What happens if you regularly shutdown a diesel engine with the throttle wide open?

[Happy Gilmore]

With all due respect, perhaps you should read all the good and valuable comments on why not to do this, in response to your Thread. You are asking why you should climb down a ladder instead of jumping off the top rung because it's a quicker way to arrive at the bottom. Personally I think you are smarter than that.

I think that pretty much explained what I was trying to say. Again, not trying to sound like jerk to the OP, it just seemed like a ridiculous question. In fact when I first read it I found myself wondering if it was meant to be humorous and I had missed the punch line.

 

[Zebrafive]

I'll bet these guys also "fan" the gas pedal to "warm up" their car every morning.

 

[candersen10]

I think its a good question. However I think it addresses another subject of habits. Habits are hard to change but I think the poster is asking if it doesnt cause harm than why question why its done.

My question is simply what harm, if any, is caused by shutting down a turbocharged or naturally aspirated diesel engine on a regular basis. I have always assumed a lot of damage over time (namely to the turbo and various components that are not cooling properly) but wanted to be able to point to specific reasons not to do so.

On our vegetable farm, several of our farmers have to run the tractors at full throttle(or high idle) but low load in creeper gear to match the correct working speed for a transplanter. While doing this work they shut equipment down (and sometimes turn it back on) at full throttle (again, high idle). I just want to understand what damage this might cause, so that I can explain to them why we have to stop the practice and thus stop the habit.

 

[Happy Gilmore]

If you or your family own the equipment I would simply tell them to shut it down properly by bringing it down to idle, case closed. I can see you want to be diplomatic in explaining it to them, however if you are responsible for the aforementioned equipment I would firmly explain that misuse or abuse will not be tolerated. I cannot see any reason for anyone, let alone multiple people to shut a tractor down at wide open throttle.

 

[whis]

keep doing it an keep records and let us know. another thing to try is wait till winter, crank them up at wide open and throw a load on them

 

[SPYDERLK]

My question is simply what harm, if any, is caused by shutting down a turbocharged or naturally aspirated diesel engine on a regular basis. I have always assumed a lot of damage over time (namely to the turbo and various components that are not cooling properly) but wanted to be able to point to specific reasons not to do so.

On our vegetable farm, several of our farmers have to run the tractors at full throttle(or high idle) but low load in creeper gear to match the correct working speed for a transplanter. While doing this work they shut equipment down (and sometimes turn it back on) at full throttle (again, high idle). I just want to understand what damage this might cause, so that I can explain to them why we have to stop the practice and thus stop the habit.

Is it a combination PTO speed/ground speed issue? If you have a 1000rpm pto speed you might find another travel gear that would work at lower eng rpm.
larry

 

[redman135]

hello candersen10, get the operators manual out and show the offenders the manufacturer approved method of shutdown and make the point that the manufacturer has tested their vehicles to determine which shutdown method is best. Also they may get away with it today but YOU will pay for it tommorrow.

 

[MHarryE]

Having watched operators at construction job sites for years, it is not a rarity to shut engines down at high idle. Lunch time, quitting time, pull the machine to the parking area (by the vehicles) a turn off the switch, dismount while it is still coasting and get hop in the pickup and get away ASAP. Failures - none. Sites to which I am referring are large job sites on which I have placed a next generation test machine. Yes, it gives me chills to see an engine treated that way but it is the way I see as normal operation on many job sites so I say nothing. It does me no good to have my test machine treated with kid gloves - i need to find weak spots instead of having the customer find them. Turbo failures - the only turbo failure I had on hundreds of test machines was when a mechanic disconnected an air intake hose for more room when changing an alternator and failed to reconnect it. Construction site dust took out the turbo but also trashed the rest of the engine. I never treat my own machines that way, and I never treat my test machines that way when I am operating them, but I never had one failure as a result.

 

[Happy Gilmore]

Is this your equipment, your family's? Who are the offenders, employees or other family members? You?

 

[two_bit_score]

I wondered the same thing. ^^^^