What about silliest stupid mistake mechanic troubles

olgentdc · Feb 24, 2022

My son and his pal did not have a drivers license Yet . They decided to tackle the clutch in My 77 F-150 . I knew They could handle it , They wanted to do the work at the pals garage .When They got it going , They Came here , Saying something Just aint RIGHT at all ??? So i drove it . Ended upstarting it in gear because of clutch drag . Fully depressed engaged The clutch kinda , Mid ways there was some semblance . engaged it slipped quite a bit too ,..WTHeck,Do You have something backwards ? Guys lets take it apart ! right there in the paved driveway . As i pulled the pressure plate bolts loose a 1/4 nut fell into my face ! ..Where did that COMe FROM ? . It seems that the boys had set the new clutch plate on the work bench where there was a greasey nut that adhered to the clutch .. And Yep .. Bolted that rascal right up to the pressure plate.. That was the guickest We ever pulled a tranny and clutch and bolted it back in ,,. We were done in side of one hour and it ran great .

Logan in S.E. Texas · Feb 24, 2022

Great story!

SVcummins · Feb 24, 2022

Rebuilt my Cummins engine in a 98 dodge Just never sounded right at all had a bad vibration all the time couldnt figure it out even just sitting still . I paid a shop to pull the engine out well they couldnt find time to put it back in so I did it they had wedged a 2x6 on top of the transfer case and between the floor pan removed it engine is smooth as glass

jacksun65 · Feb 24, 2022

When I was in High school I was going to vo tech for auto mechanics. I had a 73 dodge D100 pickup with a 318 three speed that the clutch was slipping. I wasn't in the class that did trans clutch work but they said they would do it for the experience. Well after 3 weeks they finally said they had it fixed. Said they had all kinds of problems getting it to release. It worked but not great you had to hit the floor before it relased. A month later at K mart I went to start it and the clutch hit the floor and stayed there. I speed shifted it home and decided to pull it myself in the front yard. When I got it out I found they had drilled the ears on the release bearing and it had broke. when I pulled the pressure plate it rattled. I found a slug stuck in between the springs not allowing the plate to release evenly. I had it bac together the next day. I learned it was cheaper and better to fix things myself.

Paul from MI · Feb 24, 2022

Doing a valve job on my JD H about 50 years ago. Had many interruptions due to work and family schedules. Finally got around to torquing the head back on, only to turn around and see the rods and pistons lying on my bench. No damage done, but I had to buy a new set of lead washers. Back then they cost about $2.00

37 chief · Feb 24, 2022

Back in the 60's I had a bullet nose Studebaker. This was not a mistake it was done on purpose. I had the pistons out probably for rings. My brother, or one of his friends took a piston, and hid it. I never did find the piston. I had a five cylinder Studebaker for a while. Dad scrapped it later. It did run a little rough. Stan

J.Wondergem · Feb 24, 2022

When I still had my own truck, I had a bad vibration. When I got home I jacked it up to check the wheel bearings before I let the jack down I spun the wheel and something made a thud. Broke the tire down and the guy that repaired it had left his hammer in it.

olgentdc · Feb 24, 2022

My brother just reminded of one that cost me 1000 dollars for bearings and labor on a Massey Ferguson (Artsway style )Feed grinder mixer . We got the bright idea that the hammers should be turned. They were worn quite a bit . If anyone here ever done this job , You know to be meticulous about taking it apart and putting it back exactly in the same sequence . WHICH I THOUGHT WE DID .. That durn thing Rattled and vibrated so bad it shook the hitch pin out of the grinder. we took it to Our Ferguson dealer and they put new bearings on the MIll and power shafts. It did not need them. Still Rattled and vibrated ,I later learned They had disregarded my comment on top of the work order that All worked fine until we turned the hammers. after careful examination with the mechanic we figured out that 1 half of one of the 4 rows of hammers were out of sequence.Worked likea brand new one then

IaLeo · Feb 24, 2022

I did not do the work on this: resurrected an old Ford from a friend's junk yard, got it running for a work car but the gas gage did not work. Left it at the local Ford garage while at work, telling them to put a new gas gage in. They did. Gas still didn't work. Duh
Got home an wedged a wood screw between the rusty gas tank support strap and the tank. Then it worked. Leo

Wheat47 · Feb 24, 2022

Worked for a Ford/NH dealer in the early/mid 70's.
They had a 1960 or so 2-ton Ford with 292 motor and a tilt bed.
I put a lot of miles on that truck. I even hauled two NH combines from Cut Bank Mt
to Billings Mt (2 trips). Pulled a combine trailer and hauled the header on the truck.
Good trips, no issues.
New owner took over and bought some much newer vehicles and decided to sell the old truck.
Whoever bought it wanted a compression test. All the cylinders were fairly even, except #8.
Kept coming up zero compression. I figured I must not have the gauge in properly.
Finally, managed to put my thumb over the spark plug hole and turned it over.
Yep...NO compression!! Either a hole in the piston or burned off valve.
But you know, that 'ole truck would do 60 MPH with a nice snap out the muffler!!

Hayfarmer · Feb 24, 2022

I bought a 57 chev knowing clutch was bad. My cousin and I dropped the tranny and replaced clutch disc. Still wouldn't release so we figured clutch disc in backwards, pulled tranny again and made sure disc in right. still no good, pulled tranny and replaced pressure plate. still not working, called experienced mechanic. He noticed a stop on the floor so clutch wouldn't go clear down. I was young but pulled the tranny 3 times in one day .

Goose · Feb 24, 2022

Back in the late 1960's I spent my first year in stock car racing working with the pit crew on a '56 Chevy Sportsman car. I spent that year mostly learning how NOT to go racing.

Once, one of the other guys and I were replacing the piston rings and rod bearings on the car with the engine in the car. I was poking the pistons down from on top and he was laying under the car hooking the rod bearings up. When we got all 8 pistons back in, he had to go somewhere so I told him I'd torque the rod caps and put the oil pan back on.

Before I torqued the rod caps, I cleaned up some tools under the car and found a segment of a red bearing in with the tools. Obviously, I figured out where it went before I went any farther.

Another time, this guy built an engine and it ran a half dozen laps and blew. I disassembled it. I had it upside down on an engine stand, and when I pulled the oil pan I found there was no pickup tube on the oil pump.

The whole year went like that.

Phil-mar Farms · Feb 25, 2022

One of my older cousins was doing a valve grind on a 348 in the farm truck. He got it together and it ran fine but had no oil pressure. So he dropped the pan and checked out the oil pump. The pump was fine so after putting it back in he was laying under the truck starring at bottom of the motor. Then he noticed something red up above the cam He had layed shop rags in the valley to keep stuff out of the oil pan. All the oil was trapped in the valley by the rags!!

560Dennis · Feb 25, 2022

Good for you and the kids ambition to tackle a project as a group effort. What I think

Determined · Feb 25, 2022

Wasn't my mistake but I had the job of figuring out the problem.

Had an aircraft tow tractor brought to me that had the right front brake locking up violently on it.

It had extensive work done to it by several others before it came to me.

Most everything was new on it shoes were new, no corrosion or seal leaks, drums were machined and within spec.
Master cyl, wheel cylinders, booster, lines and hoses were all new.
Hardware and springs all properly installed and adjusted.
Wheel bearings, alignment, rims and tires all fine.

In an attempt to isolate the problem I swapped the dressed brake backing plates side for side.

Sure enough now the left front was locking up.

Wheel cylinders (2 per wheel) all had the same casting numbers but upon disassembly and closer inspection something was not right.

The manufacturer or a rebuilder over the years produced some with a 1 1/16 bore and some with a 1 1/8 bore.

Replaced one mismatched cylinder out of the four on the front wheels and life was good.

herk · Feb 25, 2022

Hello back in the late 70's or 1980 a classmate of mine's father had motor work done on his Oliver 50 series 1650 1750 1850 when they got it back it had a rumble in the lower end of the engine dealer took it back pulled the pan found a ballpein hammer in the oil pan.

What about silliest stupid mistake mechanic troubles

olgentdc

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Logan in S.E. Texas

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SVcummins

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jacksun65

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Paul from MI

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37 chief

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J.Wondergem

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olgentdc

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IaLeo

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Wheat47

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Hayfarmer

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Goose

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Phil-mar Farms

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560Dennis

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Determined

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herk

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