u/DaHick

For context, I am 60; my best friend passed away when he was 58 - I was the same age at the time.

I was just his cool buddy who was a little wild. I've been hanging out with him and his kids since the early 90's. In 99, his oldest boy was not even 18 yet.

He wants to buy a car off me that is currently not running, but I have a spare motor from it that came from Japan. He comes over to look at it and wants it in 2 weeks. I said cool, then we hung out for a bit, watching the wife butcher chickens (I usually help, but she didn't want me to that day).

He asked why I wasn't going to fix it. I told him I am 60 and out of the motor-swapping things these days. He looked at me in surprise and exclaimed that he thought I was only a few years older than him.

I laughed. I've known the son for over 30 years.

When I was in stationary engine field service in my late 20s, I was assigned to a job in east New Jersey.

I was on a crew of 4 on night shift. Day shift had the overhaul for the medium sized reciprocating engine driver. Nights had the overhaul on the 6 throw reciprocating compressor. Medium sized for us meant it didn't have catwalks. Engine was about 7 feet tall with 16 pistons in a vee. Compressor about 18 feet, with the compressor pistons hanging off each side like a flat 4 engine.

So 3 week job. Location is a landfill. The compressors function is to suck landfill gasses off the landfill through a bunch of pipes drilled into the landfill. Those all run to a gathering pipe, that goes through a screen (nickname is witch's hat, because it looks like one).

We determined the first stage suction compressor needed a new liner, too much wear. All 8 valves out, 24 inch piston and rod out, then pull the cylinder body to go to the shop. I'm the guy manhandling it off the suction bottle with the crane. We had elected to only loosen the discharge bottle, so it was a finicky removal. I get off the suction bottle and the smell in the room intensifies. Its a landfill , it already stinks. We had been kicked out of 2 hotels already for how bad our clothes smelled. And I just got worse.

I look down into the suction bottle and see 2 condoms and a baby dolls head, all stuck in this thick coating of grey slime. That witches hat? It wasn't there when we had the customer check the next day. It was too much work for them to keep it clean. Gross job all around.

Had to burn my work clothes when I got home. Nomex (the precursor to FR gear ) will burn when you get it dirty enough. I knew I wasn't cleaning the clothes when I got home, the garbage bags they were in had inflated in the back of the service truck on the drive from Jersey to Ohio.

I've already asked my How? question over on askmechanics, and for the most part, crickets. I've solved my problem, so don't worry about me asking for help.

I would like to ask the professional Mercedes-Benz techs a question about hours. I am not asking for advice or suggestions (although I am sure the AI will say no anyway, and I will have to ping the mods).

2011 MB ML350 diesel. There is a metal cover under the passenger seat that "lets" you replace the in-tank lift pump. That thing is a complete bear to remove, and clean-up afterward is just as bad. How many hours do you folks get for that? I know if I was doing it professionally, my paycheck would look like poo.

I'd not heard it before. From Pascal (the otter).

If you don't have enough utensils to attack all the food on your plate, you need reinforkments, maan.