numb nuts

Post Sun Jan 08, 2006 10:28 pm

Had the engine apart for the first time and refitted today with a few probs here ane there.
Started her up and went for a spin and really rough idle, acceleration and thought oh no what have I done.
Got back, check fluids and noticed I'd left the breather pipe off. Just me or anyone else do stupid things.

Post Sun Jan 08, 2006 10:34 pm

i thought id blown my engine when i got a huge cloud of smoke whilst driving from under the bonnet, pulled over ,oil everywhere . turns out i hadnt tightened up a jubilee clip and oil was spraying out over my turbo. mixed feelings of relief and stupidity

Post Sun Jan 08, 2006 10:49 pm

Had a Mk1 RS2000 once and I was cleaning the engine bay so I chucked an old sheet over the engine, inlet manifold and air filter. Finished what I was doing closed the bonnet to let it dry off then went in and had a cuppa, while sipping away I decided to go to the shop. When I got there I remembered the sheet on the engine, opened the bonnet to find the sheet exactly as I left it. Thank F**k the car had an electric fan and hadnt got hot enuogh for it to swicth on, how the sheet never caught fire on the exhaust manifold I'll never Know. Nearly soiled myself with relief

Post Mon Jan 09, 2006 12:04 am

Grantley wrote: Nearly soiled myself with relief

LOL, you lucky man, whilst tinkering away on one of my old Mini's - i "used" to leave the ignition on and test start it by crossing the solenoid with a screw driver. One distracted day i done this and left - believe it or not - my right hand in the "close" proximity of the fan belt!!!!!!

Only caught me slightly but still bloody hurt! - won't be doing this in a hurry again.

Neil.

Post Mon Jan 09, 2006 5:42 pm

ouch, funny afterwards as long as there's no real damage.

Post Mon Jan 09, 2006 5:59 pm

stupid things like put on an airfilter and forget to connect up the electrical plug and wonder why it's hard to do 70mph
like service the car, leave the oil filler cap off and wonder why it's struggling to idle

Post Mon Jan 09, 2006 6:16 pm

I'm sure we all have stories....here's one of mine......

While replacing brake lines on my 1303 beetle I was under the car, laid in a drip tray so as to not ruin any pretty driveway etc, happily pulling pipes off, refitting new ones etc. I must have pulled the wrong pipe as I noticed there was a fresh dripping coming from somewhere above my head, thought I'd better sort before carrying on, got me a fag and went searching away only to find I'd pulled the fuel line out of the tank and was laying in about 5 litres of fuel

Needless to say I was outta there pretty quick, but both I, me mate, his dad and the neighbour were in shock, I must have smoked half a fag not knowing I was but a flick away from certain death....

Have learned not to smoke around any car engine now, and not to own beetles!!

But like all of the above atleast it was without injury...which isn't always the case

and good luck with the car, having pulled mine apart only the other day, it usually takes a few checks to get everything right

Post Mon Jan 09, 2006 6:44 pm

drove around with a 13mm & 15mm spanner, a screwdriver and a rag under the bonnet of the sport for about a week without noticing

that was quite good i thought though, about 100 miles and they were still there

Post Mon Jan 09, 2006 9:54 pm

After swapping an engine in my old nova to convert it from 1.4 carb to 1.6i (5 years ago now... don't hate me

) i did everything, eaven wired up the new electric pump...... went to start it and it just churned and churned.

took me ages to discover that i hadn't plugged the distributor low voltage in (doubles as crank sensor)