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Old 09-18-2015, 09:42 PM   #1
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Beware the Breakdown (funny / scary story)

So finally had our truck quit on us for the first time towing our TT only 2 miles down the road from the CG. We have a 1996 duel diesel gas tank F250 that DH just got from his dad so we have a lot to learn.

Back tank is close to empty & we head out over a bridge on a pretty busy 4 lane 60 mph road ... engine begins to lose power so he switches to the front gas tank & truck just quits .... we were heading downhill so able to pull off on a pretty decent shoulder thankfully

Truck has AAA coverage ... place the call & it will be somewhere less than 2 hrs because we were placed on the priority list (major road, animals in the truck) but will be $250 to tow TT 6 miles down the road with the truck. I start the call to Progressive for TT pick up & tow because they have that coverage for us while DH places a call to his mechanic back home.

Here's where the fun begins .... tow truck pulls up, guy gets out & asks what's up, says he will get us to his friends diesel garage for only $125, we tell him to hold on cause we are in the middle of the 2 other calls. He hops in his tow truck & begins to attach our truck!!!! DH is around the back of the TT & doesn't see what is happening, driver is telling me I need to get out of our truck so he can get his job done, I'm telling him no way and yelling for DH to come back up (as he walks further away so he can hear our mechanic )...it was a CIRCUS!

Finally after the dust settles & he detaches our TV and realizes we are going to wait for our different insurance providers to do their job. He then let's us know he is a diesel mechanic, pours some gas in our dry fuel filter (due to the hill and low gas tank & lack of our experience), truck starts right up & we fork over $60 cash (he would have taken cc but I did not want him to have any other info on us). If only he had started with the fix instead of the tow (but then this story would not exist!)

So watch out if you are traveling A1A in Brevard county ....
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Old 09-19-2015, 03:48 PM   #2
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Just an fyi on the fuel tanks on those trucks if it ran out of fuel before it said it was empty. There is a plastic pickup screen in the tanks that will get brittle and break off. When they do they will let the truck run out of fuel with gauge still showing an 1/8 of a tank or better because they are about 2 inches long and leave that much gap between the pickup tube and the bottom of the tank. We found this out on my dads truck the same way while towing and in the middle of no where.


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Old 09-19-2015, 03:56 PM   #3
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It sounds like vapor lock on the line, you were near empty and started downhill, thus making the pick up tube sucking on air and not fuel. While you switched tanks it force the vapor lock and stalled your truck.

When the tow truck driver added gas in the fuel filter, he has already bled off the air in the line.

I think that's what happened to you guys. I normally refuel when the tank is near halfway, I try not to let it go to 1/4 tank when on the road to avoid issues while traveling.
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Old 09-19-2015, 04:01 PM   #4
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I don't see where there's a problem here. I think the guy did you a favor and you owe him thanks.

I just don't understand how some peoples' minds work.

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Old 09-19-2015, 04:24 PM   #5
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I don't see where there's a problem here.

Bruce
This was a learning experience in that the level of gas on our gauge does not match what is in the tank & now we know how to fix this next time .... our AAA guy would have brought gas & our home mechanic was solving the problem from a distance so would not have cost us anything ...

Guess you would be comfortable with the tow truck hooking up to your TV while you are telling him NO!!!! I wasn't.

And we did pay him when he came clean that for half the price he would fix our vehicle right there .... More money for an unnecessary tow to a friends garage as we said 'NO' ... that was the issue (& how my mind works is just fine thank you)
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Old 09-19-2015, 04:29 PM   #6
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I don't see where there's a problem here. I think the guy did you a favor and you owe him thanks.

I just don't understand how some peoples' minds work.

Bruce
The problem I see with this tow truck driver was he was in a hurry and normally you do not hook up the vehicle with someone inside. The customer had already told him to stop, he persisted then he said he could fix after all that hassle. Makes you wonder.
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Old 09-19-2015, 04:53 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Night Stone View Post
It sounds like vapor lock on the line, you were near empty and started downhill, thus making the pick up tube sucking on air and not fuel. While you switched tanks it force the vapor lock and stalled your truck.

When the tow truck driver added gas in the fuel filter, he has already bled off the air in the line.

I think that's what happened to you guys. I normally refuel when the tank is near halfway, I try not to let it go to 1/4 tank when on the road to avoid issues while traveling.
sucking air or running out of fuel is not vapor lock
vapor lock is when the mostly gas engines fuel gets heated and turns to vapor in the gas line causing flow to stop . not a real problem with diesels though it can happen it is 99% gas engines and older mechanical fuel pumps

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vapor_lock
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Old 09-19-2015, 06:33 PM   #8
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sucking air or running out of fuel is not vapor lock
vapor lock is when the mostly gas engines fuel gets heated and turns to vapor in the gas line causing flow to stop . not a real problem with diesels though it can happen it is 99% gas engines and older mechanical fuel pumps

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vapor_lock
My bad, air in the fuel line?
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Old 09-19-2015, 06:41 PM   #9
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The Chevy fords of that era, with dual tanks, had a problem when switching tanks.
More so with ones that rarely, if ever, got switched. It would " get stuck in the middle" and not select any tank.


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Old 09-19-2015, 06:44 PM   #10
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Something to keep,in mind with the tank valve on the Ford. If you are switching from one tank to the other while under heavy load as in pulling up the hill the valve may not switch position or may not switch fully due to the high fuel draw. If you need to change over do it on the flat and let up on the throttle while it switches. Happened more than once to us.


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Old 09-19-2015, 06:58 PM   #11
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May I ask why did you give him any money or that much money if you had AAA?
I have AAA Plus and my 'card' says that :


Quote:
•AAA EMERGENCY FUEL DELIVERY
If your vehicle runs out of fuel, a limited supply, usually 1 or 2 gallons, will be delivered, if available, in an emergency situation to
enable you to reach the nearest gas station
.
Classic members will be charged for the fuel
.
AAA Plus, AAA Plus RV, AAA Premier and
AAA Premier RV members will receive 1 or 2 gallons of fuel at no cost to reach the nearest gas station
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Diesel fuel must be requested
when you request service and may not always be available
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In some cases, your vehicle may have to be towed if it runs out of fuel
Was the tow truck driver not AAA?
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Old 09-19-2015, 07:53 PM   #12
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Originally Posted by Night Stone View Post
My bad, air in the fuel line?

the problem with them was not being familiar with the truck and not looking at the gas gauges . run out of diesel it's more then just putting fuel in and going . priming the filters is a must which the tow truck driver did .
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Old 09-20-2015, 07:34 AM   #13
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the problem with them was not being familiar with the truck and not looking at the gas gauges . run out of diesel it's more then just putting fuel in and going . priming the filters is a must which the tow truck driver did .
Exactly, and if someone calls for a tow.....you start hooking them up. If you call for road service then you will have someone that will try and figure out the problem. And experience or knowledge cost money.
In my opinion $60 for a service call on the side of the road is really cheap and filling and bleeding the fuel system on a diesel and getting it running without running the batteries down is where some experience comes in to play. Im really surprised that it didn't cost twice as much.

Glad op is safe and backon the road!
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Old 09-20-2015, 08:06 AM   #14
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Sounds like the tow truck driver was trying to hijack a job.

Beyond that, what Tfort said regarding the plastic in-tank pickup breaking off is highly likely (been through it myself). Also, it may be a multi-part problem. I have also had the electric tank switching valve fail.
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Old 09-20-2015, 01:38 PM   #15
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AAA

I have AAA RV Plus. I have had both my truck AND trailer towed (one tow truck) to the dealer, and it didn't cost an extra cent. All Service calls are at no extra charge. I am surprised to hear that the tow truck driver wanted an extra 125 bucks, unless I missed that he wasn't AAA, or that you didn't have the coverage, or that the distance was too far.
If he was AAA, it should be reported, since they aren't supposed to ask for money.
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Old 09-20-2015, 01:45 PM   #16
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Sounds like the tow truck driver was trying to hijack a job.
I agree. Sounds fishy. "Yeah, just come with me down this dark alley and I'll fix you right up." If it doesn't feel right, it isn't.
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Old 09-20-2015, 01:59 PM   #17
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We have a 1996 duel diesel gas tank F250 that DH just got from his dad... He then let's us know he is a diesel mechanic, pours some gas in our dry fuel filter...
Not trying to be picky here but calling diesel tanks "gas tanks" and saying the diesel mechanic poured "gas" into your diesel filter freaks me out a little... Probably a good thing the tow driver helped you guys out & for $60 you were on your way safely down that busy highway...
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Old 09-20-2015, 02:21 PM   #18
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Not trying to be picky here but calling diesel tanks "gas tanks" and saying the diesel mechanic poured "gas" into your diesel filter freaks me out a little... Probably a good thing the tow driver helped you guys out & for $60 you were on your way safely down that busy highway...
Yeah kinda confusing with op going back and forth with "gas" and "diesel" in the story.

The whole thing sounds like a misunderstanding. If the op only wanted a tow, why would they expect a wrecker driver to try to fix the problem first? Especially if they (the OP) didn't know they were out of fuel?
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Old 09-20-2015, 02:28 PM   #19
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I have AAA RV Plus. I have had both my truck AND trailer towed (one tow truck) to the dealer, and it didn't cost an extra cent. All Service calls are at no extra charge. I am surprised to hear that the tow truck driver wanted an extra 125 bucks, unless I missed that he wasn't AAA, or that you didn't have the coverage, or that the distance was too far.
If he was AAA, it should be reported, since they aren't supposed to ask for money.
Seems that op stated that the truck was covered and aaa said it was going to be $250 to haul the trailer with the truck. Sounds like driver was cutting them a deal at the $125 to take it to a shop he recommended.

I really dont know what op was expecting.......a free service call? Free trailer towing? Seems like there wasn't any way this guy was gonna win. He got them going at a reasonable price.....but it wasn't free. ????
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Old 09-20-2015, 04:33 PM   #20
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I live in Brevard County. This could of happened in any county. At least the tow truck driver assisted you. He could have just left you floundering on the side of the road. Be thankful for small mercies. Brevard is a great place to live, but as in anywhere, there's good and bad.
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