Engine died and won't start back up

[elind]

What????.... like an emergency shut down switch tripped?.....lol

[mookieblaylock]

EXACTLY like that.

[Go UK]

Found out this summer my car had a "Fuel Inertia Cut-Off Switch" Google saved me a few bucks.

[halla]

Cars have those emergency fuel shut off for rollover, do the Freightliners have them too?

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by halla

Cars have those emergency fuel shut off for rollover, do the Freightliners have them too?

Not just rollover but collision too. Had a Ford Van that had one. Ran over a wheel that had just come off a 1 ton truck ahead of me about 4 AM on the freeway. Took about 30 minutes of reading the owner's manual to find it.

They can also be tripped by sudden stops like pulling into a parking spot in front of a concrete wall and using the wall to stop the car rather than the brakes. Had an employee find that out the hard way.

[halla]

Lol, at least he stopped

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by mookieblaylock

I'm currently preparing myself for the call tomorrow letting me know that this was both operator error and something that could have been resolved...by me...in the driveway.

Don't worry yourself over this. You gave it a great shot. Today's diesels are a far cry from the older ones with less electronics and mechanical injection. I've seen some of those old engines sit out in the weather for several years with a 5 gallon bucket over their exhaust as the only protection. A fresh battery was connected, fuel, oil, and coolant checked, and they just started right up.

Today's engines require not only a mechanic, but an electronic's tech as well to find the problems.

People want them quieter than the old ones and regulators want them "cleaner". The result is a complicated piece of equipment that very few owners even WANT to dig into for anything other than simple maintenance.

BTW, does your insurance have any road service/towing coverage. Don't know about coaches but the insurance that covers my tow vehicle also extends road service to my trailer. If so that could maybe cover some or all of the $100.

[mookieblaylock]

According to the tech's notes in the Freightliner ticket, although the suction line from the passenger side fuel tank was wrapped with heat shield, it apparently was not done so adequately. Contact between this line and the exhaust produced a small hole through which the pump began to suck air. As a result the pump lost, and was never able to regain, prime. The passenger side tank is being drained, and this line is being replaced...hopefully with an abundance of heat shield. Assuming everything checks out after the codes are cleared and they get a chance to test drive it, I might be able to get it back tomorrow.

I'm extremely relieved to know it's something as simple as a hole in the fuel line. To me, if for no other reason than peace of mind going forward, this is infinitely better than a failed or faulty major component.

I feel like this is something I should have been able to find, though. On the flip side, I'm still very grateful it happened when/where it did. If it ever happens again, looking back, this will have been a relatively painless learning experience.

Speaking of which...why this happened right as we got home, in the driveway, literally three feet from where I was trying to park it, I'll never understand.

Here's hoping for a successful test drive tomorrow.

[RV Randy]

Originally Posted by mookieblaylock

According to the tech's notes in the Freightliner ticket, although the suction line from the passenger side fuel tank was wrapped with heat shield, it apparently was not done so adequately. Contact between this line and the exhaust produced a small hole through which the pump began to suck air. As a result the pump lost, and was never able to regain, prime. The passenger side tank is being drained, and this line is being replaced...hopefully with an abundance of heat shield. Assuming everything checks out after the codes are cleared and they get a chance to test drive it, I might be able to get it back tomorrow.

I'm extremely relieved to know it's something as simple as a hole in the fuel line. To me, if for no other reason than peace of mind going forward, this is infinitely better than a failed or faulty major component.

I feel like this is something I should have been able to find, though. On the flip side, I'm still very grateful it happened when/where it did. If it ever happens again, looking back, this will have been a relatively painless learning experience.

Speaking of which...why this happened right as we got home, in the driveway, literally three feet from where I was trying to park it, I'll never understand.

Here's hoping for a successful test drive tomorrow.

May be a sheer coincidence (happening at home) or it could be there was enough movement in the line that driving on the incline held it against the heat source long enough to make the pin hole.

This seems to me like a Freightliner versus a Dynamax issue.

PS-A squirt of ether could have helped confirm this as a fuel starvation issue. Not sure it would have made any difference though, I suspect you could not see a fuel drip because the line cooled off after the engine died, enough to close up the pin hole.

Glad to hear that it should be a simple fix and you should have it back soon.

[CSWVK]

That sounds like good news. I will check ours around the exhaust system & fuel lines tomorrow, Thanks for the information & enjoy your new Rig.

[Go UK]

Wow, one to file away in the back of your mind.

[mookieblaylock]

Without question a Freightliner issue.

I hope that nowhere in this incredibly lengthy thread have I given the impression that I believed this to be in Dynamax's lane. If I gave that impression, I certainly apologize...that was never my intention and certainly not part of the rationale for posting all of this here.

With regards to not seeing fuel drip (my first question as well), the tech implied that the hole was essentially not letting any fuel get pulled through the line...just air. Once the line was compromised there was never a chance of fuel getting from the tank to that point. The only chance I had of finding it was by either seeing the hole or hearing the system suck air through it...both of which would have required me to remove the heat shield from the passenger side line. Unfortunately, doing so never crossed my mind.

[RV Randy]

Originally Posted by mookieblaylock

Without question a Freightliner issue.

I hope that nowhere in this incredibly lengthy thread have I given the impression that I believed this to be in Dynamax's lane. If I gave that impression, I certainly apologize...that was never my intention and certainly not part of the rationale for posting all of this here.

With regards to not seeing fuel drip (my first question as well), the tech implied that the hole was essentially not letting any fuel get pulled through the line...just air. Once the line was compromised there was never a chance of fuel getting from the tank to that point. The only chance I had of finding it was by either seeing the hole or hearing the system suck air through it...both of which would have required me to remove the heat shield from the passenger side line. Unfortunately, doing so never crossed my mind.

Nope, not what I meant at all. I'm just trying to head off all of the naysayers before they get started

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by mookieblaylock

With regards to not seeing fuel drip (my first question as well), the tech implied that the hole was essentially not letting any fuel get pulled through the line...just air. Once the line was compromised there was never a chance of fuel getting from the tank to that point. The only chance I had of finding it was by either seeing the hole or hearing the system suck air through it...both of which would have required me to remove the heat shield from the passenger side line. Unfortunately, doing so never crossed my mind.

Glad they found it and it didn't involve major repairs. Sometimes they can create a cascade of future issues. Simple is best.

The "hole in the line sucking air, not fuel" reminds me of an old trick used by smokers to get a "mooch" to stop bothering them for a cigarette all the time. Just use a pin and poke several small holes right where the filter ended and the tobacco filling began. They could suck on that cigarette until their ears popped when trying to lite and smoke it. Was fun to watch and they usually didn't bug you anymore.

FWIW, this is a good example of why one should keep a roll of electricians tape and some Brake Kleen in their tool kit (along with all the other must haves). If you find an issue with a low pressure or suction line (like the one involved in your case), clean the line on both sides of the hole with the Brake Kleen and put an electrician's tape "bandage" over it to get you to the nearest repair/parts source.

I've used this to repair heater/bypass hoses, radiator hoses, fuel lines (suction only) and such many times over my vehicle owning years.

If it's a pressure line like a power steering line SOMETIMES you can put a hose clamp on top of the "bandage" to keep it from leaking too bad, again so you can at least limp into town.

[mookieblaylock]

Originally Posted by RV Randy

I'm just trying to head off all of the naysayers before they get started

Good point...makes perfect sense. I've seen other threads derail quickly.

[mookieblaylock]

Originally Posted by TitanMike

FWIW, this is a good example of why one should keep a roll of electricians tape and some Brake Kleen in their tool kit (along with all the other must haves). If you find an issue with a low pressure or suction line (like the one involved in your case), clean the line on both sides of the hole with the Brake Kleen and put an electrician's tape "bandage" over it to get you to the nearest repair/parts source.

I've used this to repair heater/bypass hoses, radiator hoses, fuel lines (suction only) and such many times over my vehicle owning years.

If it's a pressure line like a power steering line SOMETIMES you can put a hose clamp on top of the "bandage" to keep it from leaking too bad, again so you can at least limp into town.

Couldn't agree with you more. However, the "bandage" analogy implies one has first identified the source of the bleeding.

I like to believe I'm resourceful enough to come up with solutions like this...whether it be patching the hole or completely bypassing/capping off the passenger side fuel line in this case. On the trails, we do this all the time. I think that was the most frustrating part of this experience - I couldn't find it.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by mookieblaylock

Couldn't agree with you more. However, the "bandage" analogy implies one has first identified the source of the bleeding.

I like to believe I'm resourceful enough to come up with solutions like this...whether it be patching the hole or completely bypassing/capping off the passenger side fuel line in this case. On the trails, we do this all the time. I think that was the most frustrating part of this experience - I couldn't find it.

Just tossed it out there. For those that know, they know. For those who are a lot lower mileage than me, I often toss out things I've learned over the last 5-6 decades so it might help others.

One thing about forum posts, they're read by many but responded to by a relatively few number..

[sconnors11]

Thanks for posting your experience.

[dlfishing]

Originally Posted by halla

The M2 chassis usually display a fault or error code on the center display. We had one for air in the fuel lines after an oil change and once when we ran the one saddle tank too low, that cut the engine off completely (with no error code). The gas gauges are not accurate.

Halla,
How much fuel did it take to fill your tanks after you ran the tanks that low?

[halla]

I will be honest, when we ran out of gas on the side of the road, Coach-Net sent out a service vehicle. We put 10 gallons in each tank. After we did the priming and got her running, we drove to the nearest Pilot Flying J. I cannot remember how much It took to fill up, I was a little mad at myself at that point.