Stopped at a farm auction in Iowa and saw a 1980s Mack truck with a homemade fuel system

I was at a farm sale near Des Moines last month and they had an old Mack R model for auction. When I looked under the hood, someone had put in a custom fuel line setup using clear plastic hose and hose clamps. It was feeding straight from the tank to the pump with no real filter in line. I could see bits of junk floating in the fuel. What's the worst homemade fix you've seen on a diesel engine?

2 comments

2 Comments

camerona799h ago

How about a homemade oil filter made from a soup can and steel wool? Saw that on an old tractor, and the guy swore it worked better than the real thing. Some people just have more faith than sense.

sagesingh6h ago

Used to think a little dirt in the fuel was no big deal. Then I saw a pump grenade from some rust flecks in a similar homemade line, and it changed my mind fast. That kind of fix just costs you more later.