Planning a West Michigan recovery.

[gimpyrobb]

Bottle jacks aren't known for their long travel.

Really?! Mine goes everywhere I go...

 

[islandguydon]

4x4E350,

Thanks for your help, Your a gentleman and a scholar..! He had me thinking he was going to be roadside for a while.

 

[319]

Really?! Mine goes everywhere I go...

They even work on their side too!

 

[Bob H]

The truck was supposed to have a jack... the 12ton bottle jack i brought was 3 inches short on travel.


15 minutes later, the fuel line blew apart.

I just got home. Beat.

I'll post later.

Well it seems you have been properly annointed into the realm of mv ownership. May the truck now start behaving

 

[Heath_h49008]

The real joy was finding the source of the fuel leak. (Don knows what I'm talking about)

Around 36th street at 11:00.... just after getting the tire on... what was a pesky dripping fitting burst and blew mixed waste oil fuel through the steering shaft hole into my lap.

I figured what it was, shut the master off and started pulling over.

I used to work for Freightliner of Kalamazoo, and gave the GR location a ring to make sure they still ran 2 shifts. They do. But the night parts guy was a bit over his head. But he mentioned Cummins GR ran 3 full shifts and was right up the street. (they were actually closer to the truck)

I grabbed my shredded fittings and flare ends (I pulled them off to be 100% certain I was getting the right size) and headed down. The parts man was amazing. He didn't know what it was I was doing exactly, but he brought me in back to his VERY well stocked brass cabinet and we located (2) 5/16 feral fittings and some bushings (Just in case... 11:00 on a dark highway with a flashlight in your mouth, being certain of sizes is.... far from easy)

The parts guy actually refused to ring up the fittings. "Those are just shop supplies... So, just send some business our way someday and we'll call it even."

NOTE: This place was spotless, professional, and friendly. I will never hesitate to send anyone to Cummins of GR. They also run 3 full shifts. I'm not joking when I say this place was like a high end corporate jet hanger, but with trucks. I have friends who work for Duncan Aviation, that really is the closest parallel.

I got the destroyed flare fitting off of the secondary filter (I had no way to make a flare anyway aside from a large phillips screwdriver) and replaced, and gently snugged the leaking fitting on the HH. When I flipped the master, I got a small drip out of the HH leaker that told me the secondary was holding. Hit the button and she fired right up.

Rather than risk touching the front, I buttoned her up and headed the last 60 miles home.

Pictures and possible vids to follow. When things got nasty and dark, I stopped taking pictures.

 

[Heath_h49008]

4x4E350,

Thanks for your help, Your a gentleman and a scholar..! He had me thinking he was going to be roadside for a while.

You have that right. And the same goes for you as well Don.

I went from "No big deal" to "FML" in about 10 seconds when that jack ran out of travel, and I ran out of lower points to place it. It never dawned on me to bring cribbing. I figured that jack was my back-up for the super duper factory jack that was supposed to be in the truck.

I am going to owe so much beer to so many people...

To everyone that helped.... I can't thank you enough.

Edit: The same goes for my GF Melinda who was shooting the pics and running chase. She hung in like a trooper with that look on her face that says "Oh $#it... what ever happens, I've got your back." She was not pleased, but right there doing everything she could to help. Without her, I wouldn't have made it.

 

[penokeevet]

Insane Hobby? Glad to hear, thought I may be one of the few that go goofey over these MV,s Got to be a good feeling to have it home. penokee (Yooper)

 

[marchplumber]

Glad ya made it! Lessons learned aren't always easy, but the adventurous one sometimes stick the best! Glad no one was hurt, that you are home safe and sound, and that you now have the truck. I was too far away to help, but grateful of ALL the members here that go out of their way to help someone else! Couldn't tell ya the number of times "old timers" and other members have pulled me butt out of the fire.
God bless,
Tony

 

[Recovry4x4]

A related issue. Many years ago Devilman96 and I drove 2 deuces from Livonia TN to SE FL. Somewhere between TN and Atlanta at 0-dark thirty, Mike starts flashing the heck out of the lights. We pull over and there is fuel spewing everywhere. We found a cracked nylon line going from the FDC to the head. I'm thinking "Oh Crap". Mike opens up a heavy arse tool bag and dumps out a sack of compression fittings of all sizes. In 30 minutes we are shaggin down the highway without a worry in heck. Carry a sack of compression fittings of many sizes. May not have helped in your event but could save someone else.

 

[Heath_h49008]

Here are the promised pics.... more to come

 

[Heath_h49008]

Odd side note... the truck data tag seems to say it's a 1985 LDT and it has a "C" turbo, but the injection pump has a giant red tag on it that says LDS 465 A1. As you can see the camera sucks. I'll have to clean the pics up.

 

[markmontana]

Glad you made it home ok!

 

[Heath_h49008]

Phone pic is better than camera...