Trying to do a repair,but making it worse

[wayne robson]

Over the years , i have learnt, not to get to carried away in trying to make repairs or
finding why a particular item is not working.some examples, you go to replace a dash
light bulb,when finished the tachometer does not work,or you go to replace a wheel
bearing, then after a few days the bearing becomes loose,and so on ,and so on.Also
working on say 3 or 4 different items on the car, not completing any of them,then going
back and putting together wrong.I remember once on a 73 Alfa Romeo spider ,replacing the carpet and restoring the inside of trunk.,When finished the car would never start,just
fire for about 3 seconds then die.after a few days i realized that the fuel punp wire ran
along the back above gas tank inside the trunk,and i had disconnected it to restore the
trunk. Im sure some of you have had similar experiances.

[RSBob]

Can you say over torquing a bolt and breaking it off, then breaking the tap off after drilling the bolt?

How about buying an impact driver to help speed up summer to winter tire changes, and using it the first time to install the lug nuts and stripping the lug threads.

Dropping a critical fastener into the dark abyss and spending more time fishing it out than he actual repair would have taken.

Swapping LEDs foe dash bulbs, when reinstalling somehow shorting the wire and frying some wires.

Nope, never happens to me. How much time do you have?

[juanbenae]

wayne robinson!

[bkreigsr]

Originally Posted by RSBob

Can you say over torquing a bolt and breaking it off, then breaking the tap off after drilling the bolt?

How about buying an impact driver to help speed up summer to winter tire changes, and using it the first time to install the lug nuts and stripping the lug threads.

Dropping a critical fastener into the dark abyss and spending more time fishing it out than he actual repair would have taken.

Swapping LEDs foe dash bulbs, when reinstalling somehow shorting the wire and frying some wires.

Nope, never happens to me. How much time do you have?

yes
yes
yes, and
yes
my brother from another mother !!

or struggling with the final nut install on the alternator strap after a rebuild, and seeing 2 of the 10mm air duct nuts still on the workbench?
Bill K

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by wayne robson

Also working on say 3 or 4 different items on the car, not completing any of them,then going back and putting together wrong.

A previous boss told me I could handle four things at once but not seven.

So one car, one repair is two things. Two cars with one repair each makes four.

Speaking of RSBob. I pulled out my ashtray light so he knew the bulb size on his project a ways back. All the little light parts sit in the ashtray today. That must have made five.

[Dr J]

It's called gaining experience!

[NYNick]

What about the ziplock baggie of extra hardware that sits next to my workbench? Nothing fits anywhere, but it must've come off the car somewhere?

[juanbenae]

ive learned that when the beer comes out the tool box gets locked. ive done expensive things drinking cheap beer...

[bigel]

Classic! I can relate to all of the previous posts...when I start a job the following dialog ensues with my beautiful wife:

Me: I'll be in the garage doing (insert job)
Wife: How long will that take?
Me: Should take about 2 hrs
Wife: So it'll be done tomorrow?
Me: Sigh*