How you almost just ruined something..

[E30SPDFRK]

And I know that many of us have done brake jobs/work and have forgotten to pump the pedal before backing up/pulling away.

Lol yup. I was like 17 at my old work and had just finished doing the pads and rotors on a 911. The customer was standing right over my shoulder watching me the whole time so I was going kind of quick so I would look like I was really good at it. I backed out of the shop, which was downhill from the door right into the road about 25' away with cars parked on both sides, and started doing the "press-nothing-oh shit-press-panic look-panic press" and managed to stop right before the road. He just happened to be talking to the shop manager when I did that though so no one saw it and I just drove away like nothing happened.

[Jaxx_]

when adjusting valves 1 week ago i put the valve cover back on and was about to start the car. I put the key to position II and looked at all the gauges. The "oil pressure" light was on on the dash -- but I knew it wasn't hooked up. I turned the car off and went to look for the oil pressure warning light hookup. It was under the valve cover. Luckily I didn't turn the motor over!


Another time I came real close to dropping an oil jug cap in a running motor after topping it off with oil. I literally put the plastic cap over the big round hole above a moving cam and almost let go. I then realized that the cap i was looking for was laying on the fender. Picked that up instead and put it on the filler neck.

[///digitalme]

one time for not changing the belts the belts blew to pieces and drive with no belts for about a mile and my car almost overheated (opened the hood on the freeway while driving and turned the heater) :) saved my e30

[Smatt90IS]

my altenator exploded last night and i was a mile from the house pulled over cut the belt could no take the noise started to drive with no altenator then relized that belt powers the water pump as well and stoped before i overheated my car

[E30FourLife]

At work I was doing basic maintenance on a Saab 9-5 and when i put the last wheel back on I forgot the lug bolts for that entire wheel for some reason. I lowered it down from the lift and was about to get it and test drive when i noticed the bolts siting on my roll cart. Lucky me haha that would have been a disaster

[ck_taft325is]

Loosened the Power Steering pump to remove belt due to the rack being shot... figured I'd leave it in the "loose" position so the belt could slip right back on when I replaced the rack (it was 1am...). Go to start it and hear this God awful fucking squeeling/screeching/metal on metal type noise.

Panic.

Poke around the car thinking I fucked something up royally for another hour. Then I look at the alternator/ps pump. The PS pump was juuuuuust ever so slightly infringing on the alternator's "fins" if you will causing a ridiculously loud noise.

Gotta love it.

[SpecM]

I left the crank/damper bolt out of my customer's 05 Honda Odyssey 3.5 after a timing belt + water pump job. Drove it around the block like that too, lol. Good thing everything stayed put, and that I saw it when I was cleaning up waiting for him to pick up the van!

And just yesterday I spent an hour and a half getting the serp belt back on a newer Camry 2.4 after a water pump job, it took me that long to figure out I had the routing mixed up!

[downernsp]

almost didn't pull out in time last night...

Lllmao.... On another note. I put an alternator back into my E24 and forgot to put the black plastic/cover bettween the alternator and wire. Then started car... POOF!!! white smoke all over..

[scottinAZ]

Almost poured an entire quart of ATF into the crankcase. Stopped after 100ccs, the red color kind of gave it away ;) (ATF and motor oil quarts looked almost identical and I had forgotten I had ATF).

Luckily I only had a single quart of oil in there already, so I drained it, "rinsed" it out with another half quart of oil and then filled it up as normal.

This one isnt that bad, ATF makes for a damn good motor flush. just swap it out after about 100 miles or so of easy driving.

[Wh33lhop]

Almost poured an entire quart of ATF into the crankcase. Stopped after 100ccs, the red color kind of gave it away ;) (ATF and motor oil quarts looked almost identical and I had forgotten I had ATF).

Luckily I only had a single quart of oil in there already, so I drained it, "rinsed" it out with another half quart of oil and then filled it up as normal.

[MikeDE]

Changed a steering rack on an 04 Liberty(I don't say Jeep b/c it isn't)(royal f'in PITA). The front diff/carrier/suspension/drivshaft must all come out. On the test drive, I realized a 1/2 mile from the shop that I had only tightened the driveshafts bolts about 1 turn AND had left my bungee on shaft(long day). Well, the bungee was toast but got back from the test drive ok.

And I know that many of us have done brake jobs/work and have forgotten to pump the pedal before backing up/pulling away.

Oh yeah, doing a t-belt on my DSM, i'd left my old skool shoplamp on the upper cover, melted it, oops. Had a few extras anyway.

[87-325ic]

I did just what you did with a box wrench on the crank bolt, except I started it. Lets just say plastic and aluminum fan/clutch fragments found its way all over my garage.

Pics!

i never realized how easily this can be done.

[blueapplesoda]

So after my valve adjustment, when double checking everything, I realized that I almost just left the socket on the crank bolt from turning the cam.

If I had started the car with that on.... it would have been an ugly mess.

Glad I didnt.


What have you almost just done that could have ended badly?

I did just what you did with a box wrench on the crank bolt, except I started it. Lets just say plastic and aluminum fan/clutch fragments found its way all over my garage.

[Mike325]

A friend and I were finishing up his head replacement on his e36 m3, I was pouring in the oil and the stupid little metal foil from the jug fell into the oil fill hole. Was not sure if I saw it but then said we should pull the valve cover just to be safe. It was right in there, sittin on the cam.

[dashboardmonkey]

left a rag in the intake after doing timing belt and water pump

it had a cone filter on it that i removed but left the afm on with a rag stuffed in to keep debris and fluids out

started it up and it sucked in a little before i shut it down