The 5 min job what turned into a 4 hour time waster

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Well that 5 min job took a lot longer.

My friend got a replacement engine for his Kramer Allrad Front Loader, so being an all-round good egg I popped over to lift it off the delivery pallet.

Odd, I think as I hoisted the engine with my chain block, never made that noise before.

Finish the job, take the cover of both sides and “Oh Dreary. Oh Dearly Me” the thing fell to bits on me. Easy to put back together, so I will de grease it, needs to be done anyway.

Pull out trusty, well it was trusty until today when it didn’t work, parts de-greaser and it didn’t work. A quick poke with the meter showed the 2 pole switch was not in fact switching. So I need to rummage for a suitable spare.

So I think I will give the replacement engine a pressure wash. No. I will not, the pressure washer has a leak.


So I am now heading to the pub for a jar or 10 off good ale.

 

[mike os]

you know they are out of your favourite tipple dont you?

 

[chunkolini]

Volunteering to help with a five minute job?
Big mistake.
Lubrication afterwards sound neccessary

 

[ronan]

In ireland its called murphy's law, in the uk i believe you call it sod's law.

 

[daleyd]

Worst one I had in the mob was changing the hydraulic return hose on lancasters 4.5 mk8.

The BR had about 2 pages of a4 as the job. No problem, soon crack this off we thought. I knew we were in the cack when everyone we asked, including the wisened old Chiefs at North corner said they had never down this before and they thought it could only be done by lifting the turret off.

3 days later after working 20 hour days we finished at 6 in the morning on the day of bost staff sea check.

 

[skotl]

Always happens. I go into the garage looking to do Job A and then end up fixing tool C that is needed to fix tool B that I need for Job A, which hasn't progressed during the five four hours I was in the garage

 

[MattF]

Always happens. I go into the garage looking to do Job A and then end up fixing tool C that is needed to fix tool B that I need for Job A, which hasn't progressed during the five four hours I was in the garage

I went one step past that today. Spent a hour or two searching for a spring which only existed in my so-called memory, but apparently not in reality.

 

[skotl]

Next week you'll find it under a piece of wood. You won't need it next week, of course, but that's how it works

 

[skotl]

I went one step past that today. Spent a hour or two searching for a spring which only existed in my so-called memory, but apparently not in reality.

Actually - I've just rethought this and realised you're absolutely right! I took a lawnmower gearbox apart and realised the spring had, err, sprung. Spent ages looking all over the garage for it.
Eventually realised I was going to have to buy a replacement and so set about trying to measure where "the spring" would sit in the gearbox. Stared at it for a few moments and then went "Oh! THAT'S how it works!". No spring, of course, just a little lever that was still attached to the gearbox.

 

[MattF]

Similar type of scenario here. After searching, checked against a couple of others and realised there was no spring. Should have checked before searching. You'd think having a crappy memory and forgetting stuff was bad, but it seems a crappy memory creating the odd memory or two out of thin air can be far more irksome.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Update.
Found a suitable switch last night for the pressure washer, no modification needed.
I put is some were safe.
Now were is it?

 

[eSCHEn]

Don't you need to do that thing first before you forget?

 

[dobbslc]

I stripped down a freshly rebuilt Yamaha FZR engine once looking for where the locating dowel went that I had found in the parts pot on my bench.
Head off, barrels off, split the crankcase, quess what? Nothing missing!
Rebuilt it and it's still running to this day.
And to this day I still don't know where that dowel came from.

 

[Cobbler]

I stripped down a freshly rebuilt Yamaha FZR engine once looking for where the locating dowel went that I had found in the parts pot on my bench.
Head off, barrels off, split the crankcase, quess what? Nothing missing!
Rebuilt it and it's still running to this day.
And to this day I still don't know where that dowel came from.

It's the same when you do anything on a car, there always seems to be bolts left over. A mechanic friend always referred to them as pocket bolts. Put them in your pocket & say nothing.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Done and “Efffing” Dusted.

As you have read, I “misplaced” the new switch. I looked at the pressure washer, the leak was easy to find. On the side of the pump unit is a blanking plug with a rubber “O” ring seal. But is this case it was a seal, more of a mass off crumbling rubber. 1 new seal later and jobs done. Even the casings went on easy.

I rummaged for a “new” replacement switch in my collection “of this will come in handy” spares and found another suitable replacements switch. 10 mins later parts degreaser is back together and working, refilled with fresh “Jizzer” and away I go.

But what is this I spy, in plain view, on the bench. Is it not the first switch I found? Yes it was. The first missing switch.

I will swear blind it was not there when I was looking for it.

Who else has evil gremlins like that?

So, to the chain hoist, when used it made a terrible noise. So strip down and find a dust guard, normally pop riveted in place was loose and rattling around and rubbing and snatching on the pulley wheel. So out with old rivets and replaced with 2x M4 bolts and nylock nuts. Reassemble and test.

It works.

Then, from my Mini Me Helper,

“Dad, what’s that washer for on the bench?

2 hours later and a U tube video we found were it goes. Does not do any form or function in the hoist, but it came off, so it gone back on.

So, hoist the engine up, cover with de greaser and wash down. Not a bad looking engine.

Connect a temporary fuel supply to fuel lift pump, bodge some elecs onto it and let’s try it.

Guess what?

No it didn’t.

It didn’t mess me around, after 3 or for cranks it burst into life and settled down and ran smoothly.

Beer any one?

 

[mike os]

I thought the hide it in front of you gremlins were my own personal hell lol

 

[mcostello]

Just bought a new to Me Clausing Colchester lathe 15" X 50". Previous owner had the carriage off and crimped the manual oiler line so it would not get any oil to pump. Took carriage totally off to clean, put new wipers on etc. Lost the front gib, have the back. This room is 3M X 7M and not cluttered. Been lost 2 months now. Looked everywhere, every toolbox, every drawer,on top,behind and in back of everything. Gave up today and made another one, so I'll find the original shortly. This piece of steel is 13" long and appx 1/2" square, so its not small.

 

[dannyp]

I thought the hide it in front of you gremlins were my own personal hell lol

i have pixies here. i have come to the conclusion that them the pixies are actualy highly evolved lifeforms that move not only themselves but other objects in not just space but time and i am the rat in there experiment. part of this experiment involves regualy placeing 10,13,17,19,22 and 24 mm sockets and spanners in plain sight on flat surfaces but at a random point in time somewhen in the futcher from now.

 

[tflnemesis]

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Don't you need to do that thing first before you forget?

Awwww, now you've just gone and confused/worried him.