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 arrived for an RTS inspection in October which revealed a myriad of brake issues that featured leaks, wrong parts, pads worn metal-to-metal, a broken caliper piston, and a hard left turn with application of the brake pedal. Once everything on the estimate was approved, I started making all the repairs.

The brake master cylinder was leaking fluid and needed to be replaced.

I also had to replace both of the output brake lines. The fittings on both lines were damaged at some point in this truck's past which resulted in a fluid leak. Surprisingly, both lines were still available from Ford.

The front brake pads were worn to the metal backing plate which damaged the rotors and calipers. All needed to be replaced.

By the time I took these pictures, I was nearing the end of the brake repair process. 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.

With the bleeding process working fine at the other wheels, I figured I had some kind of restriction in the brake line to the right front wheel.

I loosened the line fitting at the right front brake hose and had Jamie push the brake pedal - No fluid ! Having no fluid at this wheel renders the right front caliper inoperative, which explains why the truck made a hard left turn on braking during my road test.

Working backwards, I then loosened the line at the ABS pump and had Jamie push the brake pedal again. The resulting waterfall of brake fluid told me that everything was fine from the brake fluid reservoir all the way through the ABS pump.

It seemed like I was dealing with a restricted metal brake line somewhere between the ABS module and the right front wheel. With the line completely disconnected, I tried to blow air through the line with no success.

That line was completely blocked somewhere between the ABS pump and the right front brake hose. My first suspicion was that the brake line was damaged in the form of being crushed flat somewhere.

The next step was to inspect that line for damage, 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.

With the line heading downward, I raised the truck fully in the air, (this is the key statement !) to get an easier look at the line as it runs along the frame crossmember. I didn't see any damage where the line curves around the steering gearbox.

Following the line down to the frame crossmember and to the right side of the truck, I found it dirty, but not damaged. The photo above shows where I expected to find some kind of damage. But there was none.

Now, I was confused. But then, I looked upward.

Is that a nail ?!?!?!

That looks like a nail !

I grabbed a pair of pliers and started turning and pulling.

A drop of fluid then appeared.

There's a nail stuffed inside the right front brake line ! Why is this ?

This makes no sense ! No responsible technician employed in this field would ever do something like this. No shop owner would ever allow something like this. Yet there I was staring at a nail stuffed inside a brake line.

Once I removed the nail and reconnected the lines, the bleeding process proceeded normally, and all was well again. But this whole chain of events still makes no sense to me.

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.