I did a damn near perfect rebuild on an engine in a 1970 MGB. On my third shift something popped and when I depressed the clutch, it vibrated.. but worked. Drove the car for a week shifting without the clutch until I could pull the transmission out again.

Turns out I put in the clutch fork in backwards and the throw out bearing popped out. It was the fork coming into contact with the diaphragm spring that actuated the clutch. Only wore it half down so flipped it around and put it all back together.

A lesson in frustrations over my automotive life have been.
Replacing spark plugs and wires in a 4th gen Fbody 350V8
Changing the front right fender on my MG (get a little frost bite on that one)
Adjusting the spring in the 1970 MGB fuel pump 4 times on one trip
Breaking free the torx bolts on my E63 (had to take it to a shop and gladly paid them for 30min which took 10min)
I am sure I am mentally blocking more...

 

Here's my story of a simple headlamp change back when i first got my E55. Simple lamp change what could possibly be difficult about that right...posted it on the other site before i figured out it was not very active...copied here for your entertainment:I am posting this in hopes it saves someone the aggravation i suffered through while trying to replace my drivers side HID (XENON) headlamp yesterday. I searched this forum and didn't find any detailed information regarding the lamp replacement, i did find a post on ask.com which had pics from the WIS but turned out to be a different light pod configuration.

This all started when i went to go for a drive the other night - the drivers side lamp flickered and the message center told me that my low beam went out. I know there are 2 options for lamps on this car, i thought i had Xenon (HID) lamps but was not sure so i wanted to remove the lamp first prior to buying a replacement. I went under the hood and removed the plastic barb that secures the coolant tank so i could get a little room to work on the light. You can't completely remove this screw, just back it out so the barb contracts and then take a pair of pliers and pull it out being careful not to drop or break it. The access is very tight on the drivers side so if you have someone with small hands you may want to keep them around for this.

Now that you have a little wiggle room remove the light cover by turning it about a quarter of a turn counter clockwise - all of my rotational directions will be as if you were looking at the back of the light from the drivers seat. Now you have access to the ballast - about a 2 inch square black plastic block on the back of the lamp - twist it about an eight of a turn counterclockwise and remove the ballast and the electrical connector. The lamp is retained in the light pod by spring clips - move the clips out of their catch positions and remove the lamp.

I took my lamp to autozone and got replacements - i bought two since it has been my experience that the lamp life expectancies are very close so when one goes the other will soon follow. The lamps were Sylvania Xenarc HID Xenon D2S - at one hundred bucks apiece - ouch - they discounted them 20 bucks - I know i could get them cheaper on the net but they had them so i took the plunge.

Came back to the garage and put the lamp in being careful not to touch the glass or there goes a hundred bucks - I wore a latex glove. Replaced the spring clips to secure the lamp in the fixture. I thought i would put the electrical connector on the ballast and replace the ballast since i don't have small hands and you basically have to work by feel once the ballast in in the light fixture.

Much to my surprise and frustration i could not replace the ballast. I could get the ballast back on the lamp but for the life of me i could not twist it back to its locked position. To cut to the chase and get to the point of this post - YOU CANNOT REPLACE THE BALLAST WITH THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR IN PLACE - YOU HAVE TO PUT THE BALLAST ON AND THEN REPLACE THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR. There is an inner ring and outer ring on the ballast. The outer ring is fixed and the inner ring moves. The lamp has shoulders on it that are received into the ballast to fully secure it. If the slots on the inner ring and outer ring are not aligned you cannot fully engage the ballast and lock it back into place.

I chased this problem around the mulberry bush for the better part of an hour - just could not fathom what was wrong. I finally got to the point that i was pulling the ballast off, aligning the slots with a screwdriver, putting the electrical connector on and trying to put it on the lamp - no go - i then finally aligned the slots with the connector off, put the connector on and saw without trying to put it on the lamp that the inner ring springs into a different position - presumably to further lock the lamp in place. Eureka and you have to be *&$!ing kidding me all at the same time. I then aligned the rings, replaced the ballast and then worked blind to put the connector back on. Lights, vroom, action - all is well in mudville!!!

I really hope this post helps someone escape the clever mousetrap i was caught in trying to do a simple relamping. For my Karma i am choosing to compliment the MB designers on a clever design. We all know these cars are different and awesome machines and you need to have your wits about you if you choose to work on them yourself.

Cheers!

 

I drained the ATF fluid, filled the engine oil up and went for a drive.

My first and last wrenching disaster. :lol:

 

:O ... that's the mother of all **** up !!!

Did you break the gearbox ?

 

16 years old with a wrench...dangerous.

Engine blew the oil filter off and died, about the same time the transmission overheated and blew up.

I will admit, dinner did not go over smoothly that night.

 

OK here is the best so far. You decide. I finally buy my 2005 AMG after looking for 2 years.
Now I am a Transmission Rebuilder/Ford Mechanic and Automotive Instructor so when you are done reading this "special" story your going to say "Are you F-ing kidding me" HOW??? OK I am very strict on fluid changes so I decide right off the bat to change everything,engine, radiator, trans, diff, brakes and power steering fluid.Since the trans has no dip stick I drain out 2.5 qts and refill from there. I do this because I no nothing about this trans or car at this point and again have no dip stick for the trans.So I go to put back the 2.5 qts in the trans "into" the red capped "filler" tube on the top side of the engine that looks like it goes right down to the trans...."looks like".
Everything all done I take her for a spin. Hmmmmm....trans feels funny...like its low on fluid. Bring her back, pull the drain plug and now only 1 qt comes out. WTF what happened to the fluid. Now the car will just about go into gear after she's off the lift and I have to baby it back to the shop. I am now in a full blown panic of a 3 day old car. Turns out after 3 techs and myself scratching our heads, that red capped filler tube was for the suction of "MOTOR" oil!! the engine is now almost 5 qts over full of transmission fluid and the trans is empty in the pan!!!! How it didnt F-up the rings in the engine is beyond me but all is well and I even have a dip stick for it now. LOL Had to change the motor oil all over again as well to clean her out.This is what happens when you take something for granted because you have done it a thousand times!!

 

Well fellas, this is happening right now. A lot of people on these forums and online are extactic about PlastiDip. This morning, a customer dropped his car off at a local shop that was PlastiDipped last week. This has to be the most god awful ugliest thing I have ever seen. Overspray of PlastiDip everywhere! Some parts were not even covered correctly. Key Hole, PlastiDipped, innner fenderwells, plastidipped. I felt bad for the guy and I don't even know who it is! I don't know who did this, but he told them he paid $500.00 to have this done. I was over at Wraps1 in Huntington Beach, where he dropped it off to have it removed and rewrapped. I took these pics. It doesn't even look good in pictures. Here's a shot of the handle.

and the car... We won't talk about the 24s and straightpiped exhaust.

 

The time I was teaching my first wife how to change the motor oil in our Ford Mustang. She's under the car reinstalling the drain plug in the oil pan when I hear her say, "The plug got really tight and hard to turn but now it's spinning easily. Is it supposed to do that?"

<sigh>

 

While installing my new built Subaru STi engine that I put together in my garage, I was trying to mount the engine to the transmission dowels. They wouldn't line up. So I thought, okay, raise the jack that's under the transmission!

Raise the jack and start smelling dinosaur poop. WTF is that smell? I look under car and 5 quarts of transmission fluid dripping out of my now cracked transmission pan all over my new house's garage floor. Luckily it's a $30 part, and the cracked transmission pan now serves as an ashtray.

 

^ That's way too funny and even I have cracked an oil cap in a similar situation once before but realized !


When AEM came out with the 1st gen cold air intakes, I got one and installed it and it was the long ram types to go thru fender and close to ground (somewhere in '99-'00 I did this). I forgot to put back the dam fender liner during install and sucked massive water instead of air heading to work next morning in a downpour monsoon. Hydro locked the thing and a snapped rod flew through the block and stabbed the fluidyne radiator. Plain view of crank and all. The AEM water bypass in line filter was released later on...

What pissed me off most was 15 mins later, the sun was out ever so lovely and I can see my trail of my oil/water rainbow mixture on the road.

Also threw out a rod on my Audi 5yrs ago when I asked/begged for the X + and 2 more additional psi on a reflash software from GIAC. Rod snapped but stayed home comfy

 

Disturbing part of SOME of these oil/trans etc filling mishaps is, imagine being the unlucky SOB who buys/bought these cars after owners sells/sold them? Ouch!

 

My first time at the track in front of about 15 other AMG owners I launched with the traction control off .........need I say more? I think I peed a little @ 1:47

 

Weight savings!

 

Nice vid! What the hell was wrong w/SLK55? got murdered by everyone & appeared to be missfiring/stumbling all over track?

 

If memory serves me correctly (7 years ago) Jesse couldn't get any traction. Kleemann Supercharged SLK55

 

Please tell me you used filtered or bottled water! These are Benzes after all...

 

I once emptied the transmission fluid, thinking it was the motor oil. Then I topped up the motor oil and drove away. A few days later car started making lots of noise. Took it to a shop and they asked me which plug I pulled. Wrong one! They drained and refilled transmission and she was fine. Kinda embarassing.

 

This reminds me of one of my track adventures. I lived just a few miles from the track, so I would just drive there on my slicks. I line up for my first run against a 5.Slow Mustang. Traction control off, load up the converter, mash the gas on the third yellow and.... do a burnout halfway down the track. I forgot to air down the tires from 35 psi. Mustang driver got lucky that time.

 

You train your wives to maintain your vehicles...? Cunning bugger.... Although in retrospect I would probably service myself in future...

 

These are some pretty funny stories and I have many myself I am sure mechanically and they will come to me sooner or later but this one is from the track that I can't forget. The first time at the track I pulled into the water, pulled up a bit out of the puddle, started my burnout in second gear and slowly let the brake out and spun the tires 250 feet down the track! You know, like the funny cars and dragsters on TV?! Needless to say, the tree guy was pissed off!