I did something stupid a couple of weeks ago (and won’t get into it here). Today, I had to make the necessary repairs. Here area two tips that may help you if/when you need to work on a project in a tight space and working in awkward positions.

Tip 1 – working with screws or nuts which are recessed inside a case or chassis: If you are removing a small screw, apply a little grease to the end of the screw driver to make the screw stick so you can remove it without it falling down inside the case. If you are working with a larger screw, apply a little rubber cement for the same purpose. If you are working with a nut or a bolt head, put some putty in the end of the socket.

Tip 2 – snaking a wire through a hidden space: This trick works when you are replacing a broken item with a new part and there is a wiring harness involved. Tie a string to the end of the old wire when you first disconnect it. Then, when you remove the part, the string will thread through any hidden places as it gets extracted. When you install the replacement part tie the string to the end of the wire and slowly pull it back into place as you fit the new part back in.