I do everything 3 times when I work on cars! I never have it right the first or second time.
What's the dumbest thing you've ever done putting your car back together?
- Thread starter E9Wayne
- Start date
makes you think that Practice makes Perfect ... hmmm .... something wrong with that analogy.
dbower
Well-Known Member
Needed to jump start the coupe after it had been sitting (this was before float chargers). Rolled it out, raised the hood, attached the cables, and started the car. With the engine vibration, I watch the hood start to close in excruciating slow motion. Bam, nice new dent protruding where the hood hit the cable clamps. Cost me $1000. I now use a prop rod.
Oldbmwcoupes
Well-Known Member
on an ongoing, and often interrupted, engine build, I failed to install the rings on one piston. Now I only do tasks to their full completion in a series. Never stopping until that one single task is finished all the way through the engine. If i don’t have enough time, I don’t start. This is also a great way (excuse) to to nothing because you have no time.
x_atlas0
Well-Known Member
When I was installing the M30B35 long ago in 2007, I worked all through spring break to get it ready for my school's auto show. (I was in undergrad at the time, back at GaTech) My alternator had died, so I got a new one and promptly fried the external voltage regulator. I went through ~4 of them, then I decided to get a newer alt with the internal regulator. I wasn't getting charging, so I had removed the battery many times for charging and swapped in a spare.
I turned the battery backwards when I reinstalled it, didn't think anything about having to hammer the ground strap to the positive post, then immediately got a spark + heat when I hooked up the positive cable to the negative post. I spent the next 4 hours trying to figure out what was wrong. Finally I called my father over to take a look, he checked it out for ~10s, saw the terminals were backwards, gave me a playful smack on the back of the head, and forced me to check again.
I took it as a teachable moment. One of many the car (and Dad) gave me (so far) over the years.
I turned the battery backwards when I reinstalled it, didn't think anything about having to hammer the ground strap to the positive post, then immediately got a spark + heat when I hooked up the positive cable to the negative post. I spent the next 4 hours trying to figure out what was wrong. Finally I called my father over to take a look, he checked it out for ~10s, saw the terminals were backwards, gave me a playful smack on the back of the head, and forced me to check again.
I took it as a teachable moment. One of many the car (and Dad) gave me (so far) over the years.
While burning off undercoating on a panel held in my vice. I walked away when done but hot stuff dripped onto my engine harness which was in a box underneath it and burned it to a crisp before I even noticed the fire. At another time I was doing the same to the inner fender panel and it got on my Levis and flamed immediately. Luckily I was by a hose but was still cooked up and down my leg. I learned about undercoating the hardware and used a pressure washer from then on
The list is long, but the dumbest had to be my e39 alternator install. The e39s have water cooled alternators, which means that the alternator installs into the lower timing cover on the M62 engine. I purchased a remanufactured alternator, and whilst this baby was being remanufactured they repainted the body of the alternator without removing the gasket that installs between the alternator and the face of the lower timing cover. Thinking there was no gasket in the painted body, I mashed another gasket over the top of the painted one. When I tightened the little 8mm bolts around the perimeter of the alternator, I snapped one of the ears off the lower timing cover.
Wayne - When I busted the timing cover, I had Tom look at it to see if there was any magic mechanic trick that might save me from replacing the lower timing cover. He looked at my car, and said "The lower timing cover needs to be replaced, and if you have to take that to somebody, that's a $5,000 mistake."
To replace the lower timing cover, you need to remove: the airbox and MAF; entire cooling system; the belts and tensioners for the alternator and air conditioning; the vacuum lines and purge valve for the evaporative control system; the cam position sensors; the harmonic balancer; the dipstick tube; both valve covers; and both upper timing covers and then the busted lower timing cover. And along the way, you need to disconnect about a dozen electrical connections, and the loom to the injectors. That leads to this:
Wayne - When I busted the timing cover, I had Tom look at it to see if there was any magic mechanic trick that might save me from replacing the lower timing cover. He looked at my car, and said "The lower timing cover needs to be replaced, and if you have to take that to somebody, that's a $5,000 mistake."
To replace the lower timing cover, you need to remove: the airbox and MAF; entire cooling system; the belts and tensioners for the alternator and air conditioning; the vacuum lines and purge valve for the evaporative control system; the cam position sensors; the harmonic balancer; the dipstick tube; both valve covers; and both upper timing covers and then the busted lower timing cover. And along the way, you need to disconnect about a dozen electrical connections, and the loom to the injectors. That leads to this:
ha ha - just after paint correction my hood came down on my jumper box and same thing - now have annoying paint pop
Makes me think of "Jimmy Two Times" in the movie "Good Fellas". Hey Been a while, I think I have to watch that again!
Oldbmwcoupes
Well-Known Member
This is why I promptly sold the one and only bmw v8 I ever owned. I count myself very very lucky to have dodged the botched bmw v8 bullet
This may not count: I was twelve at the time, and I left a screen out of the intake side of the air box of my fathers Piper (aircraft). Discovered post emergency landing.
It was painted in Michigan (owner lives there), but it was local car when he bought it in the 1990s. It's been with me since October, 2021 and the paint didn't get any harder unfortunately!
S62 doesn't count though. That's the only one I have and will hopefully ever own.
Rek
Well-Known Member
I put the front callipers on upside down and wondered, for more than a day, why it was impossible to bleed the brakes.
I also had the hood fall onto the battery charger. Curse the factory torsion bars. I still lament having installed the headliner, windshield, visor panel, and all roof rail weatherstrip and trim before realizing I forgot to mount the rearview mirror bracket to the roof. But that pales in comparison to forgetting piston rings or cracking timing covers. You guys are good.
Oh yeah, does welding a pair of pliers to the battery post count?
Was that back when paint was $200/gal or more recently?
It was a while ago so the cost wasn't the issue. Sad part is, I've managed to forget hardener from time to time since that happened, just not for an entire car.
I reversed the crank shaft sensors in my E24. They are the only fittings that are side by side and identical. The car is not supossed to start if you do that but mine did. After trying to come up with what was wrong, I noticed a glow from under the car which was my cat, orange! I finally figured out the issue and a replacement cat at the time was not too bad and aftermarket ones were available. I felt like a horrible parent.
I'm sure I am not the only one who ever did this....
Many years ago, I was restoring a 1973 VW bug for a friend and for some extra cash. Car was totally done, just has to install engine, which we know does not take too long in a bug. Engine was rebuilt by me and car was going to be picked up the next afternoon. At around 5PM engine in, started cranking the engine, which fired right up, when light bulbs went off and got the that chilly feeling. I did not put any oil in the engine! So out came the engine, tore it apart that evening, crank was fine (did use lots of assembly lube), actually everything looked good but replace all the bearings (which I had) anyhow. Engine back in early morning this time with OIL. Started up and all ok, customer picked up and drove it away. Whew!!!! That will never happen again.
At least with the old air cooled beetles one could get away with the overnight fix, plus I was racing a Formula Vee at the time so rebuilding a VW engine was not new to me.
There is oil in my 2800cs which will be fired in the next few days after a rebuild.
jjs2800cs
Many years ago, I was restoring a 1973 VW bug for a friend and for some extra cash. Car was totally done, just has to install engine, which we know does not take too long in a bug. Engine was rebuilt by me and car was going to be picked up the next afternoon. At around 5PM engine in, started cranking the engine, which fired right up, when light bulbs went off and got the that chilly feeling. I did not put any oil in the engine! So out came the engine, tore it apart that evening, crank was fine (did use lots of assembly lube), actually everything looked good but replace all the bearings (which I had) anyhow. Engine back in early morning this time with OIL. Started up and all ok, customer picked up and drove it away. Whew!!!! That will never happen again.
At least with the old air cooled beetles one could get away with the overnight fix, plus I was racing a Formula Vee at the time so rebuilding a VW engine was not new to me.
There is oil in my 2800cs which will be fired in the next few days after a rebuild.
jjs2800cs