Horrible Mechanical Failures: Looks Like the Tin Man's Undies After Taco Tuesday

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Horrible Mechanical Failures: Looks Like the Tin Man's Undies After Taco Tuesday

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

I dont have a picture but i caused a minor yet embarassing failure today.
1993 huge gmc conversion van, i was trying to get it into a tight lift, that is super old and just so happens to have sharp edged full corner lift contacts, with no rubber.

I bumped the RF wheel into the lift arm, turned the steering wheel away from that side, shoving the balloon wall tire into the corner of the lift contact.
One huge gust of air and van shifting to the side later, i was aware that i had blown my fist tire on a lift. Everyone does it, like a desk pop, right guys?

# ¿ Aug 10, 2012 01:52

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 10:04

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

Root Bear posted:

That moment when a hydraulic failure happens when you're trying to fix a mechanical failure:

Luckily the lift was just barely off the ground when the hose popped, and that it did so under the shield instead of into the open air.
It turns out that whomever installed this lift undercut the hose just enough to have to be pulled taut between both the rack and pump unit, which are just over 21 feet apart. When I unbolted the pump unit from the floor, the tension pulled it away from the wall at least 4-5 inches.

A proper replacement hose costs drat near $200 and has to be custom made.

Ouch. At least it didnt spray over a customer's car. And at least your lifts get maintained.
I'm leaving a shop that has broken safties, the owner was so brazen as to say it worked when i called him on it one day.
And today, my philipino co-worker hung a hand written sign that says "LEAK FLUID" on our 4 post exhaust rack. The shaft seal is leaking. It wont be fixed, im sure.

I'm not sure if ill be calling OSHA when i leave. I like the people who work there, its just the owner who is a lying penny pinching SOB.

Also had one of those worn through to the cooling veins rotors come in this week. I saved it to hang in my shop someday.

# ¿ Aug 15, 2012 06:10

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

I've already given my notice of leaving, partly because i refuse to work for this kind of operation on a long term. I feel reporting it now lies on those who will continue to be working with the bad lifts. If i was going to stay id probably warn the manager who could warn the owner. Though if you havent made a call to OSHA, how can you prove a relatiatory firing? I half expect that kind of thing from an owner who tells me to my face it works fine, then makes a theatrical show of looking at the broken part and scribbling notes like hes going to order a part. A month ago. No part has arrived yet.

The others are aware the of the lift with the saftey busted on one side, The leaky seal is on a different lift. I dont think anyone has maintained this shop in a decade.
At a different shop, same franchise, i reported a malfunctioning saftey at a saftey meeting and was told to "go ahead and fix it".
Am i wrong in feeling that im not trained and or qualified/responsible for fixing the lifts? (yeah i could probably do it, but its not my job)

# ¿ Aug 16, 2012 04:17

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

No picture, but today i had a 2002 jeep wrangler throwing codes for engine staying cold too long. Pulled out the T-stat, drat thing had blown apart on the back side. Pretty cool to see.

Tire chat: The CC i took auto classes at had something like a 30ft celing. There was a big rubber mark above the tire mounting machine. Some sod had done ~something~ wrong, probably overinflating the tire, and it blew off and hit the ceiling hard enough to leave the mark. Thats why on the side of the machines theres the stick man diagram of a guy getting his poo poo blown up when leaning over the wheel assembly.

# ¿ Aug 17, 2012 02:43

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

I've never owned one or had to use it, but ive worked on many porsches with what i consider a horrible spare tire setup. First off the car is so low you need the OEM low profile hand crank jack, then the spare itself is deflated and collapsed on itself from the factory for storage. You need the OEM infater can to activate the spare. I'm pretty sure its a one time use thing, since i cant see how the tire would re-fold itself to be stored in its little holding area.

This also means youre probably putting your full sized wheel with the flat in your back seat or something, sinc it cant go where the inflate-a-spare did.

# ¿ Aug 22, 2012 21:57

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

Motronic posted:

You can use a proper low profile jack on any stock height Porsche I've ever worked on.

Yes, the spare is interesting. The dealer can "re fold" them after use. It's probably better than a lot of new cars where the "spare tire" is a can of fix a flat.

As far as where to put the flat, yeah...back seat or passenger seat. The tool kit has what's basically a trash bag in it to put the flat in so it doesn't screw up your hand stitched german leather.

So you drive around with a low profile jack in your porsche?

What im getting at is if you had one of these cars and bought it say used without the oem jack, youre SOL if it happens on the side of the road, i'm not saying that its impossible to service them in a shop with low profile floor jacks or even better an in-ground post lift.

The seats arent hand stiched btw, just steering wheel and door handles and other odd shaped things. (5 years in a specialty upholstery/trim shop, done my share of porsche interiors/tops)

# ¿ Aug 22, 2012 22:56

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

Motronic posted:

"Your" SOL if the factory jack is gone from any car. Surprise!....the spare tire POS jack that was supplied with the car is low or tall enough to work on said car.

So....yes....I do drive around with a low profile (POS manufacturer supplied tire changing) jack in my Porsche.

I know we're both mechs and therefore have precise personalities, but if your quotes on "your" are meant to express my misuse of you, your, you're, I cant seem to tell what "you're" on about.

And again my point is that you need that special low pro jack from porsche or a low pro floor jack. For other vehicles, most any jack from one's garage will do, be it a hi-lift, a bottle jack, or floor jack. In fact i dont have the factory jack in any of my vehicles and am able to use any jack i come across, stowed in the trunk. Any jack but a Porsche oem low pro, since it wont have the travel to lift high enough.

(nobody...should...ever...say...anything...negative...about...Porsche...while... Motronic...is...around)

Cant we all just get along?

# ¿ Aug 23, 2012 02:07

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

Longinus00 posted:

Is this a porsche specific complaint? I would think that all low riding sports cars would need low profile jacks. Just be happy you don't have an expensive enough porsche to worry about center locking wheels I guess.

We started discussing less-than-optimal spare tire setups, and i mentioned porsche's inflate-a-tire and janky low-pro oem jack.

Youre right, its probably a thing with all low clearance sports cars. I dont often work on those kinds of vehicles anymore, nor do i own them. I like mah trucks an jeeps an huge 'merican cars from the 70's.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2012 03:42

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

Powershift posted:

I may be spoiled by high speed wireless internet everywhere in the province, but does it even matter?

After i get a flat, i could research which tire is best to replace it with, who has that tire cheapest within 150km, and have the phone number for the shop that can come out with that model of tire for a permanent replacement on the side of the road. All of this can be done and i can be back on the road within an hour at minimal cost.

The world has changed. it's only fair that spare tires keep up.

Id say that whatever youre comfortable with is what works for you.

I bring coolant, oil, tools and a full sized jack when i drive across the state. Air compressor too.

i've got a tattoo that says "be prepared", its kinda my thing. Id be ashamed if i had to call for assistance for anything other than a blown transmission, engine, or axle.

High speed internet is not available once i get out of the major metro area, so no googling and shopping around when im stuck. Also im kinda poor so buying and stowing what i need for an emergence is more cost efficient than paying someone.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2012 04:20

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

Also remember never to get a flat after business hours, on sundays, or holidays.

Times are changing, spare tire installing robots should be every 5 miles in emergency booths on the interstate!

# ¿ Aug 23, 2012 04:50

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

kastein posted:

I'd rather carry a spare, or even two, but then again I drive big ugly trucks, big ugly pickups, and may not even be within a few miles of a dirt road when I blow a tire. If I call roadside assistance, they laugh and tell me I'm not really by the side of a road, now am I?

I've noticed theres always a tow truck outfit near the road leading to popular 4x4 sites. id hate to pay for an off road extraction at professional rates. probably costs as much as a used 90s XJ.

It may sound bad but ive kinda stopped helping idiots who get in over their heads. Too many times a guy walking down the trail says hes just a little stuck only to be full on down the hillside, then starts to complain when my only method of extraction *might* scratch his pavement pounder. Usually alchohol is involved, not on my part.

# ¿ Aug 23, 2012 05:05

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

I wish i could get pictures off my old phone onto my computer. Im not as good with that as i am cars i guess.

ive got a pic here of a 2011 Ford Raptor that came in the shop with some issues. The town i live in has a fair amount of rich farm people, and this is one of their toys. I guess it gets rallied around the farm for coyote hunting. Its totally dented, covered in mud, and the interior is filthy. 30k on the clock.

So whats the issue? They snapped the RF coil spring clear in two.

That was totally not 1,000 words so you guys just imagine it, its pretty whack, that truck and how they treat it.

# ¿ Jan 9, 2013 04:35

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

Wow man, I know that feel. Heres hoping you get the Gravy Train next time.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2013 03:21

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

dor1 posted:

A coworker of mine had a bit of trouble with his Renault.

He claims that the sparkplug broke and did that damage, although i'd reckon the valve broke first, because i'm fairly sure it'd take a broken spark plug a long time to do all that damage.

And another coworker messed up a 'bit' when reassembling a forklift

The valve did that damage, not a plug. We just had a 07 trailblazer in the shop with 80k drop a valve and do the exact same thing. Came in running like crap and literally dropped the valve when we fired it up the next morning.

# ¿ Jan 26, 2013 04:44

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

What i dont get about people who short batteries when jumping is how they dont notice. As soon as you hook the cables up wrong, you can feel the cables and battery get warm and vibrate with energy.
I once hooked up a 53 packard with positive ground like you would a negative, and i knew right away because the charger started making a hum that couldnt be good, and i hadnt heard anything like it, so i shut that bitch down asap.

On my very first day at my very first job as the bottom level tech at a used car dealership shop I installed a battery backwards. In my defense, nobody told me anything about battery numbers or even where to find the right spec, i just grabbed one that looked identical and away i went. Problem arose because while it was the same size, the polarity was completely opposite on the terminals from the battery i removed. The battery being green cap probably distracted me from looking for the polarity marks, since i assumed it was the same. :shrug:

I turned the key on, and all the things that use a ground switch came on like wipers and headlights. A second later i saw the faintest hint of smoke and shut her down. In the end i only fried the immidiate harness connecting to the battery, but thinking back i cant remember if it was a dealership lot car or a customers, and i really hope it was a lot car because i probably hosed that truck up more than i realized at that time.

# ¿ Jan 31, 2013 03:35

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

Black88GTA posted:

Hot oil lines run directly into the gauge cluster / passenger compartment? There's not a big enough. What the gently caress Alfa? I'd expect this out of something from the '30s maybe, you know, back when "safety features" weren't a thing.

Its really common for people to use oil line fed gauges when they cant figure out how to wire an electric one. Most of the time this is when the OEM gauge has failed, but in Alfa's case, who can say? I've replaced dozens of alfa convertible tops and frames, but i had to call the local alfa shop to ask them where the trunk handle was. The whole car is a mechanical failure.

# ¿ Jan 31, 2013 06:34

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

Splizwarf posted:

Cheap is good, but in that case can I please have it mounted outside the cabin?

I think this is the only OEM external gauge ever. I could be totally wrong. No idea why it didnt catch on :rolleyes:

# ¿ Jan 31, 2013 06:50

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

Seat Safety Switch posted:

Trans Am Turbo did it too, although the utility of its gauge is questionable at best.

TURBO CHARGE: HIGH.

Whats sad about this is that if they had rigged up like a dozen little LEDs in a line going from green to red, it wouldve been a totally awesome gauge. Instead they :effort:

and made that. Nasca edition?

# ¿ Jan 31, 2013 18:05

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

Nissan is my least preferred Japanese maker of the Big 3. Their stuff always does seem to be more of a pain in the rear end than Toyota or Honda.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2013 06:21

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# ¿ Apr 28, 2024 10:04

Raw_Beef: Jul 2, 2004; We know what you been up to and my advice on that little venture is to pack it in. It won't work. It will all end in tears.

Lincoln Town Car, commonly used for Luxury transport services.

Edit: late to the party

# ¿ Apr 20, 2013 07:35

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