Waking up a 3126...

banman · 08-23-2019, 09:31 AM

Hi folks!
I'm a competent (acft) mechanic but new to big diesels --
It's a 7.2l turbo 240hp in a 2002 thomas fs65 chassis (freightliner)

Couple questions: best place to get a service manual (free online links would be awesome!)

The engine hasn't been started in 2 to 3 years... It ran & drove fine prior to that (really!)
Is there an engine pre-oil procedure I should follow before trying to start the engine?

I've got a mechanical clutch fan -- is that standard? I'm surprised it wasn't electric -- the throttle is "fly by wire" not direct.

Once I determine the engines functional -- are their any parts I should replace right away as pre-maintenance failure?

This is on a tight budget -- I assume everyone here kinda is... -- but road-side failure is waste of time and money too...

Thanx for any leads in the right direction to start my new learning/wrenching adventure!

EastCoastCB · 08-23-2019, 10:16 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj2wfZwMJP4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzUojErZRyU

o1marc · 08-23-2019, 10:31 AM

https://bus-manuals.jimdofree.com/thomas/

banman · 08-23-2019, 10:36 AM

Thanks guyz!

banman · 08-29-2019, 09:14 AM

The good news is the engine will turn over with out any squealing sounds from anything -- but I need some bigger better batteries...

Fuel smells like varnish... Does diesel that smells like varnish still compress/ignite?

Should I immediately buy new filters? I was hoping to confirm this thing can actually run before investing any money into it...

Do I dare open the drain plug on the bottom of the fuel tank -- the tank is ½ full...

I completely drained the fuel/water separator (now I know better

) After 100 strokes on the manual prime pump on the secondary fuel filter I've still got no fuel in the separator bowl. Should I start to see it fill up or am I asking to much of the manual primer pump?

If I open either of the bolts on the filter/pump housing I can pump fuel out of the secondary filter.

Should I open the separator up and fill it with fresh fuel and see if I can pull the fresh fuel from there to the secondary pump?

Despite knowing how to fix a helicopter I find myself wanting a "how to fix this truck written for the average 5 year old..."

Because this engine doesn't have glow plugs...
It's got an air intake heater plate -- all the warnings say "don't use ether! May cause serious injury or death!!!" Is This For Real ?
How does this heater plate actually work? Are there exposed elements like inside a toaster turning red hot or what?

Thanks!

cadillackid · 08-29-2019, 10:47 AM

yeah dont ether it if it has an intake heater!!!

get out the old fuel!!! 2 years plus is a LONG time for diesel to sit in moist Ohio..
and yeah that kitty wants to spin to start... we can try to jump it up with one of my busses but best thing is a couple new batteries.. I have batteries-plus AGM deep cycle in mine so i dont hurt them if a bus sits and the batteries die..

chances are after that long of time the HPOP probably drained so it weill take a bit of crank and wait, crank and wait till it fires...

a 240 HP FS-65?? dayum.. ive never seen a 240 in an FS. I guess thatsd why they put a stick in it.. no auto wants to take that power!

banman · 08-29-2019, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

yeah dont ether it if it has an intake heater!!!

get out the old fuel!!! 2 years plus is a LONG time for diesel to sit in moist Ohio..
and yeah that kitty wants to spin to start... we can try to jump it up with one of my busses but best thing is a couple new batteries.. I have batteries-plus AGM deep cycle in mine so i dont hurt them if a bus sits and the batteries die..

chances are after that long of time the HPOP probably drained so it weill take a bit of crank and wait, crank and wait till it fires...

a 240 HP FS-65?? dayum.. ive never seen a 240 in an FS. I guess thatsd why they put a stick in it.. no auto wants to take that power!

I was mislead about the 240hp. That's a general info sticker on the valve cover. The serial # ID plate for my engine says it's 207hp which is still respectable...

It's got a 2000 series allison -- 5sp automatic.
Should be a nice driving truck once I get it going...

PNW_Steve · 08-29-2019, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

yeah dont ether it if it has an intake heater!!!

get out the old fuel!!! 2 years plus is a LONG time for diesel to sit in moist Ohio..
and yeah that kitty wants to spin to start... we can try to jump it up with one of my busses but best thing is a couple new batteries.. I have batteries-plus AGM deep cycle in mine so i dont hurt them if a bus sits and the batteries die..

chances are after that long of time the HPOP probably drained so it weill take a bit of crank and wait, crank and wait till it fires...

a 240 HP FS-65?? dayum.. ive never seen a 240 in an FS. I guess thatsd why they put a stick in it.. no auto wants to take that power!

Allison 2000 is rated up to 300hp and the 3060 Is somewhat higher. Did they not offer those on the FS-65

BlackJohn · 08-29-2019, 11:40 AM

I agree on ridding your bus of that old fuel. 1/2 a tank full is not easy to collect but drain it, filter it again and treat it then add back into fuel system once you are running. This would eliminate future problems in the fuel lines and filters because all that old fuel should rush out and carry debris with it.

Yes to not using ETHER comment. They do get red hot those elements, way thicker than toaster elements, more like an electric kettle has or oven. Lots of amps.

Helicopter mechanics can do diesel buses,

John

bus-bro · 08-29-2019, 04:53 PM

Diesel doesn't go bad sitting for quite a while, unless you got water and algae (or whatever that gunk is) in the tank.

If you're going to let fuel sit a while add a biocide to the fuel tank when you fill up.

o1marc · 08-29-2019, 05:25 PM

How old does old fuel need to be before it's not useable? How many years?

joeblack5 · 08-29-2019, 06:57 PM

I would look at the diesel fuel and if not black then just use it. My unimog that sat for 5 years fired right up after I hand pumped and got pressure.
May be a rotary injection pump might gum up but an inline pump or hydraulic activated injection system like cat or powerstroke shoul dnot have a problem.

Just check the fuel line from the tank to hand pump for cracks so that you do not pull air bubble.

Way t much trouble to change fuel in a tank from an engine that you do not know if it works.

I would crank it with starter motor and see if it builds oil pressure before you actually start it.

If you are sure it gets fuel and it does not run then get a code reader and check your hpop as Chris mentioned.

No worry it will start fine.

Good luck, Johan

EastCoastCB · 08-29-2019, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joeblack5

I would look at the diesel fuel and if not black then just use it. My unimog that sat for 5 years fired right up after I hand pumped and got pressure.
May be a rotary injection pump might gum up but an inline pump or hydraulic activated injection system like cat or powerstroke shoul dnot have a problem.

Just check the fuel line from the tank to hand pump for cracks so that you do not pull air bubble.

Way t much trouble to change fuel in a tank from an engine that you do not know if it works.

I would crank it with starter motor and see if it builds oil pressure before you actually start it.

If you are sure it gets fuel and it does not run then get a code reader and check your hpop as Chris mentioned.

No worry it will start fine.

Good luck, Johan

I've had diesels sit for a couple years and fire right up.

banman · 08-29-2019, 10:17 PM

Thanks for the tips and the optimism!

Amazed that my local Freightliner parts/repair center had group 31 batteries for only $95/ea.

charging 'em up tonight and we'll see what happens tomorrow...

A tech at Freightliner said to just pull the drain plug and see if any water or dirt comes out...

Native · 08-30-2019, 03:23 AM

We find that our local Freightliner dealer is most helpful.

My money is on "the CAT will purrrrrrrr".

cadillackid · 08-30-2019, 06:22 AM

banman let me know - im pretty much around the corner from you in grove city if you need a hand trying to fire it up.

id still put some additive in the tank before firing it.. then if it runs diecent go fill it up all the way after getting it started and drive it..

will definitely want to get clean oil in it sooner than later.. its a HEUI..

-Christopher

banman · 08-30-2019, 08:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

banman let me know - im pretty much around the corner from you in grove city if you need a hand trying to fire it up.

id still put some additive in the tank before firing it.. then if it runs decent go fill it up all the way after getting it started and drive it..

will definitely want to get clean oil in it sooner than later.. its a HEUI..

-Christopher

Appreciate it! Definitely worth a cup of coffee!!!

magnakansas · 08-30-2019, 11:25 AM

Late in 2018 catepillar came out with an update kit there is a metal oil line that replaces a rubber line and a filter with some other small bits and bobs. The idea is to catch and filter any dirt or metal before it can enter the high pressure oil pump. also, from what I have been seeing, the output pressure is critical to correct engine power out put.... I would pay to have to the out put pressure checked at idle, part throttle, and full throttle .... There is a small part that can be replaced external to the pressure pump that affects pressure output and seems to be common cause of performance issues.... The easy way to see if pressure is correct is to install test gage and run the engine... These are two things I would pay to do If I was an owner of this series of engine. clean engine oil in these engines is paramount for injection pressure system protection.

william

banman · 08-30-2019, 10:48 PM

Progress is slow -- this cat likes sleepin'!

Actually found a sticker on the fuel tank confirming my guess -- it really is 100 gallons! (so I figure I got 40 to 50gal of stank fuel...

But the good news is I removed the drain plug and left 4 to 5 gallons gush out.
There was no rust on the drain plug and no water or dirt in the fuel that came out so I added some bio-cide/cleaner and cetane booster to improve it's flammability...

Didn't have a big enough strap wrench to remove the fuel/water filter assembly -- mine has the plastic bowl on the bottom that un-screws from the filter -- I'm a little concerned that the drain nipple might be leaking now that I've touched it...

Anyway -- got a bigger strapwrench -- first new bus tool! -- tomorrow's another day. Get fresh fuel in the filters and fresh batteries and see what she does...

cadillackid · 08-31-2019, 07:01 AM

I have some metal wrenches with "grabbers" welded onto to the metal straps if you need them..

if these are spin-on filters dont try to clean them, replace them.. if they are cans with replaceable elements, replace the elements..

the NAPA on feddern ave in SW columbus stocks a lot of commercial parts.. they have pretty much every filter I need for all my busses.. in stock. if you are doingthis today (saturday).. call early, they have early hours at feddern since its mainly a commercial napa

-Christopher

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