Share your rookie mistakes to help us all learn

[gamber]

Been interesting to read what has transpired here - I have just finished living it! It all started when just after purchase of the car three months ago, I elected to perform my usual changing out of all the fluids - engine, tranny, brakes, coolant.

Since I was changing the coolant, felt it was perfect timing to change out the lower rad hose and the thermostat. Shortly after this my temp gauge started climbing.

Temp running at 7/8 consistently and no fan coming on. The only thing I did not change was the rad termoswitch & the WP. Purchased a WP and elected to hold off until I exhausted a couple of options. Have not got around to the termoswitch - yet.

I cannot stress how much troubleshooting occured. Belts, changing thermostat again, second flush of the system, vacuum purge of air (vacuum lift I believe it is called), expansion tank cap, etc, etc.

The answer - OVERFILLING the expansion tank. The expansion tank is no longer transparent and though I could see the MIN mark, I could not see the MAX line or its level relative to it.

Long story short, too much coolant resulting in too much pressure, resulting in 7/8 temperature at all times!

Reduced the coolant level, and all is good - stable at the half way point.

Next job, get the rad termoswitch in place.

What is your rooking mistake the rest of us can learn from?

[mac.man25]

I don't know if this qualifies as a "Rookie" mistake, but the more I work on my car's timing, the more I'm finding that I might have installed the Cam Plate backwards.  Great.

So I suppose that qualifies as a "Rookie" type mistake because I didn't know enough to put it in the right way.  But maybe not.  Because I kinda was opening the Injection Pump.  Not really a rookie thing to do.  

Cullen

[rallydiesel]

I'm sure I will have many more since I am a beginner tinkerer. One of the first rookie mistakes I made was to let the inner CV joint bend enough while changing the outer CV boot to let the bearings come out of the race. It took a good hour to get the bearings cleaned, replaced into the cage and inserted back into the race.

Moral of the story, don't let the inner CV joint bend while the outer CV joint is free unless you plan on repacking the inner joint!

 :x

[mac.man25]

Oh, I have an even better Rookie story.

Went to Valve-o-lube (Valvoline Instant Oil Change) and asked to buy a bottle of gear oil so I could top off my transmission in my Jetta (Gasser).  The guy I was talking to said, "Oh, I can do that, just buy me a pop from the machine, and I'll get you topped off!"  So he promptly opens the Timing inspection hole and pours a half a Quart of gear oil all over my clutch.  (I didn't know what he was doing, and since he seemed to know what i was doing I let him do it.)

So I drove home with a badly slipping clutch (it was only a mile) and thought "If I let it sit for a few hours it will be fine!"  Well.... It was... Kinda.....  In the end it turns out that the guy was the manager, and he personally paid (In cash) for the parts to replace my Clutch.  (Should have milked him for all the money to have a shop do it too, but I wasn't prepared to do that.)  I found out 2 weeks after this was "resolved" that he had been fired, and that Valvoline has a policy to NEVER touch a VW tranny, which is also displayed prominently as a warning when they enter any VW into the computer to check Oil weights.

So the Moral of the story is to never, ever, goto an Oil Change shop to get your VW Tranny topped off.

Cullen

[jtanguay]

Oh, I have an even better Rookie story.

Went to Valve-o-lube (Valvoline Instant Oil Change) and asked to buy a bottle of gear oil so I could top off my transmission in my Jetta (Gasser).  The guy I was talking to said, "Oh, I can do that, just buy me a pop from the machine, and I'll get you topped off!"  So he promptly opens the Timing inspection hole and pours a half a Quart of gear oil all over my clutch.  (I didn't know what he was doing, and since he seemed to know what i was doing I let him do it.)

So I drove home with a badly slipping clutch (it was only a mile) and thought "If I let it sit for a few hours it will be fine!"  Well.... It was... Kinda.....  In the end it turns out that the guy was the manager, and he personally paid (In cash) for the parts to replace my Clutch.  (Should have milked him for all the money to have a shop do it too, but I wasn't prepared to do that.)  I found out 2 weeks after this was "resolved" that he had been fired, and that Valvoline has a policy to NEVER touch a VW tranny, which is also displayed prominently as a warning when they enter any VW into the computer to check Oil weights.

So the Moral of the story is to never, ever, goto an Oil Change shop to get your VW Tranny topped off.

Cullen

i'm still surprised that you managed to get the car home with a qt of oil in there....  never touch a VW tranny... how stupid is that??? business down the drain there... unless there is some huge liability issues...

i had mr lube change my tranny fluid... the stuff that came out was disgusting!!!  and they had the proper oem synthetic tranny fluid too... pretty cool!!!

[BlackTieTD]

worst mistake on my daily driver was something done by someone else and passed on to me unknowingly.

Do not ever use vice grips on the nose of the camshaft (the pulley mating surface) to rotate the camshaft (before installing the pulley). This is a critical taper fit. No pins or keys....... If the pulley spins free of the cam, squiggly valve stems..

[jimfoo]

Luckily I have none on my IDI. (knocking loudly on wood) On my previous engine, I didn't put locktite on the bolts that hold the guides in place for the rollers for the roller cam. Driving close to home, the engine starts running like crap, so I limp home. Antifreeze is low, oil is this goopy mess and very high. The guide lifted up, roller fell sideways and the cam pushed it through the block into the water jacket. I was able to weld the hole up and drove for 5 more years until my IDI swap. The engine was never quite the same however.

[subsonic]

So I was looking at the flexable rubber brake hose that runs to the front brake caliper. Both sides rotting out.  I bought 2 new ones.  Go to take the first line off, can't get it to loosen where it connects to the body.  What the hell?  Well, if you get frustrated and put a big enough lever on the ratchet you can turn anything.  A 3 foot pipe will turn it!  By the way, that line has a nice star shaped end that sits in a nice star shaped cut out to keep it from turning :oops:  Now it is a nice round hole :x
lesson? Read the book before you start to work.

[burn_your_money]

It was the middle of winter and the heat didn't work on my brothers chevette. I got tired of freezing so I decided to flush the heater core. Not the best job to do in your driveway in the middle of winter. So after a few hours I get it all back together and still no heat. WTF. Confused I look at the heat selector and notice it is at the coldest setting. Did I ever feel stupid.

[fatmobile]

This concerns the 1.6D;
 Put the damn "T"-bolt in the waterpump before you bolt the alternator bracket on.
 I'm not sure if this will remind you before the AC is bolted down,... I knew about it and have forgotten it before but that didn't stop me from doing it again today.
 Hopefully the last time  :lol:

[55mpg06]

Not that I have asmuch experiance as all the others, but every once in a while I seem to forget to do up the the camshaft bolt after timing. When I hand crank it over I hear a soft *clunk.* It sure is a pain getting things to line back up again after :x . It felt worse when I did this showing someone how easy it was to time the VW :oops: .

[Darth Garry]

I forgot to fill the fuel filter with fuel when installing.

Garry

[Riverfurm]

I knew the rear wheel bearings were bad on my 86 Golf. Very easy job. Jack the left wheel up took the bearing cap off (left the wheel on) took the nut off but could not get the wheel off. Tried to adjust the brake adjuster, couldn't. Pulled and yank, hit with big hammer and got it off. wrecked the springs and shoes.
I discovered that the parking brake was on.

I am a Master ASE Cert. Mechanic with over 30 years exp. Go figuire

[subsonic]

:lol:  :lol:
"big hammer/ big lever"
common thread in this post. :lol:

[blkboostedtruck]

well i have one from back when i first started wrenching on rabbit diesel engines! at the time i did not know how to get the cam timing gear off! so i called my friend he tells me "hit it off with a hammer" so being the ironworker that i am i grab the smallest hammer i got witch is a 4lb beater and i give it a whack ! clunk it falls off! but also so did the piece up to the first bearing block stayed withed the gear ! broke clean off the end of the cam,ruined a good cam and learned a good lesson to leave my 4lb beater at work for now on !!
 Duane