dilley
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posted on 20/1/11 at 09:05 PM |
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I am having a bad day!
I had a customers car in todaY, 1999 FOCUS 1.6 ZETEC. Water pump was shot and making a horrendous noise, needed a cambelt too. I have done plenty of
these so no problem atall. New Cambelt is on and all I needed to do was refit and tighten crankshaft pulley and bolt. I was just having a cup of tea
and one of my 4 year old twin girls wants to be in the workshop. Both my kids love being with me and I quite enjoy it as long as I am not too
busy......The said daughter decided to climb in the car where the keys were in the ignition......battery NOT disconnected....Can you guess what
happened next?.................................................2 snapped valves!!!I have booked the said child a place at a
convent ....lol
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skodaman
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posted on 20/1/11 at 09:11 PM |
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'I have booked the said child a place at a convent ....lol'
But with them being twins do you really know which one it was. Better send them both to a convent to be sure.
Skodaman
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pgtips
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posted on 20/1/11 at 09:14 PM |
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Oh dear.
That will teach you disconnecting the battery next time.
I have nothing else to add
Sorry.
If I die, my biggest fear is that my wife sells all my toys for the price I told her I bought them for...
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dilley
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posted on 20/1/11 at 09:22 PM |
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I'm with you on the battery! because I work alone I normally leave them connected! saves hastle with radio codes.
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Strontium Dog
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posted on 20/1/11 at 09:23 PM |
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quote: Originally posted by pgtips
Oh dear.
That will teach you disconnecting the battery next time.
I have nothing else to add
Sorry.
Like he said, and it could have been your hands so.............................
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Strontium Dog
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posted on 20/1/11 at 09:26 PM |
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quote: Originally posted by dilley
I'm with you on the battery! because I work alone I normally leave them connected! saves hastle with radio codes.
You can get a plug in code saver that goes in the lighter socket!
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adithorp
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posted on 20/1/11 at 09:30 PM |
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Leaving the battery connected is often easier than disconnecting. When I do I remove the key.
Might be worth considering how many worse things that could happen to a 4 year old in a workshop....
"A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire
http://jpsc.org.uk/forum/
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Strontium Dog
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posted on 20/1/11 at 09:37 PM |
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quote: Originally posted by adithorp
Leaving the battery connected is often easier than disconnecting. When I do I remove the key.
And when you short out the starter solonoid with a spanner this is gonna help how?!
ALWAYS disconnect your batteries when doing such jobs, it is only good workshop practise after all!
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owelly
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posted on 20/1/11 at 09:43 PM |
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I still have a massive burn scar on my wrist from where my watch strap shorted across the solenoid on my Mini. It blew the watch to pieces but kept a
few glowing bits buried under my skin. When I was a kid helping my step dad, I turned the ignition key for him. The car was in gear at it almost
crushed his legs. I don't like him anyway so no great loss there....
As said. Think yourself very lucky. And more lucky that you're not in the same workshop as a clumsy git like me!!
http://www.ppcmag.co.uk
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dilley
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posted on 20/1/11 at 09:50 PM |
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I'm on my second bottle of wine now drowning my sorrows! The said customer is a great friend of mine who runs 90 hire cars, He has said dont
worry about it and that he wont tell anyone! problm is that means when I go out friday night for a beer with him everyone will know!
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hillbillyracer
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posted on 20/1/11 at 10:05 PM |
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I had a service & MOT jobs to do on a Fiesta today, strut out for a new top mount but the wrong one came (this happens A LOT!) so I got on with
the service, started it up after the oil change & the oil drag in the transmission turned the free driveshaft & pulled the inner joint apart,
TITS! Nothing broken, just some mess & wasted time.
I come on here & read about this & my cock-up doesnt seem so bad! That's a right bugger for you, been there & had similar
disasters myself.
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MakeEverything
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posted on 20/1/11 at 10:21 PM |
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quote: Originally posted by adithorp
Leaving the battery connected is often easier than disconnecting. When I do I remove the key.
Might be worth considering how many worse things that could happen to a 4 year old in a workshop....
Ditto. I dont let mine anywhere near the garage when its not a safe place for him to be. If he does, he's told to stand by the door.
Kindest Regards,
Richard.
...You can make it foolProof, but youll never make it Idiot Proof!...
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adithorp
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posted on 20/1/11 at 10:55 PM |
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quote: Originally posted by Strontium Dog
quote: Originally posted by adithorp
Leaving the battery connected is often easier than disconnecting. When I do I remove the key.
And when you short out the starter solonoid with a spanner this is gonna help how?!
ALWAYS disconnect your batteries when doing such jobs, it is only good workshop practise after all!
...if you're working anywhere near the starter! There's no need to be anywhere near the starter doing a Focus belt and water pump though
is there?
"A witty saying proves nothing" Voltaire
http://jpsc.org.uk/forum/
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stevebubs
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posted on 20/1/11 at 10:58 PM |
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quote: Originally posted by dilley
I had a customers car in todaY, 1999 FOCUS 1.6 ZETEC. Water pump was shot and making a horrendous noise, needed a cambelt too. I have done plenty of
these so no problem atall. New Cambelt is on and all I needed to do was refit and tighten crankshaft pulley and bolt. I was just having a cup of tea
and one of my 4 year old twin girls wants to be in the workshop. Both my kids love being with me and I quite enjoy it as long as I am not too
busy......The said daughter decided to climb in the car where the keys were in the ignition......battery NOT disconnected....Can you guess what
happened next?.................................................2 snapped valves!!!I have booked the said child a place at a
convent ....lol
Good thing you weren't infront of it with the car in gear....
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Strontium Dog
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posted on 21/1/11 at 12:06 AM |
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quote: Originally posted by adithorp
quote: Originally posted by Strontium Dog
quote: Originally posted by adithorp
Leaving the battery connected is often easier than disconnecting. When I do I remove the key.
And when you short out the starter solonoid with a spanner this is gonna help how?!
ALWAYS disconnect your batteries when doing such jobs, it is only good workshop practise after all!
...if you're working anywhere near the starter! There's no need to be anywhere near the starter doing a Focus belt and water pump though
is there?
It really is up to you if you wish to put your hands into an engine without making it safe first
I would have thought that a couple of the above posts would be enough to show that it is not wise for more than just one reason and no one has ever
droped a spanner into an engine bay have they!
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StrikerChris
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posted on 21/1/11 at 12:21 AM |
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Good on you.no real harm done,and if your kids anything like me, dads wroth when you've cocked him up when your young, makes you abit more
carefull when your 30 struggling to do a 3 man job on your own!i've got many scars,most recieved before i was 10(afew more when i discovered
beer,and a couple from discovering girls,and then there's the ones from being discovered with girls after beer) but i've still have all my
fingers!tested the dangers on dad and its made me more cautious of machinary than any college ever could lol
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rusty nuts
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posted on 21/1/11 at 07:53 PM |
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Perfect example of why kids and customers should never be allowed in a workshop without supervision! I know a lot of people don't agree with
Health and Safety rules but some of them make sense.
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