Does Oppo have wrenching "traditions?" (TL/DR: tie rod end baseball after the jump)

"Noah - Now with more boost." (antriebverliebt) 02/16/2017 at 13:03 • Filed to: None

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Like Drive Tribe’s name suggests, our circles of gearhead friends are kind of like little tribes with their own customs/traditions. My people’s most sacred tradition: stubborn old parts, once they finally come off, must be spiked on the ground like a touchdown celebration, and then flipped off. It’s an expression of our maturity. Sometimes though, parts must be punished in an unconventional manner to appease the car gods. In this case? Tie rod baseball.

PotbellyJoe and 42 others > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:07

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My traditions seem to be cursing loudly and removing my knuckles on rusty parts.

For Sweden > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:09

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My wrenching tradition is not getting it right the first time and spilling fluids all over me.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > PotbellyJoe and 42 others 02/16/2017 at 13:10

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You stole my tradition! Except you have to include the part where all of the bolts are rusty and break, leading to the entire day spent on a “1 hour repair job”.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > For Sweden 02/16/2017 at 13:11

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So say we all.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:11

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I think my tradition is taking 3 times as long as expected to accomplish anything

HammerheadFistpunch > For Sweden 02/16/2017 at 13:11

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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:13

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I near-ritualistically resort the lift extensions into their little stacks and line up tools by group on the counter even if I don’t put them away.

WilliamsSW > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:13

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Does swearing and trying to do the job with the wrong tools count?

OPPOsaurus WRX > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:20

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my tradition at about the moment above was to contemplate my life choices.

Urambo Tauro > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:21

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Here’s a fun post-wrenching tradition: Go for a test drive, pull over, and LATCH THE DAMN HOOD. I’ve done that twice now.

Noah - Now with more boost. > For Sweden 02/16/2017 at 13:21

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Don’t forget rust in your eye! And spilling fluids on the driveway too, gotta stain it real good

Noah - Now with more boost. > PotbellyJoe and 42 others 02/16/2017 at 13:22

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According to our canon, the fix will not work unless there is a knuckle blood sacrifice.

EL_ULY > For Sweden 02/16/2017 at 13:22

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My wrenching making love tradition is not getting it right the first time and spilling fluids all over me.

fixed it :]

Noah - Now with more boost. > OPPOsaurus WRX 02/16/2017 at 13:23

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LOL I remember these posts because they were so horrifying.

CalzoneGolem > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:23

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1: Try to fix broken thing with zip ties. If that fails goto 2

2: Try to fix broken thing by riveting some license plate to it. If that fails goto 3

3: Beer.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:25

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Yes. My family has a longstanding tradition of sending out cars to someone else to do the wrenching.

Noah - Now with more boost. > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/16/2017 at 13:26

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I get that, I’m very visually oriented and need to organize all of the parts/tools I need. Looking for things when you’re already stressed out is no fun. It’s like car guy mise en place lol.

Die-Trying > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:26

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the tire wall, its a wall, made out of old tires, and some wheels.

the engine block pile, where all the unusable/used up, not worth using parts go, when they get pulled.

the 20 min high rpm break in of a new flat tappet cam.

the quarter mile test down the block, after you get done putting a fresh “bullet” together..........

ALSO..... the high speed moving violation.......

Ash78, voting early and often > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:27

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Cursing at the country of origin of the vehicle being worked on, often with colorful and mostly inaccurate language about the people (and/or political parties) who once controlled said countries. I don’t know how I would ever work on a Volvo, though. Probably something about “bork” and sex with a moose.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Urambo Tauro 02/16/2017 at 13:29

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hahahah smooth! I’ve done things like that too, the test drive is always such a big deal, it’s distracting

Noah - Now with more boost. > CalzoneGolem 02/16/2017 at 13:30

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yep. #3 is 100% necessary for wrenching as long as there are no cutting tools being used

Noah - Now with more boost. > sm70- why not Duesenberg? 02/16/2017 at 13:32

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SINNER.

I get it though, I’m just too cheap and also somewhat sadistic

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:32

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What’s funny is that I will pick up a tool for a later stage of the job, then realize I need to do something else first and wander around looking for the something else with the first tool in hand - during which I’m highly likely to misplace the first tool and not remember where. My tendency to need order of *operations* means that my right brain slips into the breech to play pranks on me.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 02/16/2017 at 13:36

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Yes. All of the things that you’re worried about breaking must be broken. Last month we broke the steering box trying to change the bumper on an old Jeep. Granted, Chrysler used it as a structural component, which is REALLY stupid. We had a new one on hand but the job still took all day instead of a couple hours.

Noah - Now with more boost. > WilliamsSW 02/16/2017 at 13:36

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Absolutely! Bonus points if you ruin a fastener because you were too lazy to drive to Autozone

Noah - Now with more boost. > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/16/2017 at 13:39

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The best place to put the first tool is on top of the radiator. That way, you can knock it off down into the engine bay and spend half an hour fishing it out with a coat hanger

Dave the car guy , still here > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:42

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Mine are turning on the old Kenwood amp in the garage to a classic rock station and never cracking a beer until its under an hour before the work will be finished. Occasionally its a jazz station and margarita but thats usually in summer.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Die-Trying 02/16/2017 at 13:43

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We’re slowly working our way up to some nice piles. And at the moment I’m storing a set of my friend’s wheels so he could de-clutter his own car parts area... you know just normal things that are easy to explain when I invite girls over...

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:44

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Please, an even better place is the valve cover. That way it can be on either side of the engine. Makes it exciting, particularly if you have an injection pump or something similar on one side with a tiny space between it and the block.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Dave the car guy , still here 02/16/2017 at 13:46

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Music is a necessity. We do soundcloud playlists.

OPPOsaurus WRX > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:47

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Great, i’m know for a nightmare of a car and a former job that didn;t supply toiletpaper

Noah - Now with more boost. > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 02/16/2017 at 13:49

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lol. I had a great one the last time I refilled my windshield washer fluid. I fumbled with the bottle cap and somehow tossed it into a black hole behind my headlight. Fortunately the cap for the filler neck isn’t removable because clearly I cannot be trusted

WilliamsSW > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:50

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Ah yes - my most recent work was replacing the alternator in my ‘05 Pathfinder, which included breaking two rusty screws holding the intake cover on, and crushing several of the clips holding the inner fender liner on. I totally failed to lose any fasteners, though, so bad on me there.

Noah - Now with more boost. > OPPOsaurus WRX 02/16/2017 at 13:50

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hahahah omg I didn’t know about the second one

Noah - Now with more boost. > WilliamsSW 02/16/2017 at 13:53

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Yes clip breaking is mandatory. Especially if they’re German clips because then they’ll be several dollars apiece. BTW my Q45 has a hilarious number of Pathfinder parts on it. I’m consistently surprised by how many parts Autozone has in stock for me

Noah - Now with more boost. > Ash78, voting early and often 02/16/2017 at 13:56

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haha yep we do this too, especially with German cars. Traditional Scandinavian food is GROSS. That would be my go-to: “No wonder this job is impossible, it was designed by people who eat pickled and sometimes rotten fish...” (source: foodie with a German & Scandinavian studies degree)

WilliamsSW > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:59

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Luckily I decided I didn’t need any of them when we put it all back together.

Mine is 12 years old, rusting, with 170k on it, so I don’t particularly care that much.

That’s a nice bonus for a relatively rare car! I think they’re still building the Frontier, so you’re good on anything shared there for a looooong time.

Dave the car guy , still here > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 13:59

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Way back when I lived in North Carolina I had a crazier tradition of throwing the my old car parts into the ocean. I wish I could see the face some day of the guy who finds a trashed Triumph TR-4 transmission on the beach. Who knows , with all the storms in past years it may have already washed ashore. It was about 100 feet+ off the beach in Southern Shores, close to 36.130 LAT 75.725 LON. There were also some old timing gears there and a cam with a bad lobe from a Fiat 850.

Noah - Now with more boost. > WilliamsSW 02/16/2017 at 14:09

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Yep fortunately it seems like most wear items aren’t unique to my car. The rest though? Needle in a haystack. Fingers crossed...

Noah - Now with more boost. > Dave the car guy , still here 02/16/2017 at 14:11

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gotta scatter the ashes somewhere!

Ash78, voting early and often > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 14:33

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My only personal exposure to Scandinavia is with some friends in Iceland. Rotten shark head buried in the ground for a week sounds...amazing. Maybe if you’re drunk enough (and if you’re in Iceland, you’re probably drunk enough)

unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 14:46

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Insert curse word about design flaw while servicing said part. After seeing the failed part I curse at it more. My oil changes take time as I don’t want a drain plug backing out at 50 mph.

Die-Trying > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 15:02

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i have a FEW of those including but not limited to ........the aluminum head with tunnel ram intake(including 2 holleys and velocity stacks) vertex mag in there, and upswept headers coffee table. its just waiting for its own project HONEST(for the last 8 years)....... the muncie 4 speed and aluminium bellhousing lamp(had a matching pair, until it got to that part of the bug..... the steering column lamp.....all the lamps had my classic hub cap collection for “shades”. used to have the weld drag lites end tables(finally made it to the bug). they were next to the small sofa(the old bench seat from my 57 truck)..... either i am cheap, and dont buy “real” furniture, or i am ahead of some kind of trend........

Noah - Now with more boost. > Ash78, voting early and often 02/16/2017 at 16:33

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Yeah man it all stems from 1000 years ago when that was the ground was the best freezer they had... I bet that drip was dope!

Noah - Now with more boost. > unclevanos (Ovaltine Jenkins) 02/16/2017 at 16:34

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oil changes are so simple... and SO horrifying at the same time.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Die-Trying 02/16/2017 at 16:36

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hahaha oh man you need to make a post about your car furniture!!

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 16:43

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My traditions is to go like “nah, I’m not working near the oily bits I don’t need rubber gloves” and then 30 minutes later I go “fuck! why didn’t I put on rubber gloves?”

Die-Trying > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/16/2017 at 16:50

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maybe by next week. i need to get things tidied up a bit. that and round up the camera i lent out. but thats a fun idea. 

Needmoargarage > Noah - Now with more boost. 02/17/2017 at 10:06

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I offer the offending part up to my shelf of shame that is full of broken pistons, dead turbos, some old engine blocks, etc. I generally curse either myself, the previous owner, or the original design engineer for the failure. Having broken parts around sort of helps dissuade me from buying too many bad projects and reminds me to think twice when making design decisions at work.