What is the most "Now I'm truly F'ed" thing that has happened during a 911 DIY ?

[sugarwood]

Just wondering what sort of disaster stories you guys have amassed over the years. Something that started minor (like an oil change) that turned into a major project (overtorque, stripped threads, cracked the block, etc)

You know, stuff like a screw extractor breaking off in some tight cavity where now.....you're F'ed. Engine has to come out for the thing to even be accessed with some fancy carbide or flame machine to remove the broken bit.

[cabmandone]

Was replacing head studs. All was going GREAT and then my crazy hard thread chaser broke off flush in the block. As luck had it, there was one drill bit harder than the thread chaser which my brother and I proceeded to break off inside the crazy hard thread chaser.
I'm sure there are others who have had a bigger oops but this was mine.

[DRACO A5OG]

5 things that were just enough to make me want to sell the car:

1. Speed/Ref Sensor, 11 hours on my friend's concrete drive way trying to figure it out then eventually towed to shop, they did it in 1 hour I was hating life and the car at that point.

2. Crank shaft pulley dowel popped out because PO or his wrench did not properly torque it. I ended up hand shaving the mushroomed dowel hole and as a result for 5 years a wobble and engine vibration. Well, recent cam swap I fixed it properly with a Dial Gauge and proper tools, no longer vibrations. All due to a oil pissing out the center back, thank goodnes I found it but I was 3 hours from home went it started to pee

3. My first Clutch job and had the toothed washer in the wrong direction and it was hitting the fingers of the pressure plate, Engine Drop again? Yeap.

4. Before that forgot TOB guide tube inner seal, gear lube every where. This was me chasing my triangle of death leak on top. Doh! Yes, was related to #3.

5. Tried the $5.00 oil line fix, everything was going great until I burned right thru the brass with my torch. FUCH! Well, good excuse to get the Elephant Finned Oil Line, right?

Then I grabbed couple of beers and calm my arse down

[fred cook]

Didn't do it, just heard about it. Owner was trying to remove the block off the oil pressure sender while the sender was still mounted to the engine block. The popping sound he heard was not the fitting coming loose, it was the engine block breaking!! Not something that can be easily fixed so a small and inexpensive job became major bucks!

[Elombard]

Yeah broke off exhaust manifold stud and then broke off extractor trying to remove it. Lucky that worked out at all.

Also had to do a R&R twice after screwing up a clutch. I think I did not get the throw out arm into the bearing.

[DRACO A5OG]

We live and learn, huh?

[Windsor4273]

Putting in a new brake light pressure switch ($8) and as I was wrenching the new switch in slowly I heard a "pop" as the die cast housing cracked and then fell into pieces, dumping brake fluid all over the frunk. This was just a couple of weeks after I bought the car and was my first repair. My heart sank. However, I quickly learned that most repairs on these cars are 1. Relatively inexpensive and 2. Not too hard to do. Its the only time the car has been out of service waiting for parts (only two days thanks to our host) in 6-1/2 years of nearly daily driving. For a 37-year-old sports car, this thing is built tough. Any other sports car of the era would have been sent to the scrap heap by now under the conditions in which I run my car.

[sugarwood]

A friend just emailed this to me:

I changed my oil today. When tightening the plug on the bottom of motor ...got that ugly sudden turn feeling...I wasn't really applying goon-like pressure (I know - use a torque wrench) - I hope it was the washer crushing. U ever experience this??

No, I never got that. Are you tempted to see if you can back it out a 1/4 turn? You think you twisted the bolt head? That would be pretty hard to do. Or you think threads got stripped?

I think at worst its stripped. I am tempted to back it out but to what end? If it stripped the car is immobilized. W oil.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by cabmando

Was replacing head studs. All was going GREAT and then my crazy hard thread chaser broke off flush in the block. As luck had it, there was one drill bit harder than the thread chaser which my brother and I proceeded to break off inside the crazy hard thread chaser.

How did you resolve this?

Originally Posted by Elombard

Yeah broke off exhaust manifold stud and then broke off extractor trying to remove it. Lucky that worked out at all.

How did you resolve this?

[DRACO A5OG]

Originally Posted by sugarwood

A friend just emailed this to me:



No, I never got that. Are you tempted to see if you can back it out a 1/4 turn? You think you twisted the bolt head? That would be pretty hard to do. Or you think threads got stripped?

Tell him to leave it alone if it is not leaking. Deal with it on the next oil change.

[matthewb0051]

During the conversion from Webers back to MFI I was moving houses and the car was driveable but not well sorted yet.

Long story, about 3 blocks from the new house my wife and daughter pass me and are frantically waving and yelling that I was on fire. One of the MFI fuel lines was spewing slightly and the fire was contained below the engine tin on the heat exchanger. Luckily I was able to put it out with one bottle of water.

Very close call and I really thought the end was near when I saw the flames.

[kyngfish]

Lol. The oil drain plug thing would kill me. I would Drain it back out just to find out what was up and get it over with. I know the torque specs are like 30 lb ft. I torque them just enough to crush the washer and a bit more. I don't think it's even 20 lb ft. Never had a problem.

[86 911 Targa]

When I replaced the entire A/C on our '86,
I'm certain that on an overnight basis my tools
grew little legs, and found a new place to hide...............

Gerry

[-Levi-]

My friend was using an angle grinder to clear paint for a roll bar install (sparks everywhere!), druring this time I was drilling out the rivets to the seat brackets, I went to far and hit a fuel line that runs in the tunnel, with the system being pressurized fuel came into the interior nearly instantly (not a small amount-I don't think I have ever moved so fast to get the grinder in his hands off the metal.

[Stephen-911SC]

I don't have any major tragedies (yet), mainly because I've tried to limit the scope of work i do to try and minimize the collateral damage if/when I screw up. But man its good to hear some of these stories... Glad I'm not the only one who's felt that pit in my stomach and repeated to myself "no, no, no, this didn't happen..." in an attempt to calm my wildly spinning worst-case fear factory...

[Zaz]

Had just gotten the 911, running rough, started a tune up. While doing the plugs, couldn't believe how hard they were to get out- when doing the last one, #6, it broke off in the head. Didn't sleep for 2 nights, wondering "what am I into here?"(with a 911- engine drop, thousand$$). Did research on the web and rigged up an E-Z out, held my breadth going in and...it slid out like butter.

[yelcab1]

Was changing timing chain and the engine refused to be turned passed a certain point. It had to be dropped out of the car, turned sideway, fished out the chain, and started all over.

[sugarwood]

Originally Posted by Zaz

Had just gotten the 911, running rough, started a tune up. While doing the plugs, couldn't believe how hard they were to get out- when doing the last one, #6, it broke off in the head. Didn't sleep for 2 nights, wondering "what am I into here?"(with a 911- engine drop, thousand$$). Did research on the web and rigged up an E-Z out, held my breadth going in and...it slid out like butter.

This is my nightmare. I'm too afraid to change the spark plugs b/c I envision never being able to rethread the plug. I have never owned a car where you physically can't see the spark plug while installing it.

Breaking it off, however, seems like a whole new order of magnitude of dread to the level of "I may have just killed this car"
I can't even imagine trying to get an EZOut into there successfully.

[J-Mac]

Decided to adjust gear linkage (915) because, ya know, I can make it more better. Thinking I've nailed it decide to go for a drive. Wait, it's stuck in reverse and though the lever moves no gears can be selected. Hit the Pelican and thankfully found some previous experiences of similar. The cause, it was explained, was the little rod that engages with the reverse light switch was stuck in the out position. Remedy, jack up the car, climb under there and one handed remove the reverse light switch. And of course once it's out a large cup full of gearbag oil comes pissing out. Anyway I can feel the rod protruding and finger power is not enough to push it in. So I find a drill bit about the same diameter to seat against the rod, but there's no room to swing a hammer to tap the farker back in. I was eventually able to reseat it with the handle of a vice grips and much cursing. And all the time it's getting slippier under there than two chicks in a mud wrestling contest. Eventually got it buttoned back up, oil cleaned up, took a shower. Then started the gear linkage adjustment again, this time it worked.

But wait, there's more. Two years later installing a factory short shifter I DID IT AGAIN. Reread the first paragraph to see how I fixed it this second time.

[larrym]

mid-'90's: bought a new 2.7 case from a fiend (friend)(both) who did a lot of 911 parts trading - (the case was really NEW - no numbers) - had been timeserted & race prepped by Ollies (with recpts) - then i paid to have it oil passage modded by Ted Robinson - got the thing completely together (with RS p&c's) - and installed in my 914-6 as long block (no intakes or carbs yet);

then i went to install the various external sensors & senders, discovered the threads in the case for the oil pressure switch (the one at the flywheel end) were completely boogered & hogged out - which in quick hindsight was probably why the case was being traded around

- solved it with a large soaped pipe tap, and a lot of careful incremental tapping just like they taught me in shop class - then made/installed a larger brass adapter, with thread sealant, to fit the oil psi sender -

did it all with the engine in the bay & much body contortion

it never leaked!