Top car DIY tip
Discussion
top tip for 996 (and probably other porsche models).
If doing ANY work in the door space, like, fixing a door handle, for example, disconnect the door harness plug first. Otherwise, you might end up with the window crushing your hand because you engaged the "drop window whilst key turned counterclockwise and door handle pulled" scenario.
If doing ANY work in the door space, like, fixing a door handle, for example, disconnect the door harness plug first. Otherwise, you might end up with the window crushing your hand because you engaged the "drop window whilst key turned counterclockwise and door handle pulled" scenario.
When your mother announces a surprise visit “Should I check the engine oil level for the car”, please do not say yes. Firstly explain, there is dipstick and how this is read, otherwise you will have a long weekend cleaning an engine bay.
This is after greeting your nearly asphyxiated mother who drove from North Yorkshire to Nottingham. “So you checked the oil” “yes, I removed the oil filler cap, and filled it all the way up”.
This is after greeting your nearly asphyxiated mother who drove from North Yorkshire to Nottingham. “So you checked the oil” “yes, I removed the oil filler cap, and filled it all the way up”.
Bike related, but bear with me.
If you're lucky enough to have a hydraulic bike lift in the garage make sure the side stand is up before wheeling the bike backwards down the ramp onto the floor.
If you don't the stand will contact the edge of the ramp as the back wheel goes down and lever the bike over to the right, causing a moment of total confusion as some unseen force grabs your pride and joy then throws it into the other bike that's waiting patiently at the bottom of the ramp.
You'll also discover just how heavy a motorcycle can be when the wheels are 4" higher than the rest of the bike and there's no room to get properly under it as there's another bike trapped there too.
If you're lucky enough to have a hydraulic bike lift in the garage make sure the side stand is up before wheeling the bike backwards down the ramp onto the floor.
If you don't the stand will contact the edge of the ramp as the back wheel goes down and lever the bike over to the right, causing a moment of total confusion as some unseen force grabs your pride and joy then throws it into the other bike that's waiting patiently at the bottom of the ramp.
You'll also discover just how heavy a motorcycle can be when the wheels are 4" higher than the rest of the bike and there's no room to get properly under it as there's another bike trapped there too.
If step 1 in the Haynes manual is "remove the cap from the expansion tank" then do make sure that you go ahead and remove the cap from the expansion tank, especially if you've just been driving the car and think that a quick trip to the motor factors for the new coolant sensor will be enough. Instead you'll spend the evening at A&E having taken a face full of boiling hot engine coolant and have to spend a week off work whilst all your skin peels off..
Shepster said:
I was going to leave exactly the same reply, albeit changing a coil pack on a 1.2 Clio in my youth. Trying to pull into the hard shoulder from lane 3 on a busy motorway with a bonnet covering your now cracked windscreen is not easy!
Q - Have you got any Peugeot 405's in stock?
A - yes
Q - Have you got a bonnet?
A - yes
Q - is it red?
A - yes
Q-what time do you close?
A - 1pm
A - I'm coming over now! (it was 12:15)
What are the chances of that happening!
So I drove over, pulled the old bonnet off, fitted the one from the breakers, and the job was completed in 10 minutes. I did enjoy jumping on the old bonnet before it went in the bailer as I left! The fiasco only cost me an hour or so extra, But he slight dent in the roof mean't I could never forget the incident until I sold the car. Now days I get a garage to do all my servicing
When trying to remove a stuck flywheel from a KH250 motorbike with a 3 arm 'puller', do not be tempted to jam the kick start you removed earlier between the arms of the puller to stop it turning and then press down with all you might.
That way, when the flywheel decides it's time to leave the end of the crank and the puller arms suddenly go loose, the kick start won't smack you between the eyes and knock you out cold for several minutes.
That way, when the flywheel decides it's time to leave the end of the crank and the puller arms suddenly go loose, the kick start won't smack you between the eyes and knock you out cold for several minutes.
I mean, I've had a big blob go down the baggy sleave of a sweatshirt, but this is, frankly, something else. The whole idea of it is almost making my eyes water.
louiechevy said:
When standing under a car welding if a blob of red hot molten metal happens to go down the front of your T-shirt and lodge behind your belt buckle, DO NOT and I mean this! immediately pull the buckle away to stop the painful burning sensation. As the still red hot bit of metal will almost certainly end up somewhere so painful words cannot describe how much it hurts. Also be prepared for your mate to fall about laughing (git) and tell you that you scream like a girl.
donkmeister said:
If all of your own cars have gas struts to lift the bonnet open, never become complacent about this fact.
Otherwise your father-in-law may angrily enquire why you just fully-raised his bonnet before dropping it again...
Did similar with my mother's toyota. They don't fit gas struts on the yaris. Unfortunately i was under it at the time. Otherwise your father-in-law may angrily enquire why you just fully-raised his bonnet before dropping it again...
Arnold Cunningham said:
I mean, I've had a big blob go down the baggy sleave of a sweatshirt, but this is, frankly, something else. The whole idea of it is almost making my eyes water.
Same, but mine was down my ear, which I guess is mid-way between your two experiences. You can really hear it frying up your ear hairs in the wax!louiechevy said:
When standing under a car welding if a blob of red hot molten metal happens to go down the front of your T-shirt and lodge behind your belt buckle, DO NOT and I mean this! immediately pull the buckle away to stop the painful burning sensation. As the still red hot bit of metal will almost certainly end up somewhere so painful words cannot describe how much it hurts. Also be prepared for your mate to fall about laughing (git) and tell you that you scream like a girl.
donkmeister said:
If all of your own cars have gas struts to lift the bonnet open, never become complacent about this fact.
Otherwise your father-in-law may angrily enquire why you just fully-raised his bonnet before dropping it again...
I hope you told him to buy a decent car with gas struts to lift the bonnet! Otherwise your father-in-law may angrily enquire why you just fully-raised his bonnet before dropping it again...
GSE said:
When servicing your Peugeot 405, do make sure that the bonnet catch is working properly, and that the bonnet is shut, before going on a test drive:
Failure to do so can cause inconvenience in that having the bonnet wrapped around the windscreen restricts forward vision somewhat. And having a bonnet with footprints on it and bungee cords holding it down reduces the aesthetic appeal of the vehicle.
See also Volvo 940 Estate bonnet catches. Failure to do so can cause inconvenience in that having the bonnet wrapped around the windscreen restricts forward vision somewhat. And having a bonnet with footprints on it and bungee cords holding it down reduces the aesthetic appeal of the vehicle.
Clive-sz8cz said:
When removing the engine from a TVR Vixen on the driveway using an engine crane with wheels, don't lift the engine and gearbox from the car then spend 20 minutes heaving and straining at the engine crane to get the assembly in to the garage, then wonder why there is a 15 feet long heavy duty 'biro' spring joining the gearbox to the back of the speedometer which is obviously still in the car. Surprisingly I had to replace that speedo cable.
And please make sure the wheels on the crane actually turn,,,,,,,Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff