Red Ring Tupperware Party, Autumnal Equinoctal Edition (24)

Could be worse I suppose. Someone could grab a torque wrench calibrated in inch pounds and then torque it to 100. I wounder if the wheel would stay on at 8ft/lbs

Chet wrote in post #17347525
The smart ones will utilize a 6ft cheater bar afterwards to make sure they nuts are actually snug.

While jumping on the end?

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.

Ouch!

I used to take my cars to Jiffy Lube and the like for oil changes, or cheap brake places to replace pads, Pep Boys for a starter or alternator, and so on. Seems I'd have issues 50% of the time. For the past eight years, almost, we've had two Hondas (except I just recently replaced one with a Toyota) and I've been taking them to the dealership for everything. A lot of folks bad-mouth them ("stealerships"), but I like mine, and have had zero problems. You know you're getting the right parts, they deal with the same type of vehicles all the time and are familiar them. It's just worth it to me. They've never tried to sell me crap I don't need, oil changes are just $25, and I like the peace of mind.

Course, I have been known to do a stupid thing or two. I once got stuck under my bug for several hours pinned to the ground with the entire front axle across my chest.

VW axles come out real easy, just 4 big bolts. It was easier to remove the thing, work on it and put it back. I was working alone and though I would get fancy so I removed the gas tank and looped some rope around the axle and the rafters of the garage. Climbed under the car, removed the bolts and the axle slowly lowered itself pinning me. Who would have thought that nylon rope was that stretchy. My hands were stuck above my head and i couldn't get leverage to push it back up. My dad came home a couple of hours later and after a really good laugh, freed me.

gjl711 wrote in post #17347528
While jumping on the end?

That's what this fella is doing wrong, him and a friend not jumping on the end of it yet.

We had to deal with the aftermath of a genius shade-tree mechanic over-tightening lug nuts. Tightened them so much they snapped the studs. The driver lost the wheel while traveling down the Interstate. Car was totalled when it hit a bridge abutment. We had to cut the car apart to extricate the occupants. It was a small miracle that no one was killed.

Course that wasn't as impressive as when I was adjusting the garage door torsion spring and I had the bar in the wrong hole. When I loosened the set screws it launched the bar clear across the garage and through the drywall. Dang but those things have a lot of tension in them. Whoops.

gjl711 wrote in post #17347536
Course, I have been known to do a stupid thing or two. I once got stuck under my bug for several hours pinned to the ground with the entire front axle across my chest.

VW axles come out real easy, just 4 big bolts. It was easier to remove the thing, work on it and put it back. I was working alone and though I would get fancy so I removed the gas tank and looped some rope around the axle and the rafters of the garage. Climbed under the car, removed the bolts and the axle slowly lowered itself pinning me. Who would have thought that nylon rope was that stretchy. My hands were stuck above my head and i couldn't get leverage to push it back up. My dad came home a couple of hours later and after a really good laugh, freed me.

We had a fella at work swap a motor from an ambassador to a Jeep and vice versa. It was complete but he had to snug up on an exhaust bolt so used his trusty floor jack to lift the car and crawl under, the jack failed and the frame of the car landed on his head fracturing his skull. He wound up in therapy for 6 months as he suffered some brain damage. Was never quite the same afterwards.

Lesson learned. Jack stands are your friends.

Chet wrote in post #17347544
We had a fella at work swap a motor from an ambassador to a Jeep and vice versa. It was complete but he had to snug up on an exhaust bolt so used his trusty floor jack to lift the car and crawl under, the jack failed and the frame of the car landed on his head fracturing his skull. He wound up in therapy for 6 months as he suffered some brain damage. Was never quite the same afterwards.

Um, this "fella at work." Anyone we know?

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.

I had the same problem about 5 years ago with my 4Runner. I took it into a local quick lube place and they just inserted the oil plug but didn't tighten it. I'm on the way to Yosemite and I smell hot oil. Parked at a restaurant for lunch and noticed an oil spill under my 4Runner when I came back out. Checked the oil level and it was down almost 3 quarts. The quick lube wouldn't own up to it, even though I took pictures and showed them a receipt for the oil I had to buy within 2 hours of the time they serviced it.

I didn't get mad, but I did get even. They had the contract for the servicing of our fleet vehicles. I terminated that contract the next day.

Woolburr wrote in post #17347539
We had to deal with the aftermath of a genius shade-tree mechanic over-tightening lug nuts. Tightened them so much they snapped the studs. The driver lost the wheel while traveling down the Interstate. Car was totalled when it hit a bridge abutment. We had to cut the car apart to extricate the occupants. It was a small miracle that no one was killed.

OUCH!

We had one of my bosses kids do a break job on a friends car in our shop the other day. He put front pads and rotors on, put it all back together, lower it from the lift and proceeded to back the car into the garage door. He never pumped the pedal back up before shifting into reverse and was in a hurry. I think my boss is starting to rethink putting a lift in now.

gjl711 wrote in post #17347541
Course that wasn't as impressive as when I was adjusting the garage door torsion spring and I had the bar in the wrong hole. When I loosened the set screws it launched the bar clear across the garage and through the drywall. Dang but those things have a lot of tension in them. Whoops.

LOL, that's good stuff there!

LV Moose wrote in post #17347550
Um, this "fella at work." Anyone we know?

I would own that one.

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.

This is why all critical fasteners on aircraft have a specified torque setting. When I was building Apache helicopters, bolts had to be torqued with a calibrated torque wrench and in the presence of an inspector. The inspector then striped the bolt with a colored sealant and stamped the paperwork. Even the air powered screwdrivers had a torque setting on them.

Geez, weren't you people born with a torque wrench calibrated elbow?


One of the first jobs I did as a tradesman was to assemble some 110kV GIS (Gas Insulated Switchgear). We had a little Japanese man from Mitsubishi looking over our shoulder all the time to be sure it was assembled correctly. Everything had a torque setting and we wore white gloves during the assembly.