Inexperienced operator with too much load in raised bucket on downhill slope tipped machine probably about 70 degrees vertical. Machine running for about 10 to 15 seconds in that position. Machine ran normally for about 5 to 10 minutes afterwards. THEN: loud engine banging sounds and tons of smoke from exhaust. Sounded like maybe the engine ate parts of the turbo. Returned to shop, checked turbo, no damage there. Test ran it for about 15 minutes, runs OK now, still has all its power. But nervous about working it without knowing what happened to cause it. Wondering if maybe oil from breather vent found its way into air intake causing temporary noise and smoke. Hoping that by working the machine, we won't be doing damage. Thank you for any suggestions of what to check out before taking machine back to job-site.
I'm not sure if it could easily find its way into the cylinders on that particular engine, but IF oil could get on top of the pistons in that short of time (and of course, is the time stated correct??) and then 'attempt to be compressed', but Air-Fuel can compress and Liquid not-so-much _ Hopefully the noise was NOT an attempt at a science lesson gone wrong!! If machine is close enough to a reputable dealer/mechanic, and you wonder at all beyond what you know now, that is where I would be heading I think.. Good Luck, keep us posted!!
maybe got some air in the fuel system, diesels really clatter when short of fuel plus white smoke. Steve
Thanks guys, I never thought of the air in fuel possibility, but I guess would make more sense than oil in intake. Especially with machine tipped up and fuel sloshing around in a half-full tank. Also, it would make sense that it would run normal till the air got to the injectors, and then run normal again afterwards ? I think I'll go with that. Maybe just run it gently for a while and keep an eye / ear on it. Many thanks, meanwhile I'll keep my fingers crossed
For a bit more peace of mind try changing the engine oil and filter and cut the old filter open to check for metal particles buried deep in the bottom of the pleats of the filter media.
Hey Nige, Why didn't I think of that? duh! Sure beats spending a day loading the machine and trailering 1 1/2 hours to the dealer, and waiting a few days for them to have time to get around to it. Needless to say, everybody's busy as hell in June. I hope Murphy's Law doesn't kick in, but it looks like the machine is already on site, and of course being gently operated, (yeah right!) Will check oil filter as soon as machine is off-site (or broke, whichever comes first.) Thanks Nige for your help!
My bet is oil got in the intake somewhere when it was tipped and then finally burned off when it made its way to the combustion chambers. My crankcase breather froze up while snowblowing one night and made the machine run terribly, motor oil was being forced into the intake line.
Thanks Steve! Just when I thought I had it all figured out, lol. So two possibilities: Please say that neither of these scenarios tend to lead to post-incident problems. So far, so good since the incident. Fingers still crossed.
To me air in the fuel make the most sense, with a half tank tipped on the front it sure could have sucked some air which would take a while to get to the injector pump. If mechanical why would the noise go away. Could be oil in the intake but I don't think that would cause much noise, just smoke. Steve
Thanks guys, It's a pretty safe bet that the clattering and smoke were a result of the machine being stood on end, especially since the symptoms came and went away shortly after. I'm just hoping that neither of the two suggested causes is likely to lead to a costly repair. So far, so good!
I'm with Steve, I wonder if something plugged the vent system and caused oil to work into the intake. I can't see how the air would take that long to work through, or oil that leaked in while tipped. Check the intake for fresh oil, and the crankcase vent system for appropriate blowby.