Eric, don't forget that you are a lot (and I mean A LOT) more experienced and talented than viewers like me. So, seeing someone like you making mistakes helps me not being crushed by my failures. It tells me that it's ok and it shows me that all I have to do is find a way to deal with it and keep moving on. So yeah, thank you very much for showing your mistakes...
Totally agree about making your own mistakes. Those lessons stick with you. I'm kinda hard headed sometimes too so sometimes just need to make my own mistakes, even though the better/easier way to go is learn from others.
I prefer to learn from other people's mistakes, to save myself the trouble. So I appreciate when people share their mistakes, and how they corrected them.
I personally much appreciate showing us your mistakes. First, it’s you being authentic and making DIYers less frustrated when we make mistakes by knowing that even experienced professionals like you DO make mistakes. Second of all, YES I learned from your mistakes, an example was when I was replacing my struts and watched your video about compressing the spring and how dangerous it can be. I watched that video long ago and each time I work with a strut I still remember you saying “the spring could kill someone” and how that spring jumped out of the compressors
I learned the hard way a number of times from my mistakes. I value the lessons I’ve learned from them not only on cars but life in general. I share my mistakes with my kids in hopes they can learn without the pain.
If I haven't made a mistake the project hasn't started yet. Two months working on ac and it isn't working yet. Change out the rear shocks . . . broke the shock mount. Drove around with broken shock mount for a week waiting on parts. Drove around another week with broken shock mount when u-bolts don't fit and are returned and reordered from another company. Spent two days trying to remove shock mount but have to cut them off due to every single nut being seized. It was a bitch but everything is on and torqued to spec.
I get pretty annoyed when people give you so much crap on social media for making mistakes. It’s like they think your on some big dollar TV show and forget your just a regular guy on UA-cam. Like many people have told you I love seeing the mistakes. I have learned so much about wrenching from everything you do. Your mistakes have saved me time and money from knowing to not do them myself.
Many years ago my dad had a 1964 Ford. It began knocking and the first thing i did was to pull the oil pan to check all the bearings. When everything appeared to be fine, i began looking around and noticed a crack in the flex plate. Long story short i replaced the flex plate but to this day i never made that mistake again. I never forgot the sound of that tinny rattle noise that they make when cracked.
I can appreciate Eric mentioning about that break in between knowing a mistake was made and dealing with it. Those situations when you make a bad mistake and then go headfirst into fixing it usually end up with more mistakes being made. You've got to give yourself time to learn from your mistake.
We all make mistakes ...but learn, teach and ensure do not repeat it again. I am an amateur DIY'r and Learn and lot from your videos .... You always an inspiration Eric
Learn from both. Mistakes and successes are opportunities to learn. But yes, I also probably learn more from the mistakes. Thank you for including the mistakes - I hope I indeed listen and learn.
Eric, interesting. If I ever met you in person I was planning on commenting about how leaving the mistakes is my favorite part of the videos. I think I have commented about it before but I will say it again, "It take a lot of strength and courage to admit you are wrong or made a mistake." We need more of it in this world. -Alex
I can relate Eric, walking away is the first correct step one can do in such situation. BTW, I can't wait for the "ERIC, YOUR DOING IT WRONG" moment. Have a great one.
Learning what not to do can be as important as what to do. It sucks at times, particularly in your case but you're sure to never forget it. The one that has never left me was taking an extension ladder off the side of a house. I was below the ladder sliding it down, the guy I was working with was staring at me. By the time I thought to myself "wonder why he's staring..." the top of the ladder came off the side of the house and it bopped me. I wasn't seriously injured, he laughed and went on about his work - and I learned an unforgettable lesson.
I've always done my own oil changes since the early 1970's. Once, I neglected to install the oil plug before I poured in the new oil. That mistake is imprinted in my cerebral cortex. I will never, ever make that mistake again.
I love that you leave mistakes in, most of your mistakes are things others could easily do. You help me to think about problems in a different way. I have also learned from my mistakes, I just made some on my car within the last couple weeks but won’t do that again.
I'm going to have to say yes, Eric. I have learned more from fixing my screw ups than I ever have from a job that went smooth. Problem solving requires critical thinking which is a skill that you develop as you use. We live in a time where people want others to do the thinking for them. We all make mistakes but if you walk away from it better than you were when you started then you're gaining experience that you can't earn from a textbook.
As a young guy (19) I've made many mistakes working on my own equipment as well as things at my job. Luckily, nothing really catastrophic and I have a very understanding boss. It seems like hindsight is always 20/20 for me but the truth is it could happen to anybody. I respect those that are man enough to admit what they did and move on so props to Eric. There will always be a group of armchair mechanics who say they could do better but most of them are just full of it, in my opinion.
Happy Birthday! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made mistakes fixing cars. I tried to do a rear brake job the day before I deployed to Iraq from Germany, the rear caliper wouldn’t retract and I had to use a needle nose pliers to get the piston back in the caliper. I was freaking out, not taking my time, I felt I was over my head. Three hours later I finally got one side done, the other side took 20 minutes. I almost left my family stranded without a car for 12 months. I felt I dodged a bullet.
I absolutely agree with you. I’m a computer programmer as well so I find myself in these sorts of situations all the time like I do with car work where I have to walk away for a while and come back later on to avoid frustration. I learn more from my mistakes as well
Eric, mistakes ARE the best teacher. Back in 1968 I swapped out a 235 inline six for a 327 & powerglide in my '55 chevy. I used the floor shifter out of the wrecked '63 impala...which I installed rather poorly. I pulled into the local burger joint that evening to show off to my buddies that were there. I roared In the parking lot, threw it in park, or so i thought, popped the hood to show off my motor. I grabbed the throttle linkage and revved up the motor and to my horror my '55 took off with me wedged between the hood & fender...YIKES...I'm dead were my thoughts. I hit the only power pole in the parking lot. I was thrown out, uninjured, with my crushed ego draggin behind me. Yup...my buddies couldn't stop laughing. Well...I NEVER made that mistake again. I still laugh at myself to this day.
Hi Eric, well, you will not forget next time. Nor us, learning thanks to the work you show in the channel. Learning is understanding and when you fail, you try to resolve. In that process you also get experience and knowledge. Thanks for sharing!
I work in a factory doing maintenance and repairs on equipment. I always tell my co workers that the most valuable lessons I've learned in my 6 years of doing this, were through fucking something up. Great video.
My latest mistake was not checking both universal joints. The one I didn't check was misboxed! It was a open package! Always check stuff that was handled after it left the factory!
I've watched the channel for a long time and 1. You always try to be the most professional that you can 2. You really take internet criticism very personally - way more to the heart than I think you should.
Mistakes are the best way to learn. I for one have learned this. Like yourself, I typically don't make the same mistake twice, if I do, it's very very rare.
I’m not sure when making mistakes turn into a bad thing but at some point it was made out to be bad. Not so, I always learn more from things that don’t go right the first time. And also from hearing others tell there stories of oh crap this happened. Thanks for your stories of oh crap this happened.
I made a big mistake when changing the oil on my tundra and drained the transmission oil by accident. I had it towed to a local mechanic and told them exactly what happened. It was a pleasant experience and they fixed everything.
Often, mistakes are a better way to learn than success. It certainly sticks with you better than a job completed. And there have been many cases where the revision, the alternative, is Much better than the original!
I knew to use Loctite on the threads; but I never thought of lubricating under the head of that bolt. Makes perfect sense for the most accurate torque.
Hey Eric, met you on Power Tour in Indy just before you moved over to the other side of the track to go run the Fairmont. I remember you telling me about your dad’s truck. Hope all is good and you can get it back on the road soon.
I learn my deepest lessons, one you never forget, from mistakes, or at least calculated risks that should have been calculated differently.! My biggest regrets from learning from mistakes isn't the expanded knowledge I have gained but the wraith of anger deluged to me from someone else(car owner, foreman, company owner) Because while you are basking from the pursuit of learning they have different feelings! We should all be able to learn by trial and error however society doesn 't always agree
I've never made that mistake, because I've never done that job. If I ever do that job thanks to Erics honesty I won't have to make the same mistake. Of course I'll simply make another mistake, but that's the beauty of doing new things, if you never stretch, you never grow. An idiot is someone who keeps making the same mistakes.
I make mistakes all the time, but my goal is to never make the same mistake twice. I always check the shop manual during assembly, even if it's a routine job. This have saved my ass more than once.
You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win. You will have to lose hundreds of games before becoming a good player.” - José Raúl Casablanca Always loved this quote.
Absolutely learned from my mistakes. I had inadvertently bent the oil pan on my big block Buick motor during installation so after I fired it up, I heard what sounded like a spun bearing. After pulling the motor back out and started disassembling it, that's when I realized what I had done. Wasted 2 days
I come out of an engineering environment, what I liked to tell new engineers the first time they screw up is you are judged not so much by the mistake but by how you recover from it. The biggest mistake you can make in life is not doing anything for fear of failure. I've made some big ones that cost my employer lots of money, but on balance I made money for my employers. So while I'm embarrassed by stupid mistakes (does anyone ever make a smart mistake) I try as ETCG does to learn from them and move on.
Honestly, I think it's a 50/50 deal, for most people. But I also believe that there are some things that must or can only be learned through a mistake. But what do I know, I'm just a mechanic. LMAO Thanks ETCG1
Everyone makes mistakes. Ignoring that doesn't make them go away; in fact, that's making a second mistake. Honestly dealing with them reduces your error rate.
Other people talking about their mistakes also helps you feel better about your own lol. As a DIYer it makes me feel less bad about myself for messing something up (ran a motor out of coolant when I forgot to secure a hose clamp and didn't check for leaks before testdriving) when professionals can still make mistakes too
I once removed the transmission of my Miata thinking a freeze plug popped off, the one that bell housing covers. It was the cursed water plug.....a $0.25 rubber plug that could have been swapped in 10 minutes reaching over the fender. But hey! Now I know how to take out a transmission using nothing but cheap jacks in 30 minutes now.
I am getting old. I do not remember my mistakes a lot of the time. I hate making the same mistake twice! So now sometimes I write them down in my how-to book.
I don't think he is saying the loose flexplate bolts were the cause of the high crankcase pressure, just that they were the source of the bottom end noise he heard. Didn't seem to address the crankcase pressure at all other than saying it was high for some weird reason. I hope he addresses it as some point because it definitely doesn't seem normal to have pressure high enough to push out the dipstick and force oil out of the dip stick.
Like you, there are things "I KNOW". You know Hondas 100% I have no doubt about that. But like you also, there are many things I dont know. And I only speak about myself, I watch videos, I read manuals and I read the instructions before and while I am doing something I dont know. There are still mistakes sometimes. But I still learn. I hope it works that way with you too.
That happened to me once I rebuilt this engine for a Firebird I put it in it ran great, work good for a week later car came back with a knocking noise I didn’t pull the engine found the noise at the back of the engine removed flex plate cover and found the flex plate was loose. Slid the transmission back and re-tighten the flexplate bolts. I had put a new flex plate in the customer bought but it was painted should have remove the paint. Lesson learned. I used to work at the GM dealer as a mechanic used to get quite a few cracked flex plates they make a lot of noise. Right now I am in the middle of rebuilding an engine for my sons FRS which has a boxer engine in it never done one before. There’s a lot of things that could go wrong on this engine. It has two timing chains four camshafts and oil O rings through out engine and a lot of places it could leak oil. I’m keeping my fingers crossed we don’t have any oil leaks. I used anaerobic sealer pretty well on everything no silicone don’t want to plug up any oil galleries. I think this is probably the most complicated engine I have rebuilt there’s a lot of things that could go wrong.
When I do something and everything during the process goes well, I get extremely worried as I know the next project I work on will probably be utter chaos LOL. I've screwed up a lot of things in my life, I learn from them so I know next time to do it differently so I am successful, or at least the next time its a much smaller problem rather than a huge mess. Thanks to your videos I found the confidence to pull the cylinder head off my car to replace a blown head gasket. This was last weekend, coming up on this weekend I'll be taking all the parts and cleaning all the gasket mating surfaces to prepare them for reassembly. Yes, I pulled that old telephone book size factory service manual off the shelf and following it, granted the book isn't outside I just copied the pages I need so I don't get the manual itself all greasy and oily, but I'm following the instructions as I go to avoid any potential issues. I looked at a few things and was like why do I need to take that off, why do I need to do this or that, then as you start removing parts you realize well because that part was fastened to this other part type thing. Its a learning experience for sure, but I found that if I just work slowly and take my time all will be well. Sure I could have had that head off, gasket slapped on and all thrown back together that day but I knew for a fact if I rushed through it, something would go wrong...so I'm taking my time, looking at every opportunity to replace parts as I go sense I have easy access to a lot of things right now with the top end of the engine apart. I got the complete upper gasket kit, and every single gasket is getting replaced. The water pump isn't leaking, but its 3 bolts and $20 for the pump, its getting replaced too since its simple to get to right now, heater hoses are getting replaced, and even though the thermostat was new last year its getting replaced as well, its torn apart, its a good time to do everything I can to ensure I don't have to take the dang thing apart again LOL....now fingers crossed that when I put it back together that it still runs. I marked everything I pulled off so it goes back where it came from, sensor connectors, plug wires, head bolts, etc. all layed out and taped to a piece of cardboard all in order so they go back in the same place they came out of.
I made a huge mistake earlier this year at work. I was changing an aircraft tire outside and it was -25F. Normally the new wheel/tire assembly comes with the bearings pre-greased. I was away from the shop and so bundled up, that I tottaly missed the bearings being dry. I had forgotten to check the bearings for grease. This mistake cost me my job. :( But yes, I learn from my mistakes.
I bought a vehicle with a recently rebuilt lsd diff a year after owning it I discovered the rebuilder had made exactly the same mistake on the ring gear. Not a cheap mistake and it nearly cost me my life when the back end locked up on the freeway.
This video reminded me of a traumatic experience I had, made one HELL of a mistake about 8 years ago... Was fresh out of tech school working at a Chevy dealer (still there by the way), and was tasked with doing a rear main seal on a Chevy Equinox. Easy job right? Well, I stripped everything off the motor, peeled the harness off, pulled the hood of and yanked the motor out. Replaced the rear main, un-clogged the PCV which was the root cause of the blown rear main,, and started putting the motor back in. This is where not thinking and paying close attention screwed me over Got her in the bay with the engine bay, but the darn thing would not seat onto the transmission. Stupid me decided to start 2 bolts and run them down to seat the engine to the trans. To make a long story short,it wouldn't line up because the torque converter wasn't fully seated. I ended up blowing the thrust bearing and a rod bearing out of the engine, and had to replace it. Got very lucky that we had a low mileage used engine in back that just needed a timing chain. Bit the bullet, fixed that whole mess and moved on. Ever since that day, my mindset has been different. I'm now EXTREMELY careful about thinking things through and taking the time to do things the right way. If things don't seem right, I take a step back and re-think things. Hope my drawn out story can benefit someone out there, ya'll have a good day!
I learned on my first car to torque to spec or just tighten enough. Not the same when I had "fun" removing an oil pan from a 2002 crv after over torquing the oil drain plug.....
Tip: Many maybe All LS engines use thread locker/sealer on the flexplate/flywheel bolts to seal engine oil from seeping out! 😳. Yep that’s right, some of the holes in the register enter the oil passages inside the crankshaft, so no sealer the bolts will seep oil and look like a rear main leak. 😳😉👍
one of the main reason l watch your channel cause you don't just show all done an everything went easy an why are you having such a hard time doing when l just showed you how easy it is or was
I had a '89 S10 Blazer that had such a worn out engine, it would burn a quart of 20w-50, in WINTER, every 50 miles. I also had a '00 Jimmy that I had thrown the towel in on (total lemon, and my first foray into OBD-II) and was parting out - I took the engine from that, stripped all the electronic crap off it, and bolted up an Edelbrock carb and a HEI distributor. I contemplated replacing every gasket and seal while the engine was on the stand (had sat 18 months in my trailer on a tire), but I thought to myself, "Naw, that thing never leaked!" Installed the engine - was ALOT of work - but it ran great and everything was great ... until a giant oil leak formed out of the front plastic timing cover of the Jimmy's 4.3 a few months later. Not long afterward, the rear main began leaking. Combined, it was a quart every 300 miles - exactly what I was trying to avoid! So exactly 1 year to the day I had installed the engine, I pulled it out again, and did EVERYTHING - head gaskets, valve seals, rear main, etc., etc., etc., plus a timing chain set and oil pump. That was a TOUGH lesson to learn there! NEVER try to save a buck on difficult jobs! 😒
every time i work on my cars i make a lot of mistakes) extremely frustrating. everything snaps breaks seizes lol im an engineer i love cars but im not made to do this... i know it shows i have to learn a lot
Eric, Honestly I would have put thread locker on those bolts with out reading instructions. That being said, I don’t fault you at all. You were working long hours trying to get the vehicle done. I was sad when you believed there was an oiling issue that caused more damage. I am glad you were able to fix the problem and enjoy the time with your Dad. You may get a ribbing for mistakes, some times even by me, but as said, everything is a learning experience, even mistakes. I’ve said in another comment, I remember your standing in front of that Dodge Ram after putting the salvage yard engine and realizing it was junk. A mistake, perhaps. A learning experience for you and everyone watching, definitely. You present the material well. At times, you could do things differently which may or may not be considered better. Honestly again, if it were me, I would have done engine and trans first, but perhaps different issues would have come up. Just keep doing what you are doing. The type of builds the truck and fairmont are new to you and it seems you are learning a lot along the way and sharing your experiences. Oh, and I’ll throw in my .2c about the truck engine. Thank you for not putting an LS in it.
I worked at a quick lube shop before branching out to a real shop. I was working out my two weeks notice, 1 and half weeks into the two weeks, I'm in the pit, replaced the filter and forgot to drain the engine. Being the only guy working the pit in a 3 bay shop on a busy day, it can be hard to work against the 5 or 6 guys upstairs. The ratio is all off... it came back the next day of course overfilled... it didn't damage the engine thankfully, but I took the damage claim, shook hands with my boss and left 3 days before my notice was up, knowing my attitude would have only gotten worse the last three days. Never again. Also, quick lube shops can suck to work at, a lot.
I admire guys who have broad enough shoulders to post their mistakes, full knowing how much abuse they will get from trolls.
(The man who never makes mistakes is the man who never does anything ) . Theodore Roosevelt...
yeh but im tired of mistakes sometimes doing nothing is appealing, who am i kidding that would bore the heck out of me
Making mistakes is fine, making the same mistakes when you know there is an issue is another.
A similar thing I've heard... A man who's never put a foot wrong has never led a dance partner in his life.
Great saying
Why is there never enough time to do the job right, but always enough time to do it over!
That's a great comment!
I've been asking my service maanager this for years
Showing the mistakes are the best ways to show what happened and how to learn from it. Thank you for leaving them it. It's very valuable information.
I have this plaque in my office.
"I never made a mistake in my life. I thought I did once, but I was wrong."
-Charles M. Schulz
Cos the mistake was taken as a learning phase.
And that's why I have no regrets.
Eric, don't forget that you are a lot (and I mean A LOT) more experienced and talented than viewers like me. So, seeing someone like you making mistakes helps me not being crushed by my failures. It tells me that it's ok and it shows me that all I have to do is find a way to deal with it and keep moving on. So yeah, thank you very much for showing your mistakes...
Totally agree about making your own mistakes. Those lessons stick with you. I'm kinda hard headed sometimes too so sometimes just need to make my own mistakes, even though the better/easier way to go is learn from others.
The most Human car channel by far, and the best. in my opinion.
Thank you!
And the ericthecarguy response to prove it. 😊😂
Easily...
I prefer to learn from other people's mistakes, to save myself the trouble. So I appreciate when people share their mistakes, and how they corrected them.
I personally much appreciate showing us your mistakes. First, it’s you being authentic and making DIYers less frustrated when we make mistakes by knowing that even experienced professionals like you DO make mistakes. Second of all, YES I learned from your mistakes, an example was when I was replacing my struts and watched your video about compressing the spring and how dangerous it can be. I watched that video long ago and each time I work with a strut I still remember you saying “the spring could kill someone” and how that spring jumped out of the compressors
I learned the hard way a number of times from my mistakes. I value the lessons I’ve learned from them not only on cars but life in general. I share my mistakes with my kids in hopes they can learn without the pain.
If I haven't made a mistake the project hasn't started yet.
Two months working on ac and it isn't working yet.
Change out the rear shocks . . . broke the shock mount. Drove around with broken shock mount for a week waiting on parts. Drove around another week with broken shock mount when u-bolts don't fit and are returned and reordered from another company. Spent two days trying to remove shock mount but have to cut them off due to every single nut being seized. It was a bitch but everything is on and torqued to spec.
I get pretty annoyed when people give you so much crap on social media for making mistakes. It’s like they think your on some big dollar TV show and forget your just a regular guy on UA-cam. Like many people have told you I love seeing the mistakes. I have learned so much about wrenching from everything you do. Your mistakes have saved me time and money from knowing to not do them myself.
I normally beat myself up over my mistakes (figuratively speaking), so I try to work carefully and make as few as possible.
Many years ago my dad had a 1964 Ford. It began knocking and the first thing i did was to pull the oil pan to check all the bearings. When everything appeared to be fine, i began looking around and noticed a crack in the flex plate.
Long story short i replaced the flex plate but to this day i never made that mistake again. I never forgot the sound of that tinny rattle noise that they make when cracked.
It scared the **** out of you, didn't it?? 😂😂😂 I've heard that sound before and it sounds like a rod knock.
@@Mopar_logic I don't remember it scaring the crap out of me, and yes it sounds similar to a rod knock but there is a difference.
Forget the mistake, remember the lesson.
I can appreciate Eric mentioning about that break in between knowing a mistake was made and dealing with it. Those situations when you make a bad mistake and then go headfirst into fixing it usually end up with more mistakes being made. You've got to give yourself time to learn from your mistake.
We all make mistakes ...but learn, teach and ensure do not repeat it again. I am an amateur DIY'r and Learn and lot from your videos ....
You always an inspiration Eric
Learn from both. Mistakes and successes are opportunities to learn. But yes, I also probably learn more from the mistakes. Thank you for including the mistakes - I hope I indeed listen and learn.
Eric, interesting. If I ever met you in person I was planning on commenting about how leaving the mistakes is my favorite part of the videos. I think I have commented about it before but I will say it again, "It take a lot of strength and courage to admit you are wrong or made a mistake." We need more of it in this world. -Alex
I can relate Eric, walking away is the first correct step one can do in such situation. BTW, I can't wait for the "ERIC, YOUR DOING IT WRONG" moment. Have a great one.
Learning what not to do can be as important as what to do. It sucks at times, particularly in your case but you're sure to never forget it. The one that has never left me was taking an extension ladder off the side of a house. I was below the ladder sliding it down, the guy I was working with was staring at me. By the time I thought to myself "wonder why he's staring..." the top of the ladder came off the side of the house and it bopped me. I wasn't seriously injured, he laughed and went on about his work - and I learned an unforgettable lesson.
Glad you weren't seriously hurt.
Great video. Should be played played in all work places ... not just auto shops ... office work environments, manufacturing and trades. Thanks!
I've always done my own oil changes since the early 1970's. Once, I neglected to install the oil plug before I poured in the new oil. That mistake is imprinted in my cerebral cortex. I will never, ever make that mistake again.
I love that you leave mistakes in, most of your mistakes are things others could easily do. You help me to think about problems in a different way. I have also learned from my mistakes, I just made some on my car within the last couple weeks but won’t do that again.
I understand the flex plate fixed the knock but what was the deal with excessive crank case pressure?
I'm going to have to say yes, Eric. I have learned more from fixing my screw ups than I ever have from a job that went smooth.
Problem solving requires critical thinking which is a skill that you develop as you use. We live in a time where people want others to do the thinking for them.
We all make mistakes but if you walk away from it better than you were when you started then you're gaining experience that you can't earn from a textbook.
"One often learns more from a battle lost, than a battle won." - Master Kthulu
Told you it might not be what you thought it was! So glad you got to go on Power Tour with your dad!
As long as its a forgiving type of mistake and you learn from it. Some mistakes don’t give you second chances.
As a young guy (19) I've made many mistakes working on my own equipment as well as things at my job. Luckily, nothing really catastrophic and I have a very understanding boss. It seems like hindsight is always 20/20 for me but the truth is it could happen to anybody. I respect those that are man enough to admit what they did and move on so props to Eric. There will always be a group of armchair mechanics who say they could do better but most of them are just full of it, in my opinion.
My first brake job I forgot to pump the brake pedal before driving off.
Bought some new undies that day.
Happy Birthday! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made mistakes fixing cars. I tried to do a rear brake job the day before I deployed to Iraq from Germany, the rear caliper wouldn’t retract and I had to use a needle nose pliers to get the piston back in the caliper. I was freaking out, not taking my time, I felt I was over my head. Three hours later I finally got one side done, the other side took 20 minutes. I almost left my family stranded without a car for 12 months. I felt I dodged a bullet.
Hey you
So where did crankcase pressure come from?
Better question is why wasn't the PCV Valve venting the pressure like its supposed to?
I don't know yet.
@@ETCG1
Maybe it's got gas
A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from others mistakes.
I absolutely agree with you. I’m a computer programmer as well so I find myself in these sorts of situations all the time like I do with car work where I have to walk away for a while and come back later on to avoid frustration. I learn more from my mistakes as well
The sting of the mistake is part of the learning process.
Thanks for sharing Eric.
Cheers
You are absolutely correct, I dissect everything when I make a mistake.
Thank you so much for always sharing your knowledge and being real that's why we love you man!!!
Eric, mistakes ARE the best teacher.
Back in 1968 I swapped out a 235 inline six for a 327 & powerglide in my '55 chevy.
I used the floor shifter out of the wrecked '63 impala...which I installed rather poorly.
I pulled into the local burger joint that evening to show off to my buddies that were there.
I roared In the parking lot, threw it in park, or so i thought, popped the hood to show off my motor.
I grabbed the throttle linkage and revved up the motor and to my horror my '55 took off with me wedged between the hood & fender...YIKES...I'm dead were my thoughts.
I hit the only power pole in the parking lot. I was thrown out, uninjured, with my crushed ego draggin behind me.
Yup...my buddies couldn't stop laughing.
Well...I NEVER made that mistake again. I still laugh at myself to this day.
Incredible story!
You think you're cool until.........
Hi Eric, well, you will not forget next time. Nor us, learning thanks to the work you show in the channel. Learning is understanding and when you fail, you try to resolve. In that process you also get experience and knowledge.
Thanks for sharing!
I work in a factory doing maintenance and repairs on equipment. I always tell my co workers that the most valuable lessons I've learned in my 6 years of doing this, were through fucking something up. Great video.
My latest mistake was not checking both universal joints. The one I didn't check was misboxed! It was a open package! Always check stuff that was handled after it left the factory!
I've watched the channel for a long time and 1. You always try to be the most professional that you can 2. You really take internet criticism very personally - way more to the heart than I think you should.
On point Eric, This video applies to life in general not just wrechin'.
Love the vid Eric, Keep em' comin'!
The entire reason I subscribed to you originally was that you showed us not just what works, but what does not. Please leave in the mistakes.
Besides your mechanical skills and warm personality, honesty is amongst your greatest assets Eric!
Thank you.
Failure is the fog through which we glimpse triumph.
Mistakes are the best way to learn. I for one have learned this. Like yourself, I typically don't make the same mistake twice, if I do, it's very very rare.
WOW, I have NEVER heard of that! Thanks Eric for sharing that crucial info!
Yes I learn more from my mistakes and they also stick in my head.
I’m not sure when making mistakes turn into a bad thing but at some point it was made out to be bad. Not so, I always learn more from things that don’t go right the first time. And also from hearing others tell there stories of oh crap this happened. Thanks for your stories of oh crap this happened.
I made a big mistake when changing the oil on my tundra and drained the transmission oil by accident. I had it towed to a local mechanic and told them exactly what happened. It was a pleasant experience and they fixed everything.
Often, mistakes are a better way to learn than success. It certainly sticks with you better than a job completed. And there have been many cases where the revision, the alternative, is Much better than the original!
I knew to use Loctite on the threads; but I never thought of lubricating under the head of that bolt. Makes perfect sense for the most accurate torque.
Hey Eric, met you on Power Tour in Indy just before you moved over to the other side of the track to go run the Fairmont. I remember you telling me about your dad’s truck. Hope all is good and you can get it back on the road soon.
I learn my deepest lessons, one you never forget, from mistakes, or at least calculated risks that should have been calculated differently.! My biggest regrets from learning from mistakes isn't the expanded knowledge I have gained but the wraith of anger deluged to me from someone else(car owner, foreman, company owner) Because while you are basking from the pursuit of learning they have different feelings! We should all be able to learn by trial and error however society doesn 't always agree
My comment towards "do you learn more from your mistakes than your success":Absolulety. There is nothing more to it than that.
I've never made that mistake, because I've never done that job. If I ever do that job thanks to Erics honesty I won't have to make the same mistake. Of course I'll simply make another mistake, but that's the beauty of doing new things, if you never stretch, you never grow. An idiot is someone who keeps making the same mistakes.
I make mistakes all the time, but my goal is to never make the same mistake twice.
I always check the shop manual during assembly, even if it's a routine job.
This have saved my ass more than once.
been there done that, I tend to learn the hard way too.
You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win. You will have to lose hundreds of games before becoming a good player.” - José Raúl Casablanca
Always loved this quote.
Absolutely learned from my mistakes. I had inadvertently bent the oil pan on my big block Buick motor during installation so after I fired it up, I heard what sounded like a spun bearing. After pulling the motor back out and started disassembling it, that's when I realized what I had done. Wasted 2 days
Oops. Glad it was something that didn't cost a bunch of cash. Keep up the good work brother 👍👍👍
I come out of an engineering environment, what I liked to tell new engineers the first time they screw up is you are judged not so much by the mistake but by how you recover from it.
The biggest mistake you can make in life is not doing anything for fear of failure. I've made some big ones that cost my employer lots of money, but on balance I made money for my employers. So while I'm embarrassed by stupid mistakes (does anyone ever make a smart mistake) I try as ETCG does to learn from them and move on.
I am in TOTAL agreeance with you.
Honestly, I think it's a 50/50 deal, for most people. But I also believe that there are some things that must or can only be learned through a mistake.
But what do I know, I'm just a mechanic. LMAO Thanks ETCG1
50 minutes and it’s my birthday :) thank you Eric. And yes I love your knowledgeable mistakes
Everyone makes mistakes. Ignoring that doesn't make them go away; in fact, that's making a second mistake. Honestly dealing with them reduces your error rate.
Great video and thanks for showing your mistakes and explaining how to fix your mistakes.
I think I learn best the more money the mistake cost me lol. I wish I was just joking but everytime I make a mistake it seems to always have a cost
You're not alone 😂😂😂
Other people talking about their mistakes also helps you feel better about your own lol. As a DIYer it makes me feel less bad about myself for messing something up (ran a motor out of coolant when I forgot to secure a hose clamp and didn't check for leaks before testdriving) when professionals can still make mistakes too
Awesome its my birthday today! Thanks ETCG1!
I agree you remember the mistakes the most
I once removed the transmission of my Miata thinking a freeze plug popped off, the one that bell housing covers. It was the cursed water plug.....a $0.25 rubber plug that could have been swapped in 10 minutes reaching over the fender. But hey! Now I know how to take out a transmission using nothing but cheap jacks in 30 minutes now.
I am getting old. I do not remember my mistakes a lot of the time. I hate making the same mistake twice! So now sometimes I write them down in my how-to book.
Been there, done that too many times but I know a lot more at 73 now than I did at 16 when I thought I knew almost everything.
You didn't say why the dipstick blew out Eric unless I missed it....Crankcase pressure?
He didn't diagnose it yet
Mistakes are essential for the learning process.
ChrixFix never forgets threadlocker 😉
Bite your tongue! Lol
I always write all my mistakes because I can use that information in the future.
Why would the crankcase pressure get high enough to push the dipstick out because of the flexplate bolts coming loose?
I'ld like to know as well. Separate PCV problem?
I don't think he is saying the loose flexplate bolts were the cause of the high crankcase pressure, just that they were the source of the bottom end noise he heard. Didn't seem to address the crankcase pressure at all other than saying it was high for some weird reason. I hope he addresses it as some point because it definitely doesn't seem normal to have pressure high enough to push out the dipstick and force oil out of the dip stick.
It's a separate problem that I will cover in a later video. First I need to find out what the issue is.
ETCG1
Hopefully it’s an easy fix sorry it happened to you
Like you, there are things "I KNOW". You know Hondas 100% I have no doubt about that. But like you also, there are many things I dont know. And I only speak about myself, I watch videos, I read manuals and I read the instructions before and while I am doing something I dont know. There are still mistakes sometimes. But I still learn. I hope it works that way with you too.
That happened to me once I rebuilt this engine for a Firebird I put it in it ran great, work good for a week later car came back with a knocking noise I didn’t pull the engine found the noise at the back of the engine removed flex plate cover and found the flex plate was loose. Slid the transmission back and re-tighten the flexplate bolts. I had put a new flex plate in the customer bought but it was painted should have remove the paint. Lesson learned. I used to work at the GM dealer as a mechanic used to get quite a few cracked flex plates they make a lot of noise. Right now I am in the middle of rebuilding an engine for my sons FRS which has a boxer engine in it never done one before. There’s a lot of things that could go wrong on this engine. It has two timing chains four camshafts and oil O rings through out engine and a lot of places it could leak oil. I’m keeping my fingers crossed we don’t have any oil leaks. I used anaerobic sealer pretty well on everything no silicone don’t want to plug up any oil galleries. I think this is probably the most complicated engine I have rebuilt there’s a lot of things that could go wrong.
When I do something and everything during the process goes well, I get extremely worried as I know the next project I work on will probably be utter chaos LOL. I've screwed up a lot of things in my life, I learn from them so I know next time to do it differently so I am successful, or at least the next time its a much smaller problem rather than a huge mess.
Thanks to your videos I found the confidence to pull the cylinder head off my car to replace a blown head gasket. This was last weekend, coming up on this weekend I'll be taking all the parts and cleaning all the gasket mating surfaces to prepare them for reassembly. Yes, I pulled that old telephone book size factory service manual off the shelf and following it, granted the book isn't outside I just copied the pages I need so I don't get the manual itself all greasy and oily, but I'm following the instructions as I go to avoid any potential issues. I looked at a few things and was like why do I need to take that off, why do I need to do this or that, then as you start removing parts you realize well because that part was fastened to this other part type thing. Its a learning experience for sure, but I found that if I just work slowly and take my time all will be well. Sure I could have had that head off, gasket slapped on and all thrown back together that day but I knew for a fact if I rushed through it, something would go wrong...so I'm taking my time, looking at every opportunity to replace parts as I go sense I have easy access to a lot of things right now with the top end of the engine apart. I got the complete upper gasket kit, and every single gasket is getting replaced. The water pump isn't leaking, but its 3 bolts and $20 for the pump, its getting replaced too since its simple to get to right now, heater hoses are getting replaced, and even though the thermostat was new last year its getting replaced as well, its torn apart, its a good time to do everything I can to ensure I don't have to take the dang thing apart again LOL....now fingers crossed that when I put it back together that it still runs. I marked everything I pulled off so it goes back where it came from, sensor connectors, plug wires, head bolts, etc. all layed out and taped to a piece of cardboard all in order so they go back in the same place they came out of.
I hope everything goes back together smoothly and without a hitch.
You posted this on my birthday 🎂
I made a huge mistake earlier this year at work. I was changing an aircraft tire outside and it was -25F. Normally the new wheel/tire assembly comes with the bearings pre-greased. I was away from the shop and so bundled up, that I tottaly missed the bearings being dry. I had forgotten to check the bearings for grease. This mistake cost me my job. :( But yes, I learn from my mistakes.
Sucks you had to loose your job to learn that one.
I bought a vehicle with a recently rebuilt lsd diff a year after owning it I discovered the rebuilder had made exactly the same mistake on the ring gear. Not a cheap mistake and it nearly cost me my life when the back end locked up on the freeway.
I definitely learn more from my mistakes.
This video reminded me of a traumatic experience I had, made one HELL of a mistake about 8 years ago... Was fresh out of tech school working at a Chevy dealer (still there by the way), and was tasked with doing a rear main seal on a Chevy Equinox. Easy job right? Well, I stripped everything off the motor, peeled the harness off, pulled the hood of and yanked the motor out. Replaced the rear main, un-clogged the PCV which was the root cause of the blown rear main,, and started putting the motor back in. This is where not thinking and paying close attention screwed me over
Got her in the bay with the engine bay, but the darn thing would not seat onto the transmission. Stupid me decided to start 2 bolts and run them down to seat the engine to the trans. To make a long story short,it wouldn't line up because the torque converter wasn't fully seated. I ended up blowing the thrust bearing and a rod bearing out of the engine, and had to replace it. Got very lucky that we had a low mileage used engine in back that just needed a timing chain. Bit the bullet, fixed that whole mess and moved on.
Ever since that day, my mindset has been different. I'm now EXTREMELY careful about thinking things through and taking the time to do things the right way. If things don't seem right, I take a step back and re-think things. Hope my drawn out story can benefit someone out there, ya'll have a good day!
My mistakes are fewer as I get older only because I'm doing less. 66 on 6/23/19 I'm starting to feel it now. Sti wearing on me getting rid of it
This one time, I used an impact on the axle side track bar bolt/ flag nut with the axle hanging down... Yeah, it didn't end well.
I learned on my first car to torque to spec or just tighten enough. Not the same when I had "fun" removing an oil pan from a 2002 crv after over torquing the oil drain plug.....
A wise man once said
"Education comes at a cost"
Tip: Many maybe All LS engines use thread locker/sealer on the flexplate/flywheel bolts to seal engine oil from seeping out! 😳. Yep that’s right, some of the holes in the register enter the oil passages inside the crankshaft, so no sealer the bolts will seep oil and look like a rear main leak. 😳😉👍
one of the main reason l watch your channel cause you don't just show all done an everything went easy an why are you having such a hard time doing when l just showed you how easy it is or was
I had a '89 S10 Blazer that had such a worn out engine, it would burn a quart of 20w-50, in WINTER, every 50 miles. I also had a '00 Jimmy that I had thrown the towel in on (total lemon, and my first foray into OBD-II) and was parting out - I took the engine from that, stripped all the electronic crap off it, and bolted up an Edelbrock carb and a HEI distributor. I contemplated replacing every gasket and seal while the engine was on the stand (had sat 18 months in my trailer on a tire), but I thought to myself, "Naw, that thing never leaked!" Installed the engine - was ALOT of work - but it ran great and everything was great ... until a giant oil leak formed out of the front plastic timing cover of the Jimmy's 4.3 a few months later. Not long afterward, the rear main began leaking. Combined, it was a quart every 300 miles - exactly what I was trying to avoid! So exactly 1 year to the day I had installed the engine, I pulled it out again, and did EVERYTHING - head gaskets, valve seals, rear main, etc., etc., etc., plus a timing chain set and oil pump.
That was a TOUGH lesson to learn there! NEVER try to save a buck on difficult jobs! 😒
every time i work on my cars i make a lot of mistakes)
extremely frustrating. everything snaps breaks seizes lol
im an engineer i love cars but im not made to do this...
i know it shows i have to learn a lot
Eric, Honestly I would have put thread locker on those bolts with out reading instructions. That being said, I don’t fault you at all. You were working long hours trying to get the vehicle done. I was sad when you believed there was an oiling issue that caused more damage. I am glad you were able to fix the problem and enjoy the time with your Dad. You may get a ribbing for mistakes, some times even by me, but as said, everything is a learning experience, even mistakes. I’ve said in another comment, I remember your standing in front of that Dodge Ram after putting the salvage yard engine and realizing it was junk. A mistake, perhaps. A learning experience for you and everyone watching, definitely. You present the material well. At times, you could do things differently which may or may not be considered better. Honestly again, if it were me, I would have done engine and trans first, but perhaps different issues would have come up. Just keep doing what you are doing. The type of builds the truck and fairmont are new to you and it seems you are learning a lot along the way and sharing your experiences. Oh, and I’ll throw in my .2c about the truck engine. Thank you for not putting an LS in it.
I worked at a quick lube shop before branching out to a real shop. I was working out my two weeks notice, 1 and half weeks into the two weeks, I'm in the pit, replaced the filter and forgot to drain the engine. Being the only guy working the pit in a 3 bay shop on a busy day, it can be hard to work against the 5 or 6 guys upstairs. The ratio is all off... it came back the next day of course overfilled... it didn't damage the engine thankfully, but I took the damage claim, shook hands with my boss and left 3 days before my notice was up, knowing my attitude would have only gotten worse the last three days.
Never again. Also, quick lube shops can suck to work at, a lot.