I spent today working on the Greyghost Bomber, not doing anything huge, just replacing the "block coolent heater" on the !#$@$#%~@# thing's 7.3 Direct Injection Turbo Diesel. This is the second time. The thing burns out about every 5 years or so... Now, I went to Ford to get the part. They wanted 45 Dollars for the part, and 85 Dollars for the damned cord with the 3 pronged plug!! I thought I'd been "pronged!" So, anyway, I got the whole thing, made in Canada, for 60 Bucks at NAPA finally. This should have been about an hour task, but it took that long to drain out the 5 gallons of antifreeze the thing holds!! Well, I got that done, so I get on the old part with a 25 inch Crescent wrench, cuz it's the only thing I got big enough to do the job, and it comes free easy enough. But when it finally screws out, I discover there is still about a gallon of antifreeze still in the block, which I get to take a bath in, because I'm lying under the truck - -!!

Anyway, after several hours, I got it all back together, and 6 Gallons of antifreeze back in. And everything works fine (fingers crossed as I say that), and no extra parts or missing tools or anything!!

Well, I've had lots of "fun" experiences being a shade-tree mechanic, like losing the key for that special locking lugnut that keeps someone from steeling the Chrome Reversed Wheels. Or hooking the jumper cables to the wrong poles on the battery and frying the alternator. Or learning that the book which says Oldsmobile engines will fit in Pontiacs is a BIG LIAR the hard way!!! So I thought I'd start a thread where other Shade Tree Mechanics might vent some spleen about their worst experiences, from which they gained great wisdom - which they can now impart to the rest of us -

This message has been edited. Last edited by: greywolfghost,

Greywolfghost here is one that is posted on just about every wall in every Motor Pool in the Army. To make it simple; work naked! In other words, take off ALL metal. I learned the hard way. I have a scar of a ring welded to my finger because I didn't work naked. Hey, I was a PLL clerk not a wrencher!

The vise grips is my favorite tool for just about every thing.
Last summer I accidently poured gas into the oil tank of my mower. I caught what I was doing in time. Had to drain the oil/gas out put new oil in. The mower quit smoking that. Seemed to run better to.

In Germany, I was checking the tightness of the battery posts on the six huge batteries under the turret floor with a half inch wrench while wearing my wedding ring (24 volts in series and parallel)! The wrench slipped and hit two posts causing sparks to fly, burning a nick in my gold ring, and scaring the hell out of me. Never did that again!!

My son put diesel in my mower this summer from a bottle I use for BBQ lighter fluid! It ran a little funny all summer and smoked some - but BOY DOES IT HAVE A LOT OF TORQUE!!! I just keep putting in gasoline and injector cleaner with each mowing - and it's about back to normal - -

I had a little Samuri that was fun to tinker with. My daughter's late BF and I changed out the transfer case, it was like working on a Swiss watch it was so tight. Good thing I have small hands and fingers.

GW, my husband is a diesel mechanic, and I've got to tell you that was some of the funniest stuff I have read in a long time. I know he can relate to all this.

Years ago I blew the tranny in my 65 Nova. Middle of the winter here and I changed it myself on the cold ground.

I couldn't get the 4 speed into the bell housing. I tried and tried. Didn't know you needed to line up the clutch and flywheel to get the pilot shaft in.

I finaly asked a motor head and he laughed and laughed. Now I use a cut off tranny shaft. Not a big deal to some, but if you have ever tried to do this you know what I am talking about.

Fun memories brought up here!! I did all the work on my 67 Dodge D-200..... some went rather smoothly, and some caused the air in the garage to turn slightly blue

Sold that fantastic truck for a grand more than I bought it for, then got a 65 Ford step-side. The work went much smoother on this truck, as I applied many of the "learning experiences" from the previous truck!!

Won't touch the newer cars and trucks, though..... too much electronics! Not that I didn't try.... ONCE! Ended up shorting out out a chip and what started as a 50.00 Sat. morning fix, ended up a 475.00 week-long fiasco!!

That's way too true!!

So in 1970 a bought me a used 1966 Ford Fairlane, the person that had it before me never changed the oil or filter.After a while ,every time that I would come to a stop. My oil light would come on and then go out, I talked to a few people and they told me that my oil pump screen was clogged. They told me that it was under the oil pan. They forgot to tell me that you need to pull the engine to get at it.One day after I got off from work, I jacked the car up infront of the barracks and started removing the oil pan. Half way through I noticed a rod in the way (tie rod) and removed that also. Once the pan was removed the pump screen was clogged , r&r pump installed pan and tire rod, then had to get a front end alignment.......

When they say disconnect the battery before attempting, DO IT.
Had a 2000 chevy s-10 pickup that had a short in the wiring so I started looking for the short. I reached under the dash and found the short right off, frying the entire wiring harness in the process, fire extinguisher put the fire out.
Now I'm in a world of hurt, first I had to tell my wife what I done and then I had to start taking the dash completely out of the truck to assess the damage. I couldn't find one wire that wasn't burnt. So I started the painstaking task of rewireing everything one wire at a time. After three weeks of tracing wires from point A to point b and replaceing the wires, I finally finished, put the dash back in and had to listen to my wife say it will never work. I put the key in and turn the key, no smoke, no smell, so I went ahead and tryed to start it up. It started and ran like a top, checked all the lights, they worked , turn signals they worked, only thing that didn't work was the backup lights, I could live with that.
NOW IF IT SAYS TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY BEFORE ATTEMPTING, I DO JUST AS IT SAYS.

Co. H That's almost up there with welding a ring to one's finger. I still carry the scar.

Another one that is memberable is I volunteered to help a buddy put a 4 speed transmission into his truck. We had to cut the floorboard and then put the transmission in, all the while it was storming like cats and dogs out side his shop. We heard the tornado warning signal, but we kept working on his truck, we heard a loud noise that sounded like sheet Iron being bent and ripped, then it started to rain on us. We crawled out from under his truck to find that the shop had no roof any more. Heck we had drank enough beer all we done was sat in the rain and laughed.

Now that IS some die hard wreaching

I have`nt seen too much shade tree here. Welding an exhaust system
with a hot wrench. Shade tree would use clothse hangers as a brazing
rod to weld up the pipe.

You know you are a shadetree when you can jump start a vehicle with
2 clothes hangers.

For those that look at new vehicles as to much stuff for you to work
on. All you have to remember is it is still a 4 stroke 4 cycle internal
combustion engine. What once was set manually is now adjusted electronically by the computer. Just invest in a small readable hand held
diagnostic piece to test the vehicles computer. You can get one of these
for about $49.00 and up. They will even clear your vehicles computer
and will tell you what code means what. Invest in a chasis service
manual on your make and model as it will tell you everything on the
vehicle except the body.

The only difference in mechanics of today as opposed to wayback when,
todays mechanics have to have a computer tell them whats wrong, as in
the old days you had to diagnose it your self.

In my day the patch on the shirt was NIASE, now adays it is just ASE.
Most people who wear the ASE patch do not know that The National Instutute
of Automotive Service Exellence use to be the whole name and that the
NI was droped.

So unless you have a tree in your yard with a come along and a motor
hanging off of it, your really not a shade tree.

Heres a big f-up. 1988 I was changing the oil in my 1979 Cordoba ( It did not have the rich corrinthian leather ). For some stupid reason I turned the oil plug the wrong way and striped the threads out on the oil pan, man was I ever P.Oed at myself Had to get a self tapping plug to fix it.

How dare you mistreat my Cordoba!!!



Actually, I did exactly the same thing on my 1967 Mustang. It had an aluminum oil pan with stainless still wire as threads for the drain plug, which I didn't know!. One thick-headed linebacker tug on the wrench too many to get it tight - and out they all came - -

Thank God for self-tapping oversized drain plugs at Bradshaw Auto Store - -

quote:

Originally posted by greywolfghost:
How dare you mistreat my Cordoba!!!



Actually, I did exactly the same thing on my 1967 Mustang. It had an aluminum oil pan with stainless still wire as threads for the drain plug, which I didn't know!. One thick-headed linebacker tug on the wrench too many to get it tight - and out they all came - -

Thank God for self-tapping oversized drain plugs at Bradshaw Auto Store - -

I'm sorry Mr. Montabon!!!!!!!!!!

By the way, I saw one of those Cordobas with the leather and the vinyl half roof and the whole nine yards at a car show this summer. It was cream colored with gold where all the chrome should be, and the leather was all a dark copper color. It was SOMETHING!! Beautiful!!

Did they come with Hemi motors?

quote:

Originally posted by greywolfghost:
By the way, I saw one of those Cordobas with the leather and the vinyl half roof and the whole nine yards at a car show this summer. It was cream colored with gold where all the chrome should be, and the leather was all a dark copper color. It was SOMETHING!! Beautiful!!

Did they come with Hemi motors?

I don't think so. I really don't remeber. Mine was a 360 v-8.