Brad Clayton Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 You gotta love when a customer screws something up and forgets to tell ya, leaving you with just the problem. But even better is when a tech causes a problem. You know the situation, you're fellow tech across the hall calls you over for your opinion about a problem that cropped up after having the vehicle apart. Then when asked about it, on no everythings back together correctly, yet it still don't run....oh boy. I had a truck yesterday in for a check trans for proper operation seems sluggish complaint. Test drove it ran decent. I did some other work to it and wrote off the trans concern. When I pull the truck out the OD light cancels on the shift lever evertime you step on the brake. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/scratchhead.gifMust be something to that trans issue after all. I leave the truck overnight and the next morning it works fine. What the heck? Well a vital piece of info I have left out of this story is....I topped off the master and spilled some. I then took a garden hose and put about 30 gallons of water on the master and fender to clean it. The water got all over the connectors on the fender ('02 F-250) and presto a little electrical bridge was made where it shouldn't be. The next day everything is dry and normal. Now imagine how long it would have took (if ever) to figure out something like that if the guy just came from another shop that did what I did and failed to tell you. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/banghead.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slim Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Yep, I think we see this more since we work on trucks. Some of the owners are mechanically inclined but lack the expertise to do the job right. The only job that comes to mind right now was a 6.0 that came in for a no start. When it came in I went outside to check it out and see what I was in for. The truck would start but run extremely rough then stall when put in gear. I left it outside and I finally got back around to it the next day. I found low fuel pressure and eventually found excessive air in the fuel. Turns out the guy had just drained his water seperator and cut the o-ring on the plug putting it back in, had to order the plug and wait until the next day to fix it. If he had just told someone what happened then he could of had it back the same day instead of being down 3 days. Oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted September 16, 2011 Author Share Posted September 16, 2011 I fell victim to my own worst enemy yesterday. I put a STC fitting in an '06 and was in the starting process (battery charger on, glow plug/alt. lead unplugged and watching the oil pressure gage). I told the guy beside me "well the gage went up, 2 more crank cycles and she'll start". Well, after 5 times, I went and got the IDS to see what the hell was going on. I could only muster 260 psi. Then a rush of short term memories flooded into my already jumbled thoughts. I saw my self installing the IPR valve and thinking to my self 'self, you need to go ahead and plug in that IPR valve connector while your at it'. What happens next? I get called over to look at some thing or another. Make it back to my truck and start putting the turbo and crap on. With a flash light and a long blood shot stare, I see the IPR valve with no connector on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshbuys Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 This sounds vaguely familiar.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Warman Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Rule of thumb.... finish what you are doing or do not start to do it (I have been known to tie survey tape to things lately). Be vewy, vewy afwaid - the fuck up fairy visits people that should know better, too. DAMHIKT!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Me and the Fuck Up fairy have been on a first name basis at times over the year. I f you hear me yell FUCK! then you know we had a visitor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmorris Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Here's a couple of mine: Dropped both heads back on a 6L, snugged everything up and started to put the pushrods back in, only to realize I had left the rags on top of the lifters. Installed the first updated STC fitting, put everything back together, only to find no ICP pressure, I had installed the fitting with the hole facing up by mistake. Rebuilt a ZF5 in an F550, got the front and rear seals mixed up. Thankfully it was 2WD so it didn't take much to get it back out to redo the seals. My personal favorite was when I had a U-Haul truck come in with a rebuilt 390 in it that threw a rod. It was installed by a small shop, but came to us because it was thought to be warrenty. They left a rag on the oil pick-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Saunoras Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 hmmm lets see, that expedition with the bent rod had a EOT in the oil pan. guess who put the shortblock in with the pan it was shipped with. I got to the point of routing the harness before I realized I needed to swap pans oh yeah, it was 4wd too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Clayton Posted September 18, 2011 Author Share Posted September 18, 2011 This from a guy over on the FMC: Quote: i did a short block and forgot the branch tube Oh man, I think that would have been the nail in the coffin for the end of my career. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmorris Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Long block 5.7L, bolted up pan then remembered I forgot the oil pump. Put the pan on a second time and realized I forgot the pump drive. Dropping a 2.3L into a ranger, almost had in buttoned up to the transmission and for some reason I glanced over at my bench and saw the clutch and flywheel sitting there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrbudge Posted September 19, 2011 Share Posted September 19, 2011 Don't feel too bad, we put a reman 4.0l pushrod engine in an Explorer, all dressed with oil pan, cam syncronizer, etc. Started it up and no oil pressure. I guess the oil pump drive rod was on someone's bench in Mexico, cause it wasn't in this thing. So much for dyno testing before shipping the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oukatz1 Posted September 20, 2011 Share Posted September 20, 2011 I once forgot to put the oil cooler gasket on,,,, remembered only after vehicle was back together and saw the gasket on the bench........did i mention it was an e series!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted September 21, 2011 Share Posted September 21, 2011 Working on a 450 front end with various issues. And I keep coming up with human causes for the failures... like a missing o-ring on the right hub... a missing outer axle snap ring... like a missing vacuum fitting on the knuckle that let water into the hub... a front drive shaft that was replaced for a noise that was actually caused by a blown out axle shaft universal joint. Yes, this was at another dealer. Presumably a human worked on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastendpowerstroke Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 One of the "techs" at my shop put a longblock into a E-bus without the spacer between the crank and flywheel. some how it started but made some sick noises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Browning Posted September 29, 2011 Share Posted September 29, 2011 I *almost* did that a week or so ago. At least the trans comes out pretty quick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSHTech Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 A tech I worked with in our other shop was rebuilding an 8.8 rear diff. in a Shelby GT 500. All finished he proceeded to back out of his bay, until he cut the wheels to turn. The RPM flared but the car stopped moving. He had forgotten to install the pinion gears, but had the side gears and limited slip spring installed. He is a good tech, and in his defense he was removed from the job numerous times through out the day, and then in a effort to speed up the process and finish the job that day, he was appointed a less competent assistant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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