Sometimes you're just a dumb ass!

[Leezure]

After all the work done on my engine and car I finally put the two together, fire it up and step back to take a look. Everything looks great, no leaks, temps check out fine, good job. I run the engine up to about 2500 rpms and I notice smoke coming off the driver side headers. I shut it down and begin on a three day quest to find the oil leak.

I replaced the valve cover gaskets. No good. I retorqued the intake manifold. No good. I tightened the oil pan bolts. No good. I checked the freeze plugs. No good. I finally narrowed it down to the dipstick. It must not be sealing properly so I used about half a roll of teflon tape and still nothing!

By this time I had started the engine several times and always saw the smoke from the headers. I gave up and phoned a friend.

After about 45 minutes of looking and probing every inch of the engine he looked up at me and asked... What's this? I hadn't seen it before (not even during the nine months it was sitting on an engine stand) so I got down to take a closer look. Whodathunkit! A hole in the block perfectly suited for the original dipstick ( I am using the dipstick that mounts into the side of the Canton oil pan). Well, I'm no rocket scientist but I firmly believe that an unrestricted hole in the block with access to the oil reservoir is a great source for an oil leak.

Three days of wasted time to have someone else come over and find what should have been obvious. Today it's my turn to be a dumb ass. Anyone care to take over the reigns for tomorrow? I could use the break.

Lee

 

[SQUEEZE&STROKE]

I have done the same thing...dont feel too bad.


(I didnt spend 2 days on it though)

 

[Leezure]

Thanks! That makes me feel sooooo much better!

 

[1slow95]

At least your oil leak was easy to fix! I had to change my oil pan gasket and now that I have everything back together my rear seal is leaking. Ugh!!

If it makes you feel any better, I just spent two nights trying to figure out why the cd player my brother was trying to install in his stang would keep kicking off. Turns out we left aluminum foil wrapped around the rear speakers when we painted the trunk and it was shorting out. I actually tested each speaker individually and it was, of course, the 4th one I checked causing the problem.

 

[The Green GT]

 

[94gts]

ive done things that i am not even going to bring up

 

[mo_dingo]

ive done things that i am not even going to bring up

yeah I would have to ditto that x 10

I just bought a brand new DSS short block b/c I was convinced my factory one was cracked, leaking antifreeze into the oil. Turns out the factory timing cover I installed on the new block has pinhole crack in it, repeating the same problem.

So far I win...

 

[Leezure]

That's more like it! I can feel the streak of dumb ass slowly leaving my body... until the next time!

 

[donkey_punch]

ive done things that i am not even going to bring up

yep i won't post them cause i fear of being banned.

 

[BlackVert]

i spent 3 months and a couple hundred dollars looking for a hesitation problem that turned out to be a loose spark wire

 

[95cobraguy]

i think its safe to say we've all had some unmentionable blunders, i know i have.

 

[1994Vib.RedGT]

indeed

 

[HISSIN50]

On Matt's new site, I asked to have a blunders child-forum and I made the first thread. In my youth, on an all night thrash to get my suspension together (double wishbones up front, with new Delrin bushings for AX type stuff), I got done as it was getting light out. I looked at the pass wheel and it had massive positive camber. I decided it best to get some sleep and check it later. Turns out when I had the arms on the bench while installing new ball joints, I had one arm upside down (you see where this is going). I installed the arm upside down (per the ball joint orientation) and had some nice camber.
I felt like a real turd, but it happens, esp when it's dark and tired out. As long as we dont do the same thing 2-5 more times, I dont think we're doing too bad.

 

[S/CBlack95GT]

You arent the only one to pass up silly things.....

The day before my dyno tune after the blower install I began to hear a clacking sound coming from the passenger side. It sounded almost like a lifter clacking yet it had more of a spark knocking sound. I didnt drive the car because I was afraid to do damage. I just started it long enough to try and figure out where it was coming from. Well, I broke out the tools and started to take off the strut brace so I could take the valve cover off. This is when I noticed the number 4 spark plug wire was just barely hanging onto the tip of the plug. The sound I heard was the spark jumping the 3/4 of an inch gap from the boot to the spark plug tip. I was happy yet frustrated at the same time.