on a particular road. So what do I do? I go to this road. Man are those big drifts.... I rev that 4 banging monster on up to 45 mph and boy I HIT that drift. Up over top I went on it, slowed down, got stuck and couldn't get out of it. I got towed free of it shortly later, and after frostbiting my hands trying to dig myself free (note to self- bring shovel when snow hunting). So I went for a short drive to make sure nothing was broken because I just buried my car in snow up to the doors... and the car overheated. ...say again? The car overheated in the snow and ice and -10 degree weather? Yes. Yes it did. And badly too. I stop, pop the hood, and when the steam clears I see a pillar of snow and ice between my radiator/fan and engine! Not only that, but my entire engine compartment is filled, PACKED with snow halfway up to the carb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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