Please share some of your mechanical tips and tricks
 

What tips and tricks have you learned during your years of wrenching?
Some may be very obvious to you, but may be an epiphany for us newcomers.

I'll try to start:

1) When I was reinstalling the footwell covers, it was not easy to find the screwhole through the carpet. So, I used the end of a coathanger to line up the holes together. When the wire was through both holes, I removed it and inserted the screw without moving the cover. I did something similar while reinstalling my brake calipers this weekend. I used a screwdriver to line up the holes (pushed it all the way through the caliper and bracket holes) before trying to thread the caliber bolt back in

I got the idea for this thread while PM'ing rusnack.

These may seem "lame", but are my top 3 and have saved lots of grief along the way (it took me a long time to learn these the hard way):

My #1 Tip/trick - Regardless of what you're trying to take apart/fix/repair/build, somebody else has done it before and mostly likely documented not only the pitfalls but the easy way to do it. Save yourself some time, money, and aggravation and do a little research before opening the toolbox and learn from the mistakes of others. Contribute something back when it's appropriate. (Of course, you must also review all the info you find carefully and think through things to make sure the info you've found is worthwhile...)

My #2 tip/trick - Keep parts and tools organized; take lots of pictures during disassembly and reassembly (you'll be surprised how often you refer back to your pictures of the reassembly to make sure you did something right).

My #3 tip/trick - Always assemble nuts/bolts finger-tight as much as possible to verify threads are good and parts are aligned before applying torque. If you can't get more than 1-2 threads with fingers, something may be wrong (or you're using mechanical interference fasteners).

Non car tip: Just because someone put it in the trash does not mean its broken or cannot be fixed for under 10$.
For examples please see all my lawn equipment.

Care related Tip: Anytime my car is on jack stands i always always but blocks, rims, etc under the car in the event she slips off the stands. My best friends Dad was crushed under his 911 when I was a kid. I never forgot it.

Kroil is your friend!
Cut some of the rubber off the spark plug socket insert so you can get the socket out, not just the extension, or
rubber tube over the spark plug ( I forget what size ) can be used to start spark plugs and remove loosened ones instead.
Put the nut on before you cut the bolt (to shorten it) so you can clean the lead in thread when you take the nut off.
Tie wrap things together (gears) to maintain orientation and order.

Carpenter's Knee Pads, cheap and will save your aging knees.

Foam Knee pads are great too and less intrusive to the back of the knee with those straps but I always forget to move it :eek:

For the engine drop, lots of little tin cans to remember where everything goes or better yet zip lock bags and marking them. Never had an extra bolt or nut :-o, knock on wood...

Heat gun to get rid of road rashes on rubber parts i.e. bumpers, stone guard, rocker trim...

Empty every can of oil into the first one, you be surprised how much oil is left,...1/4 quart.

Some of the most valuables tools to me:

- Kroil
- propane torch
- set of gear wrenches with closed end swivel head
- set of 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" stubby ratchets with swivel head
- magnet on a stick
- mirror on a stick
- flexible grabber with an LED light on the end
- good lights: LED headlamp and magnetic LED lamp for those awkward places
- Dremel
- box of ziplock bags and a sharpie
- good multimeter

When you get to the point of extreme frustration, walk away for a few minutes. The answer is usually much more obvious 5 minutes later.

For projects that involve wiring, a quality crimp tool is worth it's weight in gold.

Heat shock stuck nuts -- heat the nut and then stick an ice cube on the bolt in the center.

Given the choice between doing something in a hurry or doing something right, do it right. I have never regretted doing something well. I've paid the idiot tax for doing something in a hurry -- it usually means I ended up doing it a second time.

When I work I start out working trying to be organized like an operating room -- everything has a place -- but my shop area usually ends up looking more like the nutty professor's lab. I need to get better at this. You can't have enough work surface once you start disassembling things. Corollary: Group all of your new parts by project/sub-project to make sure you don't forget anything.

Keep an old laptop or tablet in the garage with an electronic copy of the PET on it for quick reference. Also great for asking a question or searching Pelican!

If you have a CIS car, buy a set of fuel pressure gauges.

When I am tearing something down I try to print the associated PET pages before I start. Then I highlight the things that need replacement as I go and make notes. It helps avoid the "oh *****" moments of forgetting to order something.

Take pictures of things that you don't think you'll need to take pictures of to remember how it goes back together. Corollary: Just because it was that way when you took it apart doesn't mean that was supposed to be the way it went together.

To find the "dead" hole on a vehicle with headers, squirt water on the headers while it's running. The "hot" ones will instantly flash off, but the dead hole won't.

To find the no-spark sparkplug fast and easy. Use a timing light. Hold the light to your hand, move the clamp from plug to plug. It will flash for all those that are sparking and NOT flash for the one that is dead. Much faster and safer than pulling one plug at a time and cranking the engine.

Best tip of all? Read Pelican. :D

angela

Lot's of good info above. Much of it learned the hard way.

Spring some dough on a very good set of open/box-end wrenches and 3/8 drive sockets. These will be your go-to tools.

These jobbies come in real handy.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1433168862.jpg

Also, Irwin bolt grips (female eazy-outs) can save a fellow.

Some great tips here. I wonder how they could be organized for future reference.

When all else fails, have access to a good, qualified mechanic!

Tom

If it won't go on, stop pushing. It is a 911 and things will fit if you are putting it together right.

This evidenced by my experience on putting the engine back in, CV joint reassembly, and most recently fan wire shroud alignment.

I can't tell you how many times I've been told that... :D

No more than 4 beers while working on your 911.

VDO Gauges, suck balls....temp gauges w/o numbers? WTF

I don't know how people can work without a computer on hand. An illuminated 1600x1200 USB scope on the end of a 25' cable for said computer (so you can also take photos and video) is only $25 or so on Amazon.

A 50/50 solution of acetone and automatic tranny fluid works well for stuck bolts. WD40 works much better than other degreasers for removing oily grime.

A decent DC power supply which allows you to regulate voltage and amperage (~$40-50 on eBay) will pay for itself over and over again when bench-testing. A product called PowerProbe is damn near magical for electrical debugging.

Don't buy a lift; it'll only make you regret not buying one sooner.

"If you need a [tool] and don’t buy it, then you will ultimately find that you have paid for it and don’t have it." - Henry Ford

Assume nothing. There is always a trick...

This one is more a take home from working on planes for a living but has saved me many a time on cars as well;
If you are going to do up a line, a nut, a bolt etc....do it all the way the first time. Never hand tighten something with the intention of coming back to it...leave it undone or fully done up never in between!

the title got me interested to click on this post. I thought it was a post on tricks on getting stuff put back together on our 911s. One that I'd be interested in reading... is for those that have replaced their hydraulic hood lifts, how in the world did you get the pin and clip back in after you removed them to replace the hydraulic rod with the neat mechanical ones we all bought? My hands and fingers can't get around the wiring down there on the drivers side to push the clip on.... thanks for reading.

A lot of people just leave the driver's side clip off.

I just posted a tip on replacing the air cleaner on the 3.2 Carrera in another thread. Take the AC compressor off, and place it on top of the right side intake.

There are a lot of little tricks on these 911s, such as removing the lower brake caliper bolt on the rear. Bleeding the brakes, etc.

A nice trick that I was told by the guy at VatoZone to find TDC on Cyl #1 on my Chevy truck: Stick a rubber hose in the spark plug hole, and a safety ear plug in the other end. Crank around with remote starter in short bursts until the ear plug shoots out. Your are at TDC.

1. Things generally work until they break. Once something has broken and someone (usually me) has attempted to fix it, I need to keep careful track of what was originally broken versus what someone (usually me) additionally screwed up trying to fix it.

2. If I screw it up real bad and am embarrassed, I shamefully go buy a new one with a credit card and don't tell anybody.

3. Blame it on a PO.

4. If that doesn't work, pelican forums will have an answer:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1433196872.jpg

Is it OK to use brake cleaner as a degreaser (like say for engine case oil grime) ?

A nine year old or long hemostats.

Humor from a man that wears CRAY Supercomputer T-shirts.:rolleyes:

Stop thinking. Let things happen. Be the ball.

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I always keep an old car speaker around to magnetize screwdriver tips. Just scrape the end on the speaker magnet a few times and bingo, magnetic screwdriver.

I saw Kroil penetrating oil mentioned already but how about home made penetrating oil.
I learned years ago that 50-50 mix of plain ATF fluid with Acetone makes excellent (possibly the best) penetrating oil for stubborn bolts. I use a small paint brush to apply.

I trien ATF and Acentone. How do you get the two to mix?

Dental floss or toss the clip into a Lake.....the tension negates the need for the clip on the end.

Cigar old skool Smoker to find those pesky Vacuum Leaks. :D Wifey hates it, oh well.

I pulled out the intake manifold on my BMW X3 a couple weeks ago to replace a leaky gasket. Lots of nuts, bolts & connections to deal with.
To keep from dropping a fastener into the engine's black hole, I always used a small dab of black weatherstrip putty on the end of the socket or screwdriver. That stuff is really sticky. It saved me in many tight situations. Much better than trusting a magnetized tool.

You put it in a jar with a lid and shake vigorously. When you find out it really doesn't work you then grab for the can of Kroil.

I store fasteners for a job where they were removed from so they do not become misplaced. Remove a wheel? Lug nuts go back on finger tight while wheel is removed. This keeps the project organized and prevents you from mixing hardware when you have a lot in the shop. Applies to all kinds of hardware...

That's pretty much what I did, lol! I use brake fluid in a pinch (i.e. at the side of the road with a blown tire with no Kroil in sight).

You need to shake or stir. Here's the article:
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=20131.0

^ Interesting! I'm not sure I would use one of those compressed air cans with acetone. I have one, but use it for rubber lubricant. I spray the rubber parts of my equipment such as boots, over ride snubbers, etc with it.

Tighten the coil in the clamp before installing. Don't have to fuss with the mounting bolt in the way.

I've learned this can be applied to almost all tools (except you, Bob, you're a bargain basement tool! :D) - using top quality tools (such as Snap On) makes the wrenching experience much more efficient and enjoyable. I now try to buy primarily high end gear (Snap On, Robinair, etc.) and simply look away from the computer screen when the checkout page comes up. :D

1) Pay someone who knows what they're doing
2) There is no 2)

Searching for a parasitic current drain:
(Most people don't believe this works, but it does and it's fast).
To see if a fused circuit is carrying current, measure the VOLTAGE across the fuse. Yeah I know, it sounds goofy. If there is no current flowing the voltage will be 0.00 volts. If there is current flowing, the voltage across the fuse will be approx. 0.03-0.15 volts, depending on the fuse and the current. If you find voltage across a fuse of a circuit that you believe should be quiet, then you have at least found the offending circuit. Not all circuits are fused, and it only localizes to the particular circuit, but the method is fast, does not require disconnecting anything or a special current meter.
Good luck,
Dave

As my other transsexual Australian acquaintance says, "If you want it done right, write a check."

Easy when you have your Mom's credit card.

Lately, I've been using your sister's CC!!! :)

Dude. She is so ugly my brother and I both passed her over for her daughter.