Rolled my 3240, and it ran till it blew ??

[SteveCornell]

I rolled my tractor over on it's side tonight (Kubota L3240) thank goodness for the roll bar, I didn't get a scratch, I was filling in a ditch and the tractor slid sideways and rolled over on it's side, it rolled over real slow but probably would have come on over on top of me if not for the roll bar, yes I'm lucky and it was really a freak accident, everything just came together and it happened.
Now I am REALLY POed!!! the darn thing would not shut off!!, I pulled the key, hit every safety switch, made sure the seat safety switch was depressed and hit the go pedal, kicked in the PTO, pulled all the fuses, made sure the throttle was at idle, I couldn't get the hood open to get to the air cleaner, the darn thing just screamed wide open and blew all the oil out the exhaust until it quit, probably 10 minutes, (seized I suspect)
Why would it not shut down????? I'm gonna want answers from Kubota, there is not a scratch on the tractor, I was able to get it set back on it's wheels with my pickup, but now the engine will probably need a rebuild, I don't understand why it would not shut down, any ideas?? I'm too upset to deal with it tonight, I'll put some oil in it in the morning and see if it will turn over..... sorry for the rant, just really upset right now.

 

[SCtractorguy]

Wow man! Sorry I can't offer any ideas. Sure am glad your not hurt! At least your able to walk away.

Let us know tomorrow how it goes.

 

[aczlan]

Your engine was running on its own oil and ran until it ran out of oil. See Diesel engine runaway for a full explication.

Aaron Z

 

[davatk]

Your engine was running on its own oil and ran until it ran out of oil. See Diesel engine runaway for a full explication.

Aaron Z

Wow, first I ever heard of that but that sounds exactly like what the OP desribed. If it ever happens to me, at least now I know to pull my socks off and stuff them in the breather.

 

[savageactor7]

Glad to hear you're OK Steve...don't forget to thank the big guy tomorrow.:thumbsup:

 

[Giles]

Your engine was running on its own oil and ran until it ran out of oil. See Diesel engine runaway for a full explication.

Aaron Z

Thanks for this link---I have done mechanic work for over 50 years and realized I still learn something most every day:thumbsup:
I think the OP had the right idea if he could have opened the hood to cut air supply

 

[Willl]

If it ever happens to me, at least now I know to pull my socks off and stuff them in the breather.

Letting it eat a large snout full of fire extinguisher will also shut it down.

 

[zzvyb6]

Does synthetic oil burn ? If not, would that have prevented this problem or could it still be a fuel supply issue ??

 

[lawn_king]

Man, that s#%@s. But you walked away without being hurt, thats big. Those accidents happen so fast it amazing, but it sure seems like slow motion when you are in the picture?

 

[DiezNutz]

Letting it eat a large snout full of fire extinguisher will also shut it down.

Or stall it, but that's probably easier said than done with it laying on its side. OP couldn't get the hood open, so yeah a fire extinguisher (CO2 kind) would've probably been the only option, assuming one was available.

This:

...the darn thing just screamed wide open and blew all the oil out the exhaust until it quit, probably 10 minutes, (seized I suspect)

pretty well confirms runaway. Very sorry to hear.

This brings up a good point though... given the fact that tractors are known to get rolled, as evidenced by ROPS and seat belts to protect us, is it really too much to ask to have a gravity-triggered shutoff valve inline with the breather tube to protect the tractor? I think most people won't complain about the added cost if it meant they wouldn't someday have to buy a new engine because of this.

Most folks aren't going to have the presence of mind to shut it down on the way over... but I guess it couldn't hurt to try to train yourself just in case the unthinkable happens.

 

[CenTex Chris]

so yeah a fire extinguisher (CO2 kind) would've probably been the only option, assuming one was available.

That sounds like a good idea, to carry one around on the tractor, never know when you're gonna need one, for this reason or any number of other reasons.

 

[Bluelick]

I'm real new to all this so I'm trying to climb the learning curve as fast as I can. My Kubota B7100 is my first diesel and first tractor. I see that it has a "decompression knob" on it, and the manual says to only use this to turn the engine off in case of emergency. Would the decompression knob have worked to shut off the engine in this kind of scenario? Is this kind of runaway what it is meant for?

I hope your engine makes it through this!

 

[Grateful11]

Glad to hear you're ok.

OT: Where I work we have a diesel engine setup dept. for various railroad maintenance equipment. They brought a diesel engine that had been overhauled some months earlier, it had to be prepped with all the correct adapter plates, hydraulic motors and what have you. I believe it was a Detroit 6cyl. but not sure. Anyway one of the younger guys that worked in that dept. fired it up to run a test on and immediately it went to full throttle and they guy tried to shut it off and couldn't so he ran. A guy from another dept. knocked the filter off the intake and slapped a wooden paddle across the intake and choked it. By that time the exhaust manifold was already glowing red. It could have turned into a nasty situation especially being inside. I believe they came to the conclusion that the injector pump was stuck in the wide open position, at least that's the last thing I heard about it.

 

[SteveCornell]

The tractor is an HST so stalling was not an option, I kicked the PTO in (had my mower on) and it slowed the engine down a bit but the driveline was in a bind and it ripped the u-joint apart.
Now that I've settled down a bit and had time to think about it, as aczlan posted it had to be running on it's own oil, I knew that shutting off the air would kill it but I could not get the hood open, I can only hope that the oil got low enough to stop running into the cylinders and hopefully there was still enough in there to provide some lubrication, I just switched to Synthetic at the last oil change (400 hours) so for what that's worth maybe that may help.

I will most certainly be investing in an air kill for this and any future diesels I may own.

I'm going to try and get some sleep, I'll give you an update tomorrow morning after I try try to start it.
Thanks for everyones comments and concerns, I could have very easily been hurt badly or killed, I'm gonna go thank the big guy now and I'll post an update in the morning

 

[crazyal]

I would think it wouldn't be too hard to add a solenoid valve on the engine breather line that shuts off at the same time the fuel is shut off.

 

[General Lee]

Glad your ok. As already stated, looking forward to see if you can get the tractor started. I'll being staying tuned in.

 

[dodge man]

I've seen this posted before, but pull some glow plugs and make sure the thing isn't hydro locked. If it still has a cylinder full of oil, that can be bad if you try and turn it over.

 

[BigD23]

Glad you're OK Steve...Some aren't so lucky.

Don

 

[hawkeye08]

glad you're ok. Hope your tractor comes out ok too.