Thread: Measures to combat a runaway diesel engine

Originally Posted by centy

just carry a book or piece of thick rubber cut to the size neede to jam in under air filter.

it does not take much to stop a screaming engine.
while working in a workshop they were converting a gm8v71 diesel truck engine into a blown version for a road stabiliser.
a 350hp monster, it would make the workshop rattle.
well on the test run it ran away and was stopped buy covering the air intake with the detroit service manual..
it turns out the govening system was installed wrong, thats apprentices for you.

a couple pages were chewed but not eaten.

AN 8V71 should have had an emergency shutdown flap in the air inlet before the blower. This was standard fitment to Detroit two strokes.

Some of the Jap diesels had a butterfly in the inlet piping.

I'm pretty sure my Nissan TD27 had one. Not really sure what it was for though, maybe a vacuum inducer?

So while I still had the Nissan, I made sure I could use that as an emergency "strangulation device" using a cable.

Trying to find rags for the air cleaner or having the guts to fiddle with a turbo diesel while it's self-destructing isn't high on my wish-list.

Originally Posted by jakeslouw

Some of the Jap diesels had a butterfly in the inlet piping.

I'm pretty sure my Nissan TD27 had one. Not really sure what it was for though, maybe a vacuum inducer?

Usually either NOx reduction (less free air = less Nox), fast warmup or a quiet shutdown device.

Jakeslouw, what vehicle is that TD27 from?

Your finding a solution to a problem that doesn't happen???. Pat

Originally Posted by PAT303

Your finding a solution to a problem that doesn't happen???. Pat

If you say so mate.

I've seen it once in 20 years working on machinery and it was caused by a bloke overfilling an engine with oil,like filling it too the top.Tdi's die from overheating 99% of the time,spend your money there. Pat

Originally Posted by tomalophicon

So I've been thinking today that I'm going to make a simple modification to my Disco in case of a runaway engine.
I was thinking a flappy valve to cut off the air intake controlled via the cabin, but thought it might be more reliable to just plumb a CO2 extinguisher into the system.

Has anyone out there done anything similar who can give me some ideas?

Or am I being overly cautious (i.e paranoid)

Tom.

In the USA, where diesels are used in enviroments where there is a chance of fuel in the air, such as oil fields, it is compulsory to have an emergency shut off in the air inlet. These valves are available for after market fitment.