Slightly funny now...

I finally get around to connecting steering coloumn flange to steering box. Get a few bolts washers etc in place and want to turn the steering to get easier access to right side bolt... steering doesnt turn. I'm like wtf... try to turn it a few times... nothing happening. So take out the 3 bolts I had in place removing coupling rubber, still nothing doing. 10 minutes of swearing later I realise the keys are still in my pocket and steering lock is on...

Start it all over again tomorrow....

 

Excellent

Thought it was only me had proper clown moments , funniest being when installing the hook up and I had a minor meltdown thinking brown = negative as per VW wiring ...
Luckily it was checked by someone else and sorted ....

Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

 

Note to self: don't touch anything electrical in Chris's house

 

My best was a complete engine and gearbox install 100% finished with everything hooked up including the heater cables then spotting my only clutch release bearing still on the previous gearbox. I was just about to turn the key but the clutch felt funny.

 

Gut dropping to arse feeling ....had a similar when re building a Leyland 760 and letting one of the foot long push rod tubes dropping down and getting lodged and not sure exactly where ...so head off (big ) and sump off ( big ) well seal gasket compound taking ages to scrap off on sump .

 

I'd got pretty quick at it all back then but it was certainly a moment.
I just got on with it. I once tried 4 or 5 gearboxes in my early in one day ending up putting back the one that was already in there.
These days I'd curse and abandon until next week.

 

Fun and games with the cam shoulder bearing and stripped the motor down. While it was down, someone else was having clutch issues after working on their bus for a decade and there was a few clutch issues before he could get it running . Do as I had mine in pieces, I volunteered to measure from bell housing face to the thrust bearing with the clutch pedal up and with the clutch pedal down. A week or so later, me and my buddy had all sorts of issues getting my motor back in and ended up squeezing it in tight with longer bolts. Later that night I spotted the stick still holding the clutch pedal down from when I’d measured it.

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,,,,,Oh how we laughed over a pint

 

It is easily done and do not worry these things happen lots of times in your local garages .I have over the years had the odd mishap like fitting new shocks to the wrong beige Cortina , fitting a BMW clutch plate the wrong way round resulting in having to cut the gearbox bell housing to pieces to remove the jammed gearbox , coming back from a long roatest and discovering the brand new cars keys were on the roof the whole time . I will add all these mishaps were due to rushing about and trying to get all the jobs done . My favourite story is a workmate who left a large anvil in the boot of an elderly customers car only for her to return a few days later and wondered where it had came from.

 

I had a problem with the gearbox on my Hillman Imp...first car. I bought a replacement from a scrap yard in Rotherham (the doner had been in a crash) and was assured it was good. I took the engine out, and then the gearbox, at the side of the road, checked the 'new' box had 4 forward gears and refitted the lot. I felt quite chuffed and then went for a test drive. I got the 4 forward gears but no reverse. It all had to come out again and change a small plate in the gearbox nose which activates reverse...the plate often gets broken by shock in a crash. As they say "you live and learn ".

 

If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing twice.

 

Or even four times

 

Mine was rebuilt the engine from scratch after align bore, drove it then washed the bearings out because of swarf in the case, so rebuilt it again, all in the same month, this year.
Now the gearbox nose cone is leaking… I’ll think I’ll leave it till next year, as I’ve lost interest.

 

Check the breather hole on the gearbox isn’t blocked.
It’s only a small hole and blocks up easily and when it does the gearbox pressurises and forces oil out of other places.

It’s a simple thing to do that may save you a lot of effort.

 

Thanks. Where is it located please? I’m up under it later, as I am going to fit another fuel filter to see how much crud comes out after a few miles before I think about ‘washing the fuel’ as Mike puts it.

 

Ok. Got it.

 

My all time fail was putting the flywheel back on, doing up the gland nut finger tight and then going for a coffee.

Came back, fitted the clutch and carried on.

Next day it stayed done up for about 35 miles.
Then ended up developing a driving style where I held the flywheel on with pressure on the clutch while sitting in rush hour traffic for about 2 miles of stop-start crawl.. end float about 2.5mm .. had to stop the clattering with the clutch pedal pressure.
Had to have the crank and flywheel 8-dowelled as a repair. Good bye £400..

 

As an apprentice electrician I was tasked with making an extension lead to use on site. I finished it and showed the sparky - lots of swearing later, he pointed out that I'd put a plug on each end, so when he plugged it in, there was a 'live' plug on the other end.

 

I’ve seen several camper hook ups wired the same

 

Boaty folks sometimes feed power from their inverters into their 240v circuits the same way.