Got a call for a stuck car in a 12-story building downtown last Thursday

It was a 20-year-old hydraulic unit with a slow leak we'd been watching. The pump motor finally gave out between floors 8 and 9. I had to get the rescue key, open the top hatch, and talk the two people inside through climbing up to the 9th floor landing. They were calm, which helped a ton. The real work was after, pulling the old motor. The mounting bolts were rusted solid and I had to soak them in penetrant for a good hour before they'd budge. Got the new one in and the system bled by the end of the day. What's the longest you've had to wait for a part to free up on an old hydraulic job?

3 comments

3 Comments

joelwells1mo ago

Had a similar one where the bolts were basically welded. A torch and some patience got it done!

oliviat171mo ago

Climbing out of an elevator sounds like a great team building exercise they didn't sign up for. At least they were calm, some people would have lost their minds. Waiting an hour for penetrant to work feels like watching paint dry, but slower. Those old bolts really do become part of the machine after twenty years.

lindab4924d ago

Those four hours between getting the call and the new motor actually spinning felt like a year. The worst part was sitting there after the penetrant soak, just waiting for the rust to let go - you tap the bolts every few minutes, give them another squirt, and it still feels like nothing’s happening until it finally does. @oliviat17, I totally get what you mean about watching paint dry, it’s way more frustrating when you’re trying to break free bolts that have been laughing at WD-40 for two decades. I actually had to use a heavy breaker bar and a cheater pipe on one of those mounts, the kind where you’re half expecting the whole machine to groan back at you. It’s funny how a simple bolt can turn a straightforward job into a test of patience, but honestly that’s the part of this work that teaches you the most.