Dumbest thing you ever did?

[DoubleWhisky]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Nobody has filled the water tank with Diesel?

Hmmmmmmm................
The guys installing my water maker (in the yard, when boat was in built, but WM was installed by the dealer) connected it to diesel tank...

[ontherocks83]

Originally Posted by DoubleWhisky

Hmmmmmmm................
The guys installing my water maker (in the yard, when boat was in built, but WM was installed by the dealer) connected it to diesel tank...

That's a completely understandable mistake. They thought the water maker was a hydrogen fuel cell refueler. They were trying to save you money by never having to buy gas again.

[socaldmax]

This wasn't on a boat, but it has to do with diesel fuel.

I have a truck with a Duramax diesel engine in it. I had great success running JP8 in it with additives and it made me kind of feel like it would run on anything, which it will, provided it's clean. I installed a lift pump with 2 extra filters on it, a 30 micron prefilter, a 10 micron 2nd filter then it goes to the factory filter.

I got my hands on some diesel/kerosene/heating oil mix and kinda ignored how filthy it looked, figuring my drum pump filter would catch it all. After 1 gal into my aux. tank, it clogged up the filter solid, so I removed the filter and pumped the rest of the 30 gal into a drum. A few days later, I transferred the 1 gal into the main tank, and that's when the stuff hit the fan. A few mi later, the engine died in the middle of an intersection. Thinking quickly, I jumped out and turned the bypass valve I installed to bypass the first filter and let the 2nd filter do it all. That got me home, but testing revealed the 2nd and 3rd filters were almost fully clogged as well. I replaced all 3 filters and it fired right back up. Within 20 mi, all 3 filters were clogged again and I had to get it towed home.

It's sitting here at the house now with the 2nd set of new filters in it, which aren't cheap. I'm going to have to drain out 8 gal or so of fuel that I contaminated myself with what is apparently mud and put some fresh fuel in it to get to a gas station to fill it up. The guy told me he had just drained the fuel from his generator fuel tank and heater, but I just don't know how it can get that contaminated in a tank...

Lesson learned: don't take free fuel unless it looks really clean, free mud is a lot more trouble than it's worth!

[a64pilot]

SoCal,
LB7 or LLY?

Took me all weekend to replace my injectors, plus $225 ea for eight of them, I'll never run anything but clean Diesel, and I can get Jet-A for free.

[dannc]

Originally Posted by socaldmax

Long ago, they did a main lube oil change on the sub. They pumped out hundreds of gallons of lube oil (for the main reduction gears that are 20' tall) and pumped in hundreds of gallons of fresh lube oil.

The problem is, near the end of the evolution, the machinist mate who was pumping the oil from olive green 55 gal drums on the pier noticed that one of the drums was marked varnish, not lube oil. The drum was the same green color, and the markings were very similar, with just a slight variation in NSN and nomenclature, but the end result was there was about 50 gal of varnish now in the MLO tanks. ...

Almost a decade ago, Duke Hospital had their elevator hydraulic oil changed. The problem was the idiots changing the oil used empty containers they found at the hospital to hold the old oil. The lazy idiots did not take the containers full of old oil for proper disposal but left the drums in storage where they had found them in the first place...

The empty drums HAD contained soap used to clean surgical instruments.

Since the drums were full, and still marked as soap, so someone used the fluid to clean up the surgical instruments. The instruments were put through an autoclave but thousands of people where operated on with surgical instruments covered in old hydraulic fluid.

Later,
Dan

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

SoCal,
LB7 or LLY?

Took me all weekend to replace my injectors, plus $225 ea for eight of them, I'll never run anything but clean Diesel, and I can get Jet-A for free.

It's an LB7, AFAIK, it's the worst one on the road.

2 injectors stuck at 25K mi - burned 2 pistons. GM argued for a month before replacing engine, I added the lift pump and 2 extra filters after this

CP3 injection pump went out, replaced at 50K mi. They didn't flush out the fuel lines of debris from the pump.

75K mi, replaced all 8 injectors again

100k mi, replaced fuel pressure sensor

125K mi injector stuck open, burned one piston, I paid for used replacement engine

currently 145k mi, I'm replacing all 8 injectors because the replacement engine had 5 bad injectors.

With 3 filters in line, I just don't see dirty fuel being the issue, especially with the reputation that LB7 injectors have and Bosch supposedly upgrading them. GM has been so "screw you" in their attitude I'm just waiting for the day Toyota puts out a 400hp/800lb-ft diesel truck.

GM won't be able to give away any of their $60K trucks for free!!

[MarkSF]

Crikey, I thought it was just VW having problems like that (with the TDI).

I think this is called thread drift.

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Crikey, I thought it was just VW having problems like that (with the TDI).

I think this is called thread drift.

What was the subject again?

[lucyloo730]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Crikey, I thought it was just VW having problems like that (with the TDI).



I think this is called thread drift.

I can confirm .. It's a thread drift ... Happened to me once ....


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[jackdale]

Originally Posted by ontherocks83

Depends on the size of the tank and how much water is in the fuel. If its a large tank and you only have a few gallons of water you could try a demulsifier, let the water settle to the bottom, and then pump out a substantial amount of fuel from the bottom of the tank. Would work best with a drain under the tank or you could go through the inspection port and siphon it off the bottom.

If it is a small tank I'd say just dispose of all of it, clean and dry the tank and then refuel to the top.

That is what we did. We used an oil pump to pump out the water. Then added an emulsifier. Checked the Racor regularly. No problem.

[waterdog]

Favourite was my brother-in-law's wife. She was pumping the head and felt a bit of resistance. Strong woman, raised on a farm. Did the natural thing. Pumped harder! The custom fabricated holding tank under the quarter berth exploded, coated the locker and drained into the bilge.

I am glad I didn't have to clean that one up.

We sold the boat the next season. Their marriage lasted at least another year.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by waterdog

Favourite was my brother-in-law's wife. She was pumping the head and felt a bit of resistance. Strong woman, raised on a farm. Did the natural thing. Pumped harder! The custom fabricated holding tank under the quarter berth exploded, coated the locker and drained into the bilge.

I am glad I didn't have to clean that one up.

We sold the boat the next season. Their marriage lasted at least another year.

As they say, s**t happens! Fermented is worse.

Ann

[weavis]

Originally Posted by lucyloo730

I can confirm .. It's a thread drift ... Happened to me once ....

Yours was thread modification to add interest Just one more of the wonderful services the members of CF provide for newbies....

[lucyloo730]

Originally Posted by weavis

Yours was thread modification to add interest Just one more of the wonderful services the members of CF provide for newbies....

... And I will be eternally grateful to you .. And look forward to the further education you can all provide ...


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[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Mattdwyerva

I coulda SWORN it was in neutral when I left the helm to see how close we were to that dock....

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Lever Gremlins!

Originally Posted by DoubleWhisky

Hmmmmmmm................
The guys installing my water maker (in the yard, when boat was in built, but WM was installed by the dealer) connected it to diesel tank...

Holy SMOKE! Never could get that water to taste good...

Originally Posted by a64pilot

SoCal,
LB7 or LLY?

Took me all weekend to replace my injectors, plus $225 ea for eight of them, I'll never run anything but clean Diesel, and I can get Jet-A for free.

I used to like you... Wait... How far away from me are you???

Originally Posted by lucyloo730

I can confirm .. It's a thread drift ... Happened to me once ....

Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Just Once??? That was a long slide down the drift!!!