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My bright idea!

Started by zedster, 19 March 2009, 05:49 PM

zedster

Sorry for grammar and all that jazz. I hated English in school. 

OK, so last week Friday I decided to go to Checker auto-parts to get engine degreaser for the Mercedes. Marco (Mercedes Mechanic) said he could steam clean the engine and underneath (Engine and Tranny) for me. Underneath mainly, because he can not tell where the small oil leak is coming from but thinks it is just the oil pan gasket. I bought the engine degreaser and headed home. I read the directions and it said to apply to a cold engine, let soak for 10-15 minutes, and then hose off with water. I remember my Dad always saying never put a hose to a hot engine! I have the Mercedes in the garage and I wanted to degrease the engine out in the street so my driveway wouldn't get all jacked up. So, if I start the car and then move it to the street the engine wouldn't be cold or I would have to wait for it to cool down. I wanted to get this done before it got dark as I started like 4:30. Here is where my bright idea comes into play. I decide I will put the car in neutral and push it slowly down the driveway. I put the car in neutral and with the drivers door open start pushing with my feet. The Mercedes is real close to the wall so the door ended up getting caught up on a dolly and it was real hard to get the car to stop rolling. I put the car in park, move the dolly to the front of the car, and begin my quest again. This time I realize I am not going to make it out of the garage with the drivers door open so after moving the gearshift into neutral I shut the door but just enough to wear it is just cracked open. I start pushing the car from the windshield and I guess they call it the A-pillar. The car goes like a bat outta hell (weighs 3891 lbs) down the driveway. The wheel musta been turned because it went down the street away from the culdesac (also away from my truck). So here I am chasing this almost 2 ton beast down the street and I only run when I was in the Navy and when someone is chasing me. OK, well make that a third time I run, when I have a runaway 1979 Mercedes 450 SEL. I finally catch up to her around by the community mailbox. The door is cracked remember, so I am running forward while the car is going backwards. I manage to pull the door open and some how jump forward and contort my body into a sitting position going the opposite direction. I slam on the brakes and come to a complete stop. I get out of the car and I have somehow blew out the back and two rear belt loops on my jeans. My belt is up on my back and my pants down below my boxers. I look around and notice the one neighbor (special needs girl) looking at me. I just played it off like I meant to do that, something I learned from my sister. I got the engine cleaned and the whole time I was thinking to myself how stupid I was. I told the story to my wife when she came home and she was laughing and saying that she wish it would have been video taped for America's Funniest Home Videos. At that point I think I might have said something like God was on my side and my Dad was laughing his ass off but they both helped me that's for sure!!! 

Click on the below link and you will see somewhat of the path the car took. The mailbox is in the upper left corner. Where the girl that saw me is where you see the Dodge across the street in the driveway.

The Path

Bill (Mercedes Chaser)
1979 450 SEL "Spinne Blaue"

oscar

 :D Oh man you're lucky.  I shouldn't laugh though, could've been much worse. :-[  But it wasn't, so I'll laugh. You only make these mistakes once. (hopefully)

BTW,hot engine, warm engine, cold engine - three different things I reckon.  I wouldn't have hessitated driving the car a short distance before doing the degrease.  So long as it didn't get up to full operating temp, I'd happily try to degrease a warm engine.  IMO, it's the cast iron exhaust manifold that's most at danger of cracking.  It'll be the hottest component after a short run.
1973 350SE, my first & fave

koan

Yep, you were very lucky.

I left the handbrake off in my garage, only realised when I looked back to see what the scraping sound was as the car ran along the wall of my steep driveway.

Got it (old Ford, not MB) fixed and did the same thing again about a month later...

koan
Boogity, Boogity, Boogity, Amen!

oscar

Twice koan ::) Was the car in Park by any chance?  I'm assuming this was a Fairlane.  Once my parents' ZL took off in reverse with motor running after being placed in Park and handbrake on but not strong enough.  Lucky it happened when we were on a farm and a concrete tank brought it to a standstill.  No animals were injured.  But I remember at the time there was current affair type programs running a story of US Ford A/T's doing the same thing.
1973 350SE, my first & fave

zedster

I can laugh about it now but it was scary when it happened! Do you remember the Audi 5000's taking off on people when they swore they had their foot on the brake? I still use the phrase, "I'm Audi 5000".

Urban Dictionary


1979 450 SEL "Spinne Blaue"

koan

Quote from: oscar on 19 March 2009, 08:59 PM
Twice koan ::) Was the car in Park by any chance?  I'm assuming this was a Fairlane.

It was a Fairlane but just left in Drive, I got out with brain in Neutral (twice).

koan
Boogity, Boogity, Boogity, Amen!

danitaatih

Thanks for that story...it was very funny.  New to this website; I am buying a 1978 280SE soon; I'm very excited.  P.S. I can't see much of your car in that picture, but what I see sure looks nice.  Thanks again for a cool story.  Steven

Zuendfolge

Hi Bill,

I have that same urge of pushing my cars around because I don't want to start them up for nothing.
In doing so I have damaged them by hitting the garage doorway or other items, drive on my foot, getting myself cleched between them and last month stuck my little finger between the door while closing it for passing trough the garage door (it is still black under the nail...).

I don't know anymore what is worse :-)

The other way around I once almost ran over myself while adjusting the engine idle with the automatic in Drive......

I'm still alive  :D

1974450SEL

Bill(car chaser) former Shipmate, 
  I am in the Navy and know exactly what you are talking about.   I've made a similar mistake but with a big 4 door Mercury.  I can only imagine how much that sucked while it was happening, thank goodness you did not hurt your self and the car remained in one piece.  I will learn from your mistake and not do that!  My drive was is set up the same as that with a slight grade.  Did the steam clean come out good?  I am inclined to do that with mine here soon. 

zedster

I used the canned (spray on) engine degreaser. It came out OK. The engine smelled like it for a couple days after the fact though. I learned my lesson that is for sure.  ;D

Bill
1979 450 SEL "Spinne Blaue"

GreaseMonkey

Well if we want "what's the dumbest thing you ever did" stories, years ago in London I once drove my old Volvo (yeah, I know, not a Benz but hey, it's still funny) to the gym.
I found a parking space right outside the door, on a busy street, grabbed my bag, got out, dropped the bag at my feet, put the keys in my left pocket, and it was one of those old door handles that you press the little rod down inside to lock, and then hold the handle in to close and lock.
Ok,
well done,
except my left thumb was still in the door, I had leaned on the pillar with my left hand while I shut the door with my right hand, and those old Volvo doors close like Mercedes doors, they take no prisoners!
So there I am, stuck to the car, loads of traffic, trucks and buses an inch from my backside, and I had to reach around with my right hand to get the keys from my left pocket to open the door again,
except,
in my panic, I dropped the keys in the road, so, with traffic hooting me, I had to contort with my thumb shut in the top part of the door frame, to bend down to juuuuuuust reach the keys with my right and release myself.
Of course it hurt like hell and turned black, but I couldn't say anything, us guys are supposed to act tough around the gym.

Who's next?

Chris M.

TJ 450

Speaking of closing thumbs in doors, I did a similar thing a couple of weeks ago. I was reversing the 450 up on the ramps. Stupidly, the door was open in the process and my right hand was situated such that my index finger was just over the stainless strip on the sill.
I'm sure you can guess what happened next, but I put my foot on the brake and the door slammed shut on my finger, all the way!
I promptly opened the door and ran inside and inspected. Fortunately it wasn't too bad. I then sat in front of the computer for the rest of the day with an ice pack.
I clearly did not take into account the laws of physics on this occasion. ::)

Tim
1976 450SEL 6.9 1432
1969 300SEL 6.3 1394
2003 ML500

zedster

WOW! I don't feel as bad now.  ;D
1979 450 SEL "Spinne Blaue"

koan

Mist be a sign of maturity, can't believe any of us would admit to doing such brainless things when we were 18.

koan
Boogity, Boogity, Boogity, Amen!