November 13: The most bizarre thing I've seen to date . . .
Read MoreLike anyone who turns wrenches for a living, I've seen a lot of strange stuff over the last 21 years. But on this day, I encountered something truly bizarre. One of my duties at the Auto Center is to perform "Return to Service," (RTS) inspections. Vehicles are transferred internally from department to department with regularity at UGA. When a department is fortunate enough to secure funding for a new vehicle, the one being replaced is evaluated to see if it can be "returned to service" to a department who is in need of a vehicle but has no funding. My role is this process is to ensure that the vehicle in question is roadworthy which is done via a thorough road test and an in-depth evaluation.
The easiest way to describe an RTS inspection is that it's a combination of a state-mandated safety inspection, (like I did in Pennsylvania and Missouri), and a multipoint inspection, (like I did as a Ford service technician when performing a regular maintenance service). In other words, the vehicle is given a good once-over, and an estimate is prepared for any problems found.
The 2008 Ford F250 pickup seen in the photo above was beginning the transfer process back in October. The RTS inspection revealed a myriad of brake issues that featured leaks, wrong parts, pads worn metal-to-metal, and a broken caliper piston. My biggest concern was the hard left turn I encountered when I applied the brakes. Once everything on the estimate was approved, I started making all the repairs.By the time I took these pictures, I was nearing the end of the brake repairs. The last step was to fill the master cylinder with brake fluid and begin the bleeding process. All was well until I got to the right front brake caliper, (seen in the photo above). No matter what I did, I wasn't able to get any fluid out of the right front caliper bleeder. Gravity bleeding didn't work. I hooked up the BG Brake Flush machine and got the same result. I then recruited fuel island attendant, Jamie, to help me try and bleed the brakes manually. All were all ineffective.
The next step was to inspect that line, with my first thought being that I would find part of it crushed somewhere, (this is a 4-wheel drive truck, after all). From the ABS pump, the line turns downward and heads toward a frame crossmember at the front of the truck. The photo above looks at the line as it begins its downward run. No damage here.
Shop Foreman Phil, who was just as perplexed as I was, did some digging. This truck came from a department that does a lot of field research, and was used all over the state at the various research labs. At some point, the truck was stolen, and this is how it was recovered.
I've encountered some strange things during my 21 years of fixing cars. But this was the most bizarre incident I have encountered to date.