What's the stupidest thing you ever did that you would admit to?

[2000bluexj]

went all the way from boston to go to school on martin luther king day. didnt find there was no school till i got there and all the doors were locked:doh: oops!!!!
At least i get to get me my favorite blueberry muffin from the coffee shop next door!

 

[jeepman121]

you've posted this in the wrong forum...but I'd say the stupidest thing I've ever done was jump off of the front of a pontoon boat while at full throttle only to come up and the boat running over top of me. i was able to grab some brackets and hold on with my feet inches from the prop. STUPID!! I was planning on jumping off the side but people got in my way (things were chaotic at this time people jumping off of the boat left and right) so somehow I went off the front. I'm sure alcohol and adrenaline have alot to do with this decision!

 

[terryd]

I poured 3 qt's of oil into my cavalier before I realized that bolt sitting idly on the front cowling was the drain plug...... :banghead:

 

[dirt machine]

Drove through mud hole.

Filled Radiator with Mud.

Filled Alternator with Mud.

Changed battery and lower radiator hose.

New battery Died.

Lower radiator hose (no spring) was collapsing.

Overheated, blew out head gasket, couple of valves.

(By the way, this was my first time off-road.)

Starter died from mud.

Replaced radiator.

Replaced head gasket.

Replaced head gasket again a year later, this time milled head.

I am going to replace the head gasket again because I think I didn't do a good job the first (2nd) time.

This happened 2.5 years ago, September 2005. I am going to fix it up one more time and then sell it. We have a 2001 now.

This whole thing was really stupid, but I learned everything I need to know about fixing cars from this experience. I feel like I can fix anything now.

It only took me an extra ~500 hours of research and work and about $3000 to fix everything over the years, but hey, it was an educational experience.

 

[dirt machine]

This time I am going to make sure everything is done right. I hate to sell something that is going to break. I realized after reading my post that it seemed as if I was going to "fix" it before I sell it. I really am going to fix it properly though.

 

[law.74]

Having worked on brakes earlier in the day I slowed for an old yellow traffic light when my drivers rear wheel fell off. I was going slow enough that the brake drum landed on the inside of the wheel. I knew immediately what had happened. I quickly grabbed my hi-lift and lug wrench. I pulled four lug nuts from the other four wheels, jacked up the left rear of the jeep with the jack, threw the tire on, stored the tools and climbed in the jeep all before the light turned green again.

Closest thing to being in a pit crew I'll ever see. I'm sure on-lookers had a good laugh. Fortunately for me and those around me this didn't happen at the freeway speeds I'd seen some minutes prior.

 

[Blaine B.]

It only took me an extra ~500 hours of research and work and about $3000 to fix everything over the years, but hey, it was an educational experience.

Cheapest education around if you ask me. damn college....

 

[ScottyDog]

3 AM, driving to pick a buddy up for a hunt. Raining buckets, drive down a sloped road near the river, streets are covered in water, pitch black out. What the heck is that strange sound coming from my motor? Can't see my headlights, maybe it's the alternator? Wipers are throwing quarts of water around, oh wait, since when is rain water green? Hey I better stop now. I've finally figured out thats river water half way up my windshield. The street I was driving on just kind of disappeared into the river (it had flooded sometime during the night) and I never noticed until way past too late.[/QUOTE]

WHOA!! So what happened? What is way past too late? Did you lose the Jeep? That is one of my worst fears!

 

[Ba-Riedo]

Pictures would be nice....

-Alex

 

[8Mud]

3 AM, driving to pick a buddy up for a hunt. Raining buckets, drive down a sloped road near the river, streets are covered in water, pitch black out. What the heck is that strange sound coming from my motor? Can't see my headlights, maybe it's the alternator? Wipers are throwing quarts of water around, oh wait, since when is rain water green? Hey I better stop now. I've finally figured out thats river water half way up my windshield. The street I was driving on just kind of disappeared into the river (it had flooded sometime during the night) and I never noticed until way past too late.[/QUOTE]

WHOA!! So what happened? What is way past too late? Did you lose the Jeep? That is one of my worst fears!

No, actually the whole thing was pretty benign, as soon as I woke up to what was happening, threw it in reverse and backed out. It didn't make it all the way out, but did restart and back up another 6-10 feet. I'm guessing the bow wave was pretty substantial, most of the water over the hood came from the sides. It really surprised me the ignition still worked. I think the filter element saved me more serious damage, it was kind of wadded up in the rubber intake. Bent the number 6 intake valve. After I removed and cleaned up the head, replaced the one valve and lapped in the rest, my compression actually improved. I was worried for awhile that I'd cracked a ring and my cylinder walls would eventually get scored, but it never happened (I have a spare motor in the garage, so I wasn't really concerned). The motor has been running fine ever since, for about 3 and a half years now. Though I did have to replace the connecting rod bearings, alternator, TPS, CPS and front hubs, all within the next three months. While I had the bottom opened up, I checked all the connecting rods and wrist pins for bent and play, everything seemed fine.
I've been through every connector on the motor numerous times and still keep finding green ones. The inside of the Jeep still smells like mold (and dogs).
I'd forgotten my cell phone and had to walk a couple of miles home (in the pouring rain), woke up my son and told him he had to come help me get the Jeep out of the river, before the water got any higher. :huh: I'll never forget the look on his face.

 

[LiftedXJ86]

burried my brand new 03 supercharged frontier up to a 1-2" below the air box in water. i was stupid, had been drinking, and alot of friends with me. it ended up taking a tj, rodeo and 4runner to pull me out. i saw the grass coming out of the water and thought, ahhh that must not be deep. gunned it and didnt realize that there was railroad ties you had to cross. landed on the transfer case. after i got off, i nailed it through the water and 5' into the water i started to slide and killed the engine.

yes stupid and i learned alot from this mistake. ended up blowing the supercharger 3 weeks later. i am 99% sure it was bc of that. set the bed 1/2" out of alignment. pretty much destoryed the truck in 45 minutes of stupid wheeling.

thats my stupid moment.

 

[mikeNtucson]

I would have to say buying this :badpc: from an ibm tech, having him erase the drive and clean it out to fix it, and only have this :badpc: happen as sone as I hook it back up. And going thru it 20X an hour !!!1

 

[8Mud]

 

[RTicUL8]

Not finishing college earlier.

I'm 39 and I just finished last week! :thumbup:

.

 

[2000xjclassic]

One day at school (about a half hour from home) I dropped my phone in the toilet. After going all day with out a phone (I was stupid and tried to turn the phone on), I decided I needed to go home and swap to an older phone.

On the way home, my jeep started to feel like it had a flat tire or was low on air so I just decided to slow down and get off at the next exit. My jeep wasn't having that so I lost my rear driver's side wheel. I luckily kept it under control and pulled over to the side of the road. I hopped out and was very surprised that there was no rear wheel on the jeep and the wheel was nowhere in sight. I started to walk up the highway to find the wheel. I found it and took it back too my jeep with the intention of putting it back on and driving away.

About the time I was getting back to the jeep a police officer was pulling up. Apparantly, my tire and wheel had come off of my jeep, flew up into the air about 100' then came back down and hit the windshield of a car on oncoming traffic then bounced all the way across my side of the highway and ended up on the outside edge of the highway. Luckily no one was hurt, just a little shaken up and probably confused. I'm still not sure why the wheel came off. I had changed tires and wheels maybe a week before but I for sure torqued the lug nuts and had driven probably an hour and a half on the highway with no problems. Either way about it, the police officer game me a ticket for 'unsafe motor vehicle'.

Oh, and also, now every time before I leave school, I check my lug nuts. That was a me being stupid day.

Chris

 

[XJ Stryker]

:rof:Had to replace the water pump on the jeep when i first got it. I decided that i also needed to clean the front of the engine while i had everything removed needless to say I could start it and back it out. Well I was also working on another project of restoring the interior tub had some rusted thorugh holes. Well the center console was out so i had to put it in neutral to back it out.

I somehow had a brainfart and couldnt not for the life of think that i needed keys to put the vehicle in Neutral. Called my buddies house and we start talking about the linking in the shifter and everything. Then he says did you put the key in and turn it. :twak: I argued that why in the hell i would need my key just to put it in neutral. Then it dawned on me that i always have my keys when i move it around. Only difference is the interior missing kinda screwed up my motions. I just turned Red called him an asshole :flamemad: and hung up. I cussed him because i felt stupid. Once i did what he said that car went into neutral fine. Called him back and he was doing one of those
:roll:ROTFLOL

 

[kevin s]

I just turned Red called him an asshole :flamemad: and hung up. Once i did that car went into neutral fine.

Wow. I'll remember that next time - all you have to do is cuss at your friend and your Jeep will go into gear!! Wish all repairs were that easy. (Just busting your chops, no offense intended).

I love this thread - it just won't die. Timeless wisdom, I guess.

 

[4LowandGo]

I lifted my front axle with two jeep bottle jacks and no jackstands up really high to take the 33's off in the driveway. I walked away for a few minutes (luckally) and on the way back I was remembering that the little bottle jacks were up a little too high for comfort... I was right! When I came back the jeep was on the brake rotors and the jacks were on their sides. One of them was bent slightly, so I could tell which one gave way first. Man I learned my lesson. Zero damage to the Jeep though. I replaced the axle with a Dana 44 a few months later anyway.

It was really difficult to get a real floor jack under the front axle to lift it back up. I had to jack under the LCA where it meets the unibody mount and then place another jack under the axle after it was up enough off the ground. I hope that does not ever happen again to me or anyone else for that matter.

 

[4LowandGo]

Oh yes, let me mention another one. I broke the old Dana 30 driver's side u-joint which took out the inner and outer axle shafts on that side too. Since I was only about a mile from home I decided to go for it. All the way home I could hear part of the remaining ears slapping the ball joints on every revolution. I pulled in the driveway to park it and when I turned the wheel all the way to one side I noticed the driver's side was down a little more than usual. When I looked out I noticed that the wheel and tire were laying on the ground next to the axle. Apparantly, the ball joints busted out and the tire everything knuckle out went with it. We put a floor jack under it and pushed it into a out of the way spot on the driveway.

The jeep recieved a Dana 44 soon after. Another lesson learned!

 

[XJ Stryker]

OUCH