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

Ford 5.4 spark plugs, broke all 8 during removal. Not my fault they made a shit product. What a crap show

 

My Dad had the cvcc one just like that sometime in the late 70s or early 80s, what a steaming pile of shit that thing was!

 

1991 Acura Integra. Cruise control wasn’t working, decided to fix it and managed to blow eeeevery fuse at once. I was 17, Felt like a mad scientist watching sparks fly at my face
since then I’ve always been afraid of electrical work on cars lol.

 

FIFY

 

f150 spark plugs, had to tap and re thread the cylinder heads

 

Nothing too bad that I can remember, was pulling a 700R4 out of a 91 Camaro that wasn't lifted very high and dropped it on my foot where it tipped and puked all its ATF all over my dad's driveway. It was a month before I could move the car and start cleaning it up.

 

Maybe I had no referenced being my first car. Aside from what was likely an original ball joint coming loose, I don’t think my sis ever had any probs with it in the three or four years she had it before passing it on to me. Ymmv

 

That reminds me of the time I cooked the ecu in my 85 runner when I put the battery in backwards.

I should prob gtfo this thread. I’m realizing I’ve contributed too much for any one who should ever pick up a wrench again too de loo

 

Couple years ago when I started doing my own maintenance on my truck, I changed out the rear diff gear oil...unplug, drain, plug, refill....easy enough. Maybe 3 days later when I'm pulling into my work parking lot, I notice an oil stain in my usual parking spot right about where the rear diff would be. I get out and look under my truck, sure enough there's drops of gear oil coming out the drain plug. I had only hand tightened the thing Luckily it was still holding on by a few threads and I got really lucky I found out when I did, if I recall correctly that day was Friday and I had a wheeling trip planned the next day. I keep a quart under the seat in my truck along with some basic tools so I was able to top it off right there, didn't take but a couple pumps.

Also once had a front leaf spring hangar bolt back itself almost completely out while on the trail, didn't notice it until I got home after a 50+ mile freeway drive.

Always use a torque wrench people, and double check torque after a few hundred miles. Torque wrench, blue locktite and a white paint pen are my best friends now

 

Let's just say, this was me and my '07's rear axle assembly.

 

Changed the radiator in a '95 Jeep Cherokee, the night before a trip from Oklahoma to West Virginia.

Unknown to me, the transmission fluid line (which also routes to/thru the radiator) was pinched somehow with the electric fan blade (one that has the ring around it).

Shortly after arriving, I noticed HUGE cloud of smoke pouring from the rear as I was driving. Pulled in a parking lot and popped the hood and discovered the issue. The rubber line was completely worn thru, and transmission fluid had sprayed everywhere around the engine compartment.

Looking around, I noticed a Jeep dealership at the far end of the parking lot, so went to get a hose barb and some clamps... so I could at least get five more miles up the road, to my motel. They did not have, but referred me to drive (if it still drove, and it did) it just a few blocks up the road, to an Autorite, that they said should have what I need.

When I pulled in that parking lot, someone was yelling at me that flames were dripping off my engine!

I saw someone towing a boat, and ran over to borrow there fire extinguisher, assuming they would have one. They looked at me like I was an idiot, and pointed to the fire engine, also in the parking lot.... as the fire fighters were inside getting parts for their hot rods.

I ran inside, alerted them to the fire, and they dealt with it.

The Jeep was totaled though. The engine compartment and all wiring was burnt to a crisp. Smoke damage to everything I had packed. It was a terrible freagin' mess.

They said that likely, the transmission fluid sprayed on the brake pads and the heat caught it on fire.

For those who do not know, as I did not, transmission fluid is highly flammable.

 

I'm sure my worst wrenching mistake is in my future. So far, worst is I sheared several bolt heads off the trans-case cover on the Tundra because I got mixed up on what the TQ was supposed to be. Hey, I learned how to extract bolts and now have all the tools to do it if/when I need to again.

 

Or Pep Boys...LOL

 

TWSS

 

breaking a tap in the broken screw/bolt is always fun too...when I was rebuilding a 350 engine I had to take one to get a bolt welded on and backed out because the previous owner just sheared a bolt and left it there...

 

Just bought a retirement home , still working but the wife was already retired . 625 miles away and the wife was staying in the new house to paint while I went back to the old house to work until it sold and then retire . She had a 2004 Grand Am GT with 75K (in excellent condition )on it and was never a problem . Winter was coming and I knew I could not get there at a moments , or even a weeks notice so I wanted it to be as ready as I could for her transportation . I bought and replaced the battery and checked all the fluids and such and I had already done the brakes and tires . I then took it for a drive and warmed it up to listen for weird sounds etc. Got back home and drained the oil . I changed the filter and was interrupted by a phone call . I then went back to the car and started it and crawled under it to check for leaks as I always do and remembered I never added the new oil . The car had run for about a min . before I shut it off . OH Crap @^#& ! I filled it with oil and rechecked for leaks and thought we need to buy a new car , TODAY, before I leave to be back at work 625 miles away in 1 day .
I did a bunch or reading on it since it was 2010 and the internet knew it all and was there for the reading and it was 50 / 50 if anything was bad or not. The car sounded fine and ran fine and the wife did not need to get to work and back so ….
We drove the car for another 20K until 2015 and never noticed a problem with using oil or other problems . Finally traded it in and bought a new Equinox in 2015. To this day we see the Grand Am running around town . The small town dealer we bought the new SUV from said it was sold to a relative and is stoked because he felt it was a classic and still looks like new .
Anyway I now know how important in is to warm up a car before oil changes and not just so the oil drains faster , and that running a warm car at idle without oil will not seize a car in 1 min. . By the way . I never told the wife. But she misses the Grand Am .
Also learned -We are never too old to make rookie mistakes !

 

tried to teach my GF's 16 year old daughter to change her brakes, rotate her tires and change her oil...well...brakes went fine.. i was even surprised by that one, tire rotation was like watching a monkey f*ck a football who knew getting lugnuts off was so entertaining ok so got that done..the oil change not so much...i made her crawl under her car and drain the oil..good to go not even a drop spilled...take off the filter, ok some struggle but got it done...spin the new one on...trying to be the father figure her dad won't be i trusted her...mistake #1.. told her to fill the oil and check the dipstick...ok she got it then she started the car with the hood up...it looked like a fire hose but was black...yelling and screaming she turned off the car... i went over the steps in my head and checked everything but the FILTER... so i checked that and spun it off and respun it...damnit i'm dumb and cost her another 4 quarts...lesson learned i do everything now

 

That made me remember how I broke off the ABS sensor on my daughter's FRS while trying to do her a favor by changing the brakes and rotors. Never before had I seen a sensor positioned like that so close to the brake rotor. Unfortunately it was on a Sunday and she had to head back out to college the next day. She had to drive across Florida with no ABS. Gave her a quick run down on how to drive a car that has no ABS. I drove out there a few days later and replaced the sensor.

 

I haven't had time to read all of these, but my eyes are tearing up from laughing so hard.

This thread is teaching me one thing for sure...I NEVER EVER again want to do my own work on a car.

Do I have a car-related incident? Well just one almost big mistake. I changed my WRX summer tires over to winter tires last year, and used a small drill-driver to put on the lug nuts. I forgot to torque them down by hand. I finished the job and was backing out of the driveway and heard a crunching noise. Some of the nuts were hand-loose at that point. I think that driving the car any distance might have been a catastrophe.

Now woodworking mistakes...that would fill a small book...

 

Decided to test drive my 88 Supra turbo without filling the new rear diff with fluid....