DIY Fails

[ice15]

Saw this photo on FB and it reminded me of my college days




Let's share our DIY failure stories here

[ice15]

let me start... with the most memorable ones.

growing up in the PUV business, I was expected to be able to fix my own car if something goes wrong.

1)
'91 Corolla (2E Engine) it was a normal tune-up and change oil when I lost one of the small screws for the contact point.

I found a screw that's 1mm longer to replace the missing screw. It grounded my whole ignition system which caused the ignition coil to overheat every 500 meters

2)
GF's house was a good 30mins drive (90's)

Her car's A/C retainer bearing got stuck causing her fan belt to break.

I volunteered to have it fixed (done it multiple times - our taxi fleet).

Took me 2 days to finish the job. retainer bearing's adjuster lost its thread and the bearing got so hot causing it to slightly melt. Had to bring our mechanic the next day for help.

[oj88]

In my teens (circa 80s), we owned an owner-type jeep with a 12R engine. Dad gave me the seemingly easy task of replacing the high-tension wires because the old ones were cracked and prone to current leakage in wet weather.

I proceeded to rip the old HT cables out but forgot to take note of the firing order. The internet was still about a decade and a half away so I sweat bullets as I put it all back with trial and error.

In retrospect, I could've just looked at the witness marks on the old cables to figure out where each came from.

Not very many notable DIY fails on vehicles in particular. There were definitely bad choices, but I don't think they rise up to the level of a bad DIY. Elsewhere, however, I have my share of fails (electronics, home repairs, etc.)

[carxynogen]

Sa akin, I tried changing the flat tire at home.
When I tried to loosen the lug nuts, it won't loosen.
I called my in-law to help me by bringing a water tube.

It turns out I was loosening the nuts in an opposite direction.

[cityfolk]

Sa akin, I tried changing the flat tire at home.
When I tried to loosen the lug nuts, it won't loosen.
I called my in-law to help me by bringing a water tube.

It turns out I was loosening the nuts in an opposite direction.

What brand of car is that? I remember a friend who had the same story. In his case he actually sheared off the studs before realizing he should try the other direction.

[carxynogen]

What brand of car is that? I remember a friend who had the same story. In his case he actually sheared off the studs before realizing he should try the other direction.

Hyundai po.
Correct naman po yung direction kung saan dapat i loosen.
Tanga lang ako nun bat hindi ko na realize na baliktad pala.

[carxynogen]

Not very many notable DIY fails on vehicles in particular. There were definitely bad choices, but I don't think they rise up to the level of a bad DIY. Elsewhere, however, I have my share of fails (electronics, home repairs, etc.)

Meron din ako nung college, electronics project.
Sumabog yung fuse in front of me when I plug my simple electronics project.
Buti nalang nasa fuse holder, so yung holder yung stopper sa mga sumabog na splinter ng fuse.

Pero yung nasa loob ng bahay, nataranta, ano daw yung sumabog.
Baliktad pala pagkakabit ko ng fuse.

[Vodka]

corolla 2e valve cover gasket was leaking. i was just a teen at the time so in my infinite lack of wisdom i thought the solution was to simply tighten the bolts some more this was an old design, just 2 bolts holding the whole thing. the cover warped at the bolt holes as i OVER-tightened. didn't fix the leak LOL

[dr. d]

Sa akin, I tried changing the flat tire at home.
When I tried to loosen the lug nuts, it won't loosen.
I called my in-law to help me by bringing a water tube.

It turns out I was loosening the nuts in an opposite direction.

my besta! koreans.
heh heh.

[dr. d]

our beetle's steering gear was loose, so i decided to fix it.
after over two and a half hours of working under the car, i still couldn't bring down the part.
so i surrendered and drove to the VW shop a couple of km away. the mechanic there did it in 15 minutes. turns out, removing the gas tank made it lots easier.
i was so happy, and drove away to attend to business.
on the way home, i ran out of gas.
what i didn't know, was to re-calibrate the tank. this was done by memorizing the initial position of the gauge needle, then moving the re-installed tank to and fro, to place the needle in its original position, then tightening the retaining bolts.

i once overhauled my RT100's carburettor.
i fabricated the gasket from velamoid (natch! we do it all the time!).
then i used silicone gasketmaker to seal it.
pues! the gasketmaker fell apart because of the gasoline, and clogged the carb's passageways.
i had to overhaul it again under the churchyard's lone 60 watt parking area bulb, so that i could bring the car home.

another time,
i had the wheel serviced, but did not witness the mechanic's putting it back.
about 500 meters down the road, there was this gumagaralgal na tunog...
my wheel wasn't tightly bolted in, and had loosened.
buti na lang, no other untoward event happened, and the bolts were still use-able.
i now always observe the mechanic as he tightens my wheel nuts.

last.
i had my rusting VW's body fixed by a non-VW latero. hindi ko binisita. the finished body was leaking in water in floods!
as it turns out, the lower parts of the VW body are supposed to be fabricated locally, bolted to the platform chassis, after which, it is welded to the rest of the upper body. then the entire body is un-bolted and lifted, and a thick rubber weatherstrip is placed between the platform chassis and the body. then the body is lowered and the bolts tightened to watertightness.
i didn't want to have the body welded again, so i just sealed the problem by drowning it in gallons of vulca seal.
highs!

not exactly DIYs, but learning curves nonetheless.