What an awesome Unimog community!!

[paulventer]

Hi All

I'd like to share two stories that happened to me over the December holidays to show the calibre of the people in our Unimog community.

Story 1:
At 08:00 on Wednesday 14 December I left Joburg on my way to Sabie where I was to ride support vehicle with my mog on the 4 day Sabie Experience mountainbike race. 50km from home, close to Springs, my mog suddenly started accelerating and then simply cut out and refused to start again. After some trouble shooting of my own, I phone a friend - Willem (from Samog). Over the course of the next 2 hours we had several conversations where Willem gave me ideas of what else to check. Eventually I thought I had the problem isolated to the fuel pump (that little thingy you use to manually pump fuel to bleed the fuel system).

When I told Willem the news, he immediately offered to drive out from Centurion with a new fuel pump. After fitting the new fuel pump, the mog still wouldn't start. After some more trouble shooting, Willem discovered that one of the pistons in the injector pump is stuck, preventing the other pistons from getting any diesel. Willem tried for around 1/2 an hour to get the injector pump working, but no luck.

Willem then suggested that he would tow me to a safer place as I've been stranded next to the highway now for about 5 hours (by the way - I was seriously impressed with the ease with which Willem's Pajero towed my dead mog!).

Willem volunteered that I could use an injector pump off one of his mogs to get going again, so he left for Centurion to take the injector pump off his mog, while Frans (Willem's assistant) and I removed the injector pump off my mog. An hour and a half later Willem was back, we fitted the new injector pump and my mog came to life Eventually, just as the sun went down, I could continue on my journey to Sabie (I think I set a new record - from Joburg to Sabie in 16 hours!).

To make a long story short - Willem sacrificed his entire day, drove many kilometres, and butchered parts off one of his mogs to get me back on the road in time for my commitment in Sabie. Willem - I cannot say how much I appreciate this!! Thanks!


Story 2:
After the mountainbike race, I stopped at Carel and Danie's place (C&D Unimogs) in Sabie to say bye. Danie noticed that the rear brake caliper on my mog was leaking a bit (an old problem I just haven't had time to fix yet). Despite my protestations, Carel and Danie insisted that we pull my mog into the workshop and fix the leak - despite that fact that Danie had a couple of forestry mogs lined up for urgent services.

What should have been a quick half an hour job, turned into a 3 hour job when they discovered more serious leaks in the brake caliper, which they also repaired. No complaints - with smiles they fixed all the leaks and at the end of the day refused payment (not sure if I should say this Carel ).

Bottom line:
Wow - I do not know how to express my gratitude. All I can say to you Willem, Carel and Danie is that I hope one day I can repay the favour.

Cheers
paul

[Andrew R]

no comments... must mean we are all blown away. well done guys.

Andrew

[Pete460332]

Good stuff, unusual failure of the IP. has anyone ever heard of that before?
PEter

[Antony]

Hey Paul,

Wonderful stories. I am glad you made it to Sabie eventually. The support you received is probably some payment in kind for the kindness you have shown me and others in Lesotho when our vehicles have had issues.

Regards

Antony

[paulventer]

Good stuff, unusual failure of the IP. has anyone ever heard of that before?
PEter

Hi Peter

Yes - no one I've spoken to so far has ever heard of such a drastic failure of a mog IP. We still need to send it in for repair, which will hopefully shed more light on the cause of the failure.

My mog is a rebuilt ex army Buffel. I know the mog stood for a number of years before I bought it. My suspicion is that somehow water got into the IP while it was standing which caused internal rust. The one thing that shoots a hole in this theory though is that the IP worked fine for the last two years since I got the mog....

Cheers
paul

[Pete460332]

these Bosch IP pumps are all pretty similar , whether they are in a Merc sedan, truck or tractor. Would be interesting to see what caused the failure.
Peter

[Mogster]

Hi Paul - I am sure that if you put out an SOS many Mogs would have pitched... that is just the way we are

So here is another nice story:

Our members in Durban, Franz and Arleen Hannweg who joined endish last year have decided that the Freunde Club needed something to promote itself.

Around new year Arleen contacted me to arrange for a parcel to be delivered to my postbox. Due to lots of things from my side, the pick-up only happened this week and on Saterday I got the brownpapered box.

Inside is about 300 moulded key rings with the Unimog Freunde Club logo on the one side and a 406 on the other side.

"This is for the Club to promote itself" was the message inside. No questions, no 'give some back' agenda's, just a sense of "we are part of a great little community".

Danke Franz und Arleen. Ihre Großzügigkeit ist etwas ganz Besonderes für uns. Es ist eine Freude, Sie als Mitglieder in den Club.

Mogster

[paulventer]

these Bosch IP pumps are all pretty similar , whether they are in a Merc sedan, truck or tractor. Would be interesting to see what caused the failure.

Well - my mog has been reunited with its injector pump and it is happy again

The cause of the problem - somehow a small piece of dirt got past the fuel filter into the IP, which then caused enough damage to one of the IP pistons for it to get stuck, with the result that no fuel would get to the other pistons

I was worried that there might be some rust in the IP due to all the years that the mog was standing after being sold by the army. Well, the good news is that the pistons I've seen are still shiny like new.

cheers
paul

[paulventer]

.... So here is another nice story:

.....

As you said Mogster - another great story!

[boerringer]

Hi All

I'd else to check. Eventually I thought I had the problem isolated to the fuel pump (that little thingy you use to manually pump fuel to bleed the fuel system).

When I told Willem the news, he immediately offered to drive out from Centurion with a new fuel pump. After fitting the new fuel pump, the mog still wouldn't start. After some more trouble shooting, Willem discovered that one of the pistons in the injector pump is stuck, preventing the other pistons from getting any diesel. Willem tried for around 1/2 an hour to get the injector pump working, but no luck.

Willem then suggested that he would tow me to a safer place as I've been stranded next to the highway now for about 5 hours (by the way - I was seriously impressed with the ease with which Willem's Pajero towed my dead mog!).

Willem volunteered that I could use an injector pump off one of his mogs to get going again, so he left for Centurion to take the injector pump off his mog, while Frans (Willem's assistant) and I removed the injector pump off my mog. An hour and a half later Willem was back, we fitted the new injector pump and my mog came to life Eventually, just as the sun went down, I could continue on my journey to Sabie (I think I set a new record - from Joburg to Sabie in 16 hours!).

To make a long story short - Willem sacrificed his entire day, drove many kilometres, and butchered parts off one of his mogs to get me back on the road in time for my commitment in Sabie. Willem - I cannot say how much I appreciate this!! Thanks!


Story 2:
After the mountainbike race, I stopped at Carel and Danie's place (C&D Unimogs) in Sabie to say bye. Danie noticed that the rear brake caliper on my mog was leaking a bit (an old problem I just haven't had time to fix yet). Despite my protestations, Carel and Danie insisted that we pull my mog into the workshop and fix the leak - despite that fact that Danie had a couple of forestry mogs lined up for urgent services.

What should have been a quick half an hour job, turned into a 3 hour job when they discovered more serious leaks in the brake caliper, which they also repaired. No complaints - with smiles they fixed all the leaks and at the end of the day refused payment (not sure if I should say this Carel ).

Bottom line:
Wow - I do not know how to express my gratitude. All I can say to you Willem, Carel and Danie is that I hope one day I can repay the favour.

Cheers
paul

Hi Paul,
With such a big honeybrush i wonder who will be buying the beers at

De Rust U ,me or Carel