some people never learn

[homersipes]

lol I hate when starters go bad seems to happen at all the WRONG times. Had an 85 s10 I put a reman engine into didnt replace the $30 starter, soke up late to work one day and went out to start it and click click.  So I figured I could arc the solenoid and replace it that afternoon, so I did it and ZZIINGG bendix wouldnt engage the flywheel.  So I had a 1/2 inch breaker bar I was arcing with I stepped back and was aiming for the front bumper I threw it and smash right through the grill and brand new less than 500 miles radiator.  So a $30 fix fost me almost $200.  I have since learned not to throw anything cuz my aim SUCKS

[eagl]

lol I hate when starters go bad seems to happen at all the WRONG times. Had an 85 s10 I put a reman engine into didnt replace the $30 starter, soke up late to work one day and went out to start it and click click.  So I figured I could arc the solenoid and replace it that afternoon, so I did it and ZZIINGG bendix wouldnt engage the flywheel.  So I had a 1/2 inch breaker bar I was arcing with I stepped back and was aiming for the front bumper I threw it and smash right through the grill and brand new less than 500 miles radiator.  So a $30 fix fost me almost $200.  I have since learned not to throw anything cuz my aim SUCKS

 

Best self-inflicted wound story this year.  Thx

[CAP1]

My first truck was a 96 chevy single cab step side with the V8 350 engine.  It got to where it didnt want to start, acted like a dead battery but the battery was only a month old.  So my mother, in all her genius, made me take it to this shop out of town because the local mechanics are just dumb rednecks.  He replaces the fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel injector, and other fuel related stuff that I cant recall at the moment.  It ended up costing my mom ~$900.  I went to pick it up, it starts fine in their lot, as soon as I get home, guess what, it wont start.  I jump it off and drive down to the local redneck.  He looked at it for literally 10 minutes, rolls out from underneath the truck looks at me and says "you need a new starter."  Problem solved. 

 wanna hear a funnier one?

 shop i used to work at....i was messing with a light control module issue on an olds aurura. so the other guy gets the 89 chevy pickup no-start. he pulls it in, and in about 5 minutes, says that the fuel pumps bad. i asked him if he checked the fuses and relays, 'cause he came to that conclusion too fast(for him). he told me to mind my own business.
 new fuel pump goes in. still doesn't start. boss pulls me off the olds and puts me on it. took about 30 seconds to confirm the bad relay. 

 another chevy truck no brake lights. same guy. replaces the brake light switch, 'cause it's definitely bad. it wasn't. it was a blown fuse.

[homersipes]

lol what a dipchit

[CAP1]

lol what a dipchit

 yep. and the guy's been in the field for at least 20 years. one would think he'd at least be able to diagnose something as simple and basic as those......

[VonMessa]

yep. and the guy's been in the field for at least 20 years. one would think he'd at least be able to diagnose something as simple and basic as those......

When I worked at the local mower/small engine shop, the was always at least one person (if not 2-3) who we had to charge a p/u and delivery fee for their equipment and then would complain about the bill.

"What do you mean, it's $55.00 ?!?!"

"Yes sir.   $50 for the p/u and delivery and $5 for the gallon of gas."

Our standard first question when a customer would call with a no-start?

"Is there gas in the tank?"  Second question? "Are you positive?"

 

[branch37]

When I worked at the local mower/small engine shop, the was always at least one person (if not 2-3) who we had to charge a p/u and delivery fee for their equipment and then would complain about the bill.

"What do you mean, it's $55.00 ?!?!"

"Yes sir.   $50 for the p/u and delivery and $5 for the gallon of gas."

Our standard first question when a customer would call with a no-start?

"Is there gas in the tank?"  Second question? "Are you positive?"

 

   ever seen Sling Blade? 

[VonMessa]

  ever seen Sling Blade? 

Mmmmm  Hmmmmm 

[Hoffman]

I used to enjoy working on cars back in the day. Now I take one look at them. Realise I dont have a NASA type degree in engineering and say "screw dat"
I used to get a degree of satisfaction in doing it myself. Now I only get aggravated. Did the waterpump a few years ago. Used to be a fairly simple procedure. Now if you dont have a special tool. It is a regular full blown adventure just to separate the fan from the pump. Which used to be. take out 4 bolts and the fan came off. Why they changed that is beyond me because they really didnt need to.

Anyway. It started an effort in aggravation. Was an effort in aggravation and I was left nothing but aggravated when I was done. And when I looked at the time it took me. I could have saved money or at worst broke even by just bringing it to the shop. And I would have the added benifit of not being aggravated.
You see. I see my time as money Once something takes more then 3 hours to do Im looking at the cost of a full days work. As beyond that I charge for a full day. So. I could have went ot work and done what I know how to do best and made the money to pay someone else to do what they know how to do best.

Now I'll do front brakes and other minor things. But if Im going to bust knuckles or its going ot take more then a few hours. It goes to the mechanic

Oh dear lord don't talk to me about water pumps.  I've helped my Father replace them on my '93 Ranger and my Sister's '01 Ranger.  I hope the engineer who designed that procedure is forced to do that every day for the rest of his life.
My Sister's truck wasn't that bad, auto zone had the special part for her fan assembly, came off pretty easy except for the water pump and the foot long (only slightly exaggerated) bolts that attached it.  But my Ranger...  The water pump on that damn thing goes out again and the truck is going to the junkyard, as much as I love it.

What was worse, is after we spent about 5 hours getting the fan off the rest of the job took 10 minutes if that, and only about 5 minutes to put the fan back on.  Then two months later the fan clutch on my Ranger goes out.  Both of us swore to high heaven 'cause when we had it all apart we both said we should replace this 18 year old part... But decided against making another trip to the store.








We had a mechanic down the street who used to do great work for us, but then I suspect he left because his boss didn't have a moral compass.  Finally found that he had opened his own store about 40 miles away.  It's a long drive but the work is definately worth it.

After he left the old place we went there twice, once for a new set of tires that lasted 15,000 miles before one of them blew on me while driving, the second time they tried to tell me my power steering pump was leaking and wouldn't pass inspection.  I looked at it, wiped away some oil, said thank you and never went back.
5 Year later that power steering pump hasn't had any issues at all.

[CAP1]

Oh dear lord don't talk to me about water pumps.  I've helped my Father replace them on my '93 Ranger and my Sister's '01 Ranger.  I hope the engineer who designed that procedure is forced to do that every day for the rest of his life.
My Sister's truck wasn't that bad, auto zone had the special part for her fan assembly, came off pretty easy except for the water pump and the foot long (only slightly exaggerated) bolts that attached it.  But my Ranger...  The water pump on that damn thing goes out again and the truck is going to the junkyard, as much as I love it.

What was worse, is after we spent about 5 hours getting the fan off the rest of the job took 10 minutes if that, and only about 5 minutes to put the fan back on.  Then two months later the fan clutch on my Ranger goes out.  Both of us swore to high heaven 'cause when we had it all apart we both said we should replace this 18 year old part... But decided against making another trip to the store.








We had a mechanic down the street who used to do great work for us, but then I suspect he left because his boss didn't have a moral compass.  Finally found that he had opened his own store about 40 miles away.  It's a long drive but the work is definately worth it.

After he left the old place we went there twice, once for a new set of tires that lasted 15,000 miles before one of them blew on me while driving, the second time they tried to tell me my power steering pump was leaking and wouldn't pass inspection.  I looked at it, wiped away some oil, said thank you and never went back.
5 Year later that power steering pump hasn't had any issues at all.

 the trick on those crazy long bolts, that often times break........don't take them off first. break the water pump around them. this releases the tension, and then about 95% of the time they'll come out ok.

[tokenjo]

I used to do a lot of my own repairs, numerous clutches, struts, exhaust, etc.
Use to change oil,  remember on time changing it, drove it to store.  While
Walking back to the car I noticed a huge puddle of oil under it.  Checked the pan bolt
and all.  Had it towed to local repair shop.   Ended up the old rubber o ring
from the old filter stuck to the block.   Alway check your filters when you pull
them.

Tokenjo

[homersipes]

yeah sometimes those gaskets can be a sob.  they always put th filter in the most screwed up way as so you cant get a scraper in there.  a while back a friend bought a new intake and carb for his jeep.  It has an old chevy 350 in it, so we pulled the old and put the new on.  Got it all back together and the rotor wouldnt line up to the 1 cylinder.  Was like WTF.  bout an hour later I walked in the house to get a drink, and it hit me square on, you dumbchit turn the oilpump.  Went back out and in 10 mins I had it fired up.  I guess moral of story dont forget important things like that lol

[Babalonian]

well, if you also add in that she HAD to have heard the engine knocking, and HAD to have seen the "check gauges" light, and HAd to have heard the dinging with the light, and the gauge going to 0...........

....and at least a couple liters of oil pissed all over her usual parking spot.

[Babalonian]

Cap

My first ex did that in a 1994 Accord in 1997 when we were freshly split.  When she called B#%#ing about it I just laughed and hung up

5-months after my ex left me her Ford Taurus threw a rod on the freeway due to a lack of servicing/oil-change. (you know, the one that left me on my 25th bday and for another man who got stuck with her for 2.5 years )   Too bad I'm the one who paid for most the car, but still.

Life, karma, fate, w/e.... it's all best enjoyed and washed down with a good beer at the end of the day. 

[AHTbolt]

After my first 6 years in the Army I got out and went to work for a shop that only did engine replacements, I did all the machine shop work. We had a company that we got our short blocks from and I did the cylinder heads and built the long blocks up for the mechanics, all they had to do was stab the distributor and put on the carb.
 The things you see in a shop like that is amazing I could wright a book, we would get 2 to 4 cars a week that had blown engines after the jiffy lube forgot to put oil back in after the oil change.
 Or the guy whose son wanted a 350 with flat top pistons with closed chamber 305 heads milled 30,000, when I told him that they would need forged pistons and alloy rods and what the price would be his son told him that his "friend" didn't have that stuff and it ran fine and was really fast.
 So dad tells me to build it like his son wanted, so I did and the boss wrote on the invoice no warranty.
 Three day later here comes the car pulled by a wrecker with pistons hanging out the block, the dad asks why the engine failed so I told and showed him that the pistons had failed and put the rods through the heads and slung them through the block because they couldn't handle the compression.
 Well the son says he was just driving down the road when it happened so dad tells us to put another motor in just like it and I tell him the same thing will happen again but dad says do it anyway.
 Three day later here comes the car pulled by a wrecker with pistons hanging out the block, you guessed it the son blew it up again and we went through the same conversation again.
 Were making 1500.00 a pop on this guy so the boss has no problem doing it but I didn't like seeing my work come back in pieces, so I put a stock 350 with open chamber 305 heads back in it and we never saw the car again.
 All over and extra 400.00.