Keeping your spirits up when the tough gets going...?
Discussion
No, you've haven't accidentally clicked on the Health & Wellbeing section, this really is one targeted at Home Mechanics!
I am currently attempting a timing belt change on the notorious 1L Ford Ecoboost. It requires an unbelievable amount of components removing, probably over a hundred bolts all-in-all and little tests set for you along the way such as steel bolts in aluminium sumps, corroded exhaust fastenings and of course the might-as-well-be-welded-to-the-crank pulley bolt which I still haven't shifted.
And that brings me to my question... I started this job with a lot of trepidation but was enthusiastic and hopeful it'd go okay... Now that I'm passed the point of no return the anxiety, self-doubt, uncertainty etc is all beginning to creep in. Do others - particularly driveway amateur mechanics (emphasis on amateur!) - feel like this sometimes? If so, how do you drive through it - beyond of course having little choice but to keep going unless you want your wife's car sitting on the drive forever unable to be driven?
I normally work a desk job so pull myself in and out from underneath the car is pretty exhausting and the next morning I lie in bed mentally counting bruises and sore muscles! When faced with a tricky section of a big job, particularly something like freeing a stuck bolt, I am finding that if I put my tools down, whether that be for lunch or overnight, things tend to pick up a bit when back on the job. I am wondering if it is tiredness - both mental and physical - and perhaps recognising that is an important thing to do even if it means the job taking longer?
Any tips?
I am currently attempting a timing belt change on the notorious 1L Ford Ecoboost. It requires an unbelievable amount of components removing, probably over a hundred bolts all-in-all and little tests set for you along the way such as steel bolts in aluminium sumps, corroded exhaust fastenings and of course the might-as-well-be-welded-to-the-crank pulley bolt which I still haven't shifted.
And that brings me to my question... I started this job with a lot of trepidation but was enthusiastic and hopeful it'd go okay... Now that I'm passed the point of no return the anxiety, self-doubt, uncertainty etc is all beginning to creep in. Do others - particularly driveway amateur mechanics (emphasis on amateur!) - feel like this sometimes? If so, how do you drive through it - beyond of course having little choice but to keep going unless you want your wife's car sitting on the drive forever unable to be driven?
I normally work a desk job so pull myself in and out from underneath the car is pretty exhausting and the next morning I lie in bed mentally counting bruises and sore muscles! When faced with a tricky section of a big job, particularly something like freeing a stuck bolt, I am finding that if I put my tools down, whether that be for lunch or overnight, things tend to pick up a bit when back on the job. I am wondering if it is tiredness - both mental and physical - and perhaps recognising that is an important thing to do even if it means the job taking longer?
Any tips?
All the time - that “sick in the pit of your stomach” feeling when you realise it’s undriveable now, you’ve no idea how to move forwards and don’t want to move back.
This is when you get a cup of tea and take 20mins!
The feeling is totally normal. Just keep moving forward, try make the next step then you get a small amount of dopamine and can continue to the next challenge.
Disclaimer. My cerb was off the road for 6months for a Clutch change. Sometimes it needs more than a cuppa
This is when you get a cup of tea and take 20mins!
The feeling is totally normal. Just keep moving forward, try make the next step then you get a small amount of dopamine and can continue to the next challenge.
Disclaimer. My cerb was off the road for 6months for a Clutch change. Sometimes it needs more than a cuppa
Thanks stuthe
- that's really reassuring. (The 'totally normal' bit, not the 'might take six months'...! )
I keep reminding myself it's just a car - a Fiesta of all things (although she/we do both love it for some reason) - and whilst this monster of a job is daunting there is the other side of the coin I should be more looking at that is that there are many mechanics not wanting to take the job on on or, when they do, are charging (justifiably) a grand or so to do it. It's never going to be a walk in the park and so I should just try and go with the flow.
- that's really reassuring. (The 'totally normal' bit, not the 'might take six months'...! )I keep reminding myself it's just a car - a Fiesta of all things (although she/we do both love it for some reason) - and whilst this monster of a job is daunting there is the other side of the coin I should be more looking at that is that there are many mechanics not wanting to take the job on on or, when they do, are charging (justifiably) a grand or so to do it. It's never going to be a walk in the park and so I should just try and go with the flow.
Yes, totally normal.
When it gets tough, make a cup of tea and find a YouTuber fixer upper to watch, I find their ambition and enthusiasm infectious. There's someone for all tastes.
Number 27 - Influenzo: Mature PHer takes on a knackered Ferrari 308 at the start of lockdown from an auction. Hilarity does not ensue.
Tavarish - P1: Amateur Yank buys a flood damaged wreck of a $2m hyper car that still has half a beach in it.
Ratarossa - any. Likely lad rescues damaged Ferraris on a budget.
Plenty of others. There's currently a guy stripping a Porsche 997 Turbo entirely and swapping it to a new chassis. That'll make any job seem manageable in comparison. He just spent a couple days removing a harness from behind the dash - over 31 plugs on it!
When it gets tough, make a cup of tea and find a YouTuber fixer upper to watch, I find their ambition and enthusiasm infectious. There's someone for all tastes.
Number 27 - Influenzo: Mature PHer takes on a knackered Ferrari 308 at the start of lockdown from an auction. Hilarity does not ensue.
Tavarish - P1: Amateur Yank buys a flood damaged wreck of a $2m hyper car that still has half a beach in it.
Ratarossa - any. Likely lad rescues damaged Ferraris on a budget.
Plenty of others. There's currently a guy stripping a Porsche 997 Turbo entirely and swapping it to a new chassis. That'll make any job seem manageable in comparison. He just spent a couple days removing a harness from behind the dash - over 31 plugs on it!
I find that the following helps;
1) Break the huge job down into smaller, bite-sized chunks.
2) Swear. A lot !
3) Spend at least ten minutes cursing the very ground that the motherless engineer walks upon for designing such a woeful heap of junk.
4) Get onto eBay and put in low-ball bids on utterly inappropriate vehicles for your Wife to drive instead.
5) Promise yourself that after this job is completed, you’ll find yourself a more pleasant pastime, like sticking rusty pins into your eyeballs.
1) Break the huge job down into smaller, bite-sized chunks.
2) Swear. A lot !
3) Spend at least ten minutes cursing the very ground that the motherless engineer walks upon for designing such a woeful heap of junk.
4) Get onto eBay and put in low-ball bids on utterly inappropriate vehicles for your Wife to drive instead.
5) Promise yourself that after this job is completed, you’ll find yourself a more pleasant pastime, like sticking rusty pins into your eyeballs.
25th July, start. All enthusiastic like
A week later (I thought I was gonna have been finished inside a week)
Much pain with bizarre problems along the way
12th august, finish.
I was off work and had 18 days of continuous struggle! You need to dig in and focus on stamina! Keep on keeping on. I thought I was never going to succeed at times.
A week later (I thought I was gonna have been finished inside a week)
Much pain with bizarre problems along the way
12th august, finish.
I was off work and had 18 days of continuous struggle! You need to dig in and focus on stamina! Keep on keeping on. I thought I was never going to succeed at times.
youngsyr said:
What about asking for help from mates/neighbours/relatives/local PHers?
A neighbours Dad is actually a truck mechanic so he's been popping by. In fact he's always saying that I worry too much and he's helped me a couple of times with stuck bolts etc. I don't like to burden him though, not that he ever seems to mind, but I am mindful that he works hard during the day and I'm sure would rather be seeing his nephew than climbing under my car!I think it's more the 'heat of the moment' stresses, and when things just don't quite go to plan. Perhaps that's it - my plan ought to include room for things going wrong, bolts being stuck etc.
CoolHands said:
I was off work and had 18 days of continuous struggle! You need to dig in and focus on stamina! Keep on keeping on. I thought I was never going to succeed at times.
Ah well done. I'm sure you look back on it with some pride. Or relief.By the way, seeing you working out in the open there like me - do you get people wandering by asking 'Still at it?'
colin_p said:
I have found that what really helps is if the car is not a daily driver, you have a garage and can slam that garage door shut in disgust and not venture back into it for six months.
Whilst this is a daily driver we do at least have another car, and we don't commute, so that's the next best thing I suppose.I'd love to have a second garage to work in though, not just for all-weather working on the car but also being able to shut it away like you say. Out of sight out of mind!
Edited by tux850 on Monday 9th October 08:10
It's made far worse when you're starting with a perfectly working car and doing routine maintenance such as your cam belt.
At least if the car was already broken when you started you haven't made it worse.
Issues such as stuck bolts are just the excuse you need to buy more tools. My big DeWalt impact driver solves all stuck bolts. Either they get removed or they get snapped off out of the way
At least if the car was already broken when you started you haven't made it worse.
Issues such as stuck bolts are just the excuse you need to buy more tools. My big DeWalt impact driver solves all stuck bolts. Either they get removed or they get snapped off out of the way
did a clutch job a few bits of painting /cleaning up around the area , thought it would be done in a week of spending 2hrs a day , took nearer 3 months lol
when its too much walk away and have a good think about the next steps etc , dont struggle with the wrong tools if you need a certain spanner then get one
when its too much walk away and have a good think about the next steps etc , dont struggle with the wrong tools if you need a certain spanner then get one
I've been in this place with quite a few jobs. All the right tips have already been mentioned. Do some research as to what needs to be done and the steps to get there, correct tools purchased beforehand, break the job into sections, keep to them in terms of time/tea/tear breaks and as mentioned don't stop at the hardest point. Youtube is also great for tips, tricks and the BTDT experience.
Personally tools have made the biggest difference, especially correct spanners (ring, deep ring, brake, crows feet, curved, etc), and breaker bars of different lengths. The latest purchase was a 3mm skinny spanner for drop link removal.
One of the best tools I ever bought for shortening jobs on my BMWs is the simple cranked fan spanner and pulley stop device - what used to be 10 minutes of swearing and hoping it will shift, is now 10 seconds of setting them in position and off it comes.
Another job I recall was all preparation - removal of a BMW M30 exhaust manifold after 35 years of being in the same place. A few days of simply spraying pentrating oil followed by another few days of methodical loosening and removal until I was left with one bd rounded and seemingly welded nut. Some dogged persistence and arsing around with some imperial spanners made a flat re-form and then one of those funky tightening sockets started shifting it. It took 4 or 5 days in all but in the end it came off without buggering the head and the stud threads at all.
Personally tools have made the biggest difference, especially correct spanners (ring, deep ring, brake, crows feet, curved, etc), and breaker bars of different lengths. The latest purchase was a 3mm skinny spanner for drop link removal.
One of the best tools I ever bought for shortening jobs on my BMWs is the simple cranked fan spanner and pulley stop device - what used to be 10 minutes of swearing and hoping it will shift, is now 10 seconds of setting them in position and off it comes.
Another job I recall was all preparation - removal of a BMW M30 exhaust manifold after 35 years of being in the same place. A few days of simply spraying pentrating oil followed by another few days of methodical loosening and removal until I was left with one b
d rounded and seemingly welded nut. Some dogged persistence and arsing around with some imperial spanners made a flat re-form and then one of those funky tightening sockets started shifting it. It took 4 or 5 days in all but in the end it came off without buggering the head and the stud threads at all.It happens.
I noticed some corrosion bubbling through the powdercoat on the outboard tilt unit I'm refurbishing, and decided to fix it...
After about 5 hours abrading away the powder coat, I reckon I'm at best 3/4 of the way through stripping it.
And the epoxy paint I'll be using is 24 hours between coats, so this has set me back at least a week.
But sometimes you have to walk away for a bit. I'm having a night off.
I noticed some corrosion bubbling through the powdercoat on the outboard tilt unit I'm refurbishing, and decided to fix it...
After about 5 hours abrading away the powder coat, I reckon I'm at best 3/4 of the way through stripping it.
And the epoxy paint I'll be using is 24 hours between coats, so this has set me back at least a week.
But sometimes you have to walk away for a bit. I'm having a night off.
I agree with pretty much all of the above, in particular as a home mechanic it really helps if you're not relying on the car to be ready for Monday morning for example.
Other thoughts:
- You're not doing this every day of the week and almost every job will be the first time you've ever done it.... so it's always going to be more difficult and time consuming for you, and is going to present some unexpected challenges. That's just part of the job.
- As mentioned, having appropriate tools is really important and can make your life so much easier. (I just bought an impact wrench, it made working under the car on my back almost fun!).
- The more you work on cars the better core competences you build - how to hold tools to avoid injuring yourself, exactly how to position the tool so it's less likely to slip, when to bring out certain tools such as pickle fork vs. ball joint splitter etc
- You will eventually succeed. You probably haven't given up on many jobs, if any, ever? They all turned out OK in the end, yes? So this one probably will too.
Kudos on tackling the Ecoboost timing belt - a tricky job I've heard.
Other thoughts:
- You're not doing this every day of the week and almost every job will be the first time you've ever done it.... so it's always going to be more difficult and time consuming for you, and is going to present some unexpected challenges. That's just part of the job.
- As mentioned, having appropriate tools is really important and can make your life so much easier. (I just bought an impact wrench, it made working under the car on my back almost fun!).
- The more you work on cars the better core competences you build - how to hold tools to avoid injuring yourself, exactly how to position the tool so it's less likely to slip, when to bring out certain tools such as pickle fork vs. ball joint splitter etc
- You will eventually succeed. You probably haven't given up on many jobs, if any, ever? They all turned out OK in the end, yes? So this one probably will too.
Kudos on tackling the Ecoboost timing belt - a tricky job I've heard.
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