I can now see the funny side
Discussion
Yesterday, washed the car and checked the fluid levels.
Was in a bit of a rush to pick my son up from His Grandmother.
Topped up the coolant and oil, went to screw the oil cap back on (can of oil in one hand) but didn't get the thread to line up on the cap. Cap falls into engine bay and with my free hand, just too slow to catch it.
Damn cap ends up on the square plate at bottom of engine bay, just next to the oil filter.
After 1/2 hour of trying to get to it with long sticks, I realize there is no way of passing it through any aperture due to the size and shape of the cap
My jack is as at another house, so cannot get the car in the air. Decide the only course of action is to remove the three 17mm bolts holding the front of the square plate and prizing it open to allow access.
Remember, just washed the car on gravel so it is soaking wet and me covered in mud and stones!!
1- hour later cap retrieved.
Lesson? Such a fine thread on the cap, so will do things two handed.
Was in a bit of a rush to pick my son up from His Grandmother.
Topped up the coolant and oil, went to screw the oil cap back on (can of oil in one hand) but didn't get the thread to line up on the cap. Cap falls into engine bay and with my free hand, just too slow to catch it.
Damn cap ends up on the square plate at bottom of engine bay, just next to the oil filter.
After 1/2 hour of trying to get to it with long sticks, I realize there is no way of passing it through any aperture due to the size and shape of the cap
My jack is as at another house, so cannot get the car in the air. Decide the only course of action is to remove the three 17mm bolts holding the front of the square plate and prizing it open to allow access.
Remember, just washed the car on gravel so it is soaking wet and me covered in mud and stones!!
1- hour later cap retrieved.
Lesson? Such a fine thread on the cap, so will do things two handed.
Don't remove the plate yet, I dropped one of the bleed nipples down there, which is smaller than the oil cap!!
My missus cut her arm up a treat getting it out for me, but you need someone with thin arms as I couldn't get my fat arms past everything
Also you should be able to move it into a nicer position with a long stick or something
Mind you it took us almost 2 hours and lots of swearing to get it out.....
My missus cut her arm up a treat getting it out for me, but you need someone with thin arms as I couldn't get my fat arms past everything
Also you should be able to move it into a nicer position with a long stick or something
Mind you it took us almost 2 hours and lots of swearing to get it out.....
I just undid the three bolts at the front and used a block of timber and a brick to prize it open, this allowed me to get the cap with a long pair of garden shears 
I was worried that the plate bolts wouldn't line up afterwards, as the plate looks kinda structural.
Anyway, I was lucky and the plate was only ever so slightly bent (1-2mm) when it went back on as I couldn't access the rest of the bolts. Some sort of wishbone rod is attached also, which was a worry as I couldn't get the car up in the air. I just knew If I detached that, the sodding bits wouldn't go back.
I'm just going to be very careful in future.
I was worried that the plate bolts wouldn't line up afterwards, as the plate looks kinda structural.
Anyway, I was lucky and the plate was only ever so slightly bent (1-2mm) when it went back on as I couldn't access the rest of the bolts. Some sort of wishbone rod is attached also, which was a worry as I couldn't get the car up in the air. I just knew If I detached that, the sodding bits wouldn't go back.
I'm just going to be very careful in future.
At the weekend I thought I'd do a quick 15 minute job and grease the Anti-Roll bar bushes. The bolt that clamps the A/R bar has a gap of about 1/4" between the head and the shock absorber spring, just enough room for my new fangled ratchet head ring spanner to fit in, quickly undo the bolt till the head was was up against the shock spring.loose enough now to prise open the rubber bush, spray some grease in, now to tighten it up and I'll be down the pub in 5 minutes! Hmmmmm, to tighten the nut back up, I have to remove my ratchet ring spanner, but I can't cos there is now no gap for the ring spanner to slide out, Oh bugg3r !! Ended up having to remove both top and bottom shock mounting bolts, remove the shock so I could get the spanner off, tightened the A/R bar clamp back up, bolted the top shock absorber mount back up, and then go and ask for assistance to lever the wishbone down so I could get the lower shock bracket lined up.
So much for my quick 15 minute job.
So much for my quick 15 minute job.
Edited by JensenA on Monday 18th June 22:04
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