And now for my experience yesterday.........

[Vetech63]

I was called out by a customer on a 3-53 Detroit 3 days ago. I didn't get to the machine until yesterday since it has been crazy hectic here. I was told that this machine had been running on this job (wasn't told exactly when) and that for some reason their mechanic had decided it needed fuel filters. The owner then told me that the machine had been down for 2 weeks while his mechanic had been screwing with it, and thought all he had done was mess with the fuel lines...….Below is a few pics of what I found when I got there.
As you can see, there is one of the fuel filters off its base and all the fuel lines have been removed or altered. I was told that the mechanic had installed a new fuel supply pump with no results.
A nice pile of fittings with some damaged and no restricted fitting at all.

 

[Vetech63]

This is the return line lying on the ground. LOL
So I get to work building new fuel lines, added a R70 fitting to the cylinder head and pulled the secondary filter while searching for the primary filter. The fuel in the secondary was varnished badly, so I checked the fuel tank...….same thing. Start draining the fuel tank into a 55 gallon drum. Once the tank drained, I added 15 gallons of fresh fuel and begin the bleeding process. Spin the engine over several times......no fuel flow.

 

[Vetech63]

Yes, there is a new fuel supply pump but I pull it anyway...…...found a stripped drive coupler on the governor side.
So I install a new drive coupler, bolt the pump back up, and off we go to bleeding again. I start cranking the engine and WAHLAAAAA...……..great fuel flow out the secondary so I installed the bleed plug and am now ready to build fuel pressure and fire this dam thing up.

 

[Vetech63]

Here is where it gets interesting! I start cranking the engine, it coughs a couple of times, then all of a sudden it climbs to the moon. I am standing there with my remote starter in my hand, reach over to the emergency blower flap only to find out there isn't one. This engine is just skyrocketing out of control and I am standing right next to it, less than 2 feet away. I then realize the only tool I have there that might work is a needle nose pair of vise grips so I grab those. While I am adjusting the vise grips to pinch off the fuel line, about 50 years of my life flash through my mind. I am pretty much convinced at this point that the engine is coming apart and I was trying to decide "should I just get away from it?...….or keep trying my best to get this engine shut down?" I finally get the vise grips adjusted (seemed like it took forever) and pinch off the line. It seems like an eternity after that. I keep standing there waiting for it to start choking and nothing. Figuring I had lost it, I turned around to start to bail and I hard it cough. I turned back around and said "EFF IT" and started yanking on the vise grips until it ripped the fuel line off. Engine starts to choke out and finally, after what seemed forever, died out. So...…….I am standing there, covered with diesel fuel from the pressure spray and the engine fan blowing it all over me, fuel in my eyes where I cant see...…….being pissed off at myself because I KNOW better than to NOT have 3 different ways to shut down a runaway. I didn't check anything else because I was told it was a fuel line and pump issue. I got extremely lucky to not only save the engine, but save myself. 30+ years of experience and did something stupid...…...I KNOW BETTER.

 

[Vetech63]

The problem is in this pic. There are some hints of what the problem is if you look close enough. Do you see it? I dam sure didn't. (I did pull the governor top off, so that's not it.....LOL)

 

[hvy 1ton]

Next time take a video.

In all seriousness, I'm glad you and the engine survived. I don't know enough about green leakers to notice what's wrong with the governor, but I do see the fuel rack is still pegged and the return spring is barely hanging on.

 

[Bls repair]

Spring jammed won’t let it pull back? Glad everything out alright for you

 

[Mother Deuce]

that linkage piece had worn a groove on the pivot shaft an is now out of the groove to the outside of the shaft. No sign of lubrication...froze?

 

[wornout wrench]

I'm a little rusty on my detroits, but I'm going with the spring also.

Should it not be pulling the rod the opposite way?

 

[RZucker]

The roll pin in top center. The throttle return spring doesn't look right either.

 

[Ronsii]

So with the spring pulling backwards I'm guessing the throttle is floored.

 

[Mother Deuce]

I'm a little rusty on my detroits, but I'm going with the spring also.

Should it not be pulling the rod the opposite way?

Think your right as the spring has worn a notch in the arm and there is a place to perch the spring below the arm... I failed my first screamer online test!

 

[hosspuller]

I know nowt about a Detroit. but my guess is the spring is in the wrong spot. Looks like it WAS positioned 180 degrees from where it's pictured. So the spring is pulling it open instead of closed ???

 

[kshansen]

Sure looks like there is a major problem with that big spring. Why is the wear in the hole at bottom center of the hole and pointing straight down toward another hole below it? Don't think it is part of the problem but what is it with that pressure switch with two terminals and only one has a wire connected to it? Or is it a double function switch with one terminal normally open and the other normally closed? I doubt it but then anything is possible.

Things like this is why I was always too chicken to ever think about going out on my own. If this outfit's "mechanic" can not do a simple filter change on a 3-53 how screwed up is everything he has touched? And how dumb is the guy who hired him?

 

[kshansen]

One more thing I just noticed there is Bendix air compressor running off the rear of that 3-53. I would be checking it close when you get the engine running.

Reason is we had a truck crane with an old gas Waukesha in it that a driver had it over-speed going down a hill. He tried to blame the damage to the engine on a failed bearing, which it did have as a result of the over-speed.

But when we were working on the engine I found the Bendix compressor had two broken rods. Driver said see it must have lost oil pressure and that caused the failure! Well two problems with that theory, first the compressor did not get oil from the engine, separate oil in base and second the rod bearings were not seized. Big ends of rods still on crank and they were nice and free!

You should be able to here the compressor exhaust valves burping while turning the 3-53 over by hand. Must be an old machine as that style air filter I don't think has been used for many years.

 

[td25c]

Sure looks like there is a major problem with that big spring. Why is the wear in the hole at bottom center of the hole and pointing straight down toward another hole below it?

Good eye Ken !

 

[hosspuller]

Snip ..

If this outfit's "mechanic" can not do a simple filter change on a 3-53 how screwed up is everything he has touched? And how dumb is the guy who hired him?

Well … The customer IS capable of learning... He did eventually call Vetech63.

"Stupidity is forever, Ignorance is curable..."

 

[kshansen]

Well … The customer IS capable of learning... He did eventually call Vetech63.

"Stupidity is forever, Ignorance is curable..."

Well I hope Vetech63 cashes the check at the first bank he comes to after finishing the job! And put "no guarantee" in writing on the bill.

 

[Cody danos]

Not sure if I’m seeing it right, but that spring doesn’t appear to be connected to anything

 

[Birken Vogt]

Not sure if I’m seeing it right, but that spring doesn’t appear to be connected to anything

It seems to be hooked on some vertical rod that goes to who knows what.

I just got off a job where an ebay flipper rebuilt a whole propane fuel system to an engine out of parts it looks like he got from a hardware store, and it is all wrong.

All you can do is charge by the hour and no freebies given, until it is fixed.