When the best repair is not a repair

[JHaydon]

Another thread got me to thinking about memorable "repairs" I've been involved in -- specifically, mystery noises with unexpected causes.

My first was before I really started working on cars. I was driving an old Ford Crown Vic, and one morning it began "backfiring" -- emitting a rather faint thump when I let off the throttle. Lucky me, before I could even make plans to visit a mechanic (which I couldn't afford), I happened to let off the throttle while looking over my shoulder. The timing was just right that I spotted an empty cardboard box rocking forward as the car slowed, hitting the back of the passenger seat with a faint "thump". Crisis averted by (finally) cleaning out the car.

The next was during my brief stint pretending to be a mechanic, a customer brought back a VW New Beetle with less than 1000 miles on it, complaining of a clicking noise going over bumps. Two of us were stumped, but a third mechanic riding in the back seat spotted the stack of CD cases rattling around in the map pocket.

Anyone else care to share?

 

[Popeye]

When I was first met my wife, she was in dental school and had to carry a pager. Well, one day she forgot it in a cubby in my (new) car and left for a vacation with her family.

I’m driving along, and it goes off - on vibrate. “brrrrrrp….. brrrrrrp” then silence. I’m madly trying to recreate the noise: I think it happens when turning right? When turning right while in second gear? Wait, was I on the clutch when it happened?

Ahhh… the agony. Until the weekend when I was cleaning the car. I could have killed her! Then I laughed silly at myself and we got married. We still joke about the buzzing pager in the golf!

 

[JHaydon]

OK, got another one. This was during my "I know how to meckanik" days. I had recently acquired a clapped-out Ford van, and while all of my other modes of transport were laid up (I still wasn't a GOOD mechanic), the heap was pressed into service as my daily driver.

Driving to work one day, I stopped for a red light and got rear-ended. Except there was nobody behind me. I definitely felt a distinct thump which pushed the vehicle forward a fraction of an inch. My dirty look in the rearview mirror was met with empty pavement. Did I just get nerfed by a ghost? Dale Earnhardt was still alive at this point, so I had to find another explanation.

As it turned out, the hoses from the transmission to the cooler had been working loose and slowly leaking. Stopping for that light caused the remaining ATF to slosh forward, uncovering the transmission pump pickup. The pump lost pressure for a second, which let whatever servo de-couple while I was braking -- in neutral. When the van came to rest, the ATF sloshed back, the pump regained pressure, and the transmission put itself back in gear with the trademark Ford "thump".

I still don't know how I figured it out, but I know I didn't have to ask anyone.

 

[Bayless]

This didn't happen to me but to an old friend. As a young fellow, he was a line mechanic at a Datsun dealership. One day a lady came in with a 240Z and demanded they replace the water pump. The service writer tried to assure her they would check it out and replace whatever was necessary. She said "No," her husband told her not to let them do all that other stuff but just replace the water pump. Service writer finally gave in and turned the job over to my friend with the instructions, "Just change the water pump." They turned it back to her and she left happy but was back shortly and no longer happy, claiming they didn't change the water pump. Writer assured her they did and she said, "I'll prove it, watch this," on pushed the windshield washer button and no water. "See that," she said. Writer said, "Oh, I'm sorry. That's just a minor adjustment and I'll have it working in 5 minutes." He turned it back to my friend who just put water in the reservoir and she left satisfied.

 

[Jerry]

I exited the freeway in my truck, a Ford 350 and stopped at the light. I felt a little bump after I stopped. So I looked around and could see nothing. Could not see any cars around me. I was still wondering what was happening when I saw a lady standing behind my truck. I got out and finally saw a little BMW roadster behind my truck. It was so small, I could not see it in any of the mirrors. She was not paying attention and drove into my bumper hitch. Put a crimp in her hood, did not even scratch the paint on my hitch.

 

[14dna]

I worked at the local Ford dealership in 1980. Put a complete set of brakes on a Maverick (remember them). The next day it snowed and the owner slid through a stop sign, then tried to blame us for not installing brakes. Almost had to go to court.

 

[Basil]

Put a complete set of brakes on a Maverick (remember them).

When I was in Engineering school, one of my class mates, Tong, was a guy from Taiwan who had just bought a Maverick from some fly-by-night dealer who saw him coming. One day, knowing I was a car guy, he asked if I might know why his car steering was very "wobbly". I took a look at it and took for a test drive one day after school...yikes! I ended up taking it to the Base Auto Hobby shop and, with Tong buying the parts, I completely rebuilt his front end - new ball joints, tie rods, bushings, shocks, the works - it was all toast!
SWMBO and I became good friends with he and his wife after that.