Fuel Fiasco

[JSHTech]

I did an oil pan on this truck about two weeks ago. This thing is a major rust bucket, and had oil leaks everywhere. I actually replaced the oil pan, ICP, a couple high pressure oil fittings and the rear main seal. During this service I had trans lines break, I had the starter B+ break off at the connection due to corrosion, and the terminals on the starter break.

 

Anyways, I took care of all the issues as they presented themselves. When I finished I found that the fuel supply and return lines were rotted through, and were now leaking at the quick connects on the engine side of the braided steel lines. The customer is an engineer for some factory around here, and he seemed pretty hands on. He said the only reason he brought the truck here was because he didn't have the equipment to do the pan himself. Fine. He said he would do the fuel lines himself. By this time I was ready to see this thing gone, and the lines werent leaking terrible, so I let it go.

 

Now he's back and said he thinks he has an oil leak again. Well those fuel lines were never fixed, and his FEAD belt became soaked and slipped and came tearing off, and somehow came up and broke the fuel return line off at the regulator housing (or so he says, for all I know he broke the line trying to repair it himself, but there is a new belt on so..). That much he told me, but he wasn't too concerned about it, he just wanted the oil leaks rechecked. I found the return line held in place with duct tape, and about 3/4 of gallon of fuel present in the valley. Everything is soaked in fuel on this thing, turbo, up-pipes, down pipe, the fuel is even starting to creep past the hood and onto the windshield cowl. He doesn't want anything done, and says he has his parts already ordered...just like he was going to fix those fuel lines "right off quick"...two weeks ago!

 

If I put this thing outside I know he'll just drive it home, like he just drove it here. It leaves a trail of fuel where ever it goes. So what do you guys think, would it be wrong for me to disable this pig...maybe take out the IDM and lock it in box?

 

And by the way, there are two car seats in back.

 

[Keith Browning]

I would document the fuel leaks in detail on the repair order and have the service adviser tell him it needs to be towed and not driven. Make him sign the repair order or receipt with the documentation. I am not sure if we have any legal obligation to report someone knowingly driving a vehicle that is unsafe and dumping fuel like that. I suppose every state is different.

[JSHTech]

I took out the fuel pump fuse and relay and rolled the truck out. He came by at lunch all in an uproar. I told him once it was hooked to a tow truck he could have the relay and fuse back. We ended up calming him down, and we've got some parts ordered.

 

I wondered what I should do if he just got another fuse and relay and took the truck anyways. I probably would have called local PD and started there. But luckily it didn't come to that.

[Brad Clayton]

At $4.18 a gallon, you think he would sort it out out pretty quick!

[Fredsvt]

Hi Keith,

Try doing something in NJ. It's a joke.

 

We had a roach coach come in, begging for us to put 1 tire on it. The guy who drives it tells us don't lift it for any reason.

 

I'm the unfortunate one to get to work on this fine 1992 F150 (yes, 150), 4.9 pulling more weight than it was ever made to. And it had a brand new state inspection sticker (when they still did "safety" inspections, from a private center.

 

I look under it, see 3 bald tires, and 1 with steel hanging out and it was almost flat, the only one he wants.

 

Along with that, I see the frame broken in 2 on BOTH sides with about 2 inches separating the parts, about 18 inches ahead of the front spring hangers. The large horizontal propane tank on one side (outside of rail) is holding the sections together and the mid-ship fuel tank on the other is attempting the same thing.

 

I called my boss over, he says put a tire on it and put it outside. I said we should call the state or municipal police. He refused. So I did, the state and local police said, what are we supposed to do about it?

 

I took the truck's information, called MVC, they asked for particulars and I gave them. They pulled the license of the place that did the inspection, and "recalled" the truck, via a letter to the owner. The guy never showed, and when they called me back, they said there was nothing they could do.

[Jim Warman]

In order to stop a vehicle, the police need "just cause" (no, not 'just 'cause' you think so)... As long as the driver is obeyng traffic laws and there are no obvious equipment violations... well, what can I say?

 

As for impounding a vehicle? I know we don't have the authority. We can insist that the only way it leaves our lot is on a hook... once it is on public property, it's out of our hands. The guy can have the tow truck stop and unhook it as soon as he is off our property.

 

I do several different flavours of safety inspections... I take these very seriously (the government can revoke my privilege of doing these inspections) - tire shops are a big problem at times.... many don't seem to own a torque wrench and too many use valve stems and even tires inappropriate for the application.

 

Sometimes, though, we can get caught up in our own exuberance... we do the work requested and, as we are collecting the money, we tell Mister that he shouldn't really drive the car that we just "fixed".