Have you ever did anything stupid/dumb while working on your car?

**Aerialist** · 05-18-2006, 01:29 PM

**youngun67** · 05-18-2006, 02:27 PM

I thought I could rebuild a T-56.........
Turns out I can't

**RainMan** · 05-18-2006, 02:29 PM

Here's a real Dumb Ass move for ya!

. . . .Wasn't my car. . .which makes the screw-up even worse!

About 22 years ago I worked on a friends car that was blowing white smoke out of the exhaust really bad! After a full day of checking everything we could we finally were faced with possibility of a blown head gasket.

He hadn't changed the coolant or oil in a long time so it looked like coolant contamination. So.. after shelling out $900 on manufactured Longblock (Ford V6), meticulous cleaning of parts and careful re-build, we fired it up! Purred like a kitten for about 5 minutes,

then billowing white smoke starts pouring out of the exhaust again.

You guessed it! It was a Friggin blown Vacuum Modulator for the transmission the whole time!

**Motrv8d Steve** · 05-18-2006, 03:55 PM

which was causing white smoke from the exhaust? how did that happen?

**Mr. Luos** · 05-18-2006, 03:56 PM

Most recent I can remember...

Stock valley cover bolts with a FAST intake. I even reminded myself to change them to the ones FAST provides. I didn't.

**BADBLUE02** · 05-18-2006, 06:13 PM

That would take to long.

**needmorepwr** · 05-18-2006, 06:27 PM

I was helping a friend put a body lift on his Ford F250 4x4 and you had to modify the tranny linkage....so I am under there working in on it and just as I tighten a bolt...click, click....into nuetral it goes! I manage to dodge the back tire as the truck starts rolling out of the driveway and it goes across the street and slams into a parked truck...MY parked truck! Needed a new fender and headlight on my truck and it didn't do shit to his truck.

**Corona-Extra** · 05-18-2006, 06:33 PM

These are great! Keep’em coming!

**redline** · 05-18-2006, 06:56 PM

anytime you see white smoke from an old ford replace the vaccum mod. been there done that really pissed me off!

**Blitzed** · 05-18-2006, 10:07 PM

When I was about 14 I changed the oil in my pops truck without putting the drain bolt back in, that was a messy clean up job. and my worst is when I built my 355 for my Z28 I was in such a hurry to hear my first creation fire up that I forgot to put a oil filter on it haha.... no harm done, just lots of cleaning up

**SexOnWheels** · 05-19-2006, 06:55 AM

How about something from the 'Ricer Lore'?

How many HP will the (ghey) sticker pack get me at the rear wheels???

**m1lkym1ke** · 05-19-2006, 12:32 PM

about 2 weeks ago I had to replace my water pump... first water pump ive done.. and first car ive worked on... I have replaced other things on it such as rack n pinion and some lines.. but... something new... dont know what your doing.. well i got the thing out.. and i clean it off... look at it... and see that its just bolt on by four bolts.. its easy... a stooge can do this... right? Well i put the new gaskets on with the pump.. put everything back.. im like sweet... so i start the car.. its running.. but i dont let it run to test if it overheats... i start just cleaning my mess.. well... what do i find while cleaning? the little piece that connects the pump to the engine and spins it... it fell off when i was moving the pump! FUCK... had to get two new gaskets and start over.

**RainMan** · 05-19-2006, 12:35 PM

Originally Posted by Motrv8d Steve

which was causing white smoke from the exhaust? how did that happen?

Over time the rubber vacuum diaphragm inside the modulator deteriorates and ruptures, allowing the vacuum to suck tranny fluid up into the intake via the vacuum hose. Fluid get ingested by engine, spews white smoke!

**norm43a** · 05-19-2006, 02:18 PM

I think all of us have probably done something that wasn't too bright, especially when you are learning about cars and young and dumb. When I was 16, I had an old 60 SS Impala (slow as shit). Going down the road it started missing. I jumped out, engine still running, popped the hood to see what was up. Noticed a plug wire off the plug, grabbed it and immediately found myself about ten feet away from the car, sitting on my ass, arm hurting like it had been yanked off. Never made that mistake again.

The funniest thing I saw though was similar to the first thread, guy that worked up at the local grocery had an old Corvair, put a 427 block in the front of the damn thing. Sat in the very back seat of the car because the engine ate up the front trunk area. Anyway, he couldn't get the car started and put some gas down the carberator while another guy turned it over. Shit backfired out of the carb, started a fire and burned the thing to the ground right there in the parking lot. Laughed my ass off.

**EVO8 driver** · 05-20-2006, 05:16 AM

I always hit the positive with the negative battery terminal when removing my battery.
Also doing a 1/8 mile run with the hood open.

**blunce** · 05-24-2006, 11:31 PM

Opened the radiator cap on what I thought was a cooled down radiator. Got a face full of hot coolant and a trip to the ER! Needless to say, the nights plans were ruined!

**LS1 Eddie** · 05-27-2006, 07:09 PM

I took my hood off by the bolts on the hood instead of by the fender so now my hood is going to be a PITA to line back up

DisCrete · 05-27-2006, 09:31 PM

I knew a guy who was changing a tranny out of his truck... by himself

needless to say he's on workmen's comp now

as the transmission fell on top of him

**Kjz99z28** · 05-27-2006, 10:11 PM

Well I've officially made my first stupid move.. I had just finished cleaning my car really well, and I went to put up my hood, not realizing I left the wipers up. Yeah.. I'm replacing my windshield Tuesday.

**GM Man** · 05-31-2006, 03:23 AM

When I was 17 I was trying to change a tire on my Z and didnt have jack stands, but we had a big rock in front of the house. The rear axle slid on the rock and almost crushed me, I almost made some brownies in my pants! Rocks suck for jackstands...