What is the worst mistake you made doing your own wrenching?

I love talking shit to the bosses. As mentioned in another thread...” come on out here and show me how it’s done” union FTW

 

I still do this from time to time.

 

Dozens of "quick" TIG jobs in a short sleeve T shirt.....

 

Tiggin in a short sleeve is nice. Too hot in AZ for long sleeves.

 

You seem like a union electrician.

 

Worst mistake I ever made was becoming a wrench for a living.

 

Ditto this! On a Jeep 4.0 valve cover job, misread inch-pounds for foot-pounds. Was well past midnight and way tired so I snapped the sucker close to the firewall. Couldn’t get a drill there with the engine in place. I was so fucking livid!

 

Kinda surprised you’re still alive. Made me chuckle so thanks for that. On the note of Honda CB’s I’m working on a 350 now (got as basket case) and built a suicide throttle - hastily crossed with clutch cable - and ended up in a ditch on a test ride in shorts, flip flops and no helmet. Miraculously without any damage to man or machine, just ego took one over the head.

 

Not really a mistake just a reminder of why I hate exhaust work.

Offered to replace the rusted out muffler on my girlfriends 2007 Honda Civic. Told her it would be a super quick job and should be done in less than an hour, only two bolts right?. POS spring over bolt exhaust flange bolts. Tight, tight, looser, too loose. Fuck me, snapped the first one off immediately. Took my time with the second one and got it out with a lot of muscling and penetrating oil. Had no idea how to get this completely rusted bolt out of the flange. The other side of the flange had the nuts welded to it so I couldn't just slide it out of put a new nut and bolt in. What an awful design. The new muffler came with a nut and bolt so I figured the OEM design was the same. I tried vice grips, blow torch, penetrating oil. All while working within inches of the gas tank mind you. She kept telling me that it was okay and she would just take it to a mechanic.

I had just gotten a MIG welder a couple months ago but had literally only laid two beads with it cause I was away at school. Decided to give it a try. I was working in shorts, an old sweatshirt, and a pair of slip on Muck Boots. Had my girlfriend sit a few feet away with a fire extinguisher, told her not to look at the arc, but if she saw a flame hit me with the fire extinguisher. Found a nut the fit, guessed on the setting on the MIG, put two tacks on it, and it held. Of course spatter went everywhere and my tack fucked up the flats of the nut. Spent another 30 minutes at least filing down the flats so I could get a wrench on it. Got a wrench on it and it came off no problem. Made it out with only a few little burns and no fires. Now of course the old donut gasket was completely fused to the exhaust pipe. Each piece I chipped off took a piece of the pipe with it. So I said fuck it, hammered a new gasket over the remnants of the old one and put the new muffler on. Told my gf that this would last a couple years but that exhaust was gonna completely fall apart after that (it was in the same shape as any of NJ exhaust). Turned into almost a 4 hour job, but saved her a couple hundred bucks.

 

No, I have not made any mistakes, ever. I have changed a clutch out, changed countless struts, brakes, tuneups, 100's of oil changes, air and gas filter. Valve adjustments every 6 months. Change diff fluid, actually in my last Taco, changed antifreeze many times, belts, hoses, water pumps, A/C units, drive shafts and center bearings, complete exhaust system, changed countless batteries and if I change my mind, I will let you know.

But I also just turned 65, so I have had a lot of practice going slow as to not make a mistake.

 

Bet your shit don’t stink either

 

I did mention the one mistake I made.

 

Drained ATF fluid instead of oil. Took to Valvoline shop to have them fill back up. Now have clunk on stop/go. Thinking I really need to get my hands dirty and do the OBD jump thing to verify correct levels to make clunk go away. Was going to grease up my slip yoke first in driveshaft and hope that solves the problem.

 

Nope.

As mentioned in another thread, I used to hold a foreman position/company. But went to the floor. So when I say “I can do your job, do mine”, I can say with a smugness never before seen. None of these desk kooks can read a wiring diagram, pneumatic diagram, none have certs, none can weld, none can wrench, rebuild a diff or an engine. So. You know. I’m not hearing it.

 

Back in the 70's when I had my first yota...I was changing the oil, got distracted...back at it, and refilled with 4.5 qts...then saw the oil drain plug sitting on the battery. 4.5 qts of fresh oil onto Dad's asphalt, he was not amused.
Same car a year later, just finished up rebuilding the alternator (new brushes). Took her out for a spin, about a mile out down she goes with smoke rising from the hood. Get out, pop the hood...left a breaker bar on the battery which slid onto the terminals...shorted the battery, took out the voltage regulator and damn near burnt the vehicle.
Last thing I look at now when I close the hood is the top of the battery.
Cheers, Jeff

 

So you live in the BoonDocks?

 

Doesn’t matter where I am.

 

.
...^^^... Did this on my first clunker as a kid .... sold it for parts later.

 

I just remembered something I had to redo. My friend and I were building a "race car", bored out 283 to a 292 in a Chevy II. The parts man gave us the wrong throwout bearing. It was too long. They made two that year, one short and one long. So it ran but no matter what gear, it was one speed. Turtle slow. So we had to drive back to the parts store to get the short one at 5 miles an hour while it was playing havoc on the new clutch disc.

So does that count as messing up?

 

MY bad, the G and B are close together on the keyboard. So where is GoonDocks, TW?