What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

[natemoore]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

In my opinion this is the best when I was working at a rental equipment store owned by my parents niebor as a kid he had a UD flat bed 24' and it blew a serpintine belt on the highway and just so happens we kept a spare in the cab so while I was changing it on the highway and the cab was up I finished and pushed down the cab started her up and took off @ 55 mph someone cut me off and I hit the brakes and don't you know it the cab started tipping forward @ around 50 mph and really freaked me out all I could do was hit the brakes and when I did and the rig came to a complete stop the cab slammed down and locked (what I should have done before taking off) man that woke me up quick to paying attention to what I was doing and taking my time. Think about that experience if it happened to you

Yeah, that is pretty good. It kinda reminds me of the time I decided to adjust the seat of my car whilst braking. I screeched to a stop in the middle of traffic, the inertia throwing the seat and my body forward....and my foot harder into the brake pedal.:redface:

 

[natemoore]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

Stupid blunder?......Never......The Admiral will tell you, just ask ME.


Probably was pulling the vent line off a 125gal. holding tank which was pressureized. That was about 10yrs. ago and I can still taste it.

This is probably not a "blunder" per se, but this past Friday I was pumping gear lube into my outdrive. In the 10 minutes it takes me to reach the top vent hole with the oil, I decided that since the drive was tilted up a little, I should put a little extra oil in it to compensate. So when it finally started drizzling out the top hole, I put my finger over the hole and gave it a few more pumps. I quickly replaced the top plug, knowing that it would create a vacuum and prevent a lot of oil from coming out of the bottom hole while I did the "unscrew pump hose/replace plug" Chinese fire drill. As I was preparing to undo the pump hose, the hose popped off the plunger and started spraying gear oil all over the place. Duh!:redface: Made quiet a mess.

 

[natemoore]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

Did a lift on my back seat for a subwoofer enclosure and was tightening on of the bolts with a swivel handle. Socket slipped off the bolt and thrust my (at the time) 250lb body forward causing my left kneecap to lock up in the wrong position. Most people don't know how much willpower it takes to unlock a locked up knee. I fainted while leaned up against my truck, somehow got in the house, and called into work. I just recently got that knee built back up how it needs to be.

On a good note right before the incedent above I had one of the best afternoons of trout fishing of my life. Caught over 40 in just over 2 hours and wooped up on the old man that was camping up on the Little Red. He still outfishes me occasionally but those occasions are few and far between

I was tucking my daughter into bed one evening a few years ago. I scurried down the steps of her loft and toward her door, stubbing my right little toe on this big, heavy, scale doll house I built for her. Cussing up a storm, I hopped into the living room and sat down to inspect my toe. To my and my wife's horror, my little toe was sticking out 90 degrees out from my foot!!! My god it was freaky!!! Before I gave myself time to think it over, I grabbed my toe and yanked it forward, relocating the joint. Didn't hurt to badly. Nothing compared to yours, though.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

Left a rag over the hole that the EGR valve once occupied on an LS1 in my Camaro. Yep, you guessed it, I started the engine that way. Sucked it down in the engine and got it lodged between 2 cylinders. All in all it turned out to be a benefit to me, because it got my P&P heads, but the wife was not happy. LOL Bent 3 valves. I gained over 50hp at the wheels over that fiasco, so I was happy, but almost caused a divorce.

 

[natemoore]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

In my younger years ( I was 20 ) I was using a pedestal grinder to break the sharp edges off a piece of 1/4" flat stock steel I had just cut. Well, there was a plate that was 90* to the open face of the wheel and it had a gap in it. Right then and there is where I learned you DONT EVER WEAR GLOVES around a grinder. The wheel "sucked" the steel through the gap and pulled my hand with it. I ended up cutting off my thumb. lesson learned

Holy Crap, dude! You're the winner.

 

[natemoore]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

While not really mechanical it is the blunder of my life.

As an instructor at SOTG, we were running some WM?s through CQB, using live fire, grenades and all. My student dropped hers at my feet; I was just able to get here through a door and my upper torso. Below the knee has never been the same, but back in the single days it got me some free beers and a few sympathy dates.

The only acronym I recognize is WM, but that explains a lot, bless their hearts.

 

[mnypitboat]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

Holy Crap, dude! You're the winner.

Holy Crap, no kidding. Losing a thumb is unfair, I dont wanna play anymore.

 

[mommicked]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

mnypitboat rag in the motor sounds like a carefully executed plan.brilliant.id love to get new heads for 2 of my trucks.hmmm......

 

[avenger79]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

I have many but one of the most memorable was in the Army. a fella couldn't get an imersion heater lit. he asked for help. I asked him if he ahd primed it with a little fuel. nope. so i primed it and proceded to hit it with a lighter. turns out he had "primed" it by pouring fuel in it. lost my eyebrows, some hearing and was thrown through the air a little bit. apparently when he watched me prime it he realized his mistake but didn't thiink to warn me. yeah I won't trust anyone when they say what they have or haven't done anymore. LOL

 

[Red_BOFUS]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

The only acronym I recognize is WM, but that explains a lot, bless their hearts.

CQB-CLOSE QUARTERS BATTELING (house to house)

SOTG-Special operations training group

WM-Waste of money

 

[imported_rick]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

Years ago working in a body shop, I was inside of a minivan welding on a new roof. (rollover). I removed everything except the drivers seat and carpeting but had covered them with welding blankets. I was in there for quite a while when all of a sudden I felt a cold blasts of air. Scared the hell outta me. I ripped off my welding helmet to see three of my coworkers in a smoke filled shop aiming fire extinguishers at me. Apparently I didn't do a very good job of covering things up with the blankets and destroyed the van. (insurance replaced the van)

Another time I was prying a front bumper cover off a car with a three foot pry bar. I had all my weight on it and it slipped loose. Smacked me right between the eyes. I woke up on the floor with a face full of blood and one hell of a headache.

I changed careers. I'm now an IT manager, boring but safe!

 

[CN Spots]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

I had the auto-darkening setting too high on a welding helmet while making a bracket and welded my Step-Brother's vise closed.

 

[dolluper]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

First Quadrajet carb I ever rebuild I went to the book to find out the pump and the float settings...well I didn't write them down and I reversed the settings....after done hooking it all back together ...I pumped the gas hit the starter ran great for 2 or 3 seconds then the gas poured out everywhere hit the exhaust headers started a fire ...shutit down and grabbed fire extingusher...no damage lucky except my pride great lesson

 

[davidhicks]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

I had the transmission out of my explorer and did not change the rear main seal, ya know cause it leaking before the trans came out. I got the truck put back together and now its leaking a quart a week.

 

[j_martin]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

I had the transmission out of my explorer and did not change the rear main seal, ya know cause it leaking before the trans came out. I got the truck put back together and now its leaking a quart a week.

Those exploders make a neat fireball when the tranny juice gets ignited by the cat converter, about a foot away from the plastic fuel tank.

Don't ask.

 

['96 Charger]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

How many have learned the hard way (busted knuckles) that you pull a wrench, not push it?

What? That's something you actually learn not to do?:redface:

 

[avenger79]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

How many have learned the hard way (busted knuckles) that you pull a wrench, not push it?

thanks for reminding me of that day. LOL

 

[eclark53520]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

Before i was mechanically inclined....(technically not a blunder...but funny)

My parents got a lawn mower(walk behind 5hp cheapo) as a wedding present.

I was born, several years later, and started mowing the lawn at approx age 10 or so.

My mother mowed the lawn, my father never touched the mower. One day the lawn mower wouldn't start, wouldn't even turn over when you pulled the string. Go over, ask my neighbor, he says "Did you check the oil?"

me and my mom -
Neighbor -

Yeah, i was 13 at that point, and that lawn mower NEVER had the oil changed. I didn't know any better, my mother didn't either.

We put oil in it, and i mowed with it(changing the oil every year) till i was 20 years old and moved out of the house. 2 years later, mom called me and told me the mower wouldn't start, yup, she ran it out of oil. bone dry again.

Again, put oil in, started up. Dad finally bought a new mower about a year ago.

They don't make 'em like that anymore.

 

[mommicked]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

i guess this sort of qualifies.worked for a geotechnical drilling co years ago.driving a ford F6004x4 w drill rig on the back.a beast. 45mph down hill!geared low as heck and heavy.gas eng.muffler expoloded w a big backfire at the seam and it also smoked like crazy from ,valve seals? or something,when at idle.wore out!I stopped at a weigh station on I-85 one day and as I waited to proceed the oil smoke rose up right in the face of the officer in the window!I could barely see him!he was not happy at all and told me to park that POS w the other impounded rigs in their prkin lot!I called the boss and hours later he arrived and drove it away.I told him I wasnt gonna do it i was like 19 and wanted no trouble w the law!!

 

[Brew411]

Re: What's your stupidest mechanical blunder?

Had a 62 Vett I drove to high school in Anchorage Alaska back in 74. I know not the best snow car. It was just an old vett then not much value in the day. Anyway I had pulled the distributor and very diligently cleaned and replaced the rotor and points. As a 17 year old I was quite proud my newly found mecanical skills. I put the distributor back in and cleaned the engine. No start. Had to take the bus to school for three days. That was until one of my Dads friends told me I replaced it back 180 deegrees out. Well der.