What has been your worst injury as a Dieselhead from working on cars? A Treu Story.

[Carrameow]

What has been your worst injury as a Dieselhead from working on cars? I am out of surgery and back to full health after an extremely harrowing brush.

Miy situation was pretty embarssing but I might as well tell everyone the truth. Two years ago I was working on my car in a tight space and I had it on 4 jack stands to be super safe. So to get to the engine was like crawling in a pipe. I was close up to the engine taking off the computer on the intake when one of the electrically neutral 8 mm carbon graphite bolts literally fell into my mouth and it happened so quickly I reflexively swallowed it. Those bolts are really expensive and hard to come by!

I went to the emergency room and told them I had swallowed a bolt and when the Doctors finished laughing they said "Don’t worry, a foreign object that size will pass through your intestines."

Except carbon graphite has a peculiar quality--the body confuses it with biological tissue and accepts it and it actually grew a cyst and sat in my intestinal wall.

The last few months I was getting very physically tired and winded easily. I thought it was over stress or over work or sleep cheating or old age.I felt like I was 80 and went form 222 pounds to 198. I didnt realize that sometime last year the bolt had become infected and I was very, very sick.

Well Sheehan Medical center removed the bolt through a 1" incison yesterday. They even handed it back to me.

Boy I feel better now! They said I could start running tomorrow. I feel like 25 again!
And that bolt? I never did order a replacement since each one of them was $72.90. So last night after surgery I couldnt wait to get home to jack up my car and put it back on.

[TheDon]

72$ for a bolt.. dude

I haven't done something that bad.. just the usual burns, busted knuckles, diesel sprayed into the face/eyes(I should wear safeties), and a car dropped on my foot(which missed my toe by an inch)

[yellowbenz]

I think you need to write a book.


Kevin
1979 240D manual
1984 190D manual

I stepped on a nail once with my big toe. Hurt like a motherf*cker when it happened but it was back to normal after two days.

Then there is the usual cuts and scrapes...

Probably the worst thing that happens somewhat often is catching my fingernail on something and splitting it. Splitting it isn't bad, it's pulling off the loose part that really sucks.

Wow, I can't compete with that. Glad to hear your OK now.

I did do something fairly dumb last week, while out of town my AC condensate leaked onto the floor a couple of times (obviously a clogged drain hose) so I stopped by my indy and asked him to put it on the lift so I could clear out the hose without crawling under the silly thing. While the engine was still hot, I reached around the tranny housing to try to feel the hose and felt a little burning on my inner arm. I ignored my arm and cleared out the hose, no big deal. After I finished, I noticed the pain in my arm. I still have a pretty good 1x3-inch burn on my arm, finally starting to heal.

[Bio300TDTdriver]

So we finally get some nice weather in the PNW and you are in having surgery. Glad to hear it came out ok. You'll be back up to 222 in no time.

You do need to write a book.

Chris

[lietuviai]

It was at a shop I used to work in when I was about 19. I was in a hurry to drain the hot coolant from a car just brought in. It was the last thing that needed to get done before quitting time so I yanked the lower radiator hose and got hot boiling coolant all over my right foot. I didn't say anything about my incident to the shop owner and went home. It was the most painful drive home I ever had. There was traffic the entire 20 mile drive home. I had to use my left foot to push the gas pedal and brake because my right foot was boiled.
I waited until the following day to go to the ER because I thought I could get over it.
I had 2nd degree burns and I still have scars all these years later.

[Mustang_man298]

Originally Posted by ForcedInduction

I stepped on a nail once with my big toe. Hurt like a motherf*cker when it happened but it was back to normal after two days.

When I worked in HVAC construction, I was at a house, had to cut a hole in the inside ceiling to pass a vent pipe thru, marked my spot, sunk a nail centered so I could see it from above. Spent half an hour then cleaning up the pile of nail-end boards that was next to my ladder, bending over the nails and tossing them away. Went up the ladder, cut out my piece, came down, got 2 steps from the bottom and hopped off....right onto that nail I had sunk into the piece which fell right at the base of my ladder tip up... At least I had the sense to keep a first aid kit in the truck....Murphy was laughing his arse off that day.

Probably the worst thing I did with automotive stuff was to get under a 69 Chevy on a creeper, with a crowbar, and try to pry-lift the cab off of the trans crossmember bolts to get the member out. (the cab mounts were beyond toasted). Needless to say the crowbar of course slipped off and split my lip wide open against my teeth....

[captainmonk]

my male ego was bruised as i sat in the parking deck at the philly airport. I had just picked up a friend that had flown in from Dallas to meet me. THe tumblers in the ignition finally gave up and wouldnt turn anymore.
AAA was called but philly security wouldnt let them into parking deck. Security finally towed the car out of the parking deck to the flatbed All told about 3 hours. When the AAA tow truck driver jumped in the car the key turned as sweet as could be. Is there an operation for bashed male ego?

[300SD81]

When I did my coolant flush.. hot coolant spilled on my face and into my eyes when I pulled the engine plug.. Luckily, I had the car jacked up high enough that I was able to roll out from under there before enough to burn me got on...

Had my mom's Oldsmobile nearly squish me when an old cinder block I used as a jack stand gave out, got pinned under it, but not crushed, the brake rotor chipped my driveway when it hit too.

[lietuviai]

Originally Posted by 300SD81

Had my mom's Oldsmobile nearly squish me when an old cinder block I used as a jack stand gave out...

Never, I mean, never, ever, use a cinder block as a jack stand.

[Ara T.]

Uhh... i think he knows that now.

The worst I've gotten is a fat lip. I was prying on the upper balljoint on the control arm with a pickle fork and it finally gave loose. Smacked myself with the end of the picklefork.

[Carrameow]

Originally Posted by Ara T.

Uhh... i think he knows that now.

The worst I've gotten is a fat lip. I was prying on the upper balljoint on the control arm with a pickle fork and it finally gave loose. Smacked myself with the end of the picklefork.

I am always doing that too!

[PatricdeBoer]

Once I tried to check if my starter was loose on my 76 300d. Problem was, the car was hot and there isn't too much room there. I ended up wedging my wrist against the exhaust manifold. Took about 5 seconds to get it out. The next day all the skin on my wrist peeled off. no bueno.

[connerm]

Carrameow,
That was the most amazing story I have heard all day.