other And, From The "i Am A Big Doofus" Department...

[thehackmechanic]

Do you know how much hydraulic fluid winds up on the floor when you hook up your pressure bleeder to bleed the new clutch slave when you haven't, in fact, screwed the hose from the slave into the clutch master cylinder?

 

Rather a lot, actually...

[mike472]

It happens to the best of us.

[ray_]

Well it's been awhile since i forgot to reinstall the oil drain plug before refilling...

 

;-)

['76mintgrün'02]

yeah, I once changed the oil in my '69 Econoline and it took ten quarts because I forgot the plug.

No fun seeing that puddle run out from under there, then bumming a ride to buy more oil. It was a long time ago, but I remember it well.

[glemon]

So far with in the 3 months I have owned the 2002 I have:

 

Not tightened the front right lug nuts all the way, and drove around the neighborhood thinking "what's that strange noise coming from the front tire?' luckily figured it out well before any disaster could occur

 

And last weekend, deciding it would not be a problem to pull a big box that was sitting in the front passenger seat out with me through the driver's door, thereby ripping a hole in my headliner just forward of my head so I can see it when I am driving...yarks!

 

Don't have enough space to go into all the adventures from early in my career.....spilled fluid is not so bad, its the break the thing you just bought, scratch the paint, or mess up the NLS part stupid mistakes that really drive me crazy.

[TR]

red to positive and black to negative.....  I have not (yet) made the reversed connection mistake but a neighbor did while jump starting his car.

 

Most importantly: remember to count how many times you have done things right!  

[photog02]

yeah, I once changed the oil in my '69 Econoline and it took ten quarts because I forgot the plug.

No fun seeing that puddle run out from under there, then bumming a ride to buy more oil. It was a long time ago, but I remember it well.

 

I did something amazingly similar as a broke high school kid. Poured an entire oil change worth of Mobil1 straight through the engine and into the catch basin under the car.

[ClayW]

Yeah, well, I smacked myself in the face removing the shift knob from my E30. So, there.

 

I also had a roommate help me struggle fro half an hour to remove a rear axle nut before remembering "lefty-loosey, righty-tighty". We probably tightened that thing to 400 ft-lbs.

Edited November 15, 2013 by ClayW

[dlmrun2002]

Did a brake pad job on an e30 and I flipped one of the pads-metal on metal. The test ride didn't seem right.  I swear I didn't inhale.

 

dlm ny country

[John_in_VA]

Making a "doofus" move is one thing; admitting it to the interwebz is another!!

Edited November 15, 2013 by John_in_VA

['76mintgrün'02]

Ah yes, torque... I learned the difference between foot pounds and inch pounds on the steering box of my '69 Torino (a LONG time ago). It did tighten up the steering, for a little while.
I am not sure why I find admitting to Doofusness cathartic. (Cathartic in the emotional sense, not the medicinal one). It is a good thing I am not running for office.

[thehackmechanic]

I have no fear. And less shame.

[thehackmechanic]

I have no fear. And less shame.

[glemon]

As I read through this I do remember one more from the myriad of, "what the hell was I thinking" stories that bear repeating.  When we had a young family we had a Mercury Voyager minivan as the family car (I saved face a little bit by driving a first generation Nissan Sentra SE-R as my daily transport, remember the one that they used to advertise beating a BMW 3 series in a drag race?) Anyway, it needed new front brake pads, I could not for the life of me get the caliper to release out enough for the new pads to clear the disc, even when I loosened the bleed nipple to let fluid out. 

 

Of course I applied greater and greater force with bigger and bigger pry bars, and then I cracked the caliper, how the heck do you crack a caliper?.  The funny thing is the car was still under warranty, and my wife called the dealer and told her the "stupid husband" story, and they towed to car to their shop AND fixed it for free (presume they charged it off as warranty work, but still)  For that good memory alone I was sorry to see Mercury go as a manufacturer.

Edited November 16, 2013 by glemon

[roadhog0]

Jacking up my 02 in the back with the parking brake off using the factory jack. Trying to remove brake drums with the parking brake on plus rusty hub (They sound like a shotgun coming off!).  Putting the oil cap back on, tightening the rad cap, putting the oil cap on too loose on my truck and it falling off. Driving my 02 for a month with a siezed front caliper... I got plenty of dumb stuff I've done in my life. Depending on if I win a vehicle at auction I may be doing another here soon