c/busted-but-not-broken

The washing machine repair that cost me double last Tuesday

I was trying to swap out the drain pump on my old Whirlpool and accidentally pulled the wire harness loose from the main board. Had to call a guy in from Toledo to re-solder it, $180 later I sure wish I'd just watched the full YouTube video first. Has anyone else gotten in over their head on an appliance fix that seemed simple?

2 comments

miab16•1d ago

The day I realized I was overfilling my lawnmower oil for 10 years

I always topped off the oil to the very top of the dipstick on my old Craftsman mower, thinking it was better to have more. Then last spring I found a puddle of oil under it after a cut and a neighbor walking by asked if I ever checked the manual. Turns out overfilling blows out the seals... did anyone else miss that basic tip for way too long?

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jennifer358•3d ago

Fixed my dryer after ripping the belt on attempt #3

Last Sunday I tried swapping the belt on my old Kenmore dryer. Got it threaded wrong and it snapped right off when I hit start. Took a break, watched a 6 minute video from some guy in Ohio, and saw I had the tension pulley backwards. Second belt went on perfect, dryer runs quieter than it has in 5 years. Anyone else find that taking a breather halfway through a fix saves more time than rushing?

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nora184•4d ago

Almost torched my garage with a bad battery charger fix

Last Tuesday I tried to revive a dead DeWalt 20V charger by swapping a capacitor, and it started smoking within 10 seconds of plugging it back in. Has anyone else had a battery charger catch fire after a DIY repair?

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piper_lopez•5d ago

That tip about zip tie direction on brake lines finally clicked

I was replacing the calipers on my 2002 Civic last weekend (my third attempt after stripping a bleeder screw). A buddy mentioned he always points zip tie heads outward on brake lines so they don't snag. Never thought about that before but it makes total sense after I cut my hand on a loose one. Took me 20 minutes to redo all the lines but now everything is clean and secure. Has anyone else found tiny tricks like this that save time on the next repair?

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garcia.casey•5d ago

Fixed my dryer 3 times before I realized the vent was the problem

I replaced the heating element twice on my Whirlpool dryer over 4 months, spent about $120 total on parts. Turned out the vent was 80% clogged with lint and it was killing the element from overheating. Has anyone else chased the wrong fix for weeks before finding the real issue?

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ryanf66•5d ago

Swapped a carb for fuel injection on my 87 F150 - night and day difference

I know everyone loves rebuilding carbs and swears by them for simplicity. Last spring I got sick of fighting the cold start issues on my old Holley, so I threw on a cheap TBI setup from a junkyard S10. Took me three tries to get the wiring right and I fried one ECU, but once it fired up it idled perfect from stone cold. Anyone else ditched the carb for EFI and dealt with the headaches on the way?

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the_abby•6d ago

This $35 drain snake cost me $600 in plumbing repairs

I tried to clear a clogged kitchen sink with one of those plastic drain snakes from the hardware store. Got it stuck about 4 feet down the pipe and snapped the handle trying to pull it back out. Called a plumber in Austin and they had to cut open the wall to get the whole mess out. The plastic snake just shredded apart inside and made everything worse. Plus the plumber said if I'd just waited for him it would have been a $150 job instead of $600. Anyone else have a cheap tool turn into a total disaster?

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cooper.max•7d ago

Threw $90 down the drain on a cheap coil tester for my '98 Dodge

Bought one of those no-name spark testers off Amazon to check my van's ignition. Worked fine for 5 minutes then just died. Should have just bought a proper multimeter from the start. Anyone got a recommendation for a solid one that won't break the bank?

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davis.diana•9d ago

Rant: That time I tried to fix my dryer belt and made it 10x worse

I was at my buddy's garage last Saturday working on my 3 year old Samsung dryer. The belt snapped and I figured hey, how hard can it be? Watched a YouTube video for maybe 4 minutes, thought I had it down. Pulled the whole thing apart in 20 minutes, got the new belt on, but when I put it back together I had this random screw left over. Fired it up and it sounded like a helicopter landing in my laundry room. Turns out I had the belt routed wrong around the tensioner pulley, and that screw was holding the drum support bracket. Had to take the whole thing apart again, this time with a proper service manual from the manufacturer's website. The second try took 2 hours because I was triple checking everything. Has anyone else dealt with those Samsung dryer tensioner springs that always pop off when you try to reattach them?

2 comments