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Oh come on!!!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Roland5color
  • Start date Start date
R

Roland5color

Guest
So last week my valve shims finally arrived and I was able to adjust my valves. The mail ran late that day so I didn't get start until it was almost dark. Well this is the first time in the last 12 years that I don't have a garage to work in because I am renting a place to live in until I am done remodeling my house. So anyway I'm out on a small concrete patio of sorts trying to adjust my valves in the dark with a treble light.

All was going well and I was almost finished when I I felt something hit my hand and fall into the head. Oh come on!!!! I thought as my heart sank. Instantly all I could think about was having to tear the motor apart because something fell down the cam chain tunnel. Wait a minute what the hell could have fallen. Then I realized that it was the little knurled nut that holds all of my feeler gauges together.:eek: It had come loose from all of the back forth motion of using the different gauges to set the valves. Luckily though it fell just to the side of the number 3 intake valve and I was able to get it out with needle nose.

Lesson learned. Remove and use one feeler gauge at a time especially when working under less than perfect conditions or at the least check that nut regularly lol. So who else has had a Oh come on!!!! Moment while wrenching on their bike?
 
Those moments happen to me ALL the time.My favorite is "losing" the tool or part you just had in your hands.
 
SVSooke said:
Those moments happen to me ALL the time.My favorite is "losing" the tool or part you just had in your hands.
Click to expand...

Oh yeah that's a good one and your right that's exactly what i think ever time it happens oh come on not again!!!! Especially if I've had little sleep and have been working on something for hours. I'm not smart enough to step back and take a break. Well at least when I was young I wasn't. These days I'm more likely to walk away even for a day or to if necessary.:D
 
While adjusting shims, I dropped nuts down into the front of the cam chain tunnel twice, and was twice lucky that they only fell a couple inches down and I was able to retrieve them with a mirror and flexible magnet.

From now on, the first thing I do after removing the valve cover is stuff a rag into the cam chain tunnel.
 
I'm in the middle of completing a valve adjustment and used rags to cover up the areas susceptible to these type of accidents. Good points being brought up.


Ed
 
eil said:
From now on, the first thing I do after removing the valve cover is stuff a rag into the cam chain tunnel.
Click to expand...

Normally this what I would do when removing nuts or bolts but I figured what the heck I'm not taking anything loose what could fall in lol. :oops:
 
Yeah story of my life as well- langauge gets good and colorful in these moments of mechanical despair- start thinking about new machines and why am I even doing this crap any more etc. Then you get it all squared away and running right and then you remember why you do it. My worst had to be putting heads on a SBC and out of 34 Head bolts torqued to 75 Ftlbs. number 34 stripped and just kept on spinning- I seriously thought about scrapping the entire motor and the 4K in it. Took me about 2 weeks to get back to it I was so PO'ed. I have learned though once you start getting exhausted and hungry and thirsty, better to stop before something major goes south.
 
I was rebuilding a SBC back when I was young and dumb and broke off a main bolt. That's back when I trusted a torque wrench more than I did my own feel or common sense. I just keep pulling because it never clicked lol. That was one of my finer moments in mechanics .
 
Did one just yesterday,a 12mm socket will fit the wrong way round on a 3/8 ratchet.Was trying to tighten the turn signal nuts with the end of my 3/8 extension:rolleyes:.
 
Roland5color said:
So who else has had a Oh come on!!!! Moment while wrenching on their bike?
Click to expand...
Nope. :eek:




Never.
icon_eek.gif





That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. :p :-\\\

.
 
If I didn't read up on the procedure for valve cover removal on my Bandit when adjusting valves, I'm sure I would have had an "OH *#$@" situation with the 2 metal alignments pins falling into the engine abyss or the 4 seperate spark plug tower gaskets that are small enough to fall and disappear into the darkness.
 
Yup been there cussed that/had a hissy fit, stomped around, throw a wrench, the usual. I think the dumbest was I changed the oil once and installed the new filter and thought, hmm that went on easy this time. Buttoned everything up, added the oil and then noticed a spring under the bike...(insert scream here) redrain oil, take oil filter cover off, take out filter, install spring yada yada etc.
 
Well I think I have you all beat with last years 550 lack of oil pressure fiasco.

As some of you will recall, I encountered a situation where my oil pressure light wouldn't go out after I had done an oil and filter change. I spent months trying to figure out the issue, ripping the electricals and engine apart in my escalating frustration to figure it out. Hundreds of postings in my thread accumulated from guys trying to help out and many of you where extremely helpful but nothing worked until......I decided to have a look at the filter, only to find it was in backwards and blocking the flow of oil from the cooler. :(

Talk about the Dooh! head slap and 1/2 hour of nasty cussing.

You would think after that I'd be cured of dumbass moves but, sad to report, I still do goofy things.

It's all part of the fun of wrenching!
 
spyug said:
Well I think I have you all beat with last years 550 lack of oil pressure fiasco.

As some of you will recall, I encountered a situation where my oil pressure light wouldn't go out after I had done an oil and filter change. I spent months trying to figure out the issue, ripping the electricals and engine apart in my escalating frustration to figure it out. Hundreds of postings in my thread accumulated from guys trying to help out and many of you where extremely helpful but nothing worked until......I decided to have a look at the filter, only to find it was in backwards and blocking the flow of oil from the cooler. :(

Talk about the Dooh! head slap and 1/2 hour of nasty cussing.

You would think after that I'd be cured of dumbass moves but, sad to report, I still do goofy things.

It's all part of the fun of wrenching!
Click to expand...
I remember that,it was a classic:clap:
 
Roland5color said:
So who else has had a Oh come on!!!! Moment while wrenching on their bike?
Click to expand...

Worst one was when I was adjusting valve clearances on a friend's GPz1100. I stuffed every orifice with a rag, to totally avoid the missing nut/bolt down the engine scenario.
When I'd finished and buttoned it back up, there was a missing cam-cover bolt...

I absolutely knew it wasn't in the engine... somebody was taking the pi55. Turned out I was right.
 
The first new tube I installed. After hours of fighting the tires (taking them to the local tire shop to have the bead broke after busting three 2x4's building levers), burning through cans of silicone and plenty of knuckle skin it went back together. The tube was inside. The tire was on the rim. The valve stem poked through. Victory! Or not. When I put air in it that familiar hiss of having been too cavalier with the spoons started. It was a head dropper and forehead massager for sure. "Seriously!!!" Nonetheless, I keep coming back for more!!

Anyone else have a fun time learning tubes, tires and rims???
 
derickson104 said:
The first new tube I installed. After hours of fighting the tires (taking them to the local tire shop to have the bead broke after busting three 2x4's building levers), burning through cans of silicone and plenty of knuckle skin it went back together. The tube was inside. The tire was on the rim. The valve stem poked through. Victory! Or not. When I put air in it that familiar hiss of having been too cavalier with the spoons started. It was a head dropper and forehead massager for sure. "Seriously!!!" Nonetheless, I keep coming back for more!!
Click to expand...

Did exactly this a couple weeks ago. My weekends have been full up since and I haven't had a chance to order up a new tube yet. :(
 
Bike mechanic's life saver :D
389859

And pray the thing you dropped is ferrous :D
 
Dropped the whole damn set of feeler gauges down the cam chain tunnel. :o At least it was relatively easy to get out.

The worst I ever had - I'd been working on my engine the night before my first road race (on a road bike), and was doing the final engine button up. Got the cam cover back on, and then noticed it was missing one of the rubber 'D' seals that go at the end of the cams. :eek: Well, I pulled the cover off - no sign. I looked down every hole I could find in the engine, looking for a sign of it - nothing. Finally, I pulled the whole damn engine out, and tipped it upside down, and shook the sh1t out of it! Still nothing. :mad: And you know how heavy those 4 valve 1100 engines are? On your own? Anyway, decided F it, I'd put it all back together (I had a spare 'D'), and take my chances. Next morning, bike loaded on trailer, and girlfriend was picking up some tools, and she bends down, and picks up something off the floor... - 'D' - "Is this what you were looking for?" :eek: :dancing: :D

Worth it too - I got a third overall in the F1 class, my first time out road racing on a road bike (I'd used my IT465, with road tyres on it, the year previously).
 
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