Help support Travis - What screwup's have you done thread!
01-14-2012, 11:51 PM
#1
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Help support Travis - What screwup's have you done thread!
In response to the famous "Travis" thread, I thought I would start the "worse screwup thread" related to Porsches and DIY, some to make Travis feel better, and and some well, to just have fun!
I will start. My biggest technical screwup was timing both the left and right hand sides of my newly rebuilt engine the same way - essentially turning a 911 engine into a massive three cylinder $6000 lumpy monster. Was told in the course I took NOT to do this, and in the books NOT to do this but to no avail, total brain fart. Broadcast the problem looking for a solution to the entire Rennlist community, and once you realize what you did, you just take the ribbing and move on...
I have a few others, like once Danny came over with his 993 and said "The oil is a bit overfilled, can you remove 1/2 liter". I said sure, and remember when I do an oil change, I removed the oil feed line just below the secondary oil filter, and get about 1/2 litre, so why not take that off??? Well, I forget it was connected to the bottom of a FULL oil tank (it is usually empty before I do this during an oil change). Out gushed 8 FULL LITERS OF OIL - SWOOOSH - and then I told Danny "Well, looks like i fixed your overfill!!!"
Who's next?
Cheers,
Mike
I will start. My biggest technical screwup was timing both the left and right hand sides of my newly rebuilt engine the same way - essentially turning a 911 engine into a massive three cylinder $6000 lumpy monster. Was told in the course I took NOT to do this, and in the books NOT to do this but to no avail, total brain fart. Broadcast the problem looking for a solution to the entire Rennlist community, and once you realize what you did, you just take the ribbing and move on...
I have a few others, like once Danny came over with his 993 and said "The oil is a bit overfilled, can you remove 1/2 liter". I said sure, and remember when I do an oil change, I removed the oil feed line just below the secondary oil filter, and get about 1/2 litre, so why not take that off??? Well, I forget it was connected to the bottom of a FULL oil tank (it is usually empty before I do this during an oil change). Out gushed 8 FULL LITERS OF OIL - SWOOOSH - and then I told Danny "Well, looks like i fixed your overfill!!!"
Who's next?
Cheers,
Mike
01-15-2012, 12:47 AM
#2
Nordschleife Master
When I did the timing belt service on my Audi S4, it took forever. Just got it all buttoned up, filled up, & ready to start.
Well, car started fine, then expensive pink coolant is flowing out of the engine at a high rate. Can't see any leaks, & everything is connected. We tore it all apart again (got to remove the TB to get at the water pump). Turns out, the top bolt for the water pump didn't go through the gasket. It just pushed it down into the pump.
That was an 10hr job that turned into 2 days.
On a PCA tour, I topped off the oil & header out. When we got to the FUN part, the first tight right hander, I look back & see a HUGE cloud of white smoke. Dam something major is wrong. Pull over, pop the engine lid, oil every where! Can't really see anything wrong, turns out my oil cap didn't get seated properly, & was half off, but still tight.
Well, car started fine, then expensive pink coolant is flowing out of the engine at a high rate. Can't see any leaks, & everything is connected. We tore it all apart again (got to remove the TB to get at the water pump). Turns out, the top bolt for the water pump didn't go through the gasket. It just pushed it down into the pump.
That was an 10hr job that turned into 2 days.
On a PCA tour, I topped off the oil & header out. When we got to the FUN part, the first tight right hander, I look back & see a HUGE cloud of white smoke. Dam something major is wrong. Pull over, pop the engine lid, oil every where! Can't really see anything wrong, turns out my oil cap didn't get seated properly, & was half off, but still tight.
01-15-2012, 01:01 AM
#3
Rennlist Member
To reiterate from the other thread..........
We've ALL done the "refill the oil, but forget to reinstall the drain plug" thing. And I mentioned that my last thing was mixing the wrong hardener in with the resin on a carbon fiber job. Mess and wasted product.
Definitely done the "twin 3 cylinders on a common crank" cam thing. Have also installed crossed up the install--left in right, right in left. Becomes obvious pretty quick.
Other 911 rebuild screwups include forgetting to put the air deflectors on, and realizing it after you've attached the heads/solid oil return tubes. (Applies to 3.2 and earlier engines only.)
Forget to put a CE gasket on the top of the cylinder? Sure.
Thinking it's easier to replace a CIS airbox in-car versus engine removal? Sure.
Reversed clutch disc? Check.
You do a lot of boneheaded stuff when you're in semi-cruise control mode making a living on these things. Thankfully you always catch it pretty quick.
Can't say I've ever had to really tear into an engine I've put back together that's been delivered to a customer. But one time I did a nice engine on a 2.4S, a car that had been off the road for about 7-8 years. However, the owner told me it had only been a few months. Should have known otherwise.......... He brings the car back to me (I didn't install the engine), dead and frozen. Turns out the varnish in the fuel glued the intake valves to the guides. Threatened to sue me if I didn't fix it. Uh huh. Sometimes you can't be thorough enough.
We've ALL done the "refill the oil, but forget to reinstall the drain plug" thing. And I mentioned that my last thing was mixing the wrong hardener in with the resin on a carbon fiber job. Mess and wasted product.
Definitely done the "twin 3 cylinders on a common crank" cam thing. Have also installed crossed up the install--left in right, right in left. Becomes obvious pretty quick.
Other 911 rebuild screwups include forgetting to put the air deflectors on, and realizing it after you've attached the heads/solid oil return tubes. (Applies to 3.2 and earlier engines only.)
Forget to put a CE gasket on the top of the cylinder? Sure.
Thinking it's easier to replace a CIS airbox in-car versus engine removal? Sure.
Reversed clutch disc? Check.
You do a lot of boneheaded stuff when you're in semi-cruise control mode making a living on these things. Thankfully you always catch it pretty quick.
Can't say I've ever had to really tear into an engine I've put back together that's been delivered to a customer. But one time I did a nice engine on a 2.4S, a car that had been off the road for about 7-8 years. However, the owner told me it had only been a few months. Should have known otherwise.......... He brings the car back to me (I didn't install the engine), dead and frozen. Turns out the varnish in the fuel glued the intake valves to the guides. Threatened to sue me if I didn't fix it. Uh huh. Sometimes you can't be thorough enough.
01-15-2012, 02:44 AM
#5
Hurrying to drop the engine for my g50/31 swap I didn't notice the main oil line (from engine case to oil tank) was hung up on my steel table. Lifted the car and deformed the line. A $400 mistake.
Doing a clutch job on my old E30 325is. Before reinstalling the transmission, I little voice in my head told me to recheck before buttoning the car up. Good thing, as there was this little bearing I forgot to install.......the pilot bearing. Fortunately, I avoided a major F-up and only had to remove the clutch to install.
Cheers,
Joe
Doing a clutch job on my old E30 325is. Before reinstalling the transmission, I little voice in my head told me to recheck before buttoning the car up. Good thing, as there was this little bearing I forgot to install.......the pilot bearing. Fortunately, I avoided a major F-up and only had to remove the clutch to install.
Cheers,
Joe
01-15-2012, 03:59 AM
#7
Built a custom big $$$$$ Porsche race motor.
Got it in the car and didn't get oil pressure.
I left out half a crank bearing.
Lot of hands in that case but I was responsible for it and was the one to seal it.
One of many and not my last, but I hope it was my dumbest.
Got it in the car and didn't get oil pressure.
I left out half a crank bearing.
Lot of hands in that case but I was responsible for it and was the one to seal it.
One of many and not my last, but I hope it was my dumbest.
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01-15-2012, 10:47 AM
#8
I was changing the timing belt on my father-in-law's Rover 213 back in the early 90's. Was done in less than an hour - thought it would be a good idea before buttoning everything up to fire her up to make sure everything ran fine. Well I hadn't yet fitted the 'keeper' flange on the end of the cam sprocket, and as I watched the engine running, watched in slow motion as the belt 'walked' off the cam sprocket. That resulted in three bent valves and a unplanned top end job...
01-15-2012, 11:02 AM
#9
Rennlist Member
No screw-ups, other than using that built-in accordion filling tube that happened to have a split in it.
I lost a half liter of oil before noticing smoke coming from below as the oil made it to the heat exchangers. Talk about a quick dash to shut the engine down, not knowing what the cause was.
That was during my first Porsche 993 oil change. It never happened again.
As for other vehicles, I can't say I've ever had a screw-up on anything from chainsaws to aircraft engines.
I lost a half liter of oil before noticing smoke coming from below as the oil made it to the heat exchangers. Talk about a quick dash to shut the engine down, not knowing what the cause was.
That was during my first Porsche 993 oil change. It never happened again.
As for other vehicles, I can't say I've ever had a screw-up on anything from chainsaws to aircraft engines.
01-15-2012, 11:14 AM
#10
Rennlist Member
I do remember one, although not my screw-up.
I once installed a new set of Bosch points and condenser in mom's 1967 VW Beetle.
It wouldn't start and here I was searching for the cause. It was the damn effing new set of Bosch points that were faulty. Who would suspect a name brand new part not working? I was thirteen so I lacked some diagnostic skills back then (hell, many mechanics don't even have those skills).
I once installed a new set of Bosch points and condenser in mom's 1967 VW Beetle.
It wouldn't start and here I was searching for the cause. It was the damn effing new set of Bosch points that were faulty. Who would suspect a name brand new part not working? I was thirteen so I lacked some diagnostic skills back then (hell, many mechanics don't even have those skills).
01-15-2012, 11:30 AM
#11
Rennlist Member
Did a tune-up on my '66 912...Valve adjustment was the last step...Adjusted the left side...Adjusted the right side....Put the valve cover on the right side...Started up the road for a test drive....Within 100 feet there was more racket than usual and lots of smoke and oil stink...Slowly backed into the driveway only to see the left side valve cover sitting on the top of my toolbox.
01-15-2012, 11:52 AM
#12
Rennlist Member
no one is perfect Travis! As much as we'd like to think we are 
and we all learn from our mistakes
replacing a slave cylinder on a 993, we thought we had the pushrod seated on the TO fork... But, alas, we did not. Well, we did at one point. Doing these in situ involves "feeling" for the correct position. We had done it many times... But it moved on us and the result was quite a mess when the pedal was depressed. I still recall that sinking feeling...
now we not only feel for contact but get a visual via an inspection mirror
and we all learn from our mistakes
replacing a slave cylinder on a 993, we thought we had the pushrod seated on the TO fork... But, alas, we did not. Well, we did at one point. Doing these in situ involves "feeling" for the correct position. We had done it many times... But it moved on us and the result was quite a mess when the pedal was depressed. I still recall that sinking feeling...
now we not only feel for contact but get a visual via an inspection mirror
01-15-2012, 12:12 PM
#14
Rennlist Member
"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
Albert Einstein
Once as a young lad doing one of my first brake jobs on my Trans Am, I got one of the inside brake pads in backwards (metal backing to rotor.) On the test drive it squeeled like a stuck pig!
Don't sweat it Travis, you did a great job and I'm sure you learned a lot!
Albert Einstein
Once as a young lad doing one of my first brake jobs on my Trans Am, I got one of the inside brake pads in backwards (metal backing to rotor.) On the test drive it squeeled like a stuck pig!
Don't sweat it Travis, you did a great job and I'm sure you learned a lot!
