Got a vehicle maintenance reminder today

[prepguide]

Was doing a full servicing on the small John Deere tractor (2640) today and made a mistake. Changed out the hydraulic oil filter and fluid making sure to replace the seal on the filter bowl. Got that done then on to the engine oil etc. Once I got done I fired up the tractor to check everything and got doused in hydraulic oil from a pressurized leak at the filter bowl. I quickly turned off the tractor but it was way too late. There was hyd oil all over the place including on me.

Turns out I had not properly seated the seal at the top of the filter bowl and it sprayed out copious amounts of oil under pressure. The saddest part of the whole experience for me was the fact that when I was in the Marine Corps I worked in aviation maintenance as...wait for it, yes that right a hydraulics technician. So it can and does happen to us all.

But at least nothing was damaged (other than my considerable ego lol) and I repaired the mistake. But it served as a good if messy reminder to double check your work.

[Brownwater Riverrat 13]

Cool huh? So you were a "Jet Mech" eh? I used to get JP-5 (jet fuel) and DFM (diesel fuel marine) baths when I was a young Boatswains Mate back on the Saratoga due to improper maint. on the refueling probes. That was pretty intense, stuff would eat your boots, OK but my Kabota hasn't done this to me yet. HOO-YAH Marine!

Did you look around to make sure no one was looking?

[helomech]

Another aviation maint guy. Worked on the Apache for 6 years, now work on civilian helicopters. I almost got killed by a hydraulic filter assembly. I thought my buddy bled down the system and he though I did it. When I unscrewed the filter housing it came flying out with 3000 psi of pressure behind it. Missed my head by a few inches. Got a face full of that nasty hydraulic fluid the military uses. Man that stuff burns.

[ak474u]

At least the tractor wasn't airborne full of troops when it puked out hydraulic fluid. Live and learn.