When a good day turns bad.

[YNOT]

My plan for the day was simple, get up really early and drive to Maryborough. Do one job there then drive to Hervey Bay and do second job. Drive on to Bundaberg and do third and final job. Drive home down inland road. Easy.
It was all going to plan until part way through the drive home. With just over 1/8th tank of fuel left and about 200km remaining I thought it would be wise to stop at Nanango and fill up. That was the exact point at which a day that was going like clockwork turned bad, very bad.

I suspect Murphy may have had a part in this but after putting about 15 litres in the tank my nose suddenly registered something was not right - why can I smell petrol??? By the time my hand reacted I had put 17 litres of petrol in van that has a common rail DIESEL engine........BUGGER!
I went in and paid for the petrol and explained what had happened and was given the OK to push the van down into the paddock below the bowsers and fix it there.

The fuel tank is made of plastic and has no drain bung, I tried to siphon out the fuel but that also failed. Nothing else to do but remove the tank completely and up end it to drain it out. It took me about an hour to get the tank out and another hour to drain it as completely as I could. By the time I went to put the tank back in it was dark and raining but I kept going regardless. I then had to borrow a 20 litre drum from the servo and run backwards and forwards to the correct bowser to put 60 litres of diesel in. Thankfully my tired brain had had the sense not to start the engine after putting the petrol in so the contamination was confined to the tank and no engine damage was done. I was able to start the engine and drive up to the bowser to completely fill the tank.

So far the van has not missed a beat since this happend.
I have to say a big than you to Karen at Caltex Nanango for doing whatever she could to help me, even giving me free cups of coffee.

Some photo's for your amusement;

Tony

[Bigrig]

Mate, you've just proven an old saying ... even the best of us make mistakes!! lol

Painful, but lucky as you said that you didn't crank it over ...

[katwoman]

Oh, you poor thing !!!!
We went to Nanango the other week, and now take back what I said about the place..
At least you knew what to do and when.. Could of been lots worse !!

[patch697]

Tony..... Mate....... What a bloody sh!t of thing to have happen...... Im glad your home safe & sound mate but I think you may need to slow down a bit?

[YNOT]

Tony..... Mate....... What a bloody sh!t of thing to have happen...... Im glad your home safe & sound mate but I think you may need to slow down a bit?

I was hoping to stay the night in Bundy and catch up with a mate, but he was driving down to Brisbane tonight so that stuffed that idea. I took my swag with me so if I needed to I could pull up for a nap. It was a long day but with regular breaks (including the unplanned 3 hour break) I felt OK to keep going. I'm glad I have those HID spot lights on the front as well.

Tony

[patch697]

I was hoping to stay the night in Bundy and catch up with a mate, but he was driving down to Brisbane tonight so that stuffed that idea. I took my swag with me so if I needed to I could pull up for a nap. It was a long day but with regular breaks (including the unplanned 3 hour break) I felt OK to keep going. I'm glad I have those HID spot lights on the front as well.

Tony

Yeah I have to admit I was enjoying my big bangers on the way back home from Mum & Dad's tonight as well......


Your a smart bloke mate so you will understand me when I say... DON"T GO DOING YOURSELF A MISCHIEF.....

[Clunk]

mate, bit of a buggah that one hey. Glad it all came good though............... been very close to doing the same thing on more than one occasion.

[Silver]

what a marathon - on a quick look at that tank, is there a low spot where they could have put a drain bung to solve that problem?

Congrats on a triumph in adversity!!

[frenzy]

Bugger. Been there myself mate. Lucky you had the tools and the know how!

[growler2058]

Bummer mate at least you were switched on not to start it up

[big_fletch]

What a bugger of a thing to happen, well done on getting it going again mate

Fletcha

[AB]

Tony, what a nightmare!!!

I remember my brother doing this to the family Hilux when he was 18 except he drove it out of the servo and noticed it bunny hopping down the main road...lol

[YNOT]

If it had been a TD42 I would have topped it up with diesel and kept driving, those things are so tough they'll run on almost anything!

Tony

[HippoNZ]

Tony you poor bugger, sh!t happens mate. love the tough attitude of just keep on trucking even though it's dark and raining lol what a champ!

[fixer982]

That was quick thinking not to start it. What moron designs a fuel tank with no drain plug? It is time that the designers were forced to own what they build. Is that the genuine tank or an aftermarket one?

Anyway, well done on not stuffing up your CRD.

[Sir Roofy]

i can recall a mate doing the same thing
we where working away in castlemain vic long hours daylight till dark
we pulled into the servo and he started to fill it up which he did
right to the top,the boss was not happy lucky he never started it either
the worst part is he has done it twice pml

[YNOT]

That was quick thinking not to start it. What moron designs a fuel tank with no drain plug? It is time that the designers were forced to own what they build. Is that the genuine tank or an aftermarket one?

Anyway, well done on not stuffing up your CRD.

Standard 80 litre tank.

Tony

[DX grunt]

Well done Tony. Nearly did the same thing last week but opposite.

As my hand reached out for the diesel pump, I remembered I was filling up the work car!

All it takes is that split second lapse of concentration and....gotcha!

Take care out there.

Rossco

[Timbo]

I always double check I'm grabbing the right pump when I swap cars.. this happens to a lot of people Tony! Feel sorry for ya though mate.. what a tough bit of luck there. Glad it's all over and done with now though.

With how the title is worded, I couldn't help myself and I had to post a pic of when my good day turned bad. (Well actually, it was when the good "night before" turned bad, then the next day got even worse! rofl!)

[YNOT]

Yep, that was a BAD day for you.

Tony

[the ferret]

That surely sucks Tony, glad ya go it sorted tho.
Rod.

[NissanGQ4.2]

And i though may day was bad yesterday,

By the sound of it your lucky the day wasn't a lot worse, just imagine if you were in la la land , filled her up and cranked her over!,

Good 2 hear u got home safe and sound and the van didn't miss a beat :)

[Woof]

So glad that all turned out OK mate.

[Maxhead]

Mate, what a sh!t of a day. Glad you got it sorted and made it home to enjoy that coldie :)

[Pete's GU3]

Oh Tony Tony Tony , what a little lapse in concentration can do , you must have been kicking yourself , anyhow your the man for the job...!!!!!

[YNOT]

Oh Tony Tony Tony , what a little lapse in concentration can do , you must have been kicking yourself , anyhow your the man for the job...!!!!!

I was kicking myself but oddly for someone who usually gets cranky easily when tired I stayed completely calm and focused the whole time, I guess my determination to get home and see my family kept me on track. How many people would have EVERYTHING with them to fix something like that, the benefits of being a mobile mechanic.

Tony

[Finly Owner]

I was kicking myself but oddly for someone who usually gets cranky easily when tired I stayed completely calm and focused the whole time, I guess my determination to get home and see my family kept me on track. How many people would have EVERYTHING with them to fix something like that, the benefits of being a mobile mechanic.

TonyCan I email this to Paul(Tennant?) hahahahahaha



I know you probably have PML

Tim

[the ferret]

I was kicking myself but oddly for someone who usually gets cranky easily when tired I stayed completely calm and focused the whole time, I guess my determination to get home and see my family kept me on track. How many people would have EVERYTHING with them to fix something like that, the benefits of being a mobile mechanic.


Tony
Onya Tony, I bet ya glad ya not a vacuum cleaner sales man.
Tony, did you get my pm, it might be in ya vis. messages?
cheers Rod.

[AB]

Onya Tony, I bet ya glad ya not a vacuum cleaner sales man.
Tony, did you get my pm, it might be in ya vis. messages?
cheers Rod.

Well he might have been ok if he was a vacuum cleaner salesman though. He would most likely have a wet and dry vac in the car and used a garden hose to suck out all the petrol...

Macgyver style...LMAO

[YNOT]

Can I email this to Paul(Tennant?) hahahahahaha



I know you probably have PML

Tim

Actually he doesn't know yet, he'll just be glad it didn't cost him a major engine repair and another van off the road.

Tony

[the ferret]

She'd ping a bit fer sure, pml.

[Finly Owner]

Actually he doesn't know yet, he'll just be glad it didn't cost him a major engine repair and another van off the road.

TonyPromotion Leveridge. LOL

Tim

[YNOT]

Promotion Leveridge. LOL

Tim

Hardly, he'd laugh at me for doing something so stupid!

Tony

[Finly Owner]

Hardly, he'd laugh at me for doing something so stupid!

TonyYeah but you fixed it, stayed calm, no major damage, no towing fees, and still at work next day.

Tim

[YNOT]

She'd ping a bit fer sure, pml.

I've seen a CRD engine in a Ford Transit run-away and self destruct in the workshop a few years ago, it aint pretty. That one was caused by 2 injectors sticking open.

Tony

[katwoman]

You know, Tony, this says alot for sleep deprivation and driver fatigue !!
You had been up and on the road since, what , 2am? Driven how many k's ?
Dont get me wrong, I could ( and have) drive 24 hours a day. I love it, but it goes to show that sometimes our brains dont always know best, when they lack enough sleep.
And very apt this w/end.. on that note, hope everyone stays safe on our roads, and I'm glad I am in the middle of the ocean this long w/end !!

[Pete's GU3]

You know, Tony, this says alot for sleep deprivation and driver fatigue !!
You had been up and on the road since, what , 2am? Driven how many k's ?
Dont get me wrong, I could ( and have) drive 24 hours a day. I love it, but it goes to show that sometimes our brains dont always know best, when they lack enough sleep.
And very apt this w/end.. on that note, hope everyone stays safe on our roads, and I'm glad I am in the middle of the ocean this long w/end !!

How many Red Bulls did you have Kat...??????