Wrenching oopsies

[gogmorgo]

We’ve all done them. Maybe if we share some of us will learn something not to do. I’ll start:

 

Trying to get a bearing race off an aluminum hub in the shop today. Hit it with the torch to expand it so it would slip off, but before it got there the aluminum hub started bubbling out from under the race. Whoops. 

[fiatslug87]

Trying to remove a rivet and one tap too many.

Tempered glass is cool when it shatters.

[Pete M]

fun fact, the hole in the floor for the 4x4 shifter assembly has little to do with the location of the hole in the carpet for the handle to stick though. 

[Drahcir495]

Make sure to put the correct o-ring when replacing the fuel pump. The one from Advanced had only one in the box instead of two and it was the wrong one. Fuel poured out 😳

[pizzaman09]

Had the wrench set on tighten instead of loosen taking an oil drain plug out of the aluminum oil pan in the BMW M5 I used to own.  Stripped the pan, couldn't find any place in town with an M12x1.5 helicoil kit.  Ended up converting to M12x1.75 and helicoiling for that.  It was very challenging to get that very low sports car off the ground far enough for a large long drill in a big old 18V DeWalt drill to drill straight into the oil pan.  

 

I've also broken off my fair share of brake bleeding valves requiring a quick run to the auto store to acquire a bleeder repair kit.

 

Dropped a 21hp Briggs and Stratton single cylinder vertical shaft engine on my foot because I had managed to pick it up from the crankshaft on one side and the flywheel on the other, it rotated and I lost balance.  Hurt my foot and broke a corner off of the Briggs Crank case.  Make sure you have a hand on the block, not just the rotating assembly.

[gogmorgo]

9 hours ago, Drahcir495 said:

There is a difference in lug nuts  . . . Could have been really bad, but the rims did not completely  fall off. Used the lug nuts off a steel rim on an aluminum one.

What’s the difference in lug nuts? Conical seat nut is conical seat, no?

 

8 hours ago, pizzaman09 said:

 

I've also broken off my fair share of brake bleeding valves requiring a quick run to the auto store to acquire a bleeder repair kit.

 

Bleed screws usually respond very nicely to heat. Even a small butane lighter can be enough to do the job. It’s my go-to when I can’t get them with a 1/4” ratchet.

[Drahcir495]

I never questioned it? Just know my wheels almost fell off and AAA told me the wrong lug nuts were the issue. I had just put the aluminum rims on and used the steel rims lug nuts. They were torque down so that shouldn’t have been the issue. I hope I’m right for the sake of this thread. 
 

Did a Google search and it’s not true 

[75sv1]

I used some lug nots from the steelies I had on for an aluminum set or rims. The steel rims had scored the lug nuts, so they did not seat well with the aluminum rims.

 I was working on a steering gear box. Let loose of the shaft. So, it spun and all the balls fell to the floor. Probably not the worse I have done. 

[gogmorgo]

15 hours ago, Drahcir495 said:

I never questioned it? Just know my wheels almost fell off and AAA told me the wrong lug nuts were the issue. I had just put the aluminum rims on and used the steel rims lug nuts. They were torque down so that shouldn’t have been the issue. I hope I’m right for the sake of this thread. 
 

Did a Google search and it’s not true 

The point of this thread is learning so everyone wins if that’s what we’re doing. 
 

Used lug nuts can be strange. It’s definitely true that you can leave an imprint of the steel wheel in the nut which will affect how it seats in the wheel. But even when switching between aluminum wheels I’ve had to retorque more than once. Not too sure what causes that, whether it’s a mismatch in the softer nut seats, corrosion holding the hub off the face slightly… doesn’t seem to matter if I clean off the hub surfaces or anything, I just end up retorquing every 20 miles or so until they stop moving before the torque wrench clicks. 
 

On a similar note, if you’ve left a vehicle sitting for an extended period, it’s a good idea to check lug nut torque before putting it back on the road.

[GrandBoost98]

I had to change the oil pan out on my 2010 Ram 3500. The motor needs to be lifted high enough to sneak the pan out over the welded in crossmember. I was jacking the engine up with my hoist, bent down to check things out underneath and the chain on my hoist let go, dropping the motor a good 5-6"s, while I was under it! The hoist rebound and smacked the underside of the hood, bowing it and hitting the fenders on either side. This was a few days after thanksgiving outside in my driveway. So I ended up having to pay a shop to finish the oil pan job and then took it to a body shop who had to replace the hood and fenders  That was by far my biggest, most expensive, oopsie 

[ComancheKid45]

Good lord, I can't pick just one....

[mjeff87]

I've got a thread on this somewhere on here....couple years ago I went to change the plugs in the KJ.  #6 plug was STUCK in the head.  I fiddled with it for 2+ days, using all manner of snake oils, tools, and inventive curse words and eventually snapped it off in the head.  About a month later, $700 in parts and machine shop charges and a new beater DD (my Focus) to get around in while I yanked the head off the 3.7L and worked on it, it was fixed.  All for a $2 spark plug.

 

 

[87MJTIM]

Every quick 5 minute job is one broken bolt away from a 2 day ordeal. 

[jeff351]

Gravity lesson - don't lay directly under something heavy and bulky like a steering box, and unbolt it while being distracted. Lucky I turned my head quickly enough to only get 3 stitches in my lip.

[gogmorgo]

Continuing the discussion on lug nuts

This is a nut off a 3/4 ton chev that’s been used with steel wheels for about 20 years. It’s hard to get a good photo of it with my phone but that worn in patch at the top has a pretty good step to it.

It’s not really an issue here because it’s matched pretty well to the wheel it came off. But if you were to put it on an aluminum wheel that worn ring wouldn’t touch the seat on the wheel and you’d just have a tiny little lip on the outside of the nut contacting the wheel. Throw some driving stresses on it and you’ll wear out that little lip of aluminum and your nut will get loose.

If you keep retorquing the nut you’ll eventually wear in the wheel to match the nut, but you’re probably better off getting new lug nuts if you notice some wear on the tapered seat of the nut. You may also notice a similar effect putting new nuts onto used wheels.

In the context of the truck it came off it’s not really a big deal. Not only have the nuts worn in with the wheels, it’s a hub centric wheel that still fits nicely on the hub so it’s going to stay where it needs to sit. But if you had lug centric wheels you might have trouble getting the wheel to seat correctly with a worn taper on the nut, even with a steel wheel.