Bonehead

69gmachine · Jun 20, 2008

Lest I ever take myself too seriously, I'll have to humble myself by recalling one of my bonehead moves.

Yesterday evening after work I was buttoning things up and getting ready to go for a ride. I was in a bit of a rush because I don't want to be out after dark. The old headlights are just so dim it's scary. So I had completed a pre-flight inspection and was confident everything was ready to go. I let it down off the plastic ramps, fired it up, put it in gear and CLUNK CLUNK, no movement. I got out and looked under the car. The back of the drive shaft was laying on the concrete, one cup missing. I had forgotten to install the u bolts! At that point I remembered I had just set the u-joint into the rear yoke and stopped for whatever reason without putting the u-bolts on.

I know I'm not the only one who does stupid things, so 'fess up and contribute to a check list we can all use when it's been down for a while.

BarnStang · Jun 20, 2008

Does a garden tractor qualify? Bought a broke tractor for $60, spent $200 in parts rebuilding the engine, and in a rush to see how it ran, started it up without putting oil in...something I am now painfully conscience of with my cars...

NasaGT · Jun 20, 2008

good ones. For me it required two cars. As it happened my Fiero needed a new water pump and the 87 Stang needed a new coolant temp sensor. Changed the water pump on the Fiero and added water back into the system. For those that don't know, the thermostat housing on the Fiero is a tall tube on top of the passenger side of the engine. Having finished that, went and installed the water temp sensor on the intake manifold of the Stang. It leaked some coolant, so I thought I'd add a little water when done. Went to the passenger side of the car, opened the cap on the tall tube and put the hose in. Two minutes later I'm thinking 'why isn't this filled up yet, it didn't lose that much fluid?' It finally dawns on me - I've got the hose in the oil fill tube.

I changed the oil three times that afternoon trying to make sure I got all the water out.

gsxrken · Jun 20, 2008

Once had a noise coming from my rear axle, but I couldn't tell which side. I jacked the car up from under the rear carrier, started the car and put it in first so the wheels were spinning, and got out of the car to listen for the noise.
After I successfully diagnosed that it was the drivers right rear (Wilwood disc e-brake assembly), I let the car down off the jack.

While it was running, in gear.

Luckily it stalled after lurching about 6 feet forward, and nothing and no one was hurt.

Tony R · Jun 20, 2008

I was flushing out my radiator and changing my oil in my truck and was not paying attention and poured about a cup of oil into my radiator. The coolant and oil containers were the same size and shape. flushed it out a couple of times and still didn't get it all out. Figured that because it is a ford that it wouldn't hurt to have that little bit of lubrication in there.

BornInAFord · Jun 20, 2008

gsxrken said:
Once had a noise coming from my rear axle, but I couldn't tell which side. I jacked the car up from under the rear carrier, started the car and put it in first so the wheels were spinning, and got out of the car to listen for the noise.
After I successfully diagnosed that it was the drivers right rear (Wilwood disc e-brake assembly), I let the car down off the jack.

While it was running, in gear.

Luckily it stalled after lurching about 6 feet forward, and nothing and no one was hurt.

Ouch! At least it didn't go through a window, right? "Cameron, what's gonna happen to it? It's in a garage."

Jimmys66 · Jun 20, 2008

My previous employer really screwed me on a job one day. I drove the company box truck back to yell at him. I drove into the company parking lot so pissed off that I got out of the truck, still moving and left in gear.

By the time I realized it, the truck was headed for the street and had a 10' head start on me. I did catch it before it hit anything and then I laughed so hard I wasn't mad anymore.......

65fastbackresto · Jun 20, 2008

I drained the transmision fluid

by mistake while changing oil. Of course I also filled the crankcase up before checking the dip stick.....

I was 14 and Dad was pretty understanding cause at least I didnt tear up anything.

68stang351 · Jun 20, 2008

I guess the the dumbest thing I've done so far (key words) is leaving stuff on the car. So far I've lost 3 cell phones, a home phone, a watch, a wallet, and countless tools, (mostly screwdrivers). I've found the home phone, 1 screwdriver, and had the cell phone returned twice. Everything else was never to be seen again.

I'll set the stuff on the cowl panel, wing, in the engine bay or where ever and go for a test drive and forget about it.

jcode68 · Jun 20, 2008

Just this week I had a bonehead moment when changing the oil in my 68. I drained the oil, removed and replaced the filter, added the oil and started her up. After 10 seconds without oil pressure, I was reaching for the key to shut her down when a geiser of oil shot from under my hood covering everything nearby with oil! After 2 hours of cleanup, I finally get around to inspecting the situation and as suspected, the old filter gasket had stuck to the block, so when I put the new filter on it was double gasket. Once pressure built, bam - black gold, Texas tea. So the morale of the story, always inspect the old filter to ensure the gasket is with it. Posted via Mobile Device

68stang351 · Jun 20, 2008

jcode68 said:
Just this week I had a bonehead moment when changing the oil in my 68. I drained the oil, removed and replaced the filter, added the oil and started her up. After 10 seconds without oil pressure, I was reaching for the key to shut her down when a geiser of oil shot from under my hood covering everything nearby with oil! After 2 hours of cleanup, I finally get around to inspecting the situation and as suspected, the old filter gasket had stuck to the block, so when I put the new filter on it was double gasket. Once pressure built, bam - black gold, Texas tea. So the morale of the story, always inspect the old filter to ensure the gasket is with it. Posted via Mobile Device

Lol! I forgot about that! I did the exact same thing a few years ago!

D.Hearne · Jun 20, 2008

I prelubed two motors on the engine stand without the oil fliter installed.

Grabber70Mach · Jun 20, 2008

Well one day I did the front disc brakes on my DD. Finished the job up put the tires back on, lowered it off the jack stands. Then decided to take it for a test drive. While backing out of the garage go to hit the brakes yep nothing forgot to pump the brakes to adjust the calipers. All i can say is what a ride, short driveway thought I might end up in my neighbors front porch but whipped it down the road and finally got it stopped. Moral of the story remeber to pump your brakes before you move the car.

mustang6tee8 · Jun 20, 2008

gsxrken said:
Once had a noise coming from my rear axle, but I couldn't tell which side. I jacked the car up from under the rear carrier, started the car and put it in first so the wheels were spinning, and got out of the car to listen for the noise.
After I successfully diagnosed that it was the drivers right rear (Wilwood disc e-brake assembly), I let the car down off the jack.

While it was running, in gear.

Luckily it stalled after lurching about 6 feet forward, and nothing and no one was hurt.

Those drivers right rears sure are tricky arent they?

I've gotten lucky so far... I usually run out of gas and have to coast the last 20 feet to the pump

gsxrken · Jun 20, 2008

mustang6tee8 said:
Those drivers right rears sure are tricky arent they?

I've gotten lucky so far... I usually run out of gas and have to coast the last 20 feet to the pump

Damn, I should edit that... but this is a thread about boneheads so I have to leave it up to prove my point!

And to be more of a bonehead, it was on the driver right rear, if you stepped out the drivers side, and were looking at the rear of the car. Work with me here

96 DOHC Cobra · Jun 20, 2008

Brother-in-law once did an oil change on his Chevy Vega in my dad's garage. Drained the oil, Changed the filter, Added new oil. Yep, forgot to replace oil pan drain plug. Seemed funny st the time.
I, on one occasion, managed to put a few gallons of regular unleaded gas into my dad's 1980 GMC DIESEL pickup. We were on a family trip to Mexico and stopped for fuel in Blythe, CA at about 2AM. I had been driving for about six hours and was getting tired. Had a little brain fade. Fortunately, my dad caught my mistake before too long. Luckily, the tank had been near-empty so we filled it the rest of the way with diesel and I guess it dilluted enough that there were no noticeable effects.

D.Hearne · Jun 21, 2008

96 DOHC Cobra said:
Brother-in-law once did an oil change on his Chevy Vega in my dad's garage. Drained the oil, Changed the filter, Added new oil. Yep, forgot to replace oil pan drain plug. Seemed funny st the time.
I, on one occasion, managed to put a few gallons of regular unleaded gas into my dad's 1980 GMC DIESEL pickup. We were on a family trip to Mexico and stopped for fuel in Blythe, CA at about 2AM. I had been driving for about six hours and was getting tired. Had a little brain fade. Fortunately, my dad caught my mistake before too long. Luckily, the tank had been near-empty so we filled it the rest of the way with diesel and I guess it dilluted enough that there were no noticeable effects.

All you did there was blend together a tank of #1 diesel fuel. We used to dump a few dozen moth balls in the tanks and that would shoot blue flames out the stacks at night.

Jimmys66 · Jun 21, 2008

My ex-wife and I were living in the basement of friend's house while we were building ours.

Needless to say, my escort gt needed to have the brakes done while we were there. No garage to work in, and all my tools were in storage. Not even a piece of concrete to work on.

Anyways, after not being real happy about the situation I did them anyways.....

I'm coming home from work that next night and I can hear a ting, ting, ting sound. By the time I figure out that I left a bolt loose on a caliper, it came out, hit the inside of the rim and got propelled into the wheel well. Sounded like the car got shot.

The ex comes home from work and finds me walking up and down the road looking for the bolt. Never did find it.

None of the parts places nor my local dealership had one. I had to drive an hour away to get one from another dealership.

Best part was the price.......that one bolt cost me $20 and that was over 10 years ago.

Decurion · Jun 21, 2008

One time I was working on a 97 f150 I had, and a couple days later I kept thinking, man, what smells?! And I kept hearing a small clunk sometimes, but the truck was pretty well beat and had high miles so I didnt think anything of it. Turns out I roasted a good snap-on ball peen hammer on the exhaust manifold.
Another time I was working on one of my dads cars, a 1949 Hudson. It was a junkyard salvage, but in decent shape and I was trying to get it to run. After a few sputters, we decided it was time to go have lunch. While eating, we heard what sounded like a shotgun blast, which we didnt really think much of since it was at our old vacation house back in the woods. After a couple minutes, I started thinking "that gunshot sounded funny, and there was only one shot." I walked out to the garage to find some foul smelling grease/oil splattered under the hood and the ignition key in the on position.
Then there was the time I bought this beat up 65 Falcon wagon...

mustbereel · Jun 21, 2008

Many years ago I had been working on a 68FB that was my daily driver at the time. I was driving home late at night and smoke started pouring from under the hood. I pulled over and lifted the hood to see the wiring harness on fire! About this time a guy on a motorcycle pulled up just in front of me and started fiddling with the gear selector or something on his bike. He didn't even notice me trying to put out the fire by throwing dirt at it. Eventually he saw what was going on and helped disconnect the battery cable. Turns out I left an all metal wire stripper on the inner apron and it slid off and wedged itself between the alternator output terminal and the chassis. I still have those wire strippers with the big melted spot on them.

The motor cycle guy gave me a ride home. Turns out he was a car guy and restored Corvettes for a living.

Bonehead

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