Blown Engine too

[guido4475]

Run away engines are not the norm ... however .... a Detroit 318, 2 cyl engine .. it was not uncommon!

Nor was the engine running "backwards" ... what a mess that was.

Ok, I'm carbon dating myself here, huh?

You mean the mean sounding 318 Detroit often found in the GMC Astro cabover?.....with air-powered windshield wipers?....lol...The wrap-around dash?...The shoe-shredding step below the cab door?....I learned to work on those at a very young age, guided by my Dad....In all kinds of weather...lol...

 

[guido4475]

I know diesels dont have throtle plates. What causes a runaway in the first place?

I am sure my 8.3 mechanical engine did have one, as a shop in Pittsburgh modified it to run stronger, in which it did, while blowing black smoke out the stack as well.Kewl....lol

 

[highway star]

You mean the mean sounding 318 Detroit often found in the GMC Astro cabover?.....with air-powered windshield wipers?....lol...The wrap-around dash?...The shoe-shredding step below the cab door?....I learned to work on those at a very young age, guided by my Dad....In all kinds of weather...lol...View attachment 6719

I drove the Chevy Titan version of that truck with a 238. The thing would hardly get out of it's own way.

 

[zorry]

Ahh, the old 318's. Fill the oil, check the fuel,and go.

 

[truckerlife]

Thanks for all your responses. The truck is a 2005 Freightliner. It is just under 900,000 miles but was still running great. Originally put it in for an air leak from air actuator. Then was told that the turbo was bad & needed replace. That's when the nightmare began. When the AZ mechanic mechanic installed second turbo truck was turned on, idled for about 5 minutes, RPM was rev to about 10. That's when the engine ran away. Ignition was turned off immediately but engine continued to run way--for about 20 seconds. Then it stalled. Their was a lot of oil leaking out of the exhaust flex tube before the turbo install. Told the AZ mechanic but he said not to worry about it. Talk to several diesel mechanics. They said the the mechanic failed to clean out the charged air cooler prior to installing the turbo. Anyone know anything about that?? Thanks...

 

[davekc]

Quite possible. Many Freightliners have a plastic one so they don't bother to clean it. They just replace it. Roughly $200. We had a simular issue several years ago with a Cat engine. Replaced turbo and 25k miles later it went out and destroyed the engine. Cat took oil samples and said the engine failure was the result of a bad turbo. They replaced the engine and the turbo under warranty. Couldn't complain as the truck had 700k on the clock when the engine failed.

 

[Moot]

I drove the Chevy Titan version of that truck with a 238. The thing would hardly get out of it's own way.

The large glass and low dash on the Astro/Titans didn't offer much privacy for the driver. One couldn't adjust the boys without the whole world seeing you do it.

 

[Ragman]

One couldn't adjust the boys without the whole world seeing you do it.

Sometimes ya just got to do, what ya got to do.

 

[RETIDEPXE]

Cutting the air would work to but might be harder to do.

Just a follow up.

Cleaning out under the bunk the other day I found my saw and started to take it out.

Just curious, I tried to stall the engine by placing one of my vinyl curtains over the breather. The top of the breather sucked the curtain tight like a giant vacuum form toy *remember those?*. Motor kept running as a load squeal of a sucking sound began. Idle rpm never slowed a bit.

I pulled the breather housing. I found the rubber seal for the breather partially sucked out, so this must have been causing the squeal like large reed for a sax.

While the breather was off, I attempted to kill it again with a vinyl curtain rapped chopping block held firmly over the hole and still to no avail. The vacuum just deformed the plastic tube enough to create a large enough air way to keep running, and all this just at an idle. Image the vacuum at higher RPM/s created during a runaway.

Result, keeping the saw.