The Driver's Seat:
The Wrong Tools for the Job
Sometimes a job requires improvisation to complete. An internal combustion engine is not one of those jobs.
Jonathan Swigart - AutomotiveForums.com
March 9, 2012
We, as humans, are nothing if not resilient.
I often marvel at our innate ability to make the best of situations that we find ourselves in – no matter how bad they may seem – and come out on top.
In terms of everyday situations, this is best applied to trying remedying a particular set of circumstances that otherwise appears to be insurmountable.
Unfortunately, there is another side to that coin, and that comes in the form of applying improvisational techniques to situations that will be hindered because of them.
The best example I can provide for this occurred recently for me.
My father is currently working on a late model car that required some exploratory work on the engine head, which he believed was the cause for the car not running properly.
Based on his knowledge of the car he was working on and the problems he was facing, he assumed the car needed a head gasket – which turned out to be correct.
The fascinating part of this, however, is that the previous owner of the car had attempted a new head gasket not long before selling it to my father. It turns out, the guy wasn’t too keen on what is required to perform a head gasket replacement, so he “improvised.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the “improvising” performed on the head gasket of a car:
FROM LEFT:This engine block was put back together with – that’s right – bathroom caulk.
I wish I could say the photos above are fake and that someone didn’t actually use bathroom sealant on the engine block of a car, but I would be lying.
I also wish I could say I doubt this happens very often, but I am confident that, too, would be a lie. Which brings me to my next point: If you don’t know what you’re doing or don’t have the resources to fix a car, DON’T.
This isn’t a deck you’re working on where you can just go out and buy a new board and fix your mistakes or slap a couple of pieces together to fix a joint – this is a car that requires specific items to be fixed correctly.
You wouldn’t entrust your kid’s health treatment to a guy who said he’s seen a lot of medical shows on The Learning Channel, would you? No. So don’t be that guy when it comes to your cars.
There’s no shame in taking your car to a mechanic if you don’t know how to perform a major job on the engine block – especially if it means the car actually runs when you’re done. Otherwise, you’ll have a car that ends up like this, requiring the entire engine to be disassembled and machined from the residue that crept into the injection ports, combustion chamber and cam shaft.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not discouraging you from working on your car – I’m encouraging you to know what your limit is in terms of the work you feel comfortable doing. There’s no reason for a good car to end up being junked or garaged because of someone’s stupidity (which means if you know someone who is about to do this to their car, please – stop them).
Remember, it might cost you a little more to take it to a mechanic, but at least the onus is on them if they mess it up.
Just because you think you can fix it, doesn’t mean you should always try.
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Jonathan Swigart is an award-winning journalist and has been around the automotive world his entire life. "The Driver's Seat" will explore some of the basic aspects of driving that drivers often overlook, among other topics related to driving and the auto industry. He lives in Champaign, Illinois with his wife and son and works at the University of Illinois.
You can reach Jonathan by emailing [email protected]