Monumental stuff-up

timmsd · Unread post by **timmsd** » 30 Oct 2003, 16:20

I'm looking for sympathy...
Things go wrong and its not so bad when they are not your fault.
When it is your fault you are left feeling sick.
So what happened.?
Well I rebuilt a 1.9TD engine, new shells, rings, everything.
Built the engine in the garage, fitted a new timing belt and removed pins. Rotated engine several times and re tensioned belt. Then re pinned it to make sure. Removed pins (or so I thought) and fitted covers. Engine back in car and start her up. .... Left a timing pin in the cam sprocket!!!![xx(]. What a tit!
Won't do that again!
Anyway, I ended up with a 3 piece camshaft and busted cam bearings.
After grumbling and barking at anyone who spoke to me for a few days I finally put it all back together minus the pin and..... IT WORKS!
So alls well that ends well.
This happened weeks ago and only now do I feel able to tell anyone how foolish I'd been.
Any more horror stories out there for Halloween?
Dave

SplendiferousII · Unread post by **SplendiferousII** » 30 Oct 2003, 16:24

Your not the first as you probably know. My father, who has built massive Diesel engines all his life did the same thing a couple of years ago. One massive bang and that look on his face.

Unread post by **alan s** » 30 Oct 2003, 17:16

Dave,
FWIW, I had a set of pins made up to do cambelts on BX 16V motors by a guy who does racing engines.
When they arrived, I noticed they were made of a soft alloy material and came with an apology about the "rough" finish (ie) machining marks.
When I next spoke to him I asked why they hadn't simply been made out of mild steel which would have meant a nice smooth finish and was promptly told that they are NEVER made out of steel for exactly the reason you mention, in fact he suggested that the ideal material was possibly plastic. Not long afterwards, another BX 16V owner posted how he'd done the same job using high tensile pins and done exactly as you did; got distracted, forgot to remove the pins & started the engine......bingo; bent valves everywhere.
Just thought I'd post this so if anyone else has intentions of getting pins made, they aren't intended for load work, in fact quite the opposite; the softer the material, the better they are, just so long as the don't snap off in there under finger pressure when removing..[:D][:D][:D]
Alan S [}:)]

benj · Unread post by **benj** » 30 Oct 2003, 17:52

i use steel pins and i think i will chuck them cos i cant trust myself!!!
my own personal favourite cockup was to forget to bolt up the lower wisbone to the ball joint of a fiesta, i only wanted to pust the car backwards out of the way of the garage, about 20 metres later and a bit of a knock i had a bent suspension turret and written off shell, i was so happy with myslef

Unread post by **RichardW** » 30 Oct 2003, 17:59

On stuff ups:
1. I removed the gear selector from the 'box in a 2-cylinder Visa - whilst it was in gear. There is a spring centering plate underneath, and this promptly sprang back to the middle so I couldn't get the new selector in. After 3 hours sweating that I was going to have take the 'box out and strip it, I managed to work out (with the aid of the Haynes BOL and the spare 'box I had in the garage) that it could be put back in by carefully pre-loading the spring plate and guiding it into the slot in the box. Boy was I glad when it went home!
2. Changing the glow plugs (I was having starting probs cold and warm) on a BX TD I had removed the intercooler, but had to leave it for a day or two whilst I got some more spanners. I put a piece of kitchen roll(*) in the inlet manifold to stop any crap falling down it. Having refitted the plugs, and it being almsot dark, I decided to test it without putting the intercooler back on. Still wouldn't start, so shrugged shoulders and went in. At about 1.30 am I woke up with the cold realisation that I had not removed the paper - no more sleep that night thinking about taking the head off. Anyway I just put it all back together and cranked it till it started - the cloud of partially burnt diesel, complete with little bits of burnt paper, was impressive to say the least! Eventually found bad starting down to fitting the fuel filter with 2 seals which had separated and let air in (another stuff up on my part!)
Richard
* Thank god it was paper and not a piece of rag!

AndersDK · Unread post by **AndersDK** » 30 Oct 2003, 19:09

[:p] There is a reason why pilots have a preflight checklist... [:p]
- or why Haynes do step by step instructions ....[;)]
1) Tried removing a stiff old fuel rubber hose from my CX fuel pump - the stud/pump housing snapped off.
2) Once servicing my garden tractor on a carb float valve problem - I tried vent the cylinder for excess fuel w/ plug out. Left the plug in the HT lead - smartly thinking I'd easily find it again - a giant blowtorch was the result [:D][:D]
3) Removing a front suspension strut from a BX - while the BX was stripped - resting on jacks - suddenly I was trapped between the tilted BX and my workshop wall.
4) Lying under my BX grinding off the old rusty exhaust - suddenly I just had to SNEEZE - a giant sneeze - my hand banged right up into the end of the nearby U-clamp - OUCH

SplendiferousII · Unread post by **SplendiferousII** » 30 Oct 2003, 20:08

As the old saying goes. " A man who has never made a mistake, hasnt done very much"

NiSk · Unread post by **NiSk** » 30 Oct 2003, 23:52

I once had starting/running problems with a SAAB 95 (V4). While trying to determine wether the falt was ignition based of fuel based, I unscrewed one of the spark plugs a layed it on top of the (V4) block. I could see the spark while standing in the opened drivers door and looking into the engine compartment (the V4 has a back opening bonnet). Next step (I was working alone) was to check the fuel delivery, so unscrew hose clamp and pull off fuel feed to carb. Back to the drivers door and turn the engine over a few times to see if any fuel appeared - which it did, was ignited by the spark plug (which I had forgotten to replace) and produce the blowtorch effect named above. I turned off the ignition, but of course the fire continued, so I ran back down from the street where the car was to my garage to fetch the fire extinguisher, half way down the drive I started thinking that maybe a fire is not such a bad idea anyway! so I stopped and went back up to the car, only to find that my kindly neighbour was there filling the inside of the engine, via the filterless carb, with dry powder fire extinguisher "cement".
Well the fire went out and I could hardly tell off my neighbour for being so alert. However, the engine had to be stripped down to get rid of all that awfull white powder, and I never found out what the problem was!
//NiSk

mbunting · Unread post by **mbunting** » 31 Oct 2003, 14:08

Changed the front pads using trolley jack ( no chocks ), lowered it back down, and it immediately began rolling downhill towards the neighbours back garden. Luckily the engine was running to raise the suspension ( to get the jack out ), so I chased the car, opened the door, and slammed my foot on the brakes, 30cm short of the hedge ( car had rolled about 3m )

Unread post by **alan s** » 31 Oct 2003, 16:49

Had trouble with my CX not wanting to start due to a relay playing up.
Grabbed the wire from the solenoid and hit it onto the poitive terminal and it started woo hooo!!! only problem was, it's a c-matic and has a safety switch but doing what I did, bypassed the safety switch if in gear and I'd (huhumm) I'd left it in first gear with the choke out and it durn near run over me...that was problem #1.
Problem #2 is that I suffer from osteo arthritus and often wear a back brace, so Linfield Christie I ain't. After avoiding getting run over and with a car now increasing in speed as it went past and with the position of the ignition switch on a CX under the steering wheel and having a button on the door handle which will never push in if it's an emergency, I eventually got the door open by which stage I could only keep up by hanging off the door, somehow swung myself into the drivers seat & hit the brake.
It stopped within a foot of the back stairs. Incidentally, I live on acreage so it had a good run up before I stopped it....still get cold shivers thinking about it!![:0][:p][:p][:o)]
Alan S [;)]

benj · Unread post by **benj** » 31 Oct 2003, 17:57

sypthathes Alan!!
haha forgot about my worse one.
not even pased my test yet in a mint black 1977 mini 1275gt, i had the car on ramps next to my house changing the oil and filter, when i reversed down the ramp i didnt realise the door was not open when i drove up, i now had the drivers door fully open with my head out looking behind, the end of the open door snagged on the corner of my house and as i dumbly proceded down the ramps the drivers door was bending backwards, looking backwards i didnt know what was happening, i thought the ramps were slipping until all was to late
never did get the car looking right again after that, iv got pictures but darent develop them!

Guru Meditation · Unread post by **Guru Meditation** » 31 Oct 2003, 22:23

Ok ok when I was 14 or 15 my parents had a B reg cavalier SRi in the garage that hadn't been used for ages. I managed to get it started after charging the battery and I thought it would be a good idea to reverse it out of the garage onto the drive for whatever reason. I had never driven before but knew all the stuff like clutch, brake, accelerator understood the concept of manual gear boxes and clutch blah blah. My crucial mistake was looking at the gear stick and seeing the shift pattern was reverse to the left of 1st. Ok no probs I thought. I moved the gear stick to the left and up as far as I could (with the clutch depressed, engine running) just to be sure it was definately in reverse. I then gave it a bit of gas and started to lift the clutch. The car was actually lift-reverse type box and I had never lifted the collar on the gear stick so had selected 1st. Because it was pretty much my first time on the clutch I lifted it too quick the car shot forwards and smashed into the wall at the end of the garage (about 3-4 feet away). The garage had quite a large window at this end and it cracked the whole wall around the frame-the whole wall leaned out wards a couple of inches. I absolutely ****ing s**t myself about what my old man would say I could of cried lol.

David Goddard · Unread post by **David Goddard** » 31 Oct 2003, 23:51

Years ago, no money and a DAF66 with an almost flat battery. Brain wave! Remove the 12V supply to the coil and connect the battery charger instead.
Great, the starter just turned the engine over and the big sparks started it.
Engine running, alternator pushing out the current, unknown to me the 12V coil feed wire moved and earthed itself. Smoking wires, smoking ignition switch, tried to stop the engine with the rapidly melting ignition switch. Engine wouldn't stop. Brian eventually in gear - the coil was still being powered by the battery charger. Able to save £ by repairing the melted switch with Araldite.

Unread post by **cheesesliceking** » 01 Nov 2003, 00:36

well I'm not in the same league as destroying stuff but....
i over choked the GT coming out of work & stalled in the middle of a roundabout @ peak time in the middle of leeds....[:I] DOH![:D]

Bigbrother · Unread post by **Bigbrother** » 05 Nov 2003, 01:08

Personally speaking i have done too many stupid things to remember them all - but i feel the highlight has to be cleaning/oiling my motorbike chain with bike on centre stand. Decided due to teenage laziness (and i didnt wanna get oil on the rear tyre when i spun it) to have engine running and bike in gear...........well it seemd like a good idea at the time !
Needless to say the rag i was holding caught up in the rear cog - and as a refelx reaction i tried to pull it out. Bottom line is the engine & drivetrain was stronger than me, and i had to endure the loss of around 3/4 inch of my thumb.
Regards,
bb