Had a week where every bolt just fought me back

Started Monday with a stubborn nut on an engine cowling that took 45 minutes to break free, then Wednesday I spent two hours chasing a lock washer that dropped into a hidden nook under the APU. By Friday, I was replacing a fuel line and the new part was 3/16 inch too short, so I had to bend the bracket myself. Worst part was the crew chief just laughed and said 'some weeks are like that.' Has anyone else had a run of bad luck that made you question your whole approach?

3 comments

3 Comments

charles67822d ago

My uncle used to say the lock washer gremlins only come out when you're already behind schedule. I dropped a spring clip into an engine intake once and had to fish it out with a bent coat hanger for 20 minutes. That whole month just felt cursed after that.

emerycarr22d ago

Did your uncle ever say anything about magnetic tools and swearing? My buddy Dave dropped a washer into a transmission once. Tried to get it with a magnetic pickup tool but it was one of those washers that sticks to the side of the case. He spent 45 minutes shaking and tilting the whole transmission just to get it to slide out. Swore the thing was laughing at him. You ever have a part that just seems to move away from the tool every time you reach for it?

xena_kim21d ago

Oh man, that washer story is textbook. I've had parts do that exact thing where they just dodge the magnet like they're alive. One trick that actually works is to tape a small rare earth magnet to the end of a zip tie, then bend the zip tie into a curve. Lets you kind of scoop and pin the part against the case wall before it can slide away again. Your buddy Dave might've saved time by rotating the housing so the washer fell toward the opening instead of fighting it. Transmission innards have so many little ledges for things to hide behind. I swear they engineer those drain holes specifically to trap washers and keep them hostage.