Dumb things you've done working on a car?

[Boltonator_VT]

Haha, its cool to see so many stories.

I havent had much of a history with fixing my car, but I do have two stories.

My car was overheating something serious from air let in the system from a cracked heater tap. Me and my father replaced the heater tap with a pipe connecting the coolant going out of the engine to the coolant going back in. The genius decides to check the main pipe going to the top of the engine and disconnects from the radiator side not realising that I was there. The massive pressure catapulted the Overheated coolant right at my chest instantly giving me second degree burns which burnt through my shirt. Ive still got some skin that turns red with heat on my chest.

Also i was having a looksee on the other side of the dash fascia. I broke the Hazard switch inwards. 80 dollars or auto electician fees and some heavy duty clips, and its fixed.

 

[IBLOWN]

My mates father was working in the engine bay with a screw driver in his hand.

The gas struts gave way, hit the back of his head and the screwdriver went through his eye.

 

[ari666]

through his eye.

OW!!!! ffs dude!! i felt that, thats not funny at all

 

[IBLOWN]

OW!!!! ffs dude!! i felt that, thats not funny at all

Yeah happened many years ago when i was younger. Obviously he's completely blind in that eye.

I tell you what im always careful to this day about having stabbing objects in my hand under a bonnet...

 

[acarmody]

Thanks IBLOWN now I'm gonna be paranoid. My bonnet struts are marginal at best.

 

[savage1987]

Easy fix - I never have to worry about this because I have A BONNET STAND! Old fashioned, but trustworthy

I also know a guy who stabbed himself in the eye with a screwdriver, just a careless slip while working on an S13 from memory. His wasn't serious, it went around the eye I think, and all recovered ok.

Sam

 

[s_ikari2015]

I was replacing the turtle shell engine cover with splits, as I was tightening up the nuts with my trusty Holden Interior Screw and Socket Leathermen set (has all the screwdriver heads for all the screws in a VT/VX) and the socket fell off, down into the engine bay. Heard a big metal clunk and now I think it's a permanent fixture between the sump and the sump guard. I'd dropped that same socket almost the same spot when I had a V6 VT, but as it's a smaller engine with more room, and no sump guard plate, it fell through, eventually.

Back when I was first driving I had a 1974 Mk1 Ford Escort. It was such a fun car. Well, it had a 2L Pinto engine and a small radiator, so it would regularly overheat. I had three radiator hoses split on that thing. I was working in the parts dept at a car dealership one day one of them split, I ordered the replacement hose and asked the mechanics to fit it during the day. Come the end of the day no-one had done so. If they had they would have discovered it wasn't the right hose. So at 7pm I'm in the parking lot with a razor blade, a torch and some coolant cutting this wrong hose to make it fit. I eventually get it connected, after being rained on for 45 minutes, fill the radiator with coolant and drive home. Just as I pull in my street the hose comes off, dumping coolant all along the road and up my driveway.
Yay! Stupid thing here? Don't trust mechanics to do you a favour... ever.
So, the next day is a weekend, thankfully, so I get my dad to buy the RIGHT hose and more coolant. Again, it's raining all day. Hooray for flat head screw hose clamps. Anyway, the flat head screwdriver slips out of the hose clamp, and into my left middle finger. Hurts like all hell. Covered in radiator coolant and sludge, raining, muddy because there's no concrete at my folk's place... and bleeding.
I've still got the scar as a nice reminder of that weekend.

I now HATE the smell of radiator coolant.

 

[ari666]

who else on here has stabbed a wire with their test-light to check for voltage, slipped and embedded the pointy end right into the soft pad of your finger?

 

[ryno_vrx]

who else on here has stabbed a wire with their test-light to check for voltage, slipped and embedded the pointy end right into the soft pad of your finger?

i just brought a test light a few weeks back, took it out of its wrapper went to test a wire and you guessed it stabbed my finger.... i swear i should give up working on cars

 

[ari666]

you guessed it stabbed my finger....

hurts dont it? and takes about two days to heal. its no wonder the fusebox in my VK looks like a birds nest. my finger was swiss cheese after installing the alarm/central locking