When did a simple repair on your vehicle turn into a complete nightmare?

[Luccia at Pelican Parts]

We want to know when you've taken time out of your day or your weekend to do a simple repair, but then have had it turn into a complete nightmare. Something where you found more issues and had to replace more items, wait for parts, couldn't get bolts to break loose, or just couldn't find that 10mm socket. Share with us your story and include pictures if you can.

My story was when I went to remove suspension on the track car to be sent out to be re-valved. I couldn't get the strut bolts to break loose as they were the original ones that came on the car. Had to spend a day soaking them and get a pretty large breaker bar. I finally got them off, thanks to my helper below as well.

[Shaun @ Tru6]

The cure for happiness

[varmint]

If you’ve ever seen a vet try to help a dog during a breech birth you’ll understand what it’s like to work on an R1100S. Plus, figure that the puppie’s head is a tiny easily stripped Allen bolt that you can’t see.


Good times.

[GH85Carrera]

So many times I try to forget those episodes.

My 1896 El Camino has 356,000 miles and my 1985 911 has 165,000 miles. Virtually every single time I start a project I see some other thing that needs some attention. One reason my cars are still running is I take care of every little issue before they become a project. Every feature or part of either car works as designed from the factory, or better.

Probably the most frustrating was an issue on my Elky Windshield wipers. They started acting strange. They would come on wipe, park, wipe fast a few passes then stop in mid wipe and no go anymore. It was like they were possessed.

The circuitry for the speeds and park and delay are in the cover. ACDelco 22039684 Windshield Wiper Motor Cover. Used on MILLIONS of Buick, Chevy, Cadillac, Oldsmobile, Pontiac and GMC. From 1984 to 1988. They are not available new anywhere. Or at least about a year ago when I searched all over for one. The motor is easy to find, but the cover is part that has the electrics in it. I looked on EBay for a used one and I had no luck.

After a lot of digging around an old grey hair mechanic friend suggested I use a second ground for the motor. The one that is stock is a wide copper strip but I used a second self tapping screw through a part of the mount. That fixed my issue. Just a second ground was all it took.

[onewhippedpuppy]

More times that I can count. But I'm not one to say, "I'll fix that later". Most recently a snapped plastic nipple on a vacuum line in my RX7 turned into replacing every rubber hose, every sensor, rebuild injectors, rebuilt fuel rails, cleaning every nut and bolt, replacing every solenoid, testing every part, etc. But now it's done!

[legion]

My 951 had many electrical gremlins. I ended up cleaning all of the grounds, rewiring the headlights, replacing the front passenger side turn signal, having the alternator rebuilt, replacing the battery, and cleaning up the contacts in the console/gauges. The one task, that appeared fairly simple at first that ended up taking WAY more time than it should have, was replacing the main ground.

I unplugged the battery and had the old ground off in minutes. I even got a special 13mm wobble socket to make pulling/installing the bolt from the top of the bell housing easier. Reinstallation should take no longer, right?

Well, while installing the end of the ground to the top of the bell housing, I got the bold threaded with the ground on it...and somehow slipped with the ratchet. The socket pops off the end of the extension, rolls............................................. ....................................and falls right in the clutch inspection hole. Crap!

After a string of profanity like I've never unleashed before, and a 30 minute cooling-off period, I go into the house. I find my wife and calmly (but just barely) say: "I don't want to discuss what just happened. I'm VERY angry with myself for making a potentially VERY expensive mistake. I need you to go to the closest auto parts store and buy me at least three telescoping magnets."

She returns 20 or so minutes later with the requested magnets. I get to work. I stick a magnet in the clutch inspect hole and hear a clink. I slowly raise the magnet to the threshold of the hole and see that I have the socket! I attempt to put the socket out of the hole and find that I can't get it orientated correctly and it detaches from the magnet and falls back down the hole. On my second attempt, I try to use a second magnet to orientate the socket to pass through the hole. This attempt fails and the socket falls back into the clutch assembly.

Over the next three hours, I attempt to extricate the socket hundreds of times without success. I lack the tools to drop the engine or transmission at my house, so I'm probably going to have to have the car towed (doing damage along the way) to a shop that can fix it.

I decide to give it one last try before drowning my sorrow in ethanol. My back is aching from leaning over the engine for hours. I slide the first magnet in the hole and bring the socket to the threshold. I gently attached the second magnet and begin attempting to manipulate it. Everything looks good. I slowly start backing the socket out of the hole. This is the part where I normally feel it hit the bell housing and detach. I don't feel anything. It's coming out of the hole! SUCCESS!!!

I put tape over the clutch inspection hole, finish tightening the bolt, put the socket away (far from the car), and drown my exasperation in ethanol.

[wdfifteen]

I told my story in another thread and got a ration of crap from people. No sympathy at all.

A series of unfortunate events

[john70t]

Originally Posted by legion

....and falls right in the clutch inspection hole.

I was leaning over a 1989 golf in the dark to check timing at the flywheel and my finger slips into the inspection hole.
Tiinng sound.
My hand rolls, and I pull it out, but not before losing a fingernail. Lucky lucky.

[drkshdw]

I'm one of those people that always manages to break something while replacing something else. Usually an expensive part while replacing a cheap part. Doesn't matter what it is.

This past weekend I replaced the turn signal/wiper switch on my 944. In order to get to the bolt that secures the switch to the column you have to move the ignition trim out of the way. Didn't want to break that as it's expensive to replace so needed to undo the screws which lie under a very thin, fragile, breakable faceplate covering the HVAC thing. But in order to get that off you have to take the knobs off the upper and lower vent openers. The bottom one pops off fine. Top one wouldn't budge. Thought maybe since it was 30* outside it was cold and numb fingers couldn't grasp it firmly enough. Finally got a firm grip on the thing and it pops off. But not before taking the little piece of plastic it clips onto with it.

So a job that started because my turn signal switch wouldn't cancel left handed turns turned into a project that broke an expensive part that still works, just doesn't let you move a slider to open and close the upper vents. Had I known, I would've just lived with a turn signal that doesn't cancel.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by drkshdw

I'm one of those people that always manages to break something while replacing something else. Usually an expensive part while replacing a cheap part. Doesn't matter what it is.

This past weekend I replaced the turn signal/wiper switch on my 944. In order to get to the bolt that secures the switch to the column you have to move the ignition trim out of the way. Didn't want to break that as it's expensive to replace so needed to undo the screws which lie under a very thin, fragile, breakable faceplate covering the HVAC thing. But in order to get that off you have to take the knobs off the upper and lower vent openers. The bottom one pops off fine. Top one wouldn't budge. Thought maybe since it was 30* outside it was cold and numb fingers couldn't grasp it firmly enough. Finally got a firm grip on the thing and it pops off. But not before taking the little piece of plastic it clips onto with it.

So a job that started because my turn signal switch wouldn't cancel left handed turns turned into a project that broke an expensive part that still works, just doesn't let you move a slider to open and close the upper vents. Had I known, I would've just lived with a turn signal that doesn't cancel.

Makes you want to buy an old car, where everything is made with metal and screwed together. Plastic and snaps are the bane of my existence.

[varmint]

.When did a simple repair on your vehicle turn into a complete nightmare?


When I took it to the dealership.

[id10t]

Was waiting for one of the last NOS 356C turn signal switches in teh country - ordered it on the Friday before 9/11.

Took a LOOONG time to get a package that should've only been a few days in transit.

[fastfredracing]

Nearly every day .

[widebody911]

Automotive A/C Question

[matthewb0051]

put an LED brake light in my 996, fried the harness in the brake light housing.

.

[911 Rod]

When you have a need to drive a 30+ year old car.

[vash]

early Honda CR-V.

i lived underneath a San Fransisco flat full of hot ladies. one of them needed her oil changed. me and my big dumb ass mouth.."err..i can do that"

she brings me an OEM filter and a box of oil. i got to work. the orientation of the filter was incredible. and it was on there tight!! i tried various methods..non destructive methods. i was going thru my strap wrenches..i got to this snap-on one with a hinged handle..i jam i up there and try to twist awkwardly..i hear a faint, "CLICK!" oh-o. i peek under and see that there is a plastic sending unit RIGHT THERE!! the handle leaned up hard and cracked it..$#$!@#$!@%!!!

her CR-V was blocking my car..so i had to take a damn bus downtown SF, go into HONDA parts..describe the mystery sending unit to the parts guy..who i remember as very unsympathetic about my social life..or lack of social life. take the bus back home..oh i bought the official HONDA oil filter socket thing. i sat in a bus seat that smelled like homeless piss..

crawled back under and did the job in another 10 minutes. that oil job cost me money!! and well, you know.."nothing happened". (not with her, but two of her roomates..high five!)

[1990C4S]

At 300,000 miles the power steering rack puked on my car, the pump starved of oil and seized too. Since the gearbox felt funny and I thought the clutch might be slipping I did it all at once. Then the slave cylinder and the speed sensor didn't survive the repairs, and the flex coupling on the exhaust broke as soon as I fired the car up.

All in all about a week of work. If only I had been smart enough to scrap it...

Had I caught it soon enough I could have just swapped out the oil tubes on the power steering rack.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Most recently a snapped plastic nipple on a vacuum line in my RX7 turned into replacing every rubber hose, every sensor, rebuild injectors, rebuilt fuel rails, cleaning every nut and bolt, replacing every solenoid, testing every part, etc. But now it's done!

Somewhere my Dad is smiling...his car went to the right guy.

Thanks, Matt.

For me, rebuilt the card on my '66 VW. Everything went perfectly. Ran like a top until the carb bowl nut (which I did not tighten correctly) backed out.

Nice little engine fire while the car ran perfectly...car pulled up next to me and had to tell me it looked like my car was on fire.

I had an FE in the car so the damage was minor. What a roast.

[greglepore]

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

Nearly every day .

Yeah, I was going to say when didn't it...