Post your latest screw-ups (here's mine!)

[Anduril]

Finally got everything back together on the Firebird after changing the upper and lower intake gaskets, along with the heater hoses and upper/lower rad hoses for good measure. Pull a vacuum on the cooling system to refill it and the needle JUST. WILL. NOT. MOVE!!!

Hook up some compressed and air it comes hissing out under the throttle body. Uh-oh!

Off comes the upper intake (again) to reveal this gem:

Not entirely sure how that happened other than things must have moved around during assembly. Yes, the RTV is necessary due to pitting in the mating surface from the previous leak that saturated the fiber gasket there for who knows how long. After Amazon Priming myself a new gasket set and putting things back together, it's holding now with no leaks but that cost me a few days!

 

[GSCJR]

I recently messed up the threads on an a CV shaft while I was replacing lower ball joints. What I typically do on most models is loosen the castle nut on the shaft end and hit it with my air hammer to push back the shaft a little (to avoid CV joint separation). To my surprise it would not budge from the hub and I over did it. Cost me a shaft for nothing, because in the end there was enough room to separate the ball joint from the knuckle without stressing the joint (2013 Sonata).

 

[panthermike]

Happens to us all for sure! I made a post several weeks ago about dropping a washer in an intake manifold after I had already put in on the car. Tried to fish it out, but ultimately had to remove it to retrieve the washer. Lesson learned was; more patience grasshopper....

 

[bdcardinal]

Ordered the wrong control arms for a Bronco Raptor that is in our shop doing mechanical work for a body shop. Used both our SnapOn Ford catalog and the Ford ECat that Ford themselves offer and the part numbers jived. Got the last part (complete differential assembly), and the tech started the job. The ones listed in the catalog look like aftermarket ones from back in the SN95 Mustang days. The ones on the vehicle are more of a rectangular shaped arm with bolt holes on them. Checked the HVBOM (Historical Vehicle Build of Materials) and sure enough the part number it was build with ended with an A instead of a B. Took screen shots from the 2 catalogs showing the error so I can hopefully get paid on the claim.

Its annoying because we pay a decent amount of money for the cataloging and they actually pull their info from HVBOM, which is why parts people so badly want the VIN for looking up parts. Also had to critical order the (hopefully) correct arm since it is usually a week out from the PDC in Detroit.

 

[Leo99]

My son and I wired a GFI outlet for at his newly purchased house and one of the load side screws was screwed out. It was the hot side and it hit touched the metal box and shorted things out. The breaker blew.

On another note, not my screw up but the previous "electrician" wired the refrigerator outlet to the switch side of the wall switch so the fridge went dead every time you turned off the kitchen lights.

 

[John105]

Not recent but I installed a Draw Tite on my wife’s SUV when it was 10 and holes severely rusted. I was admiring pics of my work when I noticed I had not put the lock washers in where it bolts around the receiver area. Frantically I went to the car and visions of dropping the fake dual exhaust again danced in my head. I was able to redo the bolts with all else intact. But if I handnt looked at pics it wouldn’t have dawned on me that I forgot.

 

[walterjay]

Gosh......I don't think I've screwed anything up lately...

 

[loneryder]

Finally got everything back together on the Firebird after changing the upper and lower intake gaskets, along with the heater hoses and upper/lower rad hoses for good measure. Pull a vacuum on the cooling system to refill it and the needle JUST. WILL. NOT. MOVE!!!

Hook up some compressed and air it comes hissing out under the throttle body. Uh-oh!

Off comes the upper intake (again) to reveal this gem:

View attachment 209112

Not entirely sure how that happened other than things must have moved around during assembly. Yes, the RTV is necessary due to pitting in the mating surface from the previous leak that saturated the fiber gasket there for who knows how long. After Amazon Priming myself a new gasket set and putting things back together, it's holding now with no leaks but that cost me a few days!

What am I looking at??

 

[ripcord]

Can't. Gotta wait out the statute of limitations first.

 

[Anduril]

What am I looking at?

Supposed to be an o-ring seal on the coolant passage between the upper and lower intake manifolds. Instead it became a mangled mess.