Red Ring Tupperware Party, Autumnal Equinoctal Edition (24)

gjl711 wrote in post #17347448
Long long time ago I brought my VW bug in for an oil change at the VW dealership. They had either forgotten to tighten the oil drain plug or had forgotten to re-install it. In either case the plug was gone as was the oil. The engine seized while driving down I80 out in the middle of no where.

Did the dealer fix it?

Jill-of-all-Trades wrote in post #17347446
Doesn't matter where I go I run into that problem. Drives me nuts!! At Ford the lube kid in the main shop would strip everything, I would get it the next time around and have to deal with it. Or people would over tighten them and flatten the threads so it was really hard to get out the next time.

I am pretty sure noob lube techs believe the drain plug holds the entire engine together.

Chet wrote in post #17347459
Did the dealer fix it?

No, they claim I removed it. I was a stupid 16 year old kid and didn't know what recourse I had plus, the car was already very old when I bought it for $100. However, it did lead to me learning how to re-build VW motors which led to a VW mechanic job a year later.

gjl711 wrote in post #17347466
No, they claim I removed it. I was a stupid 16 year old kid and didn't know what recourse I had plus, the car was already very old when I bought it for $100. However, it did lead to me learning how to re-build VW motors which led to a VW mechanic job a year later.

Need a job?

gjl711 wrote in post #17347466
No, they claim I removed it. I was a stupid 16 year old kid and didn't know what recourse I had plus, the car was already very old when I bought it for $100. However, it did lead to me learning how to re-build VW motors which led to a VW mechanic job a year later.

Kudos for even getting the oil changed way back then.

Had another f-up at a tire place as well. They used their impact wrench to put on the lug-nuts so tight that I could no remove them to rotate the tires. If I had gotten a flat on the side of the road, I would have been screwed. They did fix that one as the wheels were damaged as were the threads on the rotors. Knuckle-heads..

Has anyone chatted with Tony Long lately? He was going through some stuff a while back and I haven't seen him post here or facebook in quite a while. I sent him a couple of messages but he hasn't seen them. So I was wondering if anyone else has seen him.

Traci_Ann wrote in post #17347473
Has anyone chatted with Tony Long lately? He was going through some stuff a while back and I haven't seen him post here or facebook in quite a while. I sent him a couple of messages but he hasn't seen them. So I was wondering if anyone else has seen him.

I haven't....

gjl711 wrote in post #17347472
Had another f-up at a tire place as well. They used their impact wrench to put on the lug-nuts so tight that I could no remove them to rotate the tires. If I had gotten a flat on the side of the road, I would have been screwed. They did fix that one as the wheels were damaged as were the threads on the rotors. Knuckle-heads..

Stuff like that makes me so mad. I had to fix so many over tightened lug nuts. I ended up buying a 42" 3/4" drive power bar just for that.

Jill-of-all-Trades wrote in post #17347488
Stuff like that makes me so mad. I had to fix so many over tightened lug nuts. I ended up buying a 42" 3/4" drive power bar just for that.

I have found that heating them with a propane torch and using an impact wrench takes them off without too much difficulty, but yea, how hard is it to properly torque them. This isn't rocket science.

Trying not to damage the rim is the biggest hurdle. Especially when the rim is $900. I had to remove a broken lug nut from an F150 with 20" rims. I was able to remove the caliper bolts from behind, move it over, and cut the stud off from behind.

And folks also think lug nuts need to be tightened super tight. Most torques are right around to 100 ft/lbs range, which is perfect for normal person using a lug wrench to handle.

Chet wrote in post #17347515
And folks also think lug nuts need to be tightened super tight. Most torques are right around to 100 ft/lbs range, which is perfect for normal person using a lug wrench to handle.

I think some of these guys think that the normal torque is right at the point where the impact wrench stalls out.

gjl711 wrote in post #17347520
I think some of these guys think that the normal torque is right at the point where the impact wrench stalls out.

It's not?

gjl711 wrote in post #17347520
I think some of these guys think that the normal torque is right at the point where the impact wrench stalls out.

The smart ones will utilize a 6ft cheater bar afterwards to make sure they nuts are actually snug.