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Thread: Ever lost your mechanical man points ?

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    Default Ever lost your mechanical man points ?

    So the story starts,

    The Mrs has a little corsa C, I have done various jobs on it and over my years track rod ends / suspention bits and bobs drop links you know the single spanner jobs in the haynes manual.

    The corsa alternator belt keeps shreading, the first time at 100 000 miles, Deciding it was out of my depths I got it replaced at a garge, 1000 miles later it broke again, back to the garage and replaced FOC, garage said if it goes again it will need a new water pump probably as it had a slight leak.

    Fast forward 3000 miles belt went again, So now confident with my mechanical skills I set off replacing the water pump yesterday, new alternator belt fitted but it got dark once I got the engine mount back on I left it over night.

    Filled up the cooling system this morning, started the car up once I had massaged the pipes and refilled the coolant a few times.

    And ... it started fine, all good no leaks then as the temp was raising it started to smoke I turned it off straight away, checked everything over and convinced myself it was just the belt settling in.

    Started again and let it idle upto temp then a very scary "POING " looked under the bonnet and bucket loads of smoke off the alternator belt, the tensioner has exceded its max travel.

    The Mrs is not best pleased, the belt is stuffed, the cooling system is still full though, now it took me 5 hous dodging the weather yetseday and I have no lost my belief in my mechanical skills so its going to end up in a garage next week ... and to top it off the old belt took out the CV joint boot.

    realy shouldnt have attempted this job ... whats your worst ?

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    Regular Member JagRigger's Avatar
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    Vehicle : Vectra

    Trim : Design

    Engine : 1.8 VVT ( No2 ! )

    Year : 2007

    Mileage : ... 293 k

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    Once resealed the wife's MK2 Astra rear pistons - but put the parachute seals in backwards.

    Took it for a test drive and they both blew ! Luckily I wasn't far from home, in the country, so recovered on gears and handbrake

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    Regular Member paddyvectra's Avatar
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    Tinfoil..........Electronic parts...........Someone who was at TRAX will be along to explain lol

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    Regular Member Critch's Avatar
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    Vehicle : vauxhall vivaro

    Trim : Basic

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    Year : 2004

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    Ive probably got plenty if a think hard enough lol
    But one springs to mind is a was lowering a Mates car for him.

    A tell the mrs easy job be done 2 hours tops ( big mistake never ever put a time on summet lol)
    All was good until the n/s strut bolt decided to shear off :@:-(
    19 hours later and countless amount off drill bits trying to drill the ****er out. We had 2 very un happy girlfriends lol.

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    Regular Member cossiejay's Avatar
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    Vehicle : vectra

    Trim : sri 150

    Engine : 1.9 cdti

    Year : 2007

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    got a astra with snapped timing belt lucky it never damaged anything so fitted a new belt thought it would be a good idea to start it to check everything ,i had forgot to put the crank bolt back in ,it throw the belt and wasted the engine expensive mistake that i should have know better

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    Well after going through my head 20 times that I had done it all right the Mrs called her dad to visit, He is the equivilant of GOD in her eyes when it comes to fixing things, He asked me 30 questions then told me to start the car.

    Started it up, destroyed a bit more belt and shut it off.

    His conclusion, Unlucky these things happen and yes the tensioner looks stuffed. Anyway although its made me feel slightly better its still going in a garage because firstly im in the dog house and secondly I just dont fancy doing it all again ,,,, and not sure the Mrs trusts me to either.

    Cossie Jay - Ouch makes my weekend pale in comparison. How do you get the nerve to keep trying jobs ?

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    Vehicle : Vectra C

    Trim : SRI With a few added extras

    Engine : 1.9 CDTI 120

    Year : 06

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    if the belt keeps shredding ar you absolutely sure the correct one has been fitted mate? Only asking because I replaced an aux belt on my vec b, it lasted about three days, it was ever so slightly over-size. I checked the part number and vx had given me the wrong one doh!

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    Regular Member mcpitman's Avatar
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    I fitted the spring retainers incorrectly on the new girlfriends fathers mondeo, took it for a test drive.... no brakes, saved by the handbrake.

    7 years on, new girlfriend is now wife and mother to my two year old monster, so didn't affect things too much.

    3 months after the first incident, dropped a fireplace on his hand and broke his fingers!

    Doh!

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    Well Dropped the car off this morning, 45 minutes later got a call from them.

    As thought the Auto tensioner is toast, new tensioner + belt number 5 + CV boot £137, a bit painfull when thinking I how I had only just put it on on saturday on the other had it took me about an hour to get to the point of having the engine mount off where obviously they have a lot easier access.

  10. #10
    Regular Member Grumpy1954's Avatar
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    Vehicle : Ford Kuga

    Trim : Titanium

    Engine : 2.0dtci

    Year : 2014

    Mileage : 1200

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    Which one to go with? Years back I had a K series Honda 750-4, blew the head gasket trying to outrun a car tailgating me on the over head section of the M4 by Slough (heading in to London.
    A friend with similar mechanical skills helped me change it, as he knew what he was doing I didn't check his work. He didn't torque one of the top pully bolts on properly, on a test drive it undid itself and jammed on the cover, seizing the transmission. I skidded to a halt with the rear wheel locked near Stockwell tube station, only to have two old ladies lay into me for hooligan motorcyclist, showing off and burning rubber.
    Found out next time I was off the bolt had just jammed on the oilway, removing broken pieces and torquing it up properly sorted it, but I had a fortnight on a TS185 dirt bike.
    Then there was the Omega, 2.2 CDi. The exhuast had rotted where the pipes join into one agian by the back bumper. I thought the hell with it, it's been a good car, I'll buy a whole new system, from the back of the cat onwards.
    Got it all up on ramps and axle stands, couldn't get a good seal, so I lined it all up and booted it, left. right, left, right. Broke the cat.........oops. Paid around another £400 out for new cat exhaust fit and MoT, 3 months later wrote it off.
    0ops..

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