Ozbow

Well I was changing the oil in the Land Rover (diesel) yesterday and overfilled it. Before draining off the excess I got to thinking what I'd do if the motor starting running away.
For those who don't know what it is, check here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw2r_lIRgpY

It is caused by the diesel engine, for a number of reasons, running off its own sump oil.

So how common are they? Does anyone on Ozbow have any stories about them?
I'm considering installing an air cut-off valve just in case

Some years ago a young apprentice over filled a D8 Dozer it ran on and on, I believe the fuel was shut off but it kept on running until it gave a couple of big bangs and stopped. The apprentice ran away and was never seen or heard of again (he is still alive but not in the mechanical field of trade) and the dozer was towed away.

poor bugger must have been scared ****less.

I think you've got about 10 seconds to either stall the motor or block the air before the motor self-destructs.

I've worked for Racv for the last 3 years and the only time I've seen it was when someone put petrol in Thea 4b wile I was at a servo attending a diff job I used a phone book to smother it but I rember one of the local mechanics had a truck do it and tried to block the intake with his hand at the turbo needles to say he no longer has that hand and no it was not how i lost my hand befor any one asks

Jim

Tom while working across the road from a Diesel specialist one day they had a Hilux which was screaming it's head off and pouring out a heap of smoke, they pushed it out into the street and moved away until it went POP and stopped. I assume what your talking about is what happened to this vehicle.
When talking to some of the employees later they said they could not shut it down.
Would hate to be the owner.

Piggy, that's a runaway diesel. Yeah you'd be ****** off if you were the owner.

The only way to stop them is to dump the clutch in 5th while standing on the brakes and with the handbrake on, or by strangling the air intake.

flyne wrote:I've worked for Racv for the last 3 years and the only time I've seen it was when someone put petrol in Thea 4b wile I was at a servo attending a diff job I used a phone book to smother it but I rember one of the local mechanics had a truck do it and tried to block the intake with his hand at the turbo needles to say he no longer has that hand and no it was not how i lost my hand befor any one asks

Jim

Sounds painful.
Good thinking with the phone book.

In a former incarnation as an apprentice diesel mechanic for Caterpillar, we had a set of plywood "clappers" in the dyno rooms for just such an emergency. Never had a runaway in the 4 years I was there but they had happened.

The phonebook had been used previously, causing the shredding of a large part of it but choking the engine off preventing a detonation. (These were big engines, like our young mates D8 or larger, mostly) After this they made the plywood covers for the turbo inlets. (Most cats were V8 or more so 2 turbos)

Would be interested to know how you would go with a small high speed diesel car /4wd engine blocking the intake "tube"
as I know the larger engines would just suck a large hunk of rag or such straight in, the pressure is pretty intense.
Would the intake snorkel and plastic hosing withstand the pressure or just crumple and leak, letting the engine run on?

If I were going to fit a choke plate myself, it would need to be fairly robust and cut off the air supply at, or as close to,the intake manifold as possible to remove any weak links.

Ex- submariner have experienced a few runaways and if you think it's bad in a workshop try it underwater and spend the next two days on breathing apparatus working a hot donk in black smoke