That $7.50 can of WD-40 that cost me $300 in furnace repairs

Had a furnace that kept tripping the limit switch last winter. Spent three hours tearing it apart, testing everything, finally replaced the blower motor for $300. Next day I'm cleaning up and notice the old motor's shaft has a tiny bit of surface rust. Grabbed a can of WD-40 from my truck, sprayed the bearing on the new one as a test, and whaddya know - the thing was binding from friction. Could have saved myself the whole motor swap if I'd just lubed the original first. Anyone else ever made a rookie mistake that cost way more than the actual fix?

2 comments

2 Comments

bethcarr23d ago

My buddy Dave did something similar with his lawnmower last summer. He replaced the whole carburetor for $80 only to realize the gas cap vent was clogged and creating a vacuum lock. He could have just blown through the cap with compressed air. We still give him crap about it every time we crack open a beer in the garage.

paige_martin22d agoTop Commenter

Tell me, @bethcarr, did Dave at least use the old carburetor for parts or is it just sitting in a box with a bunch of other stuff he swore he'd fix someday? That's the real test of a good mistake. I've got a drawer full of those little plastic pieces from half a dozen dead projects myself. Compressed air trick works like a charm though, I'll give him that.