Young and dumb mistakes

[Pullstart 59,554]

I can just polish the crank with emory tape, right?

 

This is the product of a K-161 that I rebuilt the summer I joined the forum, when I bought Putt Putt from Bob Rock.  

 

Lesson learned?  Turn your crank!

 

The benefit to a sad loss after all this time, it’s the same piston and rings in the K-181 as the K-161.  

 

Bad Wolves was on the radio when I took this picture.  “If I only knew then what I know now, then what I know now!”

 

 

[WHX?? 46,693]

Hmmm....

[Pullstart 59,554]

6 minutes ago, WHX24 said:

Hmmm....

 

Nuff said 

[Shynon 7,435]

7 minutes ago, WHX24 said:

Hmmm....

[Pullstart 59,554]

Hey now... it was 7 years ago, I was just getting into garden tractors 

[ZXT 2,394]

So you got another 7 years out of an engine simply by cleaning the crank with emory tape? Doesn't sound too bad to me. 

[The Tuul Crib 7,332]

Kevin l would definitely think about having the crank checked or turned you can always go .010 under on the rod to make it work.

[oliver2-44 8,835]

Experience is usually one of the best teachers!

 

[nylyon-(Admin) 7,114]

10 minutes ago, oliver2-44 said:

Experience is usually one of the best teachers!

 

Yes, you get the test, then the lesson follows

[Pullstart 59,554]

33 minutes ago, ZXT said:

So you got another 7 years out of an engine simply by cleaning the crank with emory tape? Doesn't sound too bad to me. 

 

No, about 2 or 4 hours... it’s just been in the barn that long!  

[953 nut 51,520]

                At least it didn't ventilate the side of the block and bust up a bunch of good parts.                

[Pullstart 59,554]

12 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

                At least it didn't ventilate the side of the block and bust up a bunch of good parts.                

 

That would have been next, I’m sure.  The rod cap came apart by hand last night 

[The Tuul Crib 7,332]

This is what happened to a 341

put together without checking 

tolerances!

[WHX?? 46,693]

Is this the part where we start showing ungly pics?!?!? 

11 hours ago, nylyon said:

Yes, you get the test, then the lesson follows

Quiz after the lesson … What happens when you don't check your oil at plow day?? 

[clueless 2,898]

We all have to have our first rodeo, we either quit or learn and keep on keep'n on. Most of us never make 8 but we get better at it 

 

Hay, let's be careful out there, stay safe.

[Tuneup 1,416]

I was handling a rod knock issue for a friend on his Suzuki Bandit - an 1157cc beast. #1 was cleaned up and a new rod fitted. I got it down the road a piece, brought it back, pulled the crank and had it welded and cut. No shortcuts there.

[oilwell1415 563]

On 3/29/2020 at 9:01 PM, pullstart said:

 

No, about 2 or 4 hours... it’s just been in the barn that long!  

But what shape was it in before you "cleaned it up"?  You were in there for a reason.  For all you know, that was 1.9-3.9 hours more than it would have gotten other wise, but splash oiled journal bearings aren't nearly as forgiving as pressure oiled either.

[Pullstart 59,554]

5 hours ago, oilwell1415 said:

But what shape was it in before you "cleaned it up"?  You were in there for a reason.  For all you know, that was 1.9-3.9 hours more than it would have gotten other wise, but splash oiled journal bearings aren't nearly as forgiving as pressure oiled either.

 

It was knocking when I bough it, really bad.  

[Greentored 3,196]

We've all been there, and often we know what needs to be done to do it right, and think "damnit this thing is going together today" and end up learning another lesson. Its the "SHOULD be ok" versus the "WILL be ok".

The 'oh s**t' chapter in my book of life is quite a long one, and funny at times too. If you guys are bored and want to turn this thread into a 'hold me beer', im betting it would be quite entertaining

[Greentored 3,196]

I just honed a 289 Ford out last week at the shop in preparation for a 331 stroker. It was already .030 over and quite fresh, so the bores only needed a 'touch up'. I take last Friday afternoon off and the guys at the shop call and say "the pistons wont go in the hole".

Impossible. I mic'd the pistons, set the bore gauge off the mics, used torque plates, and honed the cylinders for .004 +/- .0002, and am far more obsessed with clearances than necessary.

Turns out that in my haste, I ordered a .030 over piston but never actually measured the bores, which were .020 over. Each 'turn' of the bore gauge needle is .010, and when measuring, I did not notice the gauge making one extra trip around the block.

The guys in the shop have been making comments all week, and I dont think its gonna stop

[oilwell1415 563]

13 hours ago, pullstart said:

 

It was knocking when I bough it, really bad.  

So it was dead and gone already.  What you did didn't kill it, but it wasn't the medicine it needed either.

[Pullstart 59,554]

@Greentored... I’m all ears for “hold my beers”!

 

depending on outside temps though, you might just get an empty upon return...  

[oilwell1415 563]

Mine wouldn't be so much "hold my beer" as "yer yella if ya don't".

[Greentored 3,196]

Ok, for your reading enjoyment, heres my top two epic 'oh, s**t' mistakes:

I worked at a Chrysler dealership back in the early 2000s and did a lot of differential services, which were flushed with 'shop clean', and it all went in my waste oil barrel on wheels. Of course it is super flammable, and there is always residue on the barrel and oil filters laying in the funnel. I had to change sway bar links on the next vehicle, which required cutting the old ones off with a torch. I sparked the torch right next to the oil barrel and instantly hear what sounded like a HUGE firework going up. I dropped the torch and ran, and turned around to see the funnel and filters coming down from about 15 feet, about ten gallons of oil on the ceiling, all over the car in my bay, all over the guy in the bay next to me, the barrel puffed up like a mushroom and still smoldering. The boss ran out and once he knew everyone was ok, immediately was laughing his ass off, and when I turned around, he literally hit the floor in tears- I was spotless on the front, but was covered in oil on the back, head to toe. Took us 3 hours off the clock to clean up the mess.

Fast forward to about 2 years ago. I have an old orchard heater (smudge pot) that runs great on used oil, cooking oil, etc... and had it in the driveway at home during a cold night of partying. Well, there was some water in the bottom, and it started boiling, and closing the vents to shut her down did nothing. It boiled about 5 gallons onto the driveway, ran under the girlfriends car, and lit back up. Her car was instantly on fire, and while my buddy runs for the fire extinguisher which was dead, he yells to his kid to run down the street to get theirs. I grab the keys and jump in her car to get it away from the oil, throw it in reverse and back up, fast. In the meantime, my buddys son dropped his keys in panic and was in his car searching for them- right at the end of the driveway. Her car had already melted the brake lines, so when I went to stop, the pedal goes to the floor, and I shoot down the driveway, car on fire, right into the side of my buddys sons car. in the end, I had to replace two tires, two plastic inner fenders, AC wiring, sway bar links, brake hoses, tie rod ends, one CV boot, a shifter cable, and body and paint on a hood, bumper, two fenders and a door.  Needless to say, the orchard heater is not welcome at home anymore.

Did I win the prize for epic screwup? 

 

[Pullstart 59,554]

@Greentored  YUP!