Safety Safety Safety !

[brianroark]

Ouch Ouch Ouch

[N0DIH]

On the safety topic:

ALWAYS wear googles when working with freon. My el cheapo plastic fill kit burst the threaded end off of a full can in my face. I was ok because I wore glasses, but I wan't exactly amused :madtalkin: with the experience.

Get brass fittings for freon. Nothing less.

Tom

[nozebleed]

Originally Posted by bbob

Also, watch the moving belts and pulleys underhood. Was reminded of this today as I watched someone wearing a tie lean over the fender of a FWD Deville to look underhood. He forgot the accessory drive belt is on the right side so his tie was dangling right in the power steering pulley/belt interface while the engine was idling. Nothing happened but it could have. I did once see a person get their tie caught like that in the pulley of the accessory drive. Fortunately, the guy was pretty big and strong and he just grabbed his tie and leaned back hard and it finally ripped....but in another sitation he could just have easily have had his face pulled into the pulley as the tie wrapped around it.

Not only ties, but we tend to overlook the strings on hoodie type sweatshirts - working on my friends Honda I leaned over and one end got tied up on the fan belt, by the time I knew what happened the string got pulled through my shirt and gave me a pretty nice rope burn around the neck, luckily it got pulled through tho instead of my getting my face pulled into the motor...I pull all these strings out even on new shirts now and Im a lot more careful....

[guidematic]

Great points all. Being a mechanic, now working on heavy trucks, you have to be on your toes at all times. I have seen many things that are quite scarey over the years, and being lead on my shift, I have to constantly watch the other guys for possible safety infractions. They can crop up out of an otherwise innocent situation and come back to bite you.

The thing is, always be conscious of your safety, not only the recognised procedures, but be watchfull for any other situation that may cause a potential hurt.

Something else that is potentially lethal, and I see it more than I care to admit, mostly by DIY's. That is supporting your car with cement blocks. That is a huge no no. They can shatter leaving no support and the car will come down on you before you even realise what is happening. Don't do it no matter how tempting!

Mike

[Stoneage_Caddy]

Guide , that is a great thing to add ...i never thought of the cement block thing ...always used jackstands myself but ive still never thought of the idea that cinderblocks do that ....

[pink panther]

someone still wears ties?????

:|

[Wolfpath2004]

Another good safty tip that will prevent damage to you and your vehicle while doing repairs is disconnecting to battery. You'll be surprized.

[SkarTisu]

I'm paranoid about getting underneath a car on jackstands as it is, but one thing to keep in mind when you're doing that brake job or packing those wheel bearings is to keep your legs and feet out from underneath those rotors and drums.

[Tailfin]

When I get under a car, I always obsessively contemplate what it would be like if the thing were to fall...and then ask myself why I thought that.. SCARY! If you need convincing to use jack stands, just jack up the car, get under there a good ways, and imagine it failing

Little tip about chocking wheels... I never had much faith in little wooden wedges. I use a simple pair of cinder blocks. They have weight to them, friction, and the angular bit against the tire does not encourage any chance of the tire "rolling" up it.

[XxCBONExX]

An old topic but I feel the need to contribute. A few years back my friends dad was trying to figure out why a car wouldn't start, tinkering around in the engine bay. Well, he got the car to start, but the fan took his pointer finger off at the knuckle.

I was replacing a fuel pressure regulator in my stanza one time. Did most everything right, released fuel pressure before I got the line off. Well I put everything back together and tried starting her up. Running really rough, I got out to see what was up. Fuel was spraying everywhere. So I did the job over again, this time not forgetting the O-Ring between the FPR and the fuel rail. I consider myself really lucky that nothing ignited, what with fuel spraying onto a running engine.

My brothers friend had a car drop on his head (my brother now is very adamant about properly holding the car up). Not much to say about the poor guy. Imagine the worst.

And finally my brother did the same thing, opening a hot radiator. I remember the sight of him sitting on a chair in the shower under some very cold water. Not something I want to go through. Ever.

[RobDeville]

This is a GREAT topic. It is amazing how quickly you forget the dangers. Just in the last month I had a truck slip off of jack stand. Nobody got hurt and no damage was done but it really reminds you how quickly things turn bad. Many companies have "near miss" that they talk about there close calls in hopes that it would prevent any others. That is exactly what this has become and this should be required reading for all of us DIY'ers....

[Bluenose1]

This is a great thread! You can never be too safe. Thankfully, my husband is an extremely safety conscious person and I never leave him unattended in the driveway for extended periods.

[DaveSmed]

I have something to add to this thread, a friend of mine recently got hut when a car fell on top of him in the junkyard, because he failed to take the time to use proper jack stands. He is REAL lucky to be alive.
http://cbs3.com/topstories/junkyard.....2.591911.html

[cadillac_al]

I'm also a little scared of jack stands and will throw something extra under there like a spare tire or block of wood so the car won't fall all the way down. The reason I'm posting here though is to remember that batteries can be flammable too. I had always heard they could explode but was never too concerned about it. When I saw one blow up in my friends face, I have a new respect for hooking up booster cables. They can explode as loud as a gunshot and acid will spray everywhere. Sometimes when a battery is dying, it will start boiling and making a lot of gas. So beware when you are being a good Samaritan and boosting another car. Hook the ground up last and preferably to a bracket on the engine. I was always taught to hook up the dead battery last but I think it's safer to hook up the good battery last because there is less chance of encountering excess fumes with a good battery.

[93DevilleUSMC]

Safety= not turning repair bills into hospital bills.