Your worst breakdown and how did it happen?

Discussion in 'Road Stories' started by Coolbreezin, May 1, 2018.

  1. Benzerb

    Benzerb Bobtail Member

    1
    2
    Jan 19, 2020
    Sacramento
    0
    W/B on 40 coming into Albuquerque, road construction with concrete barriers....single lanes each direction...on a downgrade just out of a curve at night.....truck shut off...Good Ol Freightliner RGEN & EGR & harness issues..... Well that's what Freightliner near pompano Beach, FL told us they had fixed just before this run ....but wait there's more...I was a 1month old CR England in training rookie.... Talk about needing to change my drawls....shout out my trainer Scott B. of Atlanta.
     
    Last edited: Jan 19, 2020
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  2. AModelCat

    AModelCat Road Train Member

    27,626
    144,549
    Jul 7, 2015
    Canuckistan
    0
    Wasn't me driving but we had a driver manage to warp a clutch so badly each disc was warped about 2" and cracked the intermediate plate in 3 or 4 spots.
     
  3. ZVar

    ZVar Road Train Member

    10,913
    23,803
    Sep 10, 2010
    Flint, MI
    0
    I think mine was catching the truck on fire. Was at the shipper, got paperwork and I go to leave. Starter shorted out and flames were coming from it. Dumped the fire extinguisher on it and it surprised me by putting it out.
    Got it pull started, as the short drained the battery (and I, of course, didn't trust the starter). Once running made sure no new fires and drove it three hours back to the shop.

    Most annoying was breaking the water pump shaft 70 miles south of OK city, and waiting around for a tow.
     
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  4. Odin's Rabid Dog

    Odin's Rabid Dog Heavy Load Member

    704
    1,717
    May 6, 2018
    NW MT
    0
    Last winter, fueled at Sioux Falls, got back on the I sb, started losing power, long story short got towed to Siuox City. This was Tuesday, spent 2 nights in the KW shop parking lot, (the Espar and APU worked just fine.), then a motel. They finally got me into the shop Friday, I was down 4 days for fuel filters.
     
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  5. rbrtwbstr

    rbrtwbstr Road Train Member

    3,202
    7,075
    Jul 11, 2012
    in the bush somewhere
    0
    Just yesterday I left the house, drove over to my truck and wanted to go load my first load for tonight. The quarry we load out of isn't known for their snow removal, and everything involves going up or down steep little hills. The weatherman was calling for 4 inches of snow. So I wanted to load before the hill got bad. I figured on being gone from the house less than an hour.

    I get to the truck and fire it up. It's 18 degrees. After about a minute it starts to miss. Then it shut off completely. Ive been down this road before with this truck. Two new fuel filters, cold numb fingers, and a bit of profanities later, I had it running. The boss happened by as I'm cleaning up. He always shows up when the work is done it seems. But, to his credit, he did but me breakfast at the local diner.

    I share such stories now and again, and people look at me like I'm crazy. I don't get paid to fix trucks. Some don't understand my mentality. But had I waited for the mechanic to show up, and change those filters, I'd have been there half the day. I'm not waiting half a day for someone to do what I'm able to in twenty minutes.

    Recently, the PTO on my truck failed. We've had several of them fail in the last few months. Basically, when they fail, there's a bearing that fails, and usually sends pieces into the transmission, and you can't turn the PTO off. Driving like that ruins an $8000 blower. So, to get it home, you crawl under and drop the PTO shaft and drive it back. Some of our guys refuse to do it, and will wait around for the mechanic to show up. I won't.

    They put a new PTO on, and three nights later, some of the pieces of the bearing fell into the new PTO and locked it in gear. Again I removed the shaft and drive it home. Then I got a new transmission and PTO, it's been fine since then.

    My point? Sometimes you gotta take it upon yourself to get things done. Waiting for the mechanic would have wasted my time, and his. So why bother?
     
  6. AModelCat

    AModelCat Road Train Member

    27,626
    144,549
    Jul 7, 2015
    Canuckistan
    0
    It makes perfect sense. Why sit on your ### half a day when you can fix it and go in 20 minutes?
     
  7. VA CDL Holder

    VA CDL Holder Medium Load Member

    592
    1,004
    Jun 14, 2011
    0
    Almost three years ago, heading east on the I-70 in Colorado, about a mile from the Eisenhower Tunnel going down the mountain. The oil pressure light on the dash all of sudden came on and it was red. I was driving a Cascadia at the time and I was worried about the engine saving itself by shutting off because then I'd have to horse it off the road with no power steering. Anyway, I got if off the road and managed to sit there for over seven hours until I was towed to dealer just east of Denver.

    The interesting thing to me was even though I had my 3 triangles out, the highway patrol didn't stop to see what was up in the long time I was there. This was in March of 2017 and there wasn't any weather event going on. Also, my DM didn't call to check up on me either. Just a confirmation that you are you own out there, count on yourself only.

    I spent my time outside the truck, mostly walking around checking out the remnants of the snow still on the ground. After getting to the dealer, I ended up in a hotel room for a night. The load was repowered from the dealers lot.
     
  8. Hammer166

    Hammer166 Crusty Information Officer

    6,920
    23,774
    Aug 18, 2007
    ~8600+' and loving it!
    0
    Graveyard shift, running team, load of pentane headed to Wenatchee. I had just crested Cabbage, and was a mile or so from the steep part.

    Something bright caught my eye out the side window. Everything felt okay, assumed it was just a butt my wind caught just right. Then 3 more in rapid fire. I knew what it was now, and out went the anchor. The vibrations started as I slowed, and a few more rollers richocheted into the dark. When the wrecker picked up the truck, the left steer and drum fell off the spindle. The fact I never came off the brakes kept me from losing the wheel (inboard drums back then.)

    The shop overheated the kingpin changing the spindle, ended up spending a week in downtown Pendleton waiting on parts.

    I try not think about what would have happened had I lost that wheel in the curves on Cabbage. Pentane burns way too easily.
     
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  9. D.Tibbitt

    D.Tibbitt Road Train Member

    19,660
    130,552
    Apr 26, 2013
    Gettin' down westbound
    0
    #### that is one mountain u would never want ur truck to break while driving down. Had to be a major pucker factor on that ride lol
     
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  10. asphaltreptile311

    asphaltreptile311 Road Train Member

    1,302
    2,489
    Jun 16, 2016
    0
    Was driving through Alabama at night when the truck was running fine no issues I went to grab a drink reached over at the cup holder and took a sip when all of sudden I realized I just grabbed a piss bottle . Had to put the 4 ways on rinse out my mouth brush my teeth and eat something like a chocolate bar. I'll never make that #### up again.
     
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