captd
Well-known member
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2008
- Messages
- 447
- Fluid Motion Model
- C-24 C
- Hull Identification Number
- FMLT2528I809
- Non-Fluid Motion Model
- 27 ft. 1979 Sports Craft
- Vessel Name
- Lucky Finagin
I know the title is really a cover up for British Petroleum and so do you. Allow me to tell you of my learning experience.
My return trip has been quite uneventful up until we crossed the border into North Dakota. 12 miles in I saw a BP station up ahead. Sign indicated they had diesel. It was a small truck stop out in the country. The plan was to fill up and continue on to Mitchell, So. Dak. Where a nice Cabella store is a good place to spend the night. I pulled up to a triple grade pump. Two grades of gas and what I assumed was diesel. Pump was green and so was the fuel nozzle. A big sign next to the pumps said two grades of gas and diesel. A cold wind was blowing so after putting the noozle into the filler and setting it on the first click I turned to open the side door of the pickup box to get my coat out. It was blowing so hard it took a moment to get it on. I turned around to check the pump and smelled gas causing me to read the word regular on the pump. 23 gals had already been pumped in. In a panic, I rushed into the station kind of hoping and praying that the girl would say.....No, don't worry, it is diesel. She didn't. What am I going to do? I pictured me laying under the pickup trying to drain the tank. After a quick check I could see there is no drain plug. The station called a local mechanic, he said I would have to remove the tank. What right there? and block two pumps? I thought if I start the truck and put it in gear moving a little, shutting off the truck and coast to the dirt about 50 feet in front of me it should not get the gas through the lines to the filter, to the engine. I did that.
Now I call my Ford Garage in Libby Montana. He informed me " DO NOT START THE TRUCK" I told him " to late "
He added " take the truck to the ford dealer and they will pump it out with the truck's own fuel pump using a computer. Blow all the lines and change the filters
Insurance paid for the wrecker but the bill for two hours of work was $372 plus he took out about 35 gals of mixed gas and diesel. He put 5 gals of fresh diesel in. Which I felt would take me back to the origin of the problem. 12 miles. The fuel monitor indicated I could go 4 more miles to empty. I put 38.25 gals in to fill up. Tank holds 38 plus maybe a gal or two in the filler pipe. The stop cost pretty close to $500.
I asked the owner of the station if he would buy back 23 gals of gas. He laughed. he said it happens quite often. 5 in the last month. The wrecker drivers said he gets a lot of them from BP stations. At one time the station owner changed the noozles to black. A BP rep came by and make them put the green ones back on.
Live and learn. I will try to avoid BP from now on.
Tomorrow we will be home around noon.
Summation:
It has been a cold windy winter and a long drive home. 6000 miles of tow and 2000 miles of cruise.( Much better than spending the winter in Montana.)
The boat worked flawlessly. 150 Cumins was perfect. Wallas kept us warm, Solar never one time let us down. never got below 12 volts, even on the cloudy days. Never ran the generator except to warm it up. 😀
captd
My return trip has been quite uneventful up until we crossed the border into North Dakota. 12 miles in I saw a BP station up ahead. Sign indicated they had diesel. It was a small truck stop out in the country. The plan was to fill up and continue on to Mitchell, So. Dak. Where a nice Cabella store is a good place to spend the night. I pulled up to a triple grade pump. Two grades of gas and what I assumed was diesel. Pump was green and so was the fuel nozzle. A big sign next to the pumps said two grades of gas and diesel. A cold wind was blowing so after putting the noozle into the filler and setting it on the first click I turned to open the side door of the pickup box to get my coat out. It was blowing so hard it took a moment to get it on. I turned around to check the pump and smelled gas causing me to read the word regular on the pump. 23 gals had already been pumped in. In a panic, I rushed into the station kind of hoping and praying that the girl would say.....No, don't worry, it is diesel. She didn't. What am I going to do? I pictured me laying under the pickup trying to drain the tank. After a quick check I could see there is no drain plug. The station called a local mechanic, he said I would have to remove the tank. What right there? and block two pumps? I thought if I start the truck and put it in gear moving a little, shutting off the truck and coast to the dirt about 50 feet in front of me it should not get the gas through the lines to the filter, to the engine. I did that.
Now I call my Ford Garage in Libby Montana. He informed me " DO NOT START THE TRUCK" I told him " to late "
He added " take the truck to the ford dealer and they will pump it out with the truck's own fuel pump using a computer. Blow all the lines and change the filters
Insurance paid for the wrecker but the bill for two hours of work was $372 plus he took out about 35 gals of mixed gas and diesel. He put 5 gals of fresh diesel in. Which I felt would take me back to the origin of the problem. 12 miles. The fuel monitor indicated I could go 4 more miles to empty. I put 38.25 gals in to fill up. Tank holds 38 plus maybe a gal or two in the filler pipe. The stop cost pretty close to $500.
I asked the owner of the station if he would buy back 23 gals of gas. He laughed. he said it happens quite often. 5 in the last month. The wrecker drivers said he gets a lot of them from BP stations. At one time the station owner changed the noozles to black. A BP rep came by and make them put the green ones back on.
Live and learn. I will try to avoid BP from now on.
Tomorrow we will be home around noon.
Summation:
It has been a cold windy winter and a long drive home. 6000 miles of tow and 2000 miles of cruise.( Much better than spending the winter in Montana.)
The boat worked flawlessly. 150 Cumins was perfect. Wallas kept us warm, Solar never one time let us down. never got below 12 volts, even on the cloudy days. Never ran the generator except to warm it up. 😀
captd