1) Putting car on Jack Stands: I don't know this for sure, but I would have to guess that this is the leading cause of death and serious injury in our hobby. If anyone of your Jack's break, fails or falls, what will keep your car from falling on you, your arm or legs or someone else? For that matter, what will keep it from just FALLING.
NEVER JACK YOUR CAR UP ON A HILL. I could write a book on all the dangers of poor jack use.
2) Putting your hands around running motor: If the first one is not the leading cause of injury this one most likely is. Any moving part on the car is more powerful then your fingers. Long hair and cloth from your body is a problem also.
3) Don't Jump a Solenoid:
(car can run you over) (moving parts are also dangerous)
4) Don't recharge your A/C:
(can may blow up in your hand) (pressure hose in face)
5) Replacing suspension parts and not knowing which ones can FLY Away. (You are talking 1000's of pounds of pressure.)
6) Removing the radiator cap on a HOT car: This is the one that even us experienced guys have been stupid with at least once (or twice). YOU don't know how hot it is until you have it lose and it is burning your hand and you know letting it go is going to throw HOT water all over you.
7) Brakes: Oh my god, all the stuff you can do wrong here.
Driving down the road with NO brakes is not a feeling you ever want to experience.
8) Welding a gas tank: LOL - come on!!!! how many guys have done it??? A very Dumb thing to do. I have not done, but was outside when it blew. I knew it was stupid. I was 17. That is why I went outside!! Filling it with water won't help.
9) Loosen lug nuts while car is on jack or jack stands: Loosen your lugs before you put it on the jack stands and/or jack. Sometimes they are so tight that you pull or push the car right OFF the jack stand(s). Not a big issue if impact gun.
10) Welding on the car: Cars have gasoline and lines. Other stuff will burn. Don't lay under your welding.
11) Removing Engine and/or Trans: They are very heavy. Is your chain strong enough??

It's midnight, this is where I stop. I am sure someone will add more. Read them and be careful. Use experienced help.

Please keep adding to this. I know a lot of guys are going to want to say some funny stuff. PLEASE, KEEP THIS SERIOUS. We really don't want anyone in this great hobby to get hurt.

I would just like to ad, that even when I have jackstands properly placed under the car, I usually bring the floor jack under part of the car where I am. I use to never worry about stuff like that, but I am pretty lucky to be 40 right now.

Don't try to clean an e-brake cable (that has a snag) on a bench wire wheel unless you want to take the chance of it getting pulled through your hands, only to have the snag dig into your finger and pull it out of socket, along with a trail of blood while leaving the shop.

Don't guide an L78/M20 combo over the trans crossmember while under the car, unless you are sure the attaching points between the engine and hoist won't break. You don't see 600+ lbs fall in an instant, but you'll feel it afterwards.

If there is tension on the jack stand release arm, don't try to force it (seen it, haven't done it)

Don't torch a part off a car with your tennis-shoe laden foot directly underneath (again, seen but haven't done)

If moving a 4000lb. car around on steel-wheeled dollies on a concrete floor, make sure your feet are out of the way. It is detrimental to the existence of your toenails.

Those are just the ones that come to mind right now.

Don't rush - take the time.
Think about the next move, or better yet, the next 4 moves, i.e., pulling trans or eng/trans and the trans is not drained. You know oil is going to come out. Either drain before or have a drain pan underneath so when it does pour out, you do catch the oil. Let it drain.

Think about the next pull on the 3-4 foot breaker bar in your hands. If car is on stands, do you really want to apply 600 ft/lbs of torque sideways? Is there another way? Same goes for the lifts.

I'm sure there will be alot of "Lessons learned," or as the Safety Officer calls them "'Near misses," written here.

Jack stands are probably the most important, I do not know how many people I see using Concrete blocks... (NO NO NO NO)
My neighbor came and asked me to look at something the other day and he had the car on cement blocks... I said I'm not getting under that, get some jack stands...

Chock the tires! A few years ago i saved a man's life, He had put his truck on a set of ramps to remove the driveshaft, didn't chock the tires and as soon as he knocked the driveshaft out of it the truck rolled down the ramps and right on top of him breaking a few ribs in the process, luckily i was around to hear his screams and get the truck jacked up and off of him.

Burnouts/Showing Off on the Street - You could end up running over someone like this guy. http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20080816/NEWS/645774535/1055
Not real dangerous to the driver, but innocent bystanders are definitely at risk.

Safety glasses really work too!!!

Jack stands are probably the most important, I do not know how many people I see using Concrete blocks... (NO NO NO NO)
My neighbor came and asked me to look at something the other day and he had the car on cement blocks... I said I'm not getting under that, get some jack stands...
Jut to show you what can happen with the concrete blocks...the neighbour put some under his 5th wheel...went away for a couple of mins, before working under it... and one of the blocks gave way! I gave him supreme, you know what? His defence was... these were not the blocks that he usually uses. Right!:o

capt

I know a lady whose dad was killed when the concrete blocks gave way. She is forever saddened. He was her best friend..:(

Dont try to put a car on a body Jig by yourself

When I put my car on Jack stands, I put wood blocks 4x8s under the tires so if the stand gives way the car is supported by the blocks.

All great warnings to abide by... but now to put them into practice, eh? Esp the "safety glasses" reminder...I find this one the easiest the break, yet it only takes that micro-second... and the damage is done!

capt

Re the jacking up, jackstands, working under a car.. etc.. When I jack up a car to work under it, I DO use jackstand (under the FRAME.. not under a suspension component), LEAVE the jack in place as well for added insurance... AND before I get under it to work on it, I TRY to shake it off the stands.. using more lateral force than I am going to use working under it! (It it's going to fall, I want it to fall BEFORE I get under it).. if I see any sign of instability, I re-do the setup...

AND when doing suspension work, ie. ball joints, etc.. I always run a chain (a heavy chain) thru the coil spring and around a frame member before I remove other parts.. IF the spring comes out with more force than you expect, it will not come far...
Gary

Wear a mask when using thinners or paint products, esp. when in an enclosed space like when you are prepping the dash or floors. Got a lot of splitting headaches this way, not to mention what it does to your lungs long term.

Wear long pants that cover the top of your shoes when welding, that "hot stuff" hurts when it falls down in the top of your shoe.

I also try to keep a phone within reach when I'm out working in the garage just in case something was to happen, I usually let someone know I'm out there too.

Umm, I don't know man!!.....You should change the title to read: "Dangerous Stuff for Dummies".....Common sense will dictate whether you'll "weld a gas tank" or "stick your hand down a running motor" or "remove a radiator cap from a scalding hot radiator" and so on......I don't use jack stands that much but when I do, I'll use the floor jack as a back up and a set of ramps are better, as long as you're not removing a wheel.....And, be advised, there is not "1000's of pounds of pressure" in the suspension, it is more like a few hundred pounds at the most and again, commom sense will tell you to use safety precautions such as wraping a safety chain around a coil spring upon removal

I think the only thing I'd add is to wear some sort of thin gloves when you're dealing with brake fluid and anti-freeze and keep the bucket of anti-freeze off the ground so it can't be consumed by your pet's or a dumb person!

Don't mess with anything fuel related in an enclosed space and never with a drop light next to you. It's not the gas that explodes, it's the fumes.

Don't use those cheap, unstable, three legged, stamped steel jackstands.

But the most important safety tip is no matter what, and I mean no matter what, if your wife asks you "honey, does this dress make my butt look big?", the answer in absolutely every case is always "no dear".

;)


alan

I read a magazine article years ago that placed auto repair as one of the top ten dangerous professions. Think about all the hazards in an auto shop, oil spills fumes, carbon monoxide, cars falling, unguarded moving parts, battery acid etc. Some one made a comment about common sense, it's not always common. I think most of use know not to leave a car running in an enclosed space, but would you let someone sleep in a running car out in the open? I almost lost my oldest son because he did that and ALL of us knew better(himself , his mother, and I). Luckily my ex got an odd feeling and went out to wake him, he was already in a coma. I can't honestly say I would have done anything different under the circumstances. He seems to have escaped "unscathed" but I think it's in the back of his mind as a reminder to appreciate life more and to be more careful.

Jeff

Do not remove too many fasteners from any area of an auto tranny (especially the crossmember) before you get a jack under the pan. If the bellhousing is cracked it WILL come down on top of you and your son. A couple hundred pounds of tranny can move extrememly fast. The jack is a pita with the crossmember still in,,,, but a pita is better than a squashed one.


10-4 on the shaking of the car on stands. I TRY to knock it off the stands and might re-do my setup several times before I go under. Dad taught me that when I was <10, and I taught my boy by the time he was 6 or 8. And always leave a jack under there with a little bind on it.

When it's 1979, and you are 16 and have had your Camaro for a total of about 2 weeks, don't just assume that when you are already getting home later than curfew that there is NO WAY that that car way behind you with the bright lights on is a cop. I also would highly recommend that you don't go ahead and bury that speedometer.

Yes, Jeff. I agree with you. it is the guys that say this stuff is "common sense" that have the greatest risk of having a problem. Anyone that know me, knows I am a safety nut. And i have done some of the dumb things listed here. I am teaching my son and this stuff is not all so common sense. I am one of those guys that when jacking up the front will put 2 jacks stands and a jack under it and shake the car also. Not uncommon for me to have the 2 tires under the frame also. When a see a car on 4 jack stands and NO tires, I always cringe.

Common sense is based on experience: Here is another quick story. Others in Illinois might have heard of it. It was about 30 years ago. A mechanic was charging the battery on a car. Some how the charger shorted out. When he grabbed the door handle on the car and stepped into some water around the door, he was shocked and killed. Sounds like common sense, but I would never think about that, had I not have heard it. I guaranty that if you have a younger son that you are teaching this stuff too, even if a smart kid, you will be amazed at what they DON'T know or think of.

I know this experience may seem rather funny but the consequences could have been serious. A friend crawled out from under his car while in my garage and used a rag with paint thinner to wipe his hands. He stuck the rag in to his back pocket and lights a cigarette. Just then the shop furnace cut in and he said to me: “Man that furnace blows hot. I replied; “You’re on Fire.”

I was in a wreckers chop shop were an employee was using a chop saw. A spark from the cuttings went some 30 feet to a wall were a couple batteries were stored. One of the batteries blew up and literally went off like a grenade totally demolishing the entire wall and there was not one trace left of either battery. After witnessing that I'm very cautious with batteries.

Not smart to lean over the front of the engine and rev it. I witnessed a fellow racer at the track get lacerated by a belt that broke. Also, I was in my driveway sitting in my car and when I revved it up, my fan threw a blade. It did considerable damage to the hood and radiator. Minutes before that, I was leaning over revving the engine. I don't do it any more.

Some times, I think the more guys mess with cars, the more slack they become... human nature?..."familarity breeds contempt"... I think you know where I'm heading. Even the most experienced has that moment's lapse in judgement that costs dearly, and it doesn't help to be reminded from time to time. I for one, have not, put some sort of extra support under the car with the car on four stands, even if they are rated for much more than the car weighs. But, I will after this thread.

capt

Do not test to make sure that your HEI is working by putting the spark plug in your mouth, firmly grabbing onto the negative side of your battery without gloves on, and have your buddy crank over the motor with a 1,000 cca battery.

Also.....do not weld in the nude!

... 3) Don't Jump a Solenoid:
(car can run you over) (moving parts are also dangerous) ...

Specially with a 'big-azz' long Craftsman screwdriver - 'cause when it touches a frame rail it leaves a 'big-azz' scar on your arm ... :o
(but the car made it to the finals ...)

NEVER hold a part while while using a drill-press - specially while wearing a pair of 'Mechanic's' type gloves (cloth/leather with lots of places for metal burrs to catch on ...) :noway:
You'll find yourself no longer able to count to "10" very easily ...

When it's 1979, and you are 16 and have had your Camaro for a total of about 2 weeks, don't just assume that when you are already getting home later than curfew that there is NO WAY that that car way behind you with the bright lights on is a cop. ...
This may be somewhat of an explaination of why my insurance was $1,200 dollars a year - in 1970 ...

Do not test to make sure that your HEI is working by putting the spark plug in your mouth, firmly grabbing onto the negative side of your battery without gloves on, and have your buddy crank over the motor with a 1,000 cca battery. ...
Do not ask your brother (the Carpenter), when he asks 'how-he-can-help', to hook-up a timing light to an idling Blown Big-block running a Mag - unless you shut it down for him before walking back into the shop for a second :noway:
It was fun watching him bounce around for a few seconds though :D
Them "Hunt" magneto's sure did pack a wallop :yes:

... Also.....do not weld in the nude!
My nieghbor lady hates that too :yes:
But hey, some chicks do dig scars :thumbsup:

Lots of good info in these type of threads :yes:
I lost a good friend in High school that had his mom's 57 T-bird fall on him while changing the oil. Worst part was, his mom found him when he didn't come in for lunch as he said ...
While I favor using a lift if possible, it it sometimes necessary to jack-up some vehicles and put stands under them (I've got some large 'truck' stands I like) I always back my 'big-ol' rear up to the fender of a car I'm going under and give it a good push/rock - if it stays up after one of those then it will most likely stay up while I'm under it.

You never can be "to safe" while working around vehicles or machinery :noway:

Not smart to lean over the front of the engine and rev it. I witnessed a fellow racer at the track get lacerated by a belt that broke. Also, I was in my driveway sitting in my car and when I revved it up, my fan threw a blade. It did considerable damage to the hood and radiator. Minutes before that, I was leaning over revving the engine. I don't do it any more.
I think about this one all the time while I am working on a running motor. Never heard of it happening and never had it happen. Thanks for reminding me that I am not a worry wart. I think the reminding people of the REVING is the important thing. Try not to rev when you face is in the engine compartment. It is probably 100 time more likely to happen while reving then just an idle.

Hey guys...anyone ever hear of those flex-type fans coming apart @ high rpm's? Or is it yet another myth?

capt

Use the ether based starting fluid or whatever fume spray substance you're using in a well ventilated place, especially away from a hot water heater or portable heater in wintertime!

Hey guys...anyone ever hear of those flex-type fans coming apart @ high rpm's? Or is it yet another myth?

capt

No myth. My buddy had a blade come off his '74 Datsun pickup, went through the radiator/fan shroud. Not pretty.

Never leave your ratchet or breaker bar on the bolt of your crank pulley. You'll forget it's there. I worked with a mechanic who forgot it, he remote started it, has a lot of scars and steel in his jaw now.

Here's a couple, don't lean over your engine with the air cleaner off while revving, the engine can easily backfire and give you a good ole' face burn. Another thing that comes to mind that many of you probably have done and thought nothing of it. And I promise that this is a true story. A 19 year old mechanic at the local Toyota dealer was trying to loosen a bolt. He had a vehicle on a rack, pulling the wrench toward himself. The wrench slipped off the fastener and he popped himself in the eye with the wrench. It knocked his eye out and put him in a coma. He died several days later.

Never be without a fire extinguisher, such as when setting your float level by yourself and the towel wrapped around the carb gets soaked with gas and begins to drip on your headers....don't ask how I know :yes:

Never but never try to repair your exhaust system with a bumper jack. During my 30 year carear on the Fire Department I seen this twice. In both instances because they hadn't remove a tire the car fall pinning them sending them to the hospital to think about how stupid it was.
Roger

Don't do 6K clutch dumps without a scattershield. I enjoy being able to walk:thumbsup: I've seen clutch discs come though a lot of floor pans.
Don't smoke around batteries, oil or when pumping gas.
If your battery cables are loose, don't use aluminum can tabs to take up the slack. (Its amazing what you see as a part time employee at Advance Auto Parts)
If your hood latch is broken, don't use your shoe laces as a way to keep the hood down.
If your car is boiling over, don't take off the radiator cap to relieve the pressure. I saw a guy to this about a month ago at work and he is lucky that his face and upper body weren't badly burned. It was like a geyser going off.
Never leave a car idling unattended.
Before you do anything, stop, and think for a minute, it could just save your life.

If you have a problematic hideaway actuator (one that will only push air through one side), and bench test it with compressed air, be careful not to use too much psi. They can come apart like a small bomb.

I hope to regain use of my right index finger by the end if the week :o

Don’t charge your battery under the bench grinder. :o

I read a magazine article years ago that placed auto repair as one of the top ten dangerous professions. Think about all the hazards in an auto shop, oil spills fumes, carbon monoxide, cars falling, unguarded moving parts, battery acid etc. Some one made a comment about common sense, it's not always common. I think most of use know not to leave a car running in an enclosed space, but would you let someone sleep in a running car out in the open? I almost lost my oldest son because he did that and ALL of us knew better(himself , his mother, and I). Luckily my ex got an odd feeling and went out to wake him, he was already in a coma. I can't honestly say I would have done anything different under the circumstances. He seems to have escaped "unscathed" but I think it's in the back of his mind as a reminder to appreciate life more and to be more careful.

Jeff

Somtimes common sense does not let you see a chain of event that is unfolding and very dangerous to you.

But the most important safety tip is no matter what, and I mean no matter what, if your wife asks you "honey, does this dress make my butt look big?", the answer in absolutely every case is always "no dear".

;)


alan

Answering yes, could certainly make the jack getting let down on you look like an accident!

I've been married for 30 years, so I can sort of get away with my answer to the above question.

I tell my wife ""The dress doesn't have a damn thing to do with it". :D :noway:

Wasn't gonna confess these two...accidents,:o even thought they say "accidents just don't happen". And I got a feeling that I some how, I am not the only guy who has ever done these two things while working on a car.

#1. I always make certain that I am not wearing a watch! Some how, I managed to make contact with my watch with the body, created a short...burned the band right off me...had a painful burn, and the watch quit.

#2. While letting down the car one time, the release on the floor jack got away on me, the arm flipped up, catching my wedding ring finger between the door and the bar. The ring was squashed, and had quite the time getting it off. The ring kinda saved my finger...and won't share what my wifey had to say about this event...needless to say, there wasn't much sympathy.

Bottom line...remove all metal when working on the car...I do... now!

capt

http://www.brockport.edu/ehs/Images/safety%20violations/Welding%20under%20vehicle.jpg

http://www.brockport.edu/ehs/Images/safety%20violations/Welding%20under%20vehicle.jpg
I feel better over my two prev confessions now after seeing what this idiot was doing. Thanks for this last post, Den.

capt

I feel better over my two prev confessions now after seeing what this idiot was doing. Thanks for this last post, Den.

capt

At least he has a block behind the tire :beers: and he is not using the original tire jack. Although that may be an OEM set of wood jacks.

67for/me

I got one, NEVER suck on anything you don't intend to swallow!:yes::thumbsup:

At least he has a block behind the tire :beers: and he is not using the original tire jack. Although that may be an OEM set of wood jacks.

67for/me
Nope... OEM blocks are the same length...and I'll bet those aren't safety boots either!:)

capt

Not sure which is worse, his "jackstands" or his welding next to (what looks to be) the gas tank. :confused:

http://www.brockport.edu/ehs/Images/safety%20violations/Welding%20under%20vehicle.jpg
Oh my God !!!!!!!!!!!

A guy i knew in high school had an old Chevy fleetside with a built 400 sb. One day he puts a new dual exhaust on it (courtesy of road sign posts!) and is out in the parking lot rappin' em off.
I don't know how high it was revving, but apparently high enough to let 2 blades pull off his flex-fan. He had one blade stuck in the hood (after taking out the upper rad hose) and one stuck in the blacktop!
I'd never buy one of those!!

Halter tops can be dangerous in the garage.

I've got to insist the OP change #1 from "Putting car on Jack Stands:" to NOT Putting car on Jack Stands:

Hey guys...anyone ever hear of those flex-type fans coming apart @ high rpm's? Or is it yet another myth?

capt

Mine handles 8000 rpm just fine, although it doesn't handle the lower alternator bolt coming out and hitting it too well. No blades came off even after that happened on a road trip. It could be those breakages happen due to over tightening the bolts. I used 4 body washers and didn't over torque them.

Wasn't gonna confess these two...accidents,:o even thought they say "accidents just don't happen". And I got a feeling that I some how, I am not the only guy who has ever done these two things while working on a car.

#1. I always make certain that I am not wearing a watch! Some how, I managed to make contact with my watch with the body, created a short...burned the band right off me...had a painful burn, and the watch quit.

#2. While letting down the car one time, the release on the floor jack got away on me, the arm flipped up, catching my wedding ring finger between the door and the bar. The ring was squashed, and had quite the time getting it off. The ring kinda saved my finger...and won't share what my wifey had to say about this event...needless to say, there wasn't much sympathy.

Bottom line...remove all metal when working on the car...I do... now!

capt
Thanks for the reminder! You'd think I wouldn't need a reminder as both of my ring fingers still have scars! My wedding band resides in my jewelry box now, I think it might have been worn ten times in ten years. I do remove my watch when I work in the breaker box.

Jeff

Still don't have full use of my index finger. It is quite colorful, though :D

I feel better over my two prev confessions now after seeing what this idiot was doing. Thanks for this last post, Den.

capt

If you are going to do that, you might as well make funeral pre-arrangements. I would go nuts if I were there. I would HATE to witness a death in that fashion. It would be UGLY.

About 10 years ago my fathers friend died when those steel ramps they used to sell failed and the car fell on top of him.

He was a great old guy. Back then those ramps were thought to be pretty safe until they started folding under cars and killing people.

After you remove the sending unit from your gas tank, don't use your shop vac to clean the opening in the tank, unless you were planning on getting a new shop vac anyway.

A simple, yet important recommendation:

Slip on a nice set of gloves...especially when disassembling your old, rusted muscle car...once your socket, prybar, etc. slips, you may end up with a nice gash on an appendage...thus a quick trip to the ER for a tet shot...

Smitty

1967 Camaro
Currently Under Restoration

I'd like to add one especially for those who are new to restoring, even old hands at this stuff who get careless, and using some of the tools it takes to do this kind of work. Never ever where a loose shirt or cotton type gloves when using a grinder with a wire wheel. In tight spaces a grinder will catch that shirt and work its way right up to your neck, not to mention what it will do should that wire wheel catch a cotten glove.

This is one of the most valuable posts on this site IMHO. You can never be too careful. After all, you can replace a car by buying another one, but you cannot replace a life.

My saying that I always like to use as well is: The problem with common sense is that it is not too common.

Be careful, have fun, and don't forget about your family...

It's not a bad idea to use gloves in a drill press but keep those gloves away from from the drill bit when its rotating at 1000 rpm. It can wind up that glove and your hand in seconds. I watched one of our machinists try to grab a long stringy chip from a spinning drill bit while she was wearing gloves :sad: when I went over to tell why that wasn't a good idea she gave me a dirty look but at least I got her to think about it.

I got another one for the dummies out there!.....When you're cutting your sheet metal and you start approaching your fingers, try to at least move your fingers out of the way or you'll end up picking them up off the floor with your remaining intact fingers!

Halter tops can be dangerous in the garage.

This post is no good without pics :D

How about Dangerous stuff: Don't do period. http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e22/tlewelling/IMAGE-IDIOT-UNDER-TRUCK.gif