Worse repair ever?

Joined
Mar 2, 2004
Messages
4,099
Location
Kentucky
Curious what everyone's "worst repair" they've encountered is-- you know that job that you thought would go smoothly and turned into an absolute nightmare. Or that job on a vehicle where they make it **** near impossible to perform a certain task. I'm right in the midst of one that fits in the latter category, replacing some power steering hoses & pump on my '96 Maxima. It's almost like the engineers in Japan forgot to add the power steering pump into the design and just winged it. I picture the conversation going like this:

(senior engineer): Ready for production fellas!
(apprentice engineer): Wait, we forgot the power steering pump!
(senior engineer): Crap, well stick it in that tiny opening that's covered up by sixteen components that not even an elf can get their hands into, even if you do take apart half the car.

Had to take a break, neighbors probably think I've lost my mind with all the cursing going on. Figured a thread like this would take my mind off what a cluster*** job this is. And maybe I can take some solace in others' misery 😆
 
Volunteered to put an alternator on a 1995 Ford Thunderbird that took 4 days straight with the help of my friend because it’s underneath the fender man that was a pain. And some things are hard to get too. Also I agree anything under a dash like a heater core.
 
Heater cores on most anything... Seems like the build of most cars is such the the heater core is part #1 and the rest is built around it...

That being said, my worst one lately was sway bar bushings on my '07 Explorer. Two broken bolts, and way more time drilling on my back under the thing afterwards, and they are replaced... Not to mention getting replacement hardware from a source that just moved their warehouse and that turned into another adventure...
 
Tail skid on a Bell 429.

Turns out everything back there is riveted and glued to everything else. Monopolized the better part of two weeks.
 
Volunteered to put an alternator on a 1995 Ford Thunderbird that took 4 days straight with the help of my friend because it’s underneath the fender man that was a pain. And some things are hard to get too. Also I agree anything under a dash like a heater core.
Which motor I remember mine being easy.. well until we added the blower to the 4.6 anyway.
 
#1 - A friend, who was an excellent mechanic, and I replaced the heater core in ouy '65 4-4-2. Had heat, defroster, etc. All good.
Then there was antifreeze on the carpet tunnel hump.
There needs to be a coolant restrictor off the manifold. I did not have the restrictor. Oops. No fun.

#2 - I threw in the front brake job for my '13 GS350 F Sport to a very good local shop, as they were only checking the suspension for a clunk. I wanted to help them beef up their work. I told the boss these cars are famous for squeaking front brakes (fixed caliper). The only solution is to use Lexus parts; there has been a TSB for a new pad. They used good parts; I believe the Textar pad is the same brand as some of the Porsche pads.
The parts they used were not cheap. And they squeak. Sheesh, what's a poor boy to do?
 
Too many to list but some steering racks, engine removals, oil pans, engine mounts, exhaust manifolds, timing chain jobs, clutch jobs, heater cores, head gaskets. etc on some cars. Some of the vans are a horror for some jobs. Its all good, that's the profession I chose and have done okay at so no real complaints.
 
New Holland W50C chassis harness. Pull cooling module, engine, hydraulic pump, cab, hydraulic tank, all hydraulic hoses through the firewall and then you can get to the harness. Fortunately almost everything is unplugged by now.

The alternator job on this machine requires pulling the engine to replace it, I can do it in about 16 hours by pulling the cooling module and laying on top of the engine to get to the wiring. It’s a very reliable machine but makes up for it in down time for relatively simple repairs.
 
One of my worst (of many) was in my younger days replacing the brake shoes on my '65 Comet. Everything I did just made the shoes tighter and the drums even more stuck on. Needed advice from an old mechanic (who passed on not long after). Easy when you know how.

We all started somewhere.

And then there's the medical stuff. You don't want to know.
 
Snapped the front Dana 44 on an old PowerWagon … I was just as broke - but found an older T-boned truck … summer time and in the weeds … “you want it, you take it off“ … It had 3 times the miles so decided to just use the case. I swapped all parts and added a truss, stabilizer, new hubs/bearings, rebuilt transfer case and u joints …
No power tools …
 
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