Your biggest DIY screwups

MightyBobo

Ohhh, plenty. Was helping an Ex GF change her oil on her car. It was getting dark, so I was rushing and not paying attention. Finished up, started 'er up (the car), and she asks, "Should there be stuff all over the ground?". Sure enough, giant puddle of oil on the ground. I forgot to make sure the O-ring came off w/ the old oil filter *sigh*. Luckly we noticed fast and no harm done, but what a PITA it was having to go get MORE oil just for that...

Also, a common cheap/free mod for LSX vehicles was to delete the EGR/AIR systems. This of course involved removing some hoses from the exhaust manifolds, and using a plate to cover the holes w/ some liquid gasket. Well, I forgot to trim down 2 of the bolts and I was REALLY rushing to finish it before the auto hobby shop closed. So I put the cap on, and figured it'd hold for a day or two until I had a chance to pull the bolts out and shorten them so they'd actually hold the bracket down.

Fast forward a YEAR or two later (yes, that long), and on a cold night near Thanksgiving in Omaha, I was showing it off to a friend and floored it to let him feel the mad siq tork. Suddenly, some loud pinging noise that went w/ the rev's of the motor. My heart immediately dropped, and I assumed a lifter had just died on me. I didnt drive it again that winter, and I just assumed I'd have to change a lifter...and when you change a lifter in that motor, you just change the camshaft out with it since it makes sense. So I got about $2000 in parts for my whole cam swap...and literally DAYS before my install happened, I was digging around my engine bay.....and find that I'd forgotten to shorten the bolts, and the stupid plate and liquid gasket finally came loose that night and was simply bouncing freely. For ***** and giggles, I shortened it up, and it never pinged again.

I still did the cam swap :-p

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I don't own a car anymore.

mpusch

Haha, no way. I just did this a week ago. Only thing I did different was in addition to my car losing all of its oil, when I was backing up my car off the two ramps, one of the ramps kicked out and hit the bucket I had used to catch all the old oil. So...two huge puddles of oil.

Once is all it takes to never do it again