Pat's Perspective #150 - " Tire Siping "

Pat's Perspective 149

Infinity Brake Problem

PAT'S PERSPECTIVE 148 "A PARTS NIGHTMARE

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FORD FUEL PROBLEMS

Daniel and the Mammoth

Daniel was an avid race fan and long-time backyard mechanic, just like millions of other Americans. And just like millions of other mechanics, he went to the races whenever he could. He would pile his family and friends into his huge motor home and leave behind the fast-food franchise that he managed in his little home town in Indiana. Off to the races they would go.



Daniel lived for it. And almost died. Read on. Over the years, Daniel and his wife scrimped and saved enough money to buy a liquor store. They had just closed the deal on the store one week before Daniel’s nightmare, which happened just before a racing weekend. Because racing was real important to Daniel, a big race meant everything else came to a standstill. He lived for NASCAR. And this race promised to be an exciting one too.



Daniel had his heart set on going and wanted to make absolutely sure he didn’t miss it. Nothing was going to stop him, not even a new store. And because Daniel was detail oriented, he’d leave nothing to chance. But he had a funny feeling about the motor home. Maybe it was that nagging oil leak. He wanted to make completely sure the RV wasn’t gong to leave them stranded along side the road in the breakdown lane somewhere. No way. Not on his watch.



There’s one kind of nightmare any traveler faces. Breakdown. Ever since man became dependent on something other than his own two legs for transportation, he’s faced the threat of a break down on the way. In days of old, the horse or camel could become lame, leaving the traveler stranded. Many perished because they weren’t able to reach their destinations due to a “broken ride” problem. Some died from the elements, others from lack of food or water.



In modern times, a broken ride problem is certainly just as hazardous. Stranded motorists have been smitten by freezing cold. Some people breakdown in a bad place, leaving them in the path of harm. Another vehicle may be unable to stop in time to avoid a collision. We’ve all seen pictures of what happens to a car stalled on the train tracks. Equally horrifying is the thought of having an unplanned breakdown in a motor home.



For one thing, a motor home is bigger than a wooly mammoth. Because of its huge size, if it does break down, it’s likely to create a terrific traffic jam. Imagine a big RV stuck blocking an intersection. Or even worse, failure of the steering or brakes. Imagine several tons of motor home hurling out of control into a crowd—or crashing into a storefront. Unthinkable.



Being accountable for operating a safe piece of equipment—especially when there are other lives involved—is a tremendous responsibility. Being a racecar mechanic has this same kind of responsibility. Consider the potential horrific consequences. A mistake could result in the race car losing control and flying off the track into innocent bystanders.



This kind of responsibility is one that mechanics face on a daily basis. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how serious the consequences might be if a vehicle you just did a brake job on wasn’t able to stop. I believe the legal term for such a screw up is called involuntary manslaughter. What a heavy thought—causing the death of another because of your stupidity. Whew!



It was this kind of thinking that was driving Daniel. He wanted to be as thorough as possible as he prepped the motor home for his trip. And as usual, his buddy Alan was pitching in and helping. Daniel wasn’t a fool either. He was trying to be careful. But with his job and the store they had just bought, he was really pinched for time. He was in a hurry. And that was a part of his big mistake.



He knew that the massive motor home was too much to trust to a jack, so he carefully placed safety stands under the front end to take the weight off the jack. His driveway was level, so he didn’t have to worry about it rolling. But to err on the safe side, he even chocked the rear wheels to keep it from rolling. This was important, since he planned to check the brakes all the way around.



It was strictly for safety’s sake that Daniel wanted to inspect the brakes. There was nothing really wrong with them. Maybe you’d call it preventative maintenance. Anyway, after pulling the drums, Daniel concluded everything was okay on the rears. So, he reinstalled the drums, rear wheels, and moved his attention to the front. The front rotors were scored and could use turning to true them. He decided it was a good time to replace the pads too.



Daniel pulled the front rotors and dropped them off at the local machine shop to be machined. While waiting for them to get done, he decided to chase after an annoying oil leak. It was coming from somewhere in the back of the engine, a place where the sun never shines. He hated dealing with things that were hard-to-find. In fact, one of his favorite sayings was, “Why can’t they ever make anything easy!”



This pesky leak had been evading him for a while now and he was determined to find its source. Daniel considered the oil leak just like any weak link. “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” This was another of Daniel’s favorite sayings. And to him, this was another detail that needed attention. He always took care of minor details, lest they become major ones.



To Daniel, this pesky oil leak represented a weak link that could suddenly break. The next thing you know, oil is gushing out. Then the engine loses its life blood. If not caught in time, it could wind up costing a motor. If it didn’t happen in a fortuitous place, the failed engine could cause even more frightening possibilities. Remember, this is a big motor home.



While the brake rotors were being cut, Daniel chased after the weak link in the chain. Crawling around under the RV, he poked and prodded while Alan looked down from above and held the drop light for him. The two of them looked and looked, but the source of the leak remained a mystery.



After all, this was a RV, and motor home builders don’t make mechanical access easy. They build RV’s to look good, not for ease of repair. This means the driver and front seat area are designed for eye appeal, not accessibility for the mechanic—who’s destined to work on it. The back of the engine was completely covered up—and wouldn’t you know it—that’s where the engine oil leak was coming from. You couldn’t see it or even touch it from above. But Daniel thought it might be possible to touch it from below, if he reached up and felt around.



Practically wrapping himself around the transmission, Daniel was reaching up as far as he could and was trying to run his hand along the back of the engine, to find the spot that leaked fresh oil. Time was of the essence. The rotors would be ready shortly and Daniel was feeling pressured to find the leak. Time was slipping away, and the races loomed in his mind. He was pressured to find it so he’d still have time to get to the parts store and buy the gasket—or whatever was needed to stop the leak.



Then the unthinkable happened. Maybe it was fate reaching out and calling him. Maybe it was just plain old bad luck. Maybe it happened because he bumped the linkage. Suddenly the transmission fell into gear and the mammoth machine began to move. The rear wheels started pushing the RV forward. Remember that Daniel placed the wheel chocks behind the rear wheels. They were totally useless in keeping it from moving in a forward direction.



The jack stands, which were ordinary do-it-yourselfer quality, weren’t capable of withstanding sideways force. The moment the RV lurched forward, the jack stands collapsed, leaving nothing to keep it from crushing Daniel. He was trapped underneath.



It all happened in slow motion. First he heard the click of the transmission as it fell into drive. Next, he heard the engine speed slow down as it coupled to the driveline and began working the torque converter. He then heard the RV creak as it lurched forward. All while this happened in less than a second. And while it happened, Daniel was hastily trying to extricate himself from underneath and escape.



But, in the time it takes you to say, “Hello,” the two jacks stands flattened sideways. The RV fell with a horrific thud, coming down on his chest and head. In reality all happened very fast—except for those who were witnesses. They would describe the event later on as if it had all happened in slow motion.



Daniel had just run a rag across the back of the motor in order to pinpoint the oil leak. Alan was laying across the floor, looked down into the engine bay and holding the light. The gear shift lever was still in the neutral position. It had been left there earlier to facilitate rear brake drum removal. Following Daniel’s instructions, Alan got up, started the engine, and lay back down on the floor. Several minutes passed. Suddenly he felt the RV lurch forward.



Alan will always remember that sickening feeling. The feeling he had in his stomach as the RV lurched forward… and downward. Down. Then there was the crash. Then silence. “Stalled motor. Crushed Daniel!” Were Alan’s thoughts as he jumped up. Now remember, it’s all happening in slow motion.



It seemed to take forever for Alan to get to his feet. Then there was another forever—like moving in molasses—before he breached the doorway. His yells seemed to come from somewhere else, like he heard someone else shouting. “Dan? Dan! DAN! Can you hear me?!” He shouted.



Nothing. Not a peep. Silence. Again, Alan felt like it took forever to position the jack and pump the handle. It all happened so slow. His view become like a tunnel, with only the jack in the foreground and the RV filling the remainder of his field of vision. He didn’t hear Daniel’s wife screaming behind him.



When she heard the crunch, Daniel’s wife felt as if someone had just walked across her grave. You know that sinking feeling when your heart and soul speaks out and says that you’ve just suffered a tragic loss. She knew as soon as she heard it. It was Daniel. And just as in a nightmare—one of those kind where you are struggling to move—your movements are slow and laborious. Like running in water, her legs couldn’t move fast enough. Slow motion. Then she heard Alan’s frantic calls and she knew.



She’s running to the door and her fingers are punching in the phone number to emergency rescue on her cell phone.   She knows the number by heart because her husband is also volunteer fireman. She struggles to press the buttons. Her fingers don’t want to seem to move.



She hears herself screaming, “Danny. Danny! Answer me Danny! Can you hear me? Danny!!” as if it was from someone else. Then she sees the RV, nose down on the ground. Her heart sinks.

One of the local volunteer firemen was the first to arrive, just minutes after she called. The ambulance was next, arriving about five minutes after the RV fell. The men carefully moved his crushed body onto the gurney, not knowing if there was any life left in it. If they didn’t know who he was, they would have never recognized their compatriot. Daniel’s poor body was crushed beyond recognition.



The ambulance took him to the Randolph County Hospital with hopes that he could be stabilized enough to be transferred to Miami Valley Trauma Hospital in Dayton. Even though his lungs were collapsed, his heart kept on beating. Daniel was still alive. But he suffered from multiple skull fractures, nine broken ribs, collapsed lungs, lacerated liver, ruptured spleen, shattered left humorous and broken clavicle. His situation looked very grim, and he wasn’t expected to survive much longer. The attending physician told Daniel’s parents and wife that only a miracle could save him.



In the hours that followed the accident, Daniel’s life was in limbo, as he held on by a thread. He underwent five prolonged and extensive surgeries to repair his internal organs. However, it was his crushed skull—and associated brain damage—that gave the doctors such a grave outlook. Then the process to reconstruct his crushed body began. Daniel remained unconscious until several days after the incident occurred. When he came to, he didn’t remember anything about what had happened.



During the next five weeks he underwent operation after operation, as the surgeons tried to mend the damage to his organs. Multiple skin grafts were needed to try to close off the tears. And then complications set in. First, the muscles could not withstand the surgery to repair them. Then several fistulas spontaneously developed. These are holes that open in the organs. As soon as they were discovered, they were repaired one by one. The abdomen was kept open so the surgeons could continue to make repairs as needed. Eating and drinking were impossible. Daniel was kept alive by life-support machines.



The doctors believed his internal organs were too damaged to ever heal again. It was thought he would always need to be connected to an intravenous feeding system because he would never recover enough to eat again. The surgeons were in the process of the procedure to attach a life-support apparatus when they discovered the fistulas had healed! His condition had taken a turn for the better. A miracle happened.



It was a major feat for Daniel to be able to nourish himself again. However, he would still require many more surgical operations to repair the damage. Daniel’s incredible determination to make it drove him on. Soon he was able to walk, and began physical therapy three times a week. Long before the doctors thought he’d get out of bed Daniel was taking long walks around town.



The accident left him deaf in his left ear and with nerve damage to his right eye. He returned to the trauma hospital for bi-monthly checkups and had his final abdominal surgery last July. In September he underwent a special surgical procedure to return part of his hearing. In an incredible total of six months time he returned to work.



From the very start of his recovery, Daniel said he wanted to resume his life as soon as possible. “I knew that I would go back, that it would be on my time frame and not theirs. I had seen everything my wife, my girls, and my mom and dad had gone through. And I just wanted to get life back to normal,” he said. “I felt if I didn’t get back to work—get my life back—that I had lost. I’m not a good loser.”



And he wasn’t a loser. In fact, Daniel’s gallant efforts to recover, take back control of his life, and determination to return to work were awarded in yet another way. The WillReturn Council honored him with the Perseverance Award, which is bestowed on individuals who demonstrate remarkable initiative and positive attitude, either during recovery from a disabling injury or illness, or while adapting to a new lifestyle necessitated by their disability.



The lessons to be learned are:

Never work under a running vehicle without taking special precautions.

Never trust jack stands to hold up a vehicle with its wheels removed.

Place the wheels under the vehicle as a precaution in case a stand fails.

Never go cheap on jack stands.

Never get in a hurry and compromise your safety.