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

Just remembered a funny one. I had an '88 4runner with the 22RE/5spd back in 2007-2009. It started running rough, misfiring, nearly stalling out. After checking all the obvious tune up things and finding no issues I was stumped. I finally realized it was only happening in the rain, figured out the windshield was leaking onto the ECU. At the time I had hardly any money so I used some Sikaflex on the leak and threw a Ziplock bag over the ECU. I forgot about it completely and sold the truck when I bought my Tacoma. Years later I come across a build thread on a local 4x4 forum. Dude couldn't figure out why the seemingly healthy 22RE in his '88 4runner was running like crap so he ended up pulling the motor and swapping in a diesel.

 

This actually give me so much piece of mind. I never bothered looking it up just figured based on amps alone it was dangerous and since then I've had an unhealthy fear of electrocution, everytime I work on something electrical I obsessively keep checking to make sure its disconnected lol.

 

Good practice is to white paint every bolt after its torqued. Then line dot the position. 1 you know you touched it and 2 you know its torqued and if it has moved. Locktite is over kill. Wet torque vs dry torque values differ

 

yeah that's what I got the white paint pen for

 

Chrysler/Dodge wrongway lug nuts put me in a bind with a borrowed vehicle once. WTF, every other vehicle on the planet has righthand lugnuts, but Dodge put lefthand lugs on.

 

Time # 1 I was working on a Dresser Pavement roller and had to replace a trashed out fuel injection pump. I did not have the pump in the right position (timed) when I took it off. So when I reinstalled the new pump the engine would not run. it took me a couple more tries to get it right what a PITA that was.

Time#2 I took an air dryer off of a Road Tractor so I could rebuild it. I threw the air dryer in the parts vat to soak. I laid the rebuild kit out on my work bench and started reading the directions. The very last page of the directions clearly stated NOT to put the air dryer in a parts vat to clean the outside of it.
Had to order a new air dryer for that mistake.

 

Always better to safe then sorry. Well at least with electrical. One of the reason it’s so dangerous is because you can’t see it. But yeah in most cases DC current is pretty safe

 

You think that might have been on page 1

 

No Shit I raised hell about it when I went to get the new Air Dryer.
After I became a Mechanic Supervisor I told all my incoming new mechanics about that and it still happened a couple more times

 

Reminds me of a test I took in jr high..... it was 20 questions.
Last line on the paper were the instructions "only write your name at the top of this page and turn it in"
Almost everyone failed including me.

 

The One thing that kept me out of College............................................................High School

 

I went to change strut tower bearings on my wife’s 2011 explorer and accidentally let the suspension drop too low and pulled the CV joint apart inside the boot. Took me a couple of hours and beers to get it back together without having to completely pull the whole thing off the vehicle (which would have taken even longer...trust me).

The other side took me 45 mins total. Live and learn.

 

Keep it up. You'll get there.

 

I do. I also have 1980s SnapOns and Mac I inherited after my dad retired.

Some tools are adequet, some are just not worth the risk, but I swear by the ones I have purchased.

 

During a short circuit;. 12vDC can absolutely be dangerous. Also, when an AMP is involved the danger is (pun) amplified.

Example: 12v battery can put out 600amps during crank which would be 12v DC x 600a = 7.2kw.

A 120v wall outlet puts out 120v x 20amp = 2.4kW , but unless you trip the breaker/fuse you get that every second.

Of course this is a very rough summary, and I'm using the scenario to make a point.

 

That reminds me of the time I totally muffed up the fuel injector bearing replacement because the springtap override fitting wasn't torqued down to under 1.1 sq meter tq. I got continuum transfuctioner fluid all over my new pair of Zinkerbauckers! What a mess!

 

While replacing axle boots on a Volkswagen big in high school I reinstalled the carrier backwards(wasn’t paying attention when it came out and I had a 50/50 chance. and had 4 reverse gears and 1 reverse. I tore it back down immediately and fixed it.

 

"Dat iznaught da conteenyoueem tranzfunkshoner"

 

I did the same thing when I was in High School.

 

Jk

The test drive was exciting