Ten minute job, yeah right. So a year ago I bought the EGR gasket, to fix the well known BLT engine stutter, and it's been sitting in my desk draw until last week, when I finally decided to take it in to work and drill the hole out with the intention of fitting it this weekend. Saturday arrives and I go to do the job. Engine cover off, reach inside and come to the conclusion that getting to the bolts is a massive pain in the backside. So anyway I push on and finally manage to extract both bolts. Take a look at where the old gasket should be and it seems their is no old gasket, I push the new gasket in and nothing comes out the other side. Tad confused as I was under the impression that it was meant to have a 25mm gasket but anyway the new ones in lined up so time to put the bolts back in.

So far so good.... yeah right.

First bolt goes in without issue and I half tighten it, insert the second bolt and find it seems a tad tight, like the idiot I am I push on and then it hits the wall half way through, refuses point blank to go in any further. So time decision time do I He-man it or should I use my brain? I decide He-man it , I get the spanner in to the bolt and then my plans are foiled when I suffer some sort of mini lose of all motor control and decide that this very second is a great time to release anything that my right hand happens to be holding. Down goes the ratchet spanner, lost to the depths. After four or five minutes of professional level head holding I decide to see if I can find the tool and manage to just see it peaking out at me sitting on the edge of the under tray. So what do I do? I don't have a magnet gripping tool and their is no way I can reach that far in, destroy the flower bed and remove one of those really long wooden support things you use for sunflowers. I prode at the tool for a few minutes and decide that this is not really the way to get at it. So decide to jack the car up a wee bit reach under and manage to get hold of the tool just enough to push it cleanly and totally out of reach on to the under tray.

So now what; tool kicking about down there and a half tightened EGR gasket? Test drive the car of course! All in all it seems to go well, no rattles everything works, spanner seems to have fallen cleanly out of the way and then I boot it and get a noise like someone playing a swazzle. Logic suggests the loose EGR bolt is letting gas escape so off to the tool store to buy some more stuff to loose in to the Bermuda engine bay. Anyway get home decide to engage brain and remove the bolt that won't tighten to find it is now cross threaded and to add to the fun and games the engine is now warm, no let me rephrase that it is f*cking arm melting hot.

Anyway decide not to try and he man the bolt back in and just opt to replace it with a 10mm nut and bolt which would have been easy to fit had the engine been cold but was instead turned out to be an operation in self abuse and pain management.

I finally get it all tightened and test drive the car, yes it's working and yes it seems to be stuttering less and all in all no warning lights and no strange clonking from free roaming tools. So I was in two minds as to weather to leave things be leaning towards the leave it alone it's working side.

The thing is knowing it's there will bug me so tomorrow the under tray is coming off.

So moral of the story... um don't let a professional idiot do anything simple.

Oh and no doubt the car will catch fire mid way through the ten minute under tray removal or Ill lose all three of my pet cats inside there or something daft will happen.

Edited 25 September, 201114 yr by Laughingman

Glad you sorted it, that did make me chuckle reading your post. How a simple job can easily go wrong

Amateurs

Wow. Sounds like you had a nightmare!

They can normally be done in a few mins..

I tired the other day and could not even get the bolts out!

I got a spanner in and had a lot of force, but no movement in the slightest.

Any tips?

I tired the other day and could not even get the bolts out!

I got a spanner in and had a lot of force, but no movement in the slightest.

Any tips?

Use an Allen key with a ring spanner for extra leverage.

Amateurs

Thinking of getting that tattooed on my forehead.

Anyway went ahead and tried to get at the under tray this morning. Not enough room to get the only T30 bit on a screwdriver that I have, yup I used the drive half way on a kerb trick, so had a dig around (by that I mean I whacked the under tray a few times and can confirm the spanner is defiantly sitting on it. Took the car for a spirited test drive, everything is good so have decided to leave things be until the car is serviced next month, think I'll get a discount for supplying them with tools?

I always drop things when i'm doing a job under the bonnet but its usually bolts or nuts. You can never find them when they fall in.

Sounds like me putting on the 312's a few months ago.... Glad it's not just me! (sorry dude!!)