Top car DIY tip

[Plate spinner]

McFarnsworth said:

tr7v8 said:

Plate spinner said:

Never let the battery go flat on a 986 Porsche Boxster. Ever.

The key will open the door to let you in. But the battery is in the boot, which needs the electrics to open. So to get to it you’ll have to take the whole mechanism apart along with most of the drivers side door sill.

Madness, utter madness.

Or use the emergency cable?

Or hook up starter cables to the spare terminal located in the fusebox under the dash? (not sure a 986 has that though, a 987 definitely has it)

No, 987 had this, but my 986 doesn't. But looking into retro fitting a solution of some kind.

[Nik da Greek]

Bennet said:

gothatway said:

Zooks said:

Not a car tip but when connecting 10 lorry batteries up in series definitely don't use an uninsulated spanner and Definitely don't drop it.

Intrigued - why do you want 240V DC ?

I would also be quite interested to know what you were trying to power with this arrangement.

Electric spanner?

[donkmeister]

Chris Type R said:

Probably quite a common one... when doing any sort of work that involves removing wheels and using the locking wheel nut socket, do remember to remove the socket before going for an extended test drive.

I know a muppet who did this... Fortunately the replacement didn't cost me... I mean him... Very much

[daemon]

PSH said:

daemon said:

Another one - learned by my dad.

When the rear door of your car stops opening from the outside (in his case a Jag), THATS the time to get it fixed. DONT wait until it doesnt open from the inside too as you then cant open the door to fix it....

Not a rear door but under the new MOT rules the car would fail if you can't open the front doors from both inside and outside, so in relation to front doors this is unlikely today as you'd have to fix it sooner. As it happens my drivers door trigger snapped a couple of weeks ago, MOT is due in June so best get it sorted soon...

Pete

Yes the car has long since gone anyway,

[QBee]

Plate spinner said:

McFarnsworth said:

tr7v8 said:

Plate spinner said:

Never let the battery go flat on a 986 Porsche Boxster. Ever.

The key will open the door to let you in. But the battery is in the boot, which needs the electrics to open. So to get to it you’ll have to take the whole mechanism apart along with most of the drivers side door sill.

Madness, utter madness.

Or use the emergency cable?

Or hook up starter cables to the spare terminal located in the fusebox under the dash? (not sure a 986 has that though, a 987 definitely has it)

No, 987 had this, but my 986 doesn't. But looking into retro fitting a solution of some kind.

Anderson Connector

[Gad-Westy]

InitialDave said:

Remove gearbox or axle fill plugs before removing the drain plugs.

Do you have an MX5 by chance?

On a similar theme. If you're changing diff oil in the dark and the fill plug cannot be found despite a 2 hour long search, bafflement and maybe some tears, check the end of the magnetic torch that you have been using to conduct the search. It'll also save you having a much lower opinion of yourself down the line.

[Gad-Westy]

When removing an engine, check you've actually removed the earth strap. If you forget, prepare to be impressed that an earth cable can lift an entire car off the its axle stands!

[InitialDave]

Gad-Westy said:

Do you have an MX5 by chance?

No, but I have learned that one the hard way!

Further gear oil tip: normal garden hose fits in a lot of fill holes. Just run it up to the engine bay at a comfortable height, put a funnel in it, and pour the oil in from there. Much easier than lying under the car trying to get the bottle nozzle in the hole.

[Emeye]

When tightening bolts or nuts on a car, you do not tighten every one as hard as is physically possible using all your strength, as one will eventually sheer off, especially if they are a sheer bolt on an Austin Mini steering column.

What can I say? I was young and naive.....but I have done it occasionally since.

[Gad-Westy]

If you ever have cause to try to rotate an engine by hand with a ring spanner on the end of the crank. Remember to remove it before trying to start the car.

As I'm sitting typing some of this I'm wondering why
a) I still allow myself to work on cars
b) I'm still alive.

Onto more helpful matters, ratchet spanners are the single greatest invention of the last century. People go on about sliced bread but try replacing a Lotus Elise waterpump with a pack of warburtons. fking useless it is.

[Gad-Westy]

Second Best said:

When removing the steering wheel on a car where it doesn't come off regularly, loosen the nut until it's free spinning (but still threaded on) and then do your best to pull the wheel off it's mount. Don't do what a lot of people do and remove the nut, use your muscle to remove the wheel, and end up tattooing Vauxhall on your forehead as the wheel leaves its mount and hits you in the face at around 30mph.

Worth mentioning that this is also a very helpful technique when it comes to removing wiper arms from their spindles too.

[gothatway]

Gad-Westy said:

People go on about sliced bread but try replacing a Lotus Elise waterpump with a pack of warburtons. fking useless it is.

Very ROFL. Very ROFL indeed.

[dxg]

Lee540 said:

FakeConcern said:

If you start up and run your car then get out and close the door, open the window first. Especially if (the car is) French. How do I know?

I always do this with all my cars.. since owning a Citroen Saxo a long time ago!

I once did it on the day of a house move. The spare keys were already 300 miles away! That went down well, while we waited for the RAC...

[Plate spinner]

QBee said:

Plate spinner said:

McFarnsworth said:

tr7v8 said:

Plate spinner said:

Never let the battery go flat on a 986 Porsche Boxster. Ever.

The key will open the door to let you in. But the battery is in the boot, which needs the electrics to open. So to get to it you’ll have to take the whole mechanism apart along with most of the drivers side door sill.

Madness, utter madness.

Or use the emergency cable?

Or hook up starter cables to the spare terminal located in the fusebox under the dash? (not sure a 986 has that though, a 987 definitely has it)

No, 987 had this, but my 986 doesn't. But looking into retro fitting a solution of some kind.

Anderson Connector

That's the one, cheers

[Strudul]

donkmeister said:

Chris Type R said:

Probably quite a common one... when doing any sort of work that involves removing wheels and using the locking wheel nut socket, do remember to remove the socket before going for an extended test drive.

I know a muppet who did this... Fortunately the replacement didn't cost me... I mean him... Very much

I once thought I did this. Spent the next half an hour scouring the route I took on foot. Turns out I'm not a complete muppet, I'm just going senile - I'd taken it off and stored it safely in the garage.

[Bollycerb]

After finishing work under the bonnet of your car, having moved it forward out of the rain to the relative shelter of the up and over garage door, always remember to move the car back again before slamming the garage door shut.

[IntriguedUser]

Based on personal experience

1. Always double the time you give yourself to fix whatever your fixing.

2. Have other means of transportation to work as something might not go to plan.

3. Make sure to put oil filler cap on after topping up oil.

[Mr2Mike]

Gad-Westy said:

When removing an engine, check you've actually removed the earth strap. If you forget, prepare to be impressed that an earth cable can lift an entire car off the its axle stands!

Also remember to reattach said earth cable before trying to start the engine... Much destruction can occur if you forget.

[Limpet]

Pica-Pica said:

When changing brake pads, buy a cheap turkey-baster from a kitchen shop to draw some fluid from the master cylinder and avoid spillage. In general kitchen shops are useful and cheaper for fluid containers, e.g. ketchup bottles, disposable roasting trays etc.

Yep, the bit I've forgotten to do on numerous occasions. Eventually, I re-purposed the dosing syringe from a finished bottle of children's Nurofen for this purpose. A bit fiddlier than the turkey baster, but cost nowt.

A large instant coffee or jam jar makes a perfect receptacle for old fluid when bleeding clutches and brakes, and can be sealed safely for storage and disposal (or used to start bonfires). Old shirts torn or cut up make decent shop rags.

An old funnel with a metre of garden hose attached, and the open end shaved slightly to make it a tight fit in a transmission fill hole is a useful tool as well.

But perhaps the most useful tip of all - if you have a mk1 Focus needing attention to its suspension, and you don't have a good impact wrench, a blowtorch, and replacements on hand for every bolt you need to undo, just pay someone else to do the work!!

[paranoid airbag]

Bennet said:

gothatway said:

Zooks said:

Not a car tip but when connecting 10 lorry batteries up in series definitely don't use an uninsulated spanner and Definitely don't drop it.

Intrigued - why do you want 240V DC ?

I would also be quite interested to know what you were trying to power with this arrangement.

Sign me up too...

Scaring cats?