My Sad 240D Story

[elcaBob]

The continuing adventures of Lorelai the Benz:


Walter (the mechanic) finally got all the parts in to replace my engine mounts. Great. I had a 7:30a Monday appointment to drop her off.


Saturday, I decided to go ahead and change the transmission fluid/filter as there has been shifting problems. So, I got all my parts, jacked up the car and started working. I spun the torque converter to get the drain plug facing down and got it drained. Then, I drained the transmission pan and removed it. I took the pan in the house and cleaned it up really well. I came back out, put the pan back on, the drain plug, everything... then I saw the new transmission filter lying beside the car...


I took it all apart, swapped the filters and started to put it back together. I reached for a bolt I'd dropped and.... spilled ALL the fluid I'd just drained. Now, I'm lying there.... completely drenched in nearly two gallons of old, burnt transmission fluid. I tell five year-old to have her mother go to the store and buy LOTS of cat litter. Surprisingly, she did with only a little attitude; mumbling something about what I'd done to her driveway.


So, I go ahead and finish putting it back together. This was not easy at this point as even old transmission fluid is SLICK. I get done (including removing my soaked shirt and getting a towel for the seat) and roll the car off the jacks and into the street. I crank it and... there was NO transmission activity at all. None. I rolled her to the side of the road and got out. There was transmission fluid everywhere.... everywhere. Nice, new, expensive transmission fluid. So, I go in the house, tell wife to call Geico and have it towed. I get my extremely messy self into a shower.


Meanwhile, my next door neighbor (retired cop) believes that the tranny fluid is going to run into the storm drain, so he's talking about calling the fire department. So, I'm off to the store to get MORE cat litter. I get THAT cleaned up and the tow truck arrives.


Now, when Geico was called, they were asked to take care of a 77 Mercedes-Benz. When the driver arrived, he had orders to tow a 77 Mercury. Yup, you guessed, the Geico rep typed 77 Merc. So, after talking to Geico people and, eventually having the tow truck driver talk to Geico people (and having him confirm with Mama tow truck dispatcher), he was able to take the car to Walter.


Now. on Monday morning, I have to face Walter and tell him what I did. You see, Walter came to the U.S. from Germany in the 50's specifically to work on Volkswagens. He quickly branched out and now knows EVERYTHING in the world about old Benz cars. So, I explain what I'd done and he shook his head and said.. "$50 dollar fix becomes very big problem. Give me the key. I'll call you".


So now I wait. I don't wait well.

[leathermang]

LOL, not an unusual type of string of incidents for people doing their own work.. I am just glad it does not include any mention of trips to the emergency room... contemplate that while you are waiting... be grateful you are not waiting with a cast on something important....and that you have a good mechanic to turn this over to.. most people do not.

[Junkman]

I bought the largest tool box from HF that would fit in my shop. It is nice and roomy with ball bearing drawers that move smoothly and I got a great price. HF loaded it into my truck. I let it sit over night so my wife wouldn't notice then, while she was at the gym started dragging it to the back of my truck. My intent was to lower it to the ground and use a 3 wheeler to move it into the shop where it would continue to be unnoticed.

Unfortunately, when I jerked on the packing straps, they let go and I hit the ground - hard. I hit so hard that my hip hurt like hell. My cell was in the truck and no people were anywhere near to call for help. I forced my self to get up and called my wife. I also called my Doc and he said to go to the hospital because the hosp had an x-ray machine big enough to handle a hip. My hip hurt so bad that I couldn't get into the car and ended up calling an ambulance. Bottom line, nice deal on a tool box turned into a $20,000 claim of which I wrote a $5,000 check to cover my share. The tool box is almost full and I don't know how I lived without but also won't jerk on those damned straps the next time.

OP, I'd gladly take your few hundred dollar hit instead.

[leathermang]

Junkman, I am really sorry you got injured. I am out on a farm...and worry that my cell is not typically with me on the tractor... glad you are alive to share the story....

[TX76513]

The thread sort of took a turn slightly and I am inclined to share both defeat and working alone in the rural.....I have this yearly duty of washing the dormers on the house every year. They set over a high antebellum porch but it does make a good platform to work from. Of course I always pick the hottest day of the year to do this. Its pretty straight forward. Bucket, hose, soap, long handle brush, ladder up to top of porch. When I went to move to the third dormer I jerked the hose for a little feed and when doing so it knocked the ladder down. Choices 1) jump 15 feet to ground from Porch. 2) Go to top of High Pitched roof and try to get to bottom of roof on 175F asphalt shingles in flip flops and shorts then jump 10 feet to ground. 3) call someone - I did have my cell. I called my son and he said he was at work but it wouldn't be a problem he would be right there! Now all sound good at this point but I need to point out my son works for the Fire Dept. I heard the sirens about 3 minutes after I hung up with him and thought....surely he wouldn't. Before the rescue there was a brief picture taking event from him and his buddies. Arghhh I should have jumped.

[leathermang]

NO, ... you did the right thing and so did your son....
I mean the right thing after you got into the fix....
but have to admit that the planning was not up to par... flip flops ?

[Ceristimo]

I like to think that making mistakes is how we learn. Don't let this get you down too much; it might not be even that big of a deal or that expensive to fix for Walter. At least count yourself lucky you have a good mechanic to take your Benz to...There is no shop around here that will take mine (including the Mercedes dealer!), so if I mess up I'm on my own...

To put things in perspective: I once attempted what should have been a minor repair to my cars ignition lock (years ago, and it wasn't a Benz) and I ended up setting my beloved car on fire due to an electrical short that I created.

So, just sayin': Only a little transmission hiccup? Could've been worse.

[dkr]

So your car didn't burn down and you didn't fry the engine or destroy the engine. Sounds like everything is repairable. I think anyone who DIYs will rack up at least a few of these stories. They can be good learning experiences and for me the scars on my hands tell a story that I will always remember.

Dkr.

[elcaBob]

Thanks for the support, guys!

[greazzer]

As Leathermang and others said, no one got really hurt. Most things which end up broken can be fixed. No 'end-of-world' sort of disasters occurred. Probably all of us have done things with our cars which should have been simple but turned into the biggest messes possible. It really sucks when you take your car to a shop and they create the messes ...

[biopete]

Thanks for sharing ElcaBob. We've all done stuff like this. I forgot to put the drain plug in the oil pan one time 10 years ago on my first vw diesel. Lucky I checked the dipstick before i tried to start it and then looked under the car. The poor yard got a gallon of new motor oil on it. Another time I forgot to put oil in before i started the car. I immediately remembered and cut it off. No harm done. Distractions are the enemy of a mechanic. Since then I always disconnect the battery when change the oil and put the keys and drain plug by the new oil.

Sounds like you forgot a drain plug on torque converter or pan.

[JB3]

A tarp laid down followed by a moving blanket makes an ideal surface for these guaranteed incidents.

Dont feel bad. You could have been me when i put 3 sheet metal screws through the bottom of a full 250 gallon diesel fuel tank on a MCI bus.

Funny as it started as a tiny leak followed suddenly by being sprayed down with fuel. Crisis of ripping the side of the bus off to access the fuel tank compartment while screaming for the secretary of the shop to run for clean 55 gallon barrells ASAP so we could pump it out. I lost maybe 75 gallons of diesel all over the floor of a 2 bay shop

Lesson- always make double sure you know where the fuel tank is commercial vehicles because they could be anywhere and very well concealed.