Dumbest things we ever had to fix
- Thread starter Blacknwhitepit
- Start date
Abodyracer
Well-known member
1) Back in the early 90's my brother and I lived in North Platte, NE. He worked for a local office supply store. One morning they get a call from one of their accounts in Torrington, WY (about 300 miles one way) that their photocopier will not turn on and to send a tech out to fix it. Because of the distance and the fact that the account holder did not have a maintainance plan the service manager tried to trouble shoot over the phone. The buisness wouldn't have any part of that and just send a tech. So my brother gets the job to go out. He left the shop at 9 am and got home at 10pm. All drive time, it took him 5 miniutes to plug it in to the outlet. They were chaged 13 hours of drive time and 1 hour of actuall time (minimum) working on the product at $85.00 and hour.
2) Thanks for the reminder. I need to change the filter in my furnace.
nissan_crawler
Well-known member
Ah, I remember a few from my current place. Plane taxi's out, comes back, pilot says his headset is inop. A new work order is written, I go out to the plane and while I wait for the Avionics Tech, I decided to go look. I see the headset cord go down behind the seat, but not come back up...Yep, it was unplugged. $96 + shop fee sir.
Another one came in because the #2 comm was inop. Repair? "#2 comm doesn't work in o-f-f position, must be in o-n position for operation" $96 and shop fee.
One plane showed up because his landing lights were flashing. "umm, those are your pulse lights, you shut them off with this button" $96 and shop fee again
One plane last winter taxied out and came back. "There's something wrong with the gauges, we have no N1 indication on either engine" We went out and looked..."your gauges work fine, your fans are frozen solid, you just cooked both engines" That's good for over a million.
Another one came in because the #2 comm was inop. Repair? "#2 comm doesn't work in o-f-f position, must be in o-n position for operation" $96 and shop fee.
One plane showed up because his landing lights were flashing. "umm, those are your pulse lights, you shut them off with this button" $96 and shop fee again
One plane last winter taxied out and came back. "There's something wrong with the gauges, we have no N1 indication on either engine" We went out and looked..."your gauges work fine, your fans are frozen solid, you just cooked both engines" That's good for over a million.
Dayum; sounds like a lot of pilots are severely lacking in training and intelligence these days. Glad I don't need to travel anymore by plance.
rsanter
Well-known member
a friend and I bought a mustang to do a quick fix and flip. the car was decent and had recipts for a new engine and bunch of other stuff.
the car would not start but would spit and jump like it wanted to. we cought it hauled it home and started to play with it
got spart, got fuel.........
started chacking some things, the owner that out the engine in and hooked everything up and wired the plug wires like a chevy. number one was in the right place but that was it
I think we paid $600 for the car and sold it for $1500 a couple of days later
we also bought a 67 or 68 cougar that did not run.
new radiator, water pump, distributor, rebuilt carb and several other new parts
got it home and tried to fill the empty radiator. it took too much water, way too much.
pull the dip stick and there seems to be some water in there.
for the fun of it we cranked the motor and you can hear it turn over but the fan did n ot move. turns out the crank broke and threw a rod that broke the block internally but you could not tell on the outside.
bought the car for $200 and put a used motor in it. sold the car
a friend bought a camero 67-8 camero with a rebuilt engine that would not run. sounded like it might want to start but woundnt. he noticed the distributor was cranked all the way in one direction and would not go any farther. he bought the car and we pushed it a few houses down the street. he moved the plug wires over by one position and moved the distributor a bit and it fired up
bob
the car would not start but would spit and jump like it wanted to. we cought it hauled it home and started to play with it
got spart, got fuel.........
started chacking some things, the owner that out the engine in and hooked everything up and wired the plug wires like a chevy. number one was in the right place but that was it
I think we paid $600 for the car and sold it for $1500 a couple of days later
we also bought a 67 or 68 cougar that did not run.
new radiator, water pump, distributor, rebuilt carb and several other new parts
got it home and tried to fill the empty radiator. it took too much water, way too much.
pull the dip stick and there seems to be some water in there.
for the fun of it we cranked the motor and you can hear it turn over but the fan did n ot move. turns out the crank broke and threw a rod that broke the block internally but you could not tell on the outside.
bought the car for $200 and put a used motor in it. sold the car
a friend bought a camero 67-8 camero with a rebuilt engine that would not run. sounded like it might want to start but woundnt. he noticed the distributor was cranked all the way in one direction and would not go any farther. he bought the car and we pushed it a few houses down the street. he moved the plug wires over by one position and moved the distributor a bit and it fired up
bob
CycloneISU
Well-known member
Like most of you this was in high school shop class. Teachers could get their oil changed for cost of supplies. The students pulled the car in to the stall and proceeded to jack it up and from across the room I heard a snap and then followed by an O-**** Turns out the students had tried to jack the car up on the aluminum oil pan and broke it in half. Just when you figured it couldn’t get much worst they informed the teacher of what had happened and said they could try to weld the pan back together. The kid that had placed the jack under the oil pan to start with held on to both sides of the pan while another student tried to place a bead of weld down. Once again I hear a snap and then an O-****, seems that the arc had gone through the kid and bit him pretty good. I think I never laughed so hard before. They ended up just buying a used pan and finished the car the next day.
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
We had a car in at work the other day, went to drain the oil, but there was no sump plug. Seriously. No sump plug. Seems someone had stripped the threads or something and just welded it over. We called the customer, they didn't understand so they took it back.
I once was asked to change the oil of a guy's car, i drained the oil and checked for any leaks, and the sump was welded to the block. Maybe the gasket had leaked, but someone had welded the two together.
I once was asked to change the oil of a guy's car, i drained the oil and checked for any leaks, and the sump was welded to the block. Maybe the gasket had leaked, but someone had welded the two together.
nissan_crawler
Well-known member
Many of the cars I've worked on had no oil when you pulled the plug. You would tell them and they would say "My change oil light came on this morning." "Errmm..you don't have a change oil light, you have a no oil pressure light."
I had an old couple pull up in a motor home, said it lost power. Pop the hood, there's heat waves coming off the engine.
Feel the radiator hoses, stone cold. 
That radiator was dry as a bone. I told htem I wouldn't fill it until it cooled off (outside water in winter in colorado, was pretty cold), he said they were in a hurry. I said I wouldn't do it, but the hose was there, he could do what he wanted. He just had to fill her up right away. *POP* He drove off in a white cloud of smoke, I was tempted to follow him to see how far he got. Idiot. He probably needed a head gasket, now he needs a block.
I've had people come in with half the belts showing for a flat repair. Tell them they need a new tire, they get pissed because "I know you're trying to rip me off" and they drive off on belts again.
I had an old couple pull up in a motor home, said it lost power. Pop the hood, there's heat waves coming off the engine.
Feel the radiator hoses, stone cold. That radiator was dry as a bone. I told htem I wouldn't fill it until it cooled off (outside water in winter in colorado, was pretty cold), he said they were in a hurry. I said I wouldn't do it, but the hose was there, he could do what he wanted. He just had to fill her up right away. *POP* He drove off in a white cloud of smoke, I was tempted to follow him to see how far he got. Idiot. He probably needed a head gasket, now he needs a block.I've had people come in with half the belts showing for a flat repair. Tell them they need a new tire, they get pissed because "I know you're trying to rip me off" and they drive off on belts again.
T56 Impala
Well-known member
OH, lets see, where to start..........
My oldest sister was working as an intern. It was a fairly cold day and she didn't let the car warm up as she should. Well, she drove for a few miles when that aluminum Toyota engine went BOOM! Seems she only had water in the cooling system, no antifreeze.
Same sister..... oil light comes on and she calls me AFTER then engine has seized.
Her: "The oil light came on and now it won't start."
Me: "Well, its frozen up because it wasn't getting any oil."
Her: "Well, will it be okay if we put oil in it now?"
Me: "Ummmmm No."
Yep, I rebuilt that little 2TC engine a few times.
A friend of mine decided he would try his hand at rebuilding his engine in his Ford Truck. From what I could tell, he did a fairly good job. Everything was nice and clean. He took the block and heads into a machine shop I recommended And the work was done well. He calls me because it wouldn't start. Once on site I had him turn it over and I hear I nice Metal to metal "slap". I knew right away what was wrong but I had to ask, "How did you install the cam?" He went on to tell me he "stuck it in and made the holes on the gears line up. Needless to say, I tore it back down, properly installed the cam, rebuilt the heads and buttoned it back up. It ran fine after that!
Rebuilt my Motor cycle. Took it out for a test drive and noticed that after a few minutes it was losing power. I took my helmet of and could hear the rocker arms rattling away.....I forgot to tighten down the jam nuts!!!!!
My oldest sister was working as an intern. It was a fairly cold day and she didn't let the car warm up as she should. Well, she drove for a few miles when that aluminum Toyota engine went BOOM! Seems she only had water in the cooling system, no antifreeze.
Same sister..... oil light comes on and she calls me AFTER then engine has seized.
Her: "The oil light came on and now it won't start."
Me: "Well, its frozen up because it wasn't getting any oil."
Her: "Well, will it be okay if we put oil in it now?"
Me: "Ummmmm No."
Yep, I rebuilt that little 2TC engine a few times.
A friend of mine decided he would try his hand at rebuilding his engine in his Ford Truck. From what I could tell, he did a fairly good job. Everything was nice and clean. He took the block and heads into a machine shop I recommended And the work was done well. He calls me because it wouldn't start. Once on site I had him turn it over and I hear I nice Metal to metal "slap". I knew right away what was wrong but I had to ask, "How did you install the cam?" He went on to tell me he "stuck it in and made the holes on the gears line up. Needless to say, I tore it back down, properly installed the cam, rebuilt the heads and buttoned it back up. It ran fine after that!
Rebuilt my Motor cycle. Took it out for a test drive and noticed that after a few minutes it was losing power. I took my helmet of and could hear the rocker arms rattling away.....I forgot to tighten down the jam nuts!!!!!
famou55TAR
Member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2008
- Messages
- 16
a couple weeks ago, we had a lady come in with a ford focus. she said that the rear tires were locked up. So we went out there, she had the e-brake on. and was driving like this for 3 days. we had to put some tires on the thing and send us on her way.
one more. first car of the morning about 3 months ago. customer was a half quart low on oil. she bought a 5 quart jug and added the whole thing. it was a nightmare.
one more. first car of the morning about 3 months ago. customer was a half quart low on oil. she bought a 5 quart jug and added the whole thing. it was a nightmare.
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Quote "when that aluminum Toyota engine went BOOM!"
I am surprised that was not followed by it a Toyota, they cannot break. You have to be wrong. DUHH.
We had a very bad hail storm - tornado come through and wiped out just about every car around. I was lucky my firebird was surrounded by huge vans and pickups and the storm blew over it. As I was looking at it, I heard a friend looking at his totalled Toyota going this cannot happen, its a Toyota they cannot be broken. Told him I do not think hail resistance was part of the design.
I am surprised that was not followed by it a Toyota, they cannot break. You have to be wrong. DUHH.
We had a very bad hail storm - tornado come through and wiped out just about every car around. I was lucky my firebird was surrounded by huge vans and pickups and the storm blew over it. As I was looking at it, I heard a friend looking at his totalled Toyota going this cannot happen, its a Toyota they cannot be broken. Told him I do not think hail resistance was part of the design.
reversegear
Well-known member
I don't know which is the smilie for "laughing so hard I almost pissed myself", so I can just say: That is the funniest thing I've read in I don't know how long.
djjsr
Well-known member
About 30 years ago I bought a second hand Ford van from a used car dealer. It was in good shape and ran fine. The first time I changed the oil, I drained over 4 gallons out of it! Found out it had the wrong dipstick and it was about 5" too short. Somebody just kept dumping oil in it until it hit the full mark.
we had a tow truck drop off a sierra 3500 get dropped off with the complaint that it would not start and one of the other techs started working on it, 4 diagnostic hours later ($90 an hour our dealership charges) he call the owner and ask if he has a remote for remote entry, says he lost it the day before, so got a remote from parts programed it pressed the unlock button before going to start it and hey it started lol
DarrenF
Well-known member
Not completely into the pit, but twice we have had drivers almost go into our pit. The last time was an old man in a brand new Silverado, talking on his cell phone. He didn't even acknowledge me guiding him in. It was a miracle that he didn't go fully in.
SCguy
Well-known member
My chiropractor said that his father bought a van from a college girl who had messed up the motor. Her dad had told her to check the oil level everytime she put gas in. She figured she would be smart, and added a quart of oil every time. Well, it stopped running in a big oily mess. (sprayed into the interior through the dog house!) He bought it for like $5-600, drained the oil (all 14 qts!) , filled it back up and it ran great. He got it cleaned and detailed and the guy at the detail shop offered him $8000 cash straight up for it. Thats what I call a return on your investment!
RD
RD
eschoendorff
Well-known member
Uhhh... seriously???? That's hilarious.
Almost as bad as my wife who, in high school, drove one of those Pontiac Sunbird convetibles... that ran on three cylinders....
Junkman
Well-known member
Uhhh... seriously???? That's hilarious.
Almost as bad as my wife who, in high school, drove one of those Pontiac Sunbird convetibles... that ran on three cylinders....
Do you remember when Pontiac took a V-8, cut it in half, and made a 4 cylinder engine for the Tempest? That had to be the weirdest looking engine that I had ever experienced.
eschoendorff
Well-known member
Must've been before my time... post a pic?
Junkman
Well-known member
I have just searched for a picture, but couldn't find one. The best that I can do is to post a picture that I took off a eBay auction that I found. It was a 4 cylinder engine with a 4 barrel carburetor.
Attachments
bobthecop
Member
My wife worked as a service advisor at a chevy dealer ship. This blonde comes in with her new Cobalt, complaining that there is smoke coming from the front. She instantly saw that the front brakes were almost on fire, she asked the young blonde how she was driving, she responded with "the brake light on the dash was on, so I was pushing on the brake", she was flooring the accelerator and using the brake to maintain slow speed. The parking brake was on by one notch.
I used to work at a Ford dealership, we had an elderly lady call and say that her engine was reving by itself. I had the car towed in, we found that the previous week the car had been in for a fuel induction service and the tech had put a chain on the accelerator linkage and hooked it to the windshield wiper, so he didn't have to manually hold the throttle open. The day the car was towed in ...you guessed it....it was raining, every time the wipers wiped the windshield the throttle went wide open and back to idle, she was driving when she turned on the wipers.
I used to work at a Ford dealership, we had an elderly lady call and say that her engine was reving by itself. I had the car towed in, we found that the previous week the car had been in for a fuel induction service and the tech had put a chain on the accelerator linkage and hooked it to the windshield wiper, so he didn't have to manually hold the throttle open. The day the car was towed in ...you guessed it....it was raining, every time the wipers wiped the windshield the throttle went wide open and back to idle, she was driving when she turned on the wipers.
billymade
Well-known member
My brother has a used car lot and was told about a chevy iroc with a seized motor for $500 somebody had; we towed it to the lot and tried to start it. The starter clicked but wouldn't start. We manually turned the crankshaft with a wrench and it turned fine; the alternator was seized! We took off the belt from the alternator and it started right up! After a new alternator and couple of other things he had a nice little muscle car to play around with, for around $500!!
CatfishXpress
Well-known member
I had a 93 Chey truck and the alternator seized on it like that. I can see where an inexperienced person would think the engine had seized. The only warning was the alternator light blinked once before she locked up.
MXtras
Well-known member
I really **** at story telling - some have the gift, I do not, but here it goes.
A older car came in as a no-run. The tech determined it needed a fuel pump as there was no fuel pressure. The fuel pump was replaced but it still would not run. The same guy determined it needed an extensive tune-up but still no run. He then determined it needed a timing chain so that was replaced. Still no-run. After two gallons of gas was dumped into the tank, the van fired right up. It was out of gas when it came in.
A woman brought her car in barely running. The car was spotless and relatively new - maybe 6-8 months old, but it was barely running. After the initial look over, it was discovered that the gas cap was missing. When asked, she stated that she bought the car new and the car never had one. It took some effort to convince her that it had to have a gas cap to keep water out of the gas tank. About half a gallon of water was removed from the tank.
Scott
A older car came in as a no-run. The tech determined it needed a fuel pump as there was no fuel pressure. The fuel pump was replaced but it still would not run. The same guy determined it needed an extensive tune-up but still no run. He then determined it needed a timing chain so that was replaced. Still no-run. After two gallons of gas was dumped into the tank, the van fired right up. It was out of gas when it came in.
A woman brought her car in barely running. The car was spotless and relatively new - maybe 6-8 months old, but it was barely running. After the initial look over, it was discovered that the gas cap was missing. When asked, she stated that she bought the car new and the car never had one. It took some effort to convince her that it had to have a gas cap to keep water out of the gas tank. About half a gallon of water was removed from the tank.
Scott
eschoendorff
Well-known member
It just seems like a decent tech would have checked to see if the pump was even running (after seeing no fuel pressure) before throwing parts at it.
Makes me glad taht i live where I do... the local shop owner is a friend of mine and definitely knows his sheit. He should be teaching... but he can make more money fixing cars.
jimvannoy
Well-known member
So did they get charged for "repairs"? When I worked as a mechanic back in the early 80's I got sick of seeing people getting ripped off all the time for work/parts they did not need.
Worst was a car that was parked in a parking lot a few hundred feet from the shop. It would not start. I walked over and found a blown fuse for the fuel pump. Told the shop owner and he said I'll tow it in so we can check it out. They got charged a towing "fee" along with their "repair" bill. I quit that day.
Coach James
Well-known member
Early 1980's, my sister called from a gas ststion and told me she had locked her keys in the car and would I bring the spare key. The station was about 8 miles through town so off I went. When I get there, she says you're going to kill me. I ask why. She says "As you drove up, I noticed the driver side window was down." Sensing my great annoyance, she started begging me not to tell anyone.
Coach
Coach
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
You told people didn't you?
jimvannoy
Well-known member
I was riding with this girl back in the early 80's and the car started making a noise in the front. We thought something got stuck under it so she stops in the middle of the road right at an intersection and we get out to look. Don't see anything so I go to get back in on the passenger side and the door is locked she tries to get in and her door is locked. She locked the doors when we got out and the keys are in the ignition and it's running.
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
I remember at my old shop, me and a friend went to two a car that belonged to the owner's friend. We towed it back and began looking at it. The clutch didn't work and neither did the brakes. Turned out, the fluid in the brake reservoir (which fed both the brakes and the clutch) was low, so the owner topped it up with water. There was also something wrong with the gearbox oil, as it was silver. The fluid was actually silver from the metal shavings. Don't know why it was in that state, but he needed a new gearbox.
I helped my cousin install a clutch in his S10 and when he was putting the flywheel in I said to loctite it and he said nah, It will be fine. Well a few day's later he was taking it back apart to loctite them.
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
There are some Vauxhalls and Opels over here where you can do the clutch without splitting the engine and gearbox, four bolts and slide the input shaft and it drops out or something. Never done one, but i know many that have.
kf4zht
Well-known member
A guy that hangs around with us a few years back offered to change the oil in a frat brothers truck. Got under it, put the pan under, removed the plug. 30 seconds later makes the comment "you have some weird red oil, oh (*$# thats transmission fluid". How do you make that mistake on a RWD?
Same guy (couple years later) driving down the road and a hose for the transmission in his ford sedan blows. Dumb luck, blows ****** fluid everywhere. We put it on the trailer and drag it back to our shop. We let him work on it, he is one to go after people for working on his stuff for free and then he screws it up. He fixes the hose and is ready to fill it back up. I told him to check the manual for the right fluid, my roommate tells him the same thing, and my buddy that worked at advance told him which fluid to buy. He sends his wife to walmart to buy "5 quarts of the cheapest stuff they have". Fills it with 3 quarts before "It started coming up the dipstick tube" and gets in and drives it. We have to go get him with the trailer again, I open the manual and show him where it says to use 13 quarts of the good stuff. At that point his cost savings of using the wrong fluid cost him over $100 in more fluid, a new gasket and filter.
At our fire department I had been told that the fuel gauge for on of the on board generators was broken and stuck on E. I go fuel in it one day, and even though it is a pain since the truck takes diesel and the generator takes gas, I still filled up the generator. Magically the gauge read full again. Walked up to the chief and told him I fixed it.
Co-worker of mine told me that he blew up the engine in his first car because "Nobody told him he had to do anything but put gas in it". Never changed the oil.
Same guy (couple years later) driving down the road and a hose for the transmission in his ford sedan blows. Dumb luck, blows ****** fluid everywhere. We put it on the trailer and drag it back to our shop. We let him work on it, he is one to go after people for working on his stuff for free and then he screws it up. He fixes the hose and is ready to fill it back up. I told him to check the manual for the right fluid, my roommate tells him the same thing, and my buddy that worked at advance told him which fluid to buy. He sends his wife to walmart to buy "5 quarts of the cheapest stuff they have". Fills it with 3 quarts before "It started coming up the dipstick tube" and gets in and drives it. We have to go get him with the trailer again, I open the manual and show him where it says to use 13 quarts of the good stuff. At that point his cost savings of using the wrong fluid cost him over $100 in more fluid, a new gasket and filter.
At our fire department I had been told that the fuel gauge for on of the on board generators was broken and stuck on E. I go fuel in it one day, and even though it is a pain since the truck takes diesel and the generator takes gas, I still filled up the generator. Magically the gauge read full again. Walked up to the chief and told him I fixed it.
Co-worker of mine told me that he blew up the engine in his first car because "Nobody told him he had to do anything but put gas in it". Never changed the oil.
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
I once changed the oil in a Renault Kangoo van, 1.9-litre diesel. I've never seen oil come out so thick. It took over an hour to drain it. It's like treacle. I kept some, and have it in a jar in the garage. If i turn the jap upside-down and set it on its lid, it takes about a day for it it to shift to the other side. How the thing ran, i don't know.
T56 Impala
Well-known member
How about one I couldn't fix......
Young fella buys a 1977 Pontiac GP. 400 Cid engine with 38,000 miles on it. It over heats on the way home. Well, he replaces hoses and the water pump. (Remember this part) Still, it over heats. He takes out the radiator and has it cleaned and fully checked out. While he is at it he does a complete tune up including oil change.
Still, it over heats. About ready to give up, he takes the water pump off thinking that maybe it was bad one. Then he notices something just doesn't look right. When he gets to the dealer with the pump, the parts guy says "I wondered when you would be back. You left the backing plate for the pump assembly on the old pump!" oops.
Same car some 4 years and 120,000 miles later. This fella is driving down the road listening to the radio rather loudly. He feels a slight hesitation and floors it to "blow it out". Suddenly BOOOOOOM!!!!! Fire out if the back and everything. It seems he tossed a rod (actually 7) through the side of the block. Completely gernaded the engine. When asked when he did his last oil change, he replied "The day I took the radiator out to have it repaired......4 years ago!" Not bad mileage off of 1 oil change I guess.
Now, who was this younger fella?
ME!!!!!!! I'm glad that taught me a lesson in caring for things.
Young fella buys a 1977 Pontiac GP. 400 Cid engine with 38,000 miles on it. It over heats on the way home. Well, he replaces hoses and the water pump. (Remember this part) Still, it over heats. He takes out the radiator and has it cleaned and fully checked out. While he is at it he does a complete tune up including oil change.
Still, it over heats. About ready to give up, he takes the water pump off thinking that maybe it was bad one. Then he notices something just doesn't look right. When he gets to the dealer with the pump, the parts guy says "I wondered when you would be back. You left the backing plate for the pump assembly on the old pump!" oops.
Same car some 4 years and 120,000 miles later. This fella is driving down the road listening to the radio rather loudly. He feels a slight hesitation and floors it to "blow it out". Suddenly BOOOOOOM!!!!! Fire out if the back and everything. It seems he tossed a rod (actually 7) through the side of the block. Completely gernaded the engine. When asked when he did his last oil change, he replied "The day I took the radiator out to have it repaired......4 years ago!" Not bad mileage off of 1 oil change I guess.
Now, who was this younger fella?
ME!!!!!!! I'm glad that taught me a lesson in caring for things.
Moose-LandTran
Well-known member
Haha, some of us learn the hard way. I took my BMW round a blind bend in the wet at the top end of third gear and hit something rather stationary. Complete write off. Buckled the roof, cracked the block, smashed the sump, shifted one side of the front subframe back about 3" smashed it to pieces. How long had i had it? 4 days.
Couldn't fix that. Still fixing the aftermath of it.
nissan_crawler
Well-known member
my '94 eclipse. Battery went dead...almost every night. Charge it up before work, put amp clamp on it, no draw. Drive it to work, starts right up after 11 hours sitting there. Go home, go to bed, next morning, dead.
Repeat this for a month.
Alternator was good.
Battery *was* good. This killed it, I had to replace it. Still happened.
Drink too much one night, wake up at 4:30am to piss...and hear a whirring outside...wtf? The electric fans are running!!
I test the sensor, it works at the prescribed temp, and also turns the fans on below 45*!!!
Damnedest thing I've seen.
'57...putting a new distributor in, accidentally touch two spade connectors on a plug, ZAP. Fark. Turn key, no start. I check EVERYTHING. Magnetic pickup was replaced, etc. I sent the chip and module off to MSD, comes back tested fine. I still can't get a damn thing to work. I finally order a new ignition system ($600). It doesn't work!!!
It was about this point that I remembered the Painless Wiring Harness I installed that went from 5 fuses in the pickup to 32 fuses...now had an ignition fuse. Yep, stick a new 10 amp fuse in, purrs like a kitten.
'57...ignition again. It won't start, turn key on, check for power, has it. Check all resistances, everything checks good, check for power again, has it. Swap in other ignition system (see above dumb move), still no sparky. I sat confused for a long time, then I made some really long wires so I could have the meter in the cab, turned the key, it was grounding the distributor in the start position, but worked in the run position.
I've seen this before, BUT the engine usually catches when you let off the key. When you're running a brand new not broken in, 12:1 396...the motor stops dead when you let off the starter, so no catching.
Repeat this for a month. Alternator was good.
Battery *was* good. This killed it, I had to replace it. Still happened.
Drink too much one night, wake up at 4:30am to piss...and hear a whirring outside...wtf? The electric fans are running!!
I test the sensor, it works at the prescribed temp, and also turns the fans on below 45*!!!
Damnedest thing I've seen.'57...putting a new distributor in, accidentally touch two spade connectors on a plug, ZAP. Fark.
Turn key, no start. I check EVERYTHING. Magnetic pickup was replaced, etc. I sent the chip and module off to MSD, comes back tested fine. I still can't get a damn thing to work. I finally order a new ignition system ($600). It doesn't work!!!It was about this point that I remembered the Painless Wiring Harness I installed that went from 5 fuses in the pickup to 32 fuses...now had an ignition fuse. Yep, stick a new 10 amp fuse in, purrs like a kitten.
'57...ignition again. It won't start, turn key on, check for power, has it. Check all resistances, everything checks good, check for power again, has it. Swap in other ignition system (see above dumb move), still no sparky. I sat confused for a long time, then I made some really long wires so I could have the meter in the cab, turned the key, it was grounding the distributor in the start position, but worked in the run position.
I've seen this before, BUT the engine usually catches when you let off the key. When you're running a brand new not broken in, 12:1 396...the motor stops dead when you let off the starter, so no catching.
nissan_crawler
Well-known member
One more, same '94 eclipse, sucker over heats, fans won't run. I mess with it for weeks, can't figure it out. Ohm everything, check out temp switch in the oven, all sorts of ****. I admit defeat and haul it to the dealer. A week later, they've got nothing. I get pissed, park car for 4-5 months. I finally drag it out again to work on it, putter for a few more weeks, and FINALLY discover that when the engine twists under torque, it has been working the wiring harness going up to the switch, BUT, a few strands are left.
So, when you ohm it, the wires ring good. When you remove the plug from the temp switch in the radiator and tip it up to jump it, the broken strands connect, and the fan runs. Pull jumper, put it back on sensor, fans won't run. I went to the junkyard, they let me cut out a section of harness for free out of a fire damaged one, went home, spliced it in, good as new.
That wire was almost the death of me and that car.
So, when you ohm it, the wires ring good. When you remove the plug from the temp switch in the radiator and tip it up to jump it, the broken strands connect, and the fan runs. Pull jumper, put it back on sensor, fans won't run. I went to the junkyard, they let me cut out a section of harness for free out of a fire damaged one, went home, spliced it in, good as new.
That wire was almost the death of me and that car.
billymade
Well-known member
My brother buys his first car, 66' Mustang 289, auto, pony interior etc.; we drive it out to the first stop sign, to make a left hand turn. When you put the blinker on, the horn "honks" that same time the turn signal blinks! Another example of a wiring issue; the wiring for the horn/blinker are right next to each other, the wire insulation had rubbed off, exposed the wires to each other and the blinker was energizing the horn! Rewired the two wires, "blink-honk" went away! That was one of the more bizarre wiring issues I have seen!
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