Ok guys I've got a situation that I could use some guidance on... I recently bought a 1988 International S1900 (dt466) dump to use around the farm and whatnot. Today I ran a load down the road and on my way back the truck lost power and then quit. I suspect a major engine failure. Here's my dilemma: I used all the air flat towing this thing off the main road to a pull off close to my farm. Now the brakes are locked on with no way for me to build pressure to release them. What is the usual plan when this happens? Sorry I am new to air brakes. I would like to get enough air back into it to finish flat towing it to my shop once the sun comes back up. I was thinking either rig up something to spin the air pump or use an air compressor or portable air tank to get air into it... am I on the right track?
You put caging bolts in the parking brake chambers
If you have a portable compressor, adapt to the compressor discharge line off the truck compressor. I keep the air regulated to 120PSI.
yes, you can remove the line from the compressor and add a quick coupler, or schraeder valve to fill up your tanks, then you'll have brakes to stop if you're towing with a chain or strap. Don't cage the brakes unless you're using a wrecker or towbar. why panic though, what did the engine do? any bad noises? any smoke? does it crank? does it smoke while cranking?
Thanks for the info guys. I figured there had to be a procedure. would not have guessed it was called "caging". A quick youtube search got me up to speed on caging. Thanks for teaching me that for the future. I think I'll go the adding air route though as i'd like to chain tow it and have brakes. Delmer- the engine didn't make any crazy noises, she just lost about 50% power and went a mile like that (no where to pull over) then lost 95% power and went 1000 feet, then quit. In the worst possible place of course. (double guard rail, no shoulders along a river) the car behind me pulled over and told me I had been "shooting sparks" out my exhaust for a few miles. I suspect major failure because she has 350k and uses oil pretty good always smoked a bit (oil) since I've had it. don't know what I did when it died as the sun had gone down. once I got it to the pull off I just closed her up to deal with it in the daylight tomorrow. I will post what she does in the morning
You got nothing to lose by checking the oil level, checking the coolant level, fuel level, and then seeing if it will crank over. If it cranks over with no fuel mist out the exhaust, then I'd try to prime the fuel system and see if it will start, safer and possibly quicker than airing it up. Misfiring could possibly cause loose carbon to break free and shoot out the exhaust, maybe? The best test would have been if had been locked up immediately after it shut off, or if the engine was loose then. Do you have working temp and oil pressure gauges?
It sounds as though the turbo has failed. I would guess the shaft broke. That's probably where the "sparks" were coming from.
Gasoline powered air compressor feeding the tank first thing I do when we buy a truck is put a quick coupler on the tank so its easy to add air in a emergency or just to fill them up and backed out of the shop before its filled with smoke
thanks for the help guys. I went over this morning and checked the oil and tried to crank it. she spun over. seems like its not getting fuel (has fuel) so rather than mess around on the side of the road I fed her a can of starting fluid carefully and built 90psi. then got her the last mile home and into the shop. hopefully that wasn't overly hillbilly lol
Running on starting fluid is not a recommended procedure
If it ate ether to run the turbo is not the source problem for not running.
88 is in the year range where the injection pump changed from PSB to Inline. What style pump is on it, does it appear like a distributor or a inline pump?
I have a 86 and it has the inline injector pump so his has to be a inline. Figure move the help process along faster
how long has it been sitting, sounds like your fuel filter is plugged with gunk . we have a 350 cummins in hour truck and we got some dirty fuel and it the same thing, changed the filter and the way it went
How do you carefully feed a CAN of starting fluid? You may have created a lot bigger problem than you started with.
always check the simple easy stuff first- replace fuel filters, check for fuel line restrictions, check air filter for restrictions and holes. then if it still won't run' then dig deeper. i just mentioned holes in an air filter because they could cause an engine to be 'dusted' causing severe internal wear in the cylinders leading to low compression but if it will run on ether, that is likely not the problem
Did you figure it out? My guess is fuel also (filter, ‘lack of’ as just cause it’s in the tank doesn’t mean squat, restriction, etc)... but would be nice to know what it actually was if you got it figured out.
The OP has only 7 posts to his credit starting in February of this year. I bet his first three posts in February were when he bought the truck. My guess it is running or he would of been back on here. Hopefully we hear from him and find out what or if the cure was. Always good to know for future folks with similar issues.
Or he's embarrassed he made a mistake. Would be nice to know how he made out.
Here's his new thread, fuel issues, no solution found yet. HeavyEquipmentForums
UPDATE: solved! It was a fuel treatment cap (the little penny sized ones that pop off, not the screw ones) someone must have dropped in the tank at some point. It was getting sucked up and blocking the fuel flow. Truck is back to running well! Thanks for the help guys
Figured as much!! Thanks for return on topic too.
If I had a dollar for every one of those things I found clogging up something, or the plugged vent hose. Had one driver want to argue about the foil seal. He said he never allowed that to happen... found four of them jammed in his suction tee. Air pressure is a good tool. Found a hidden primary filter on a Kenworth once that was packed with sunflower seed husks, idiot would spit them in the filler hole while he pumped fuel. What do some people think?
Union Electric Brand NEW C800 3208 with 'Custom Built' fuel tank by ALTEC. Would run a day, sometimes a week, sometimes NOT get out of their yard in Wentzville, had them bring it to our shop low on fuel, HALF Pound of Welding slag in a stand pipe tank!! Old man shows up at shop, had sent tech to get him and his wagon into building as was middle of January. Similar experience on Old Corn Queen where tech just dropped a fuel line into filler hole to get it to shop. HEET Pop caps, tin foil bottle seals, even plastic bags off fuel filters floating, old guy confessed he thought was a baffle to keep that stuff off the standpipe. Tech had a shop towel COVERED with stuff. Had my own same conditions working thru the years, this is NOT new to most of us!!
I guess the lesson is the fuel tank is not a garbage can. Local tree service had one, ugly old gas pot, would run fine except pulling up a long hill. Acorn in suction pipe, would normally stay down except when pulling a hill and carburetor went to full blast, sucked acorn up against elbow at top and ran out of gas. Stop the truck and the acorn would drop back down.
Good catch on fuel obstructions. So, where'd the sparks come from?