One TINY mistake.......

[Firesticks]

and it turns into an ordeal. Had to change the fuel pump on my old CJ5. Easy enough. Get the pump and it is the wrong one. Actuation ever isn't right so back to get the correct one. Okay gasket cement is dried out so I make guide pins and screw them in. I slide the pump on and go to remove one guide pin to start so I can start the bolt. WHAM! I touch the pump with the pin and it down into the hole. Maybe 3/8" opening and a 1/4" bolt manages to fall through!!!!!!! I fish around with my magnet but no can find. So I have to pull the oil pan! Old Jeep seems easy enough. I pull the starter and cross brace. Nope it won't clear the engine mount.So I have to remove the engine mount and jack up the engine to get the pan off. New oil pan gasket a fresh tube of RTV (the one have is dried up) all surfaces cleaned and ready and we can start putting it all back together. I only hope things go back easier than they came apart. The insane part of it all I was SOOOO wary of getting something inside the block I plugged the hole with a clean rag while I cleaned the mating surface for the fuel pump. Like to have a chat with whoever is in charge of KARMA and find out what H E double toothpicks I did that led to this or am I building in an account for something good to happen for once? Okay back to crawling underneath the greasy mess. (oh yah it is getting a thorough bath in the engine compartment and underneath when this is all done.)

 

[raisedin99]

You gonna change out the oil pump while the pan is off?

terry

 

[Bekeart]

Remember Murphy ...

Remember Murphy of Murphy's Law fame?

Murphy was an Optimist!

Bekeart

 

[Firesticks]

You gonna change out the oil pump while the pan is off?

terry

No. The motor doesn't have that many miles on it. Always ran synthetics, mostly Amsoil. Oil mess came from the plastic valve cover leaking but i made my own hold down clips for that issue and got that stopped.

Just can't believe I did such a dumb thing.

 

[BigBoy99]

Don't you just love those 15 minute repair jobs which turn into 5 hour affairs!

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Reminds me of my old 66 Malibu. We were in college and the fuel pump went out. Found out that what went out was the rocker wheel inside the engine block that actuated the pump lever on the fuel pump which would cost an arm and a leg to tear sown the motor and replace. Soo.....a friend had an electric fuel pump. We bolted that thing to the firewall, ran wires to somewhere where it would start up when the ignition key was turned on, re plumbed ot from the fuel tank to the carb ...and it worked When we would put the key in the ignition you could hear that sucker whirring away and you had to start the car quick otherwise it would fill the carb with gas and flood it. Jack-leg engineering at it's very best For me and my brothers bacn in the early 70's it was fix it ourselves of take the bus to skule. Your story brought back a pleasant memory.

 

[peh_7]

My wife says that things like this always meet the four (4) times rule. i.e. any job I estimate how long it will take to complete always, that's always, takes at LEAST four time that long to complete.

 

[Okie21]

Don't feel bad. Back in my Army days, someone (NOT ME) dropped an aluminum washer down into the fuel cell of a helicopter. It happened right after lunch and took us until almost 9pm to fish it out. We took turns using mirrors and mechanical fingers. Magnets were suggested several times by a couple of us rookies and our squad leader gently reminded us that the washer was aluminum. After about the fifth time someone mentioned magnet, we were threatened with bodily harm if we mentioned it again. We all went home smelling of aviation fuel and the special self sealing inner liner inside the cell. Kinds smelled like rubber and skunk!!!!

Sent from my Moto G (5S) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[kraynky]

It's to teach you patience, when faced with frustration. I've wrenched on so many of my clunkers growing up, I eventually had all of the timing lights. Dwell meters, vacuum testers, thread chasers, tuning forks, etc. And then cars went space age on me, and I don't even want to change the oil in one these days. Enjoy your time with your jeep, you will learn patience, and how to stay prepared for anything. Good story.

 

[VAPA]

We have a saying in our house when things go wrong; "NOTHING IS SIMPLE"

 

[amazingflapjack]

I keep a magnet on my oil filter. If the pump picks up a small item like that, the magnet gets it. Also, a gas pressure regulator is needed in many normally aspirated application. For instance, a Holly operates on a max of about 7 Lbs.

 

[OLDNAVYMCPO]

Not automotive related, but the other day, I was building an AR 15 lower. Trying to install the take down pin detent plunger and spring, I let the spring and plunger get away. Spent hours on my hands and knees looking for that tiny plunger. Gave up and tried to make one from a finishing nail. Another wasted hour. After giving up, the pin mysteriously appeared and I was able to complete a 20 min job in only 3 1/2 hours.

 

[JH1951]

Your story explains why I found nuts and bolts in the pan sludge of the last 'Go-Devil' that I tore apart..... That was decades ago.

 

[MRB1]

When my CJ5 fuel pump gave out, I installed a electric pump, and rerouted the fuel lines to the other side of the frame. The old routing was directly over the catalytic converter and causing all kinds of problems. Loved those CJs.

 

[wood714]

I'm that guy that always breaks easy outs off in bolts.

Don't know why they call the damn things easy outs.

 

[Toolguy]

I'm that guy that always breaks easy outs off in bolts.

Don't know why they call the damn things easy outs.

It's the EASY way to get OUT of doing it. Then you have to call someone else ... like me.

 

[Grayfox]

42 years as a mechanic and I have been there, done that!
A variation on Murphy's Laws of Mechanics states that any bolt dropped inside an engine will always stop in the place where it can do the most damage.
I have personally seen a cam follower assembly break off the side of a diesel engine because a guy wrongly assumed that a dropped 1/4" bolt had fallen harmlessly to the bottom of the oil pan.
I remember many years ago a Cummins representative came to school us on the then new L-10 series engines. He said to be particularly careful with fuel injector clamp bolts. If you drop one into the engine, the factory has found that about the only way to get it out is to turn the engine upside down.

 

[Firesticks]

Well back together and running fine. Only took 6 days. Being disabled I had to do it in small stages and go slowly with limited motion and strength. It was a very good reminder of why I had to go on disability some years back. It will take a week of rest, heating pad, Tylenol and a couple pain killers to recover and feel like "normal". Yet still a job accomplished feels good.

 

[REM 3200]

"One TINY mistake......."
From that title, I thought we were going to talk about George Armstrong Custer.
He made only "One Tiny mistake".

 

[Firesticks]

"One TINY mistake......."
From that title, I thought we were going to talk about George Armstrong Custer.
He made only "One Tiny mistake".

I'd say it was more inline as a BIG ONE! LOL

 

[Frank46]

'73 CJ5 had to change out the exhaust system. Squirted penetrating oil on the bolts and let sit awhile. Being a straight 6 engine you fiqure that you had plenty of room. No long breaker bar or any combination of drive extensions would break the bolts loose. Out comes the propane torch and proceeded to heat up the bolts hoping the heat then cooling would help break the rust holding the bolts. Nope no cigar. Got out the drill and drill bit set and drilled two holes on either side of the bolts. Flooded with penetrating oil. Went inside the house made a cup of coffee and after that back to the jeep. To my suprise the penetrating oil had actually gotten down to the threads and was able to get the two bolts out. Since I had to replace everything from the exhaust manifold back I had the hangers,clamps and proper exhaust piping. Never seized the bolts,nuts and washers and put permatex non hardening in the holes. What should have been a two hour job cost me 6 hours. But that cherry bomb muffler sounded great. Didn't have an air compressor or impact gun so had to do it the hard way. Kinda sounds like the old house I had on Long Island NY. Every time I started a repair job, something else had to be either fixed or replaced before I got to where I could do what I had originally started out to do. Frank

 

[Bekeart]

Plugs, Points, and Condenser – NOT so EASY

Plugs, Points, and Condenser – NOT so EASY

Long ago (1979) I offered to do a minor tune up (Plugs, Points, and Condenser) for then current Girlfriend.
The tune up and girlfriend were both mistakes.

IIRC her car was a Buick with V-8.
Four spark plug on driver side no problem.
Two front spark plugs on passenger side no problem.
These six plugs showed equal and normal erosion of center electrode

Now the problems start:
Jack up car – remove wheel – long extension with socket and ratchet through axle opening in fender.
Remove THIRD plug – more electrode erosion than first six.

The eighth plug had even worse access problem.
No access for extension or ratchet - Who designed this mess!
Spark Plug Socket had a HEX at the driver end. (anybody else remember those)
Had to use a Hand Wrench on the HEX to remove plug.
Electrode was eroded BELOW the center insulator.

I concluded that during previous tune-ups her Father had skipped the difficult plugs.

Bekeart

 

[WardenRoss]

Reminds me of my old 66 Malibu. We were in college and the fuel pump went out. Found out that what went out was the rocker wheel inside the engine block that actuated the pump lever on the fuel pump which would cost an arm and a leg to tear sown the motor and replace. Soo.....a friend had an electric fuel pump. We bolted that thing to the firewall, ran wires to somewhere where it would start up when the ignition key was turned on, re plumbed ot from the fuel tank to the carb ...and it worked When we would put the key in the ignition you could hear that sucker whirring away and you had to start the car quick otherwise it would fill the carb with gas and flood it. Jack-leg engineering at it's very best For me and my brothers bacn in the early 70's it was fix it ourselves of take the bus to skule. Your story brought back a pleasant memory.

Counselor, reminds me of when my buds VW Beetle transmission went out (about the same time frame as your story). It wouldn't stay in high gear kept jumping out. Then you had to come to a complete stop to reengage a gear.

We tied a bicycle innertube around the shift lever and to the rear seat frame. The pulling, rubber tube pressure would keep it in either second or forth gear. The driver would have to hold it into first or third.

Now drivable! LOL