I’m a DA…what maintenance have you screwed up?

[0xDEADBEEF]

I don't know if this counts as maintenance, but I melted a set of jumper cables once. The jumper and the jumpee had opposite battery terminals and I wasn't paying attention. It went quick too.

 

[RacerM95]

Years ago i did an oil change on my 69 Javelin. While the oil was draining i decided to put a "Hemi" oil pump relief spring into it... Well finished the oil change fired the engine up. It blew the oil filter right off the engine ! 5 liters of oil on the ground instantly. That has to be one of the most innocent dumb things ive ever done

 

[XJPhoenix]

Not me, but my son leaned the hard way last year to make sure the old filter gasket is off before you put the new filter on.

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I've forgotten to reattach battery cables completely before and had them come loose later on.

Old oil filter gasket? Done that. Sooooo embarrassed.

What else have I done, (that I’m willing to admit to)…

Replaced the serpentine belt on a 1991 XJ, was tightening the very last bolt on the power steering pump (iirc) and figured I didn’t need a torque wrench, one last ungh with the ratchet aaaand snap!

I use less ungh now.

 

[Drunkcanuk]

Old oil filter gasket? Done that. Sooooo embarrassed.

Yup...the old one from the oil filter. After I had warned him to double check. Of well, maybe one day when he has a kid, he can pass on his hard earned knowledge.

 

[johnckhall]

I don't do the maintenance on my wife's '16 Camry, but took it to the Toyota dealership instead. UNTIL, my wife took it in for a tire rotation and fluid check only. She called me a day later with the car boiling smoke and I told her to go immediately back. Come to find out the oil was "topped off" and had well over a quart too much. They apologized profusely about the error, but I had them make a note of it in our account in case the engine was damaged. We gave them one more try and the very next time told her she needed a cabin filter because it was very deteriorated. I just replaced it the week before. SHE told them that was it for us and reminded them of the previous error. Their response, "Well according to our notes the tech that made the oil mistake no longer works here." DA! We now use a local family owned business that we've known for years and we trust.

 

[Supercharged111]

I put the front calipers on my XJ backwards once and drained nearly two quarts through the master cylinder before I figured it out.

I did the same once, turns out bleeders go on the top. Who woulda thunk it?

I have a multi-part dumbass story. I built an engine in Okinawa for my Corolla. I didn't have a cherry picker so I built the short block, carried it outside, and hung it on the engine mount. Then bolted the clutch and trans to that, got all 4 mounts bolted up, head went on, and in came a typhoon. I stuffed rags down all 8 ports and rode out the storm. More on that later. F-up #1: went to fill the engine with oil only to find it running down the side of the block. D'oh! Head gasket installed upside down. I contemplated reusing it, but got a new one and put that on.

F-up #2 the car had a standalone EMS, so I wasn't even sure if it was gonna start. It did, and it sounded terrible! I'd somehow let a 6mm bolt into the oil pan and it got bashed around. Drained oil, removed pan, found, removed bolt, reassembled. Fired it back up, didn't sound like death and had oil pressure. But it sounded like a Subaru and was absolutely nutless. Way more so than an NA 1.6L 4 popper should be. EGT was nil on #4. Injector was firing, plug was firing, I don't recall what the compression gauge said. Off comes the head again, intake/exhaust still attached. Yanked the intake and low and behold, a fuggin rag (F-up #3) was still in there from the typhoon! I must have stuffed 2 down that runner. After that I didn't have to fight myself so much to get the car tuned and later boosted.

 

[Scooterwrench]

Replaced plugs,wires,cap and rotor on an Olds. 1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2 right? Fired it up and spit,pop fire out the carb,,,WTF? Forgot the Olds dist. turns CCW

 

[Erin]

3 come to mind. 1.) crossed battery cables on pontoon boat we had just received. Fried wires under the console. 2.) snapped 2 headbolts on four wheeler head because I couldn't feel the torque wrench give. 3.) In automotive tech class in high school, I performed my first oil change. I was proud of myself until the instructor approached the next day and said I didn't drain the oil. I had only removed the filter.

 

[454cid]

3 come to mind. 1.) crossed battery cables on pontoon boat we had just received. Fried wires under the console. 2.) snapped 2 headbolts on four wheeler head because I couldn't feel the torque wrench give. 3.) In automotive tech class in high school, I performed my first oil change. I was proud of myself until the instructor approached the next day and said I didn't drain the oil. I had only removed the filter.

Had you added new oil, too?

 

[454cid]

Here's one, sorta. My dad just called me because he can't find his oil drain pan. He wondered if I had it. I do, but didn't realize it, until now. Apparently, last year, I took it home with me after disassembling my 69 Electra at his house. I've since used the pan at my house, and never realized it was his until now. It looks a lot like two of my pans, but with a big difference. His has an open top, and mine can be sealed with a plug.

He's trying to change the oil on his new mower.