Out on my lunch break, ran to Trader Joe's for some odd groceries. On my way back to my work I see a guy and a girl (both probably ~25) walking on the shoulder of a separated highway with a gas can.

I drove up and yelled "get in". Then they told me they had been walking for 5 miles trying to find a station that had diesel. I quickly told them there were only two stations around that had diesel and they'd managed to walk in the opposite direction.

They described their truck as an "old military ambulance" and I figured it was one of the Chevy K5 Blazers the Army used to buy. So we get to the station, they only want to buy 1 gallon. I tell them I have a 5 gallon Jerrycan in the back and I think they'd want more than one gallon if the fuel system is completely dry. They insist they only need one gallon because it's only 10 miles to the station once we get it started.

We get back and I'm trying to call my friend who owns one of these trucks to ask if there's a bleeder valve or if it's a self-priming system. We finally get him on the phone and he tells me the bleeder is on the fuel filter, but I forget to ask where the fuel filter is. So while trying to get him back on the phone I ask the guy who was driving the truck "hey, can you pop the hood?" He replies "uh... I don't know how to do that..."

Grr.... I can just tell this guy is not going to be much of help in trying to get this thing started.

"It's the handle near the parking brake that says "Hood" on it"

"Oh, okay."



"You pull on it"

"Okay."

"Harder"



So now I'm still trying to get my friend back on the phone and I'm half thinking out loud and half asking the question to the guy and the girl standing around the engine bay. "Do you see anything that looks like a fuel filter?"

And I'll never forget it, the guy answers "dude, I know where the front of the truck is.... that's about it."



I found the bleeder valve and have him start bumping the starter to bleed the sucker. A minute later he keeps the starter going a bit longer than I wanted and the engine fires up. I tell him "keep the revs up for a bit, don't let it idle. We don't want it to die."

He ignores me and jumps out of the truck and slams the hood shut.

The engine dies. Ugh......

So we start it all over again and finally it's bled enough that I'm happy. I tell him to start it and lo and behold....he's waiting for it to pre-glow. It's freakin 70° F outside, we've had the engine running and we've drained plenty from the batteries! STOP IT! Turn the dang key!

I tailed them to the gas station and sent them on their way.

I'm glad I was there to help. But who in their mind sends two employees who have no clue how to deal with a 25+ year old military surplus vehicle out on their own? And really? The Jerrycans strapped to the side of the truck aren't supposed to be used in a situation like this? (They said it was against the rules) The 1 gallon fill-my-lawnmower can is all you're letting them have?

Grrrrr.......

But.... I've really got to try their BBQ now. (It was a restaurant catering vehicle)

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Onus probandi incumbit ei qui dicit, non ei qui negat

I recondition w123/w126/w124/w140/r107/r129/ steering boxes!


1984 300D "Elsa" odo reset 6/2011 147k
1983 300TD "Mitzi" ~268k OM603 powered
1995 E300 "Adelheid" 262k [Sold]

Old mechanical diesel? I'd have gone to the FIRST gas station or grocery store I found, regardless of whether they sold diesel or not.

Bought either: 1 gal of power steering fluid. 1 gal of the cheapest veggie oil I could find Maybe cut the stuff 10% with gasoline to thin it a bit.

That's a funny, albeit maddening story.

I'm thinking they OWE you some BBQ for coming to the rescue of Lenny and Squiggy.

lol, thats a funny story, but im not surprised that employees are just drivers, not an enthusiast of the vehicle.

I wonder why they were unable to get in contact with the company? Walking 5 miles takes up a lot of the day when they were probably supposed to be somewhere (unless they didn't want to admit they ran it out of fuel). Something that old being used as an attention advertisement vehicle the owner should be on top of it, or at least have contingency plans if the vehicle breaks down (expected). Like heres the keys to the truck, and heres a cell phone for emergencies.

Locally there is a diary which has a whole fleet of Divco milk trucks trundling all over the state. I get a kick out of it all the time, they are in various states of condition, but its memorable to see them, definitely works.

Their website says the trucks are from the 60s to the 80s in vintage, (Divco closing in 86), so I wonder how reliable they are

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No good deed goes unpunished.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

The nearest grocery store is a Trader Joe's.

And really this was a military surplus truck, it would probably run off of gasoline, veggie oil, trans oil, kerosene........or communist sympathizers.... which could probably be found at Trader Joe's as well.
I really thought about asking... but decided not to.

If I end up there this weekend I sure hope one of those two recognizes me. Getting compensation for getting someone off the side of the road is find if its given. Asking for it... that's just all kinds of uncomfortable.
Well they had cell phones, but apparently they were told "just get diesel and drive it back."

The restaurant was a good 1/2 hour drive away.

__________________
Onus probandi incumbit ei qui dicit, non ei qui negat

I recondition w123/w126/w124/w140/r107/r129/ steering boxes!


1984 300D "Elsa" odo reset 6/2011 147k
1983 300TD "Mitzi" ~268k OM603 powered
1995 E300 "Adelheid" 262k [Sold]

I've helped LOTS of people along the road over the fifty years I've been driving and I've never asked for anything. I figure that what goes around, comes around. One of these days I might be needing some help myself.

We're supposed to help each other.

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2001 SLK 320 six speed manual
2014 Porsche Cayenne six speed manual

Annoy a Liberal, Read the Constitution

thankyou for making my day - I laughed quite a bit on it.

Good that you helped em out - the reward will surely come around.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

Nice story. How much time did this episode take?

So, what did you have for lunch, and buy @ Trader Joe's?

I left work at 11:30 am and returned at 12:30 pm. I had a few Vietnamese style spring rolls for lunch with sweet chili sauce.

I bought:
-three cans of coconut oil
-two bags of olive oil popcorn
-bag of bacon ends and pieces
-dried seaweed snacks
-bag of sunflower seeds

__________________
Onus probandi incumbit ei qui dicit, non ei qui negat

I recondition w123/w126/w124/w140/r107/r129/ steering boxes!


1984 300D "Elsa" odo reset 6/2011 147k
1983 300TD "Mitzi" ~268k OM603 powered
1995 E300 "Adelheid" 262k [Sold]

HA! Now that's not the move of a Rookie, right there; that's the move of a silverback.

Great story like that, has action, suspense, 2 young kids...and you want to know about the FOOD at Trader Joes, heh.

That's awesome, in fact. Made my day with that.

No silver hair here. I'm a redhead, albeit an aging redhead.

Stick around. You'd be surprised by what gets passed over around here.

You have good Asian restaurant food up in MD?

Heck, Martureo, what about some partying provisions? It is Friday, you know. Your kitchen is a healthy one!

That was yeoman's duty on your part. It is amazing sometimes, the combination of ignorance and arrogance that one encounters in youngsters. I'm sure I was never like that . . .

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K