That time a coolant line exploded in my face at a truck stop in Ohio

I was out near a Pilot in Lima, Ohio last month, doing a quick PM on a 2015 Freightliner. I just finished tightening the lower radiator hose, started the engine to check for leaks, and boom it burst right at the clamp. Coolant sprayed everywhere, all over my chest and arms, and I just stood there frozen for like 5 seconds. Ended up having to drain the whole system, replace the hose, and refill with 3 gallons of coolant right there in the lot. The driver was watching me from his cab the whole time laughing, which honestly made it worse. Have any of you guys had a simple job go sideways like that out in the middle of nowhere?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessica84123d ago

Did you at least get a free taquito out of the whole thing? I swear, Pilot lots are cursed for me too. One time I was changing an oil filter on a Peterbilt in a Love's parking lot in Kentucky (the one right off I-75, you know the one) and the stupid filter wouldn't budge no matter what I did. I was crawling under the trailer with a breaker bar, covered in old oil, and this guy in an RV pulls up and starts telling me his "expert opinion" on how to loosen it from his lawn chair. Took me an extra hour and a half, then I had to clean up with a busted roll of paper towels from the gas station bathroom. It's always the simple jobs that turn into a three-ring circus when you're miles from your shop.

wesley38523d ago

Bro come on, you're making it sound like you got hit by a biohazard or something. It's just coolant, it's not the end of the world. Yeah it sucks that you had to redo the whole thing but sitting there frozen for 5 seconds? That's a bit dramatic don't you think. And the driver laughing, I mean what did you expect from a trucker watching you work in a Pilot lot. They're all like that, they got nothing better to do. Just wipe it off your chest and get back to work, it ain't that deep.