Just realized I used to prime fuel filters with my mouth like a dummy

Back when I started out around 2016 at a shop in Phoenix, I didn't have a proper priming tool for those big spin-on filters on a Cat C15. So I'd take a deep breath and suck on the fuel return line to get the air out. Got a mouthful of diesel more times than I'd like to admit. Took me about 3 years and a guy named Mike laughing at me before I bought a $15 hand pump from Napa. Now I just use that and wonder why I ever tasted diesel for lunch. Anyone else got a messy old habit they finally kicked?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamesblack8d agoMost Upvoted

Ha! We've all been there man.

tara3458d ago

Honestly, I bet half the guys who did that back in the day never even thought about the long-term health part. That diesel has benzene and other nasty stuff in it that absorbs right through the inside of your mouth. You're basically giving yourself a low dose of poison every time you get a mouthful. I knew a guy who did it for ten years and ended up with weird digestive issues that the doctors never could pin down. It's not just gross, it's legit dangerous in a way nobody talks about.