Dumbest thing you've done working on your vehicle

[b411sac]

Tell the story of the dumbest thing you've done working on your vehicle.

mine: Putting a new trans in my 94 ranger. My passenger side cross member bolt is rusted into place (impacts and cheater bars didn't work.) so I couldn't use a trans jack. So, I got underneath and had my partner in idiocy finagle my trans on top of me so I could try to man handle it into place. (This is in a drive way with my front end on jack stands.) About twenty minutes in with lots of forcing, grunting and sweating involved I had the trans lined up and up to the engine, while I was waiting for my partner to get a bolt to hold it in place, my sweaty hands slipped, and the trans fell, aaaaand I caught it with my head, against the pavement. I made it out ok, but I had a HUUUGE headache after we got the trans bolted up (35 minutes later.) It was a 5 speed with no fluid in it.
NEVER AGAIN. I will pay to have it done from now on.

 

[Grey_04]

i was going to change to my winter treads. put the floor jack under my rear end and jacked it up. i had just came up from the back shed with the atv with the studded tires in the trailer when my fire pager went off. as soon as i heard 3 vehicle 10-45 with entrapment. i went to do what i all ways do and jumped in the truck and it didn't go anywhere when i left the clutch out.. i would have looked funny if it would have came off the jack.

 

[7.5L_STX]

when i was first starting my SAS, i had the truck parked in the driveway and someone offered me 50 bucks for the TTB manual hubs so of course i sold them right away. after that i didnt touch the truck for probably a good two weeks and completely forgot that i took the hubs off so we go to tow it to the backyard and destruction, hilarity and pictures ensued.

pic:

Both front hubs/tires came right off the spindle. it sucked to say the least.

 

[powerranger262]

Doing an oil change on a four wheeler, I didn't put the drain plug back in and dumped about $20 worth of synthetic right through the motor and into the drain pan before I realized it. Luckily the drain pan was still under it.

 

[Dweano]

Was putting headers on my truck, got the old bolts out, thought I was home free. Put the headers on and just started the bolts in the threads. Due to the awkward angles/spaces I decided to use an air ratchet to turn them in...but I did not tap the threads before I did this and there was rust in the threads, and I was using an AIR RATCHET! Couple seconds in and it is not even tight...and I snap a new bolt off in the head of my engine. Fail

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I had one flat tire and one tire with a slow leak on the rear of my Ranger, so I had the brainy idea I would kill two birds with one stone and take both tires in at the same time to have them fixed. I jacked it up and put jackstands under it like you are supposed to and removed the rear wheels. Came back down to find the stands had settled in the dirt floor of the shed (mistake) and the truck rolled back and bounced off the shed (wrinkling the fender) on the way to the ground. The truck also pinned the floor jack under it. I got the handy-man/hi-lift and tried jacking it up that way to no avail. Even in park, 4x4 with the hubs locked in and the wheels blocked it would still slide backwards, since it wasn't on quite such a level surface anymore.

I had to go to the shop, get the 4020 with a loader and pick the truck up by the receiver to put my tires back on. It couldn't argue at all with me then, if there was a way to do it I could pick the whole truck up with that thing.

 

[gribly]

I bought a Merkur XR4Ti, and tuned up the engine, replaced the clutch and tranny, and the rockers were shot. I still have a rotted out POS that'll get sideways in 3rd. Wtf.

 

[MountainMike]

Last summer I had family visiting. I happened to be checking my lights one day while they were over and somehow left my hazards lights on. Later I went to go start the truck and nothing, so I charge the battery and move it. This time I also don't notice the hazards. Battery goes dead again of course. So not thinking I buy a brand new Motorcraft 850CCA, throw it in the truck only for this one to go dead too. So now I'm thinking WTF is going on here, I must have a draw somewhere. Now keep in mind it gets and stays really bright here in the summer so I never actually saw the lights on, plus my truck had a silent flasher (since gone after this incident). I start checking circuits, chasing wires and pulling fuses until I noticed the draw fluctuates constantly. I go out on a limb and pull the hazard fuse, sure enough the draw drops to 0. Turns out in the end the switch is somehow backwards of how it should be and I never noticed it. So in essence I threw away a good battery, bought a new one and killed a lot of time for nothing. All because I didn't notice them blink and even think of it.

 

[mhughes165]

my first ranger, one day my fuel pump decided to quit working while i was visiting family in maryland, i got through everything, having someone checking for power at the fuel pump(i didnt do it...my uncle checked for power) i was told i had power so i went about dropping the tank to replace the pump, get new pump in try to start the truck, no go......turn the key on only hear one click instead of two clicking relays.....double checked for power at the pump...sure enough, no power and the inertia switch wasnt tripped either...swap out a relay and it fires right up....

 

[doorgunner]

allright.......allright......I got it.....allright.........





i put a chevy engine ina FORD RANGER...............

 

[superdave1984]

I started my Mustang once with the oil sending unit out. Shot a geyser of oil to the ceiling of the shop. Was helping a buddy work on his Willys Jeep in the dead of winter. Had a kerosene heater taking the chill off. When he went to disconnect the fuel line so we could remove the gas tank, gas spilled everywhere. Of course the heater was downhill of the gas trail. Nice fireball. We pushed the Jeep out into the street and put the fire out in the shop. Jeep fire burned out by itself after a minute or two. We left the bubbled paint because it looked cool.

 

[RustedRanger]

I once changed a thremostat in a 70 GTO,took it all apart,put it all back together and just as I finished filling it with antifreeze I looked down at the new thermostat still laying on the rad support. Also I changed intake gaskets on a friends 79 Mustang 5.0 and I had bent the upper rad hose around and tucked it under the fan. Got it all back together, started it up.....and shredded the hose still tucked in the fan.Thankfully they didn't make me pay for the new hose lol. These things happened when I was much younger and much dumber (abround 20 years ago) and I think it's one reason I take extra time checking and rechecking things when I work on something now.

 

[jhammel85]

When I 1st bought my Ranger I decided to do some routine maintenance..One of those things was the Oxygen Sensor. Doing those a million times, I got cocky and ended up rounding off the head of the old sensor.

I welded a piece of flat scrap to the top of it and gave it a shove. It ripped the Bung right out of the H pipe. It just tore right along the weld. I ended it up welding it back on after I got the old sensor out. Doing that in place with a bulky MIG gun is not much fun (or pretty)

All in all..At least it doesnt leak However, I'll always know it's there until I get a new pipe but why bother...

 

[danielwd]

How about a couple of weeks ago cussing and screaming at an engine to transmission bolt, while trying to take my tranny off, because the dang thing wouldn't come off or break. I forgot one rule of thumb, which made it even harder to break the bolt...

Hmmm... lefty loosey, righty tighty!

 

[Vegasjetta]

I bought a Merkur XR4Ti, and tuned up the engine, replaced the clutch and tranny, and the rockers were shot. I still have a rotted out POS that'll get sideways in 3rd. Wtf.

Where in Maine are you? I haven't seen an XR4Ti in a LONG TIME!