Worst wrenching experience

[LoHo]

My recent experiences have led me to contemplate which particular experience is the most disheartening, the one that gives you that hollow feeling deep in your stomach, the "Nononononono!" experience. I have decided on four choices, my grand slam of minor errors that happen too often.

[DiverRay]

I can't count how many times the bolt went from hard to turn to UHOH!

[GLoweVA]

My worst sinking stomach feeling was dropping a cam cap nut down into the timing chain valley. I could see it sitting down in there resting on the slacked chain. I ended up fishing it out with a long piece of wire with a hook on the end. The whole time I'm hoping that it doesn't fall the rest of the way down into the bottom (aka oil pan).

[crazy steve]

I'd have to go with #3, with #1 as my second choice. There's varying degrees of difficulty/problems involved with the others. 3 can all-too-easily lead to a major teardown, while #1 may or may not be a big deal. None are good...

[LoHo]

Number three is an "Oh sh**" moment, but one might solve it by stopping and taking the cams apart. Compressed air will reveal bent valves...or not. I was at that point yesterday, so instead of turning the crank to see what happens, I took it all apart and started fresh. My best call this weekend, although it is interesting to see how far off timing can be and still spin the engine, although it won't run for crap.

[Yard Dogg]

I'm sort of having an oh **** of a different type. I completely tore down and split my cases and have put the motor back together. I know for fact that all of the gears and forks are in the correct position. The trouble is, I don't think I lubed things well enough when I put it all together. For some reason, my bike doesn't want to shift well. It seems to be stuck like my shift fork cam will not rotate, something is binding. It was a little hesitant before I put it together cause one of the gears was sort of binding a little on the dogs, so I would just rotate the clutch shaft and it would engage. After I put it all together, It binds but will not unbind when rotating the shaft. It will not shift all the way through the gear cycles. Before I start the bike. I think I will fill the case halfway up with oil, take the plugs out, and crank it over to lube everything, then drain the oil out and properly fill it. I'm hoping the problem resolves itself with some oil and a few miles, cause I am not splitting the cases for a 3rd time.

[Petersg_99]

It's got to be #1 for me. Mainly because the bold that has the busted head is NEVER in a convenient place to drill and use the easy out on...

[BA80]

I dispise electrical problems. Guess which one I voted for.

[DGXSER]

For me, the worst sinking feeling I have ever had was when I put the wrong threaded nut on the threaded stud that is welded to the frame for the shock mount. When it snapped off, I knew I was screwed...pun intended. Fortunately, I got some good suggestions here on XS11 and got it fixed. Since I am not a welder, that was my biggest "OHHH SH!!!TT".

[TopCatGr58]

My biggest Oh crap moment was when I had rebuilt my topend with the little big bore kit, after knowingly bending a valve and fixing it then put it all together, but decided to test the static cold compression and got a ZERO on 1 cylinder! Had to tear it all down and found a second bent valve that wasn't bent enough to obviously see it!

THEN, putting the cams back in and torquing one of the cam cap nuts...it got a little easier, so I figured that I had stripped it, but it was already tightened down, so I left it alone. It's been fine for 16k miles but I'm sure if I ever have to take the cams out, I'll be either replacing a stud, or drilling and tapping the head for a slightly larger stud!?

T.C.

[CaptonZap]

It's been fine for 16k miles but I'm sure if I ever have to take the cams out, I'll be either replacing a stud, or drilling and tapping the head for a slightly larger stud!?

T.C.

If it comes to that, find a good engine rebuilder, or machine shop, and ask if they have metric Time-Serts. If they do, they can fix it good as new.
This site will answer a lot of questions.

http://timesert.com/html/faq.html#1


CZ

[bikerphil]

My worst wrenching experience was when I was replacing a tranny in a customers car. I had it up on the fork lift standing under it working on it and I needed to raise it a little higher. I started up the fork lift, hit the tilt lever by mistake and the car slid off, flipped over and landed on it's roof. I didn't need to finish tightening those bolts because the car was totaled.

Edit: BTW it was a Ford. Found On Roof Dead.

[conquest87tsi]

Wow Phil!! Makes me feel a little better about some of my mishaps. Msust say, I have never heard of using a fork lift to lift a automobile for service. Must have had some extended forks. By the way there are a lot of videos on youtube of similar mishaps:, but withI twin posts and pits D.

There isn't a selection for my worst experience. So I was in the middle of the xs750 FD modification (the 1st time). I had my fuel tank removed and sitting on a plastic chair ( tank was freshly painted by my retired body man father). I had cut the brass drive shaft bushing to exactly the "recommended" length mentioned in a thread earlier at work on the lathe. Spent 45 min trying to get the FD and shaft to go into the U joint(didnt remove the swingarm, I now know better). Then took the swing arm off and tryed buttoning it up. Found the bushing was too long. Found a way to chuck the bushing in my drill and used my benchmade as a cutting tool to cut it down. Tried putting it all together again and the damn thing still wouldn't go. By now it's 10:30 and I hadn't eaten supper and all royally pissed off. I grabbed the swing arm with final drive attached and through it across the garage. Swing arm hits the plastic chair smashes one of the legs and my beautiful tank rolls across the concrete. At this point I completely lose it and start beating my minorly scratched tank with my fists. My the time I calmed down it could have fit in a size 10 shoe box, and surprisingly all my knuckles were in the correct places.

This is one of the most shameful things I think I have ever done. I not only ruined a beautiful tank my father painted for me, but ai ruined a mint FD a member of this forum sold me for a very very good price.

Though it was an extremely stupid moment, I did learn a few things. Number one, walk away. You don't have to finish things right now. And two, never start a project three days before you are going to move. Especially one that if not completed renders the bike imobile.

I recently had a hard to turn to easy to turn moment on and exhuast stud. Normally busting off an exhuat stud would upset me quite a bit, but I know now it could be far far worse

Thanks for putting up with my embarrassing story. After 8 months I feel better talking about it. Maybe in 8 years it will be funny.

[Crusty Snippets]

Big screw up

I spent many hours replacing the seals in the front disc brakes on my 68 Dunstall Norton. Worked like a charm.
Took it 200 miles to the track, rolled it down the ramp, squeezed the front brake and all the fluid exited to the ground.
Borrowed another bike to race, never went to the track again with only one bike.
Got home and removed Dunstall's better idea in brakes, and threw them in the garbage.
Unkle Crusty

[Prothec]

The sound of an easy-out bit breaking...

I have been luck so far to not be the cause of a stripped bolt on my bikes (yet!), just a snapped bolt head.
I think so far for me, dropping a bolt or nut, hearing it hit once, then not hear it skitter across the floor would be a winner.