Run Away Diesel

[chopped]

I just watched this video and wonder what causes this and how to react if it happens. Seems like it happens more often than people think.
The Best Diesel Engine Runaway compilation, december 216 - YouTube

SCAREY

 

[moriboy]

I don't know how to react to a locomotive, except run!

As far as personal equipment, your options for saving the engine are cutting off the air coming into the engine or discharging a C02 extinguisher in the intake.

Diesels can "run away" for several reasons, most commonly because of bad injection pumps or getting the engine in such a position that it burns its own oil (like flipping the machine on its side).

 

[RedNeckRacin]

I have heard but never seen the deck engine on a drilling rig try and run away. This can be caused by a fuel source in the air getting into the motor. There is also the possibility of the motor stalling out and running in reverse if something connected to the motor is able to bump it over backwards. Again this is from the drilling industry. I have a feeling that a electric diesel is not as susceptible to this as a mechanical engine would be!

 

[Raised on a Deere]

I don't know how to react to a locomotive, except run!

As far as personal equipment, your options for saving the engine are cutting off the air coming into the engine or discharging a C02 extinguisher in the intake.

Diesels can "run away" for several reasons, most commonly because of bad injection pumps or getting the engine in such a position that it burns its own oil (like flipping the machine on its side).

Any source of fuel into the air intake will power the engine. A leaking turbo seal, spilled fuel, fuel injector not cutting off, and of course a injector pump failure.

As a teen ager I was cleaning the air filter on my dads 2020 John Deere. It was a oil bath wire mesh type and I cleaned the mesh with gasoline, and put it back together and started the engine which then instantly reved for a few seconds way higher than normal engine speed, it was screaming, like all **** breaking loose kind of thing. Only reason it did not destruct is that the supply of wet gas was limited to what ever did not drip out when I reinstalled it. At the time I barely understood what had happened but to this day I wonder why it did not swallow a valve or something. That thing was screaming.

 

[Ivan49]

When I was in the Army I saw several engines after they had run away and it wasn't nnice. I personally saw 2 different engines runaway and both were Detroit diesels. One I was in a truck mounted crane working and the engine took off not a lot of room to move around in there. We always let the cp on the air cleaners loose so it could be removed and flipped over. If standing beside one while running away don't get you heart rate you must be dead

 

[Oleozz]

Happened to my Kioti DK 45, twice. Was a frightening experience. I was sure the engine was going to blow, had lots of room to maneuver through the fields until I got it stopped by stalling it. Turned out the injector pumps were bad.

 

[Egon]

One of these or just a simple clip gate valve.[video]http://www.amot.com/products/air-intake-shutoff-valves[/video]

There are areas where Disel Engines are not allowed if they do not have positive air shutoff.

 

[TemporaryKubotaOwnerMark]

I got elected to shut off a friend's Mercedes one evening. Wouldn't shut down when he turned of the key, and he's mechanically hopeless. We drove it to the dealer and parked it by the service bays, and I stuffed my Levi jacket into the intake. At least it was just idling.

 

[LRover]

If you can stall it or at least bog it down until it runs out of whatever is causing the runaway, chances are you can save the engine. Years ago I was was discing a field while a friend was plowing the next field over with our farm's open station JD 4320 and, if I remember right, a six bottom plow. After a while I noticed his tractor was really moving across the field, blowing black smoke, soil flying behind the plow, and with him standing up. I thought to myself that fool was really working the tractor too hard but, little did I know at the time, the tractor's engine was running away. It was running on its own motor oil because of a blown turbo oil seal and he was doing his best to get it stopped. My quick thinking friend had put the plow all the way in the ground and was standing on the brakes with all his might trying to stall the tractor when he couldn't get it shut down normally. It finally stopped when it ran out of motor oil. Because the RPM's had stayed down during the runaway, we ended up just rebuilding the turbo because there seemed to be no other damage. We continued to use the tractor for another 5 years until we replaced it with a newer tractor.

 

[Dutch445]

If you can stall it or at least bog it down until it runs out of whatever is causing the runaway, chances are you can save the engine. Years ago I was was discing a field while a friend was plowing the next field over with our farm's open station JD 4320 and, if I remember right, a six bottom plow. After a while I noticed his tractor was really moving across the field, blowing black smoke, soil flying behind the plow, and with him standing up. I thought to myself that fool was really working the tractor too hard but, little did I know at the time, the tractor's engine was running away. It was running on its own motor oil because of a blown turbo oil seal and he was doing his best to get it stopped. My quick thinking friend had put the plow all the way in the ground and was standing on the brakes with all his might trying to stall the tractor when he couldn't get it shut down normally. It finally stopped when it ran out of motor oil. Because the RPM's had stayed down during the runaway, we ended up just rebuilding the turbo because there seemed to be no other damage. We continued to use the tractor for another 5 years until we replaced it with a newer tractor.

that's still a scary ride! at what point would one admit he couldn't slow it down and have to jump????
yikes

 

[Redlands Okie]

Vapors from propane tanks leaking or popping off, pipe line leaks, oil field related vapor gas leaks all can be a darn interesting experience when operating diesel engines.

 

[Dave M7040]

Some models of Kubota's with turbo can have the problem in cold climates when the crank case vent system freezes and the crankcase oil is forced up the turbo drain line and blown into the engine as fuel. For models affected there is a recall.

Trucks delivering gasoline to service stations have been known to inhale the gas fumes and run away. Most truck tractors working in gas delivery have a mechanical flap air shut off. However, it could happen to any diesel vehicle which comes within the plume of gas vapors as tankers are unloading. Diesel engines with very dad rings can start inhaling crankcase oil fumes up past the rings.

CO2 fire extinguisher is great to cut off oxygen and stop the engine. People who tried to block off the air intake with their hand have been badly injured. Tremendous suction.

Dave M7040

 

[Thomas]

Happen w/JD Fell Buncher this past Dec. w/young operator,scare the heck out of him while trying to exit cab,service tech spent couple days making repairing just to get Buncher out of the woods on to trailer headed to shop for $$$'s repairs.

 

[ModMech]

On a turbocharged engine, it is typically an oil seal failure of the turbo that introduces "uncontrolled combustibles" into the intake. But excessive fuel dilution of the oil, a sticking "rack" (2-stroke Detroits most commonly), or failed Injection Pump governor are the most common reasons on non-turbo engines.

Why not on a gasoline powered engine? Simple, they have throttles that most diesels do not have, to limit the amount of air that can enter the engine.

 

[Gcorron]

I may have told this here before, not sure. I've been within "Oh Crap......RUN" range of two runaways, both Detroit.

A friend of mine was a generator guy in Gulf War 1. He had a Cat runoff while he was standing on it. He took off his field jacket and stuffed it into the air intake. The Cat swallowed the jacket whole! It did stop the runoff though and they were able to make repairs very simply. Now the good part. When Cliff told his CO about it and asked him to sign for a new jacket, the Army charged him for 'losing' his coat!!! He tried for over a year to get them to reverse that decision, but nope, they never did! Nice guys!

George

 

[Redneck in training]

If the run away is caused by the injection pump break the filter bowl.

 

[chopped]

I may have told this here before, not sure. I've been within "Oh Crap......RUN" range of two runaways, both Detroit.

A friend of mine was a generator guy in Gulf War 1. He had a Cat runoff while he was standing on it. He took off his field jacket and stuffed it into the air intake. The Cat swallowed the jacket whole! It did stop the runoff though and they were able to make repairs very simply. Now the good part. When Cliff told his CO about it and asked him to sign for a new jacket, the Army charged him for 'losing' his coat!!! He tried for over a year to get them to reverse that decision, but nope, they never did! Nice guys!

George

WOW thats a scarey and funny one..Not willing to replace the jacket is just plain stupid.He saved tons of money And should have been rewarded .

 

[ModMech]

A friend of mine was a generator guy in Gulf War 1. He had a Cat runoff while he was standing on it. He took off his field jacket and stuffed it into the air intake. The Cat swallowed the jacket whole! It did stop the runoff though and they were able to make repairs very simply. Now the good part. When Cliff told his CO about it and asked him to sign for a new jacket, the Army charged him for 'losing' his coat!!! He tried for over a year to get them to reverse that decision, but nope, they never did! Nice guys!

George

Another fine example of "Military Intelligence".... NOT.

 

[Snobdds]

If the run away is caused by the injection pump break the filter bowl.

There is no time to diagnosis the cause as being the injection pump. When it runs away, the best and only way to stop it is to stop the air somehow.

 

[mcfarmall]

I may have told this here before, not sure. I've been within "Oh Crap......RUN" range of two runaways, both Detroit.

A friend of mine was a generator guy in Gulf War 1. He had a Cat runoff while he was standing on it. He took off his field jacket and stuffed it into the air intake. The Cat swallowed the jacket whole! It did stop the runoff though and they were able to make repairs very simply. Now the good part. When Cliff told his CO about it and asked him to sign for a new jacket, the Army charged him for 'losing' his coat!!! He tried for over a year to get them to reverse that decision, but nope, they never did! Nice guys!

George

If I was that guy and it happened again I'd let the engine run away and blow to smithereens. If my CO asked why I let it run away I'd tell him I couldn't afford to lose another jacket.