I'm Really as Stupid as I thought (Belt Tensioner Part II)

[TMWeber]

LOL



This is great! I don't feel like such a dufuss!!!

 

[EZGZ]

Recently found myslef with a dead battery and stuck the battery charger on.

Was barely able to latch the hood do to snowy weather.



Walked out the very next day and pop the key in to see if it would start?



It did, fired right off! Then relizing what happened I shut it right down and went out to lift the hood.



First thing I did was a look around the neighborhood to see if anyone else was watching



Nothing happened thank goodness.



I depending heavily on luck!

 

[1stgen4evr]

Murphy

It never ceases to amaze me what all can go wrong. I learned early that rod bolts MUST be secured. Built myself a scooter with a three horse Tehcumse (sp) engine. Didn't put the cotter keys back in the rod bolt. ------ Yep, right out the side. I was 10 at the time. Fifty years later the list is too long to even try to remember it all.



Great post Phil. I feel right at home here.



1stgen4evr

James

 

[RGT]

I went to check the fluid level in a mustang's manual transmission and heard a thunk as I backed out the "odd fill plug", that was the longest lube, oil,+ filter I ever performed, as the trans had to come out to put the reverse lever back in place... .

 

[JLEONARD]

James' post reminded me...

Of my first engine rebuild... I was 16 and rebuilding a Pontiac 4 cyl in a 62 LeMans. Don't think it needed it but I wanted to take it apart and screw something up.

I knew there was supposed to be clearance between the main bearings and crank... and I had a micrometer... but didn't know how to read that C clamp looking thing.

Long story short is that it lasted 450 miles... .comming out of the parking lot after watching the drag races... . well we ALL know what we do... yes as soon as it shifted out of low she vaulted a rod thru the pan... .

Yup. . been downhill ever since.

There... I feel so much better now!

Phil... . pass me another beer will ya!

EC Jay

 

[1stgen4evr]

she vaulted a rod thru the pan....

Maybe we never got out of the first grade at the school of hard knocks.



Which makes me remember that I carved my name on the desk (table) at my first grade. Then the teacher wanted me to erase it. Ever tried to erase a carving.



James

 

[AMikonis]

Yeah, when I got my current truck it HAD a matched pair of almost new tires on the front (two balding mismatches on the back. ) One of the first things I did was replace the calipers. Pulled it out of the garage, no problemo. Dropped it in reverse, backed up, and the combination wrench I left on the bleeder screw ripped right through the sidewall of the tire!



Andy

 

[paccool]

Oh yea, remembered another "incident" after seeing the scar on my ring finger.



Was removing the battery lead from the starter on the old ford I had in high school. Had the wrench in my hand and started removing the nut holding the cable on. Right then I found out why one is supposed to always remove the leads from the battery! The wrench was on the nut, it was making contact with the ring on the inside of my hand, and the ring made contact with the block. It melted the ring onto my finger from the dead short that had all the amps in the battery going to ground! That was when I said words I hadn't even realized I knew!



I also pretty much quit wearing a ring right then. Wore the wedding ring for a while just cause the Air Force said I couldn't when working around the electronic equipment but took it off after getting out and was working around equipment.



Stan

 

[dpuckett]

Originally posted by CB_Parker

Oh man, Daniel... I thought I screwed everything up... :-laf

Keep in mind it has taken me 6 years and 7 vehicles to get through that short list; not the two years and 1 vehicle it has taken you:-laf. You learn as you get older. OR some of us do, anyway.



-DP

 

[Greenleaf]

melted the ring onto my finger

... ... ..... owchy... ... ... .

 

[Idually]

I've done the ultimate wrong!!!

I've been hanging out here for a while now. I haven't posted much, but when I have a question/concern, this gang is ready willing and able. Thank you. Here is my "mistake"



I bought my wife a 1982 4x4 Ramcharger (Still a Dodge, right?) around Christmas last year. I knew it needed work, but she fell in love right away. Uh Oh...



Well... after a reman motor(GAS'ermind you)... trans... and MANY other replacements, it still doesn't run like I think it should.



Mistake? I should have found another CTD to put in the RC



Oh well..... You live... ... then you buy CTD!!!!

 

[JDMills]

I was working on a John Deere B trying to find TDC. Well got to paying more attenton to how the tractor was turning over than where my index finger was. . as it passed through the space between the ring gear and the starter bendix. That finger nail still is not quite right.



Then there was the time I removed the drive pinion 'set screw' or what ever it is called that holds the important parts of the rear differental in their proper place. course I could not figure out why some one had tack welded it in place. All I wanted to do was check the level of the oil. . that rear end got to making some noise in 100 miles or less. still have it as one of my crowning moments.



I am sure there will be a couple more to which I can lay claim to by the end of the summer.



Jason

 

[bflood]

humph . . . . . ya kinda caught me off guard . . . . . humph . . . . I know I musta done something wrong sometime . . . . . I'm really thinking hard on this . . . . . but nothing comes to mind right now . . . . humph!





I'm making a list of all you repentant confessors so I can compare it against the future advise I get to a question



How about it Pastor Bob, you don't have enough rwhp resources to bless this sorry lot of admitted screwups do you?

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

Ahhhhh... ... . hmmmmmmmm..... well the good book says that confession is good for the sole... (get it)... . so, you're all absolved of any and all truly duffus, goofy, lame, brainfart, cerebral vapour lock, transgressions.

I want all you guys to say 4 male harries and one Our Lady Of Acceleration chants.....



As for me... well the most dumb butted thing I did was... . while searching for a funny sound near the front of the ole girl, I used a 3' piece of garden hose as a stethiscope... .

Now, here I was, hot on the trail of the offending sound... moving the hose end over different parts of the front of the engine with the other end in my ear... . can you see it coming???

Well, in a blink the ole fan grabbed the hose and proceeded to beat my head silly with the other end... . darn near took out my one good eye..... I looked like I'd been in a "girly fight"...

So, there you have it... that is why I've never been right since then.....

Now were did I leave my ointment for that rash... ...



Pb.

 

[JLEONARD]

Hey anybody ever leave the ratchet on the crankbolt then try to start up and hear that wrench go flying?

Not me... no never... well, not more than a few times.

Jay

 

[dpuckett]

Jay, Try leaving the timing pin intstalled while you turn the engine over to the second half of the overhead. Had to use my finger in the hole after that



bflood- if you make a list of all the repentant sinners here, and refuse to heed their advice on given topics, there wouldnt be anyone left for you to listen to. And besides, some of these guys' mess ups were 30 or 40 years ago.



-DP

 

[tugboatphil]

As the originator of this post, I just want to clarify that even though I have made numerous OTHER stupid mistakes, this one with the tensioner was something that I had repeatedly done over a 10 year period.



Therefore, I am still in first place. !!

 

[TSuter]

I've screwed up numerous times on cars, that's why my wife adds 4 hours to any type of ETIC I give her.



The worst screw ups I've had have always been on aircraft where...



1. You can't hide it.



2. There is always either aircrew or other maintainers watching you do it, laughing the whole time!



Tom

 

[1stgen4evr]

Well, in a blink the - - - -

Does that sound all to familiar?



Tugboat, you can be first but there may be a sub-catagory prize that goes to the most expensive screwup.



On that finger in the hole deal. I saw a guy line up a trailer hitch pin with his finger. The tractor driver let the clutch out and the guy lost a finger. Be careful what you put your finger in. You may be looking at the result the rest of your life.



Wrench on the crank. Some of you farmer guys may know about the big wrench that is used to back the choke in the threshing cylinder of a combine. Mine had a bent handle.



Using a drill press and holding the work piece. Still got all my fingers but I have some neat scars.



For those of you who never did anything wrong, you must be paying someone to do your work. Cause I guarantee that if you work, you will somewhere, sometime, do something like my fellow screwup TDR friends. There may be just as much 'Lesson' in these threads as the ones about specific problems. In fact, I think this might be good in the FAQ section.



James

 

[CAROLINA CUMMINS]

I'm bad for using the two-handed gorilla grip on little bitty bolts. Not a very good technique! Especially on pump parts, like the smoke screw The locknut no longer has any threads:{



I'm alot more careful since starting college, wouldn't be very profitable or proficient to be breaking bolts on someone elses truck.



Steve