Starting DT466 AmTram after 6 months parked

[Viggo]

Hi folks,

I'm trying to get my International AmTram skoolie started after spending 6 months parked. I was in last week, and bus started just fine 3 times in a row, but would not start this time. Dt466 mechanical.

Charged old batteries, still no go. Replaced batteries after two separate charger tests said they were bad, still no go.

Currently attempting to prime the engine with the little hand pimp directly behind the fuel filter, but I'm not getting any resistance even after 10 minutes of pumping....

Plenty of diesel in tank, lines are in the tank.

Any ideas, I'm at the end of my non diesel expert rope here.

Mike

[ewo1]

Originally Posted by Viggo

Hi folks,

I'm trying to get my International AmTram skoolie started after spending 6 months parked. I was in last week, and bus started just fine 3 times in a row, but would not start this time. Dt466 mechanical.

Charged old batteries, still no go. Replaced batteries after two separate charger tests said they were bad, still no go.

Currently attempting to prime the engine with the little hand pimp directly behind the fuel filter, but I'm not getting any resistance even after 10 minutes of pumping....

Plenty of diesel in tank, lines are in the tank.

Any ideas, I'm at the end of my non diesel expert rope here.

Mike

I got a bus in my yard, DT466 mechanical. It belongs to a friend, we are converting it.
It has been sitting for almost a year with only short lived startups just to move back and forth so we can work on it when time permits. Well it started acting weird, it would just shutdown after idling for about 5 minutes. Usually started right back up until..then, ..that one time it refused to start back up.

Tried priming it just like you are but after lots of pumping it would not build pressure.

I'm thinking air was getting in somehow and killing the motor. Not 100% sure but it did work, prime pump builds up pressure and it starts and runs so until we get on the road and drive it, I'll take the victory for now!

Ordered a new prime pump and VOILA...it start up again !!!

[Viggo]

What was your procedure for priming? Just pump it till your arms go numb, or was there something else that you would do that would help get the air out of the system?

[ewo1]

Originally Posted by Viggo

What was your procedure for priming? Just pump it till your arms go numb, or was there something else that you would do that would help get the air out of the system?

Here is a good video that explains how to do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4f0m--W2Vw

[Viggo]

The International DT466 in my bus doesn't have a bleeder, so I have no indication of air or fuel to reference.

Is there an alternative way to bleed a fuel line?

[CHEESE_WAGON]

I wonder if there's not a breach in the system causing it to suck air?

[EastCoastCB]

Have you ever replaced the fuel filter(s)?

[Viggo]

Originally Posted by CHEESE_WAGON

I wonder if there's not a breach in the system causing it to suck air?

It's possible, but I haven't heard anything during cranking that would indicate that. However, I'm not a mechanic and something could escape my notice. That being said, it started three times with no problems about 8 days ago.

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Have you ever replaced the fuel filter(s)?

I have not, but the previous owners did maybe a year ago. It was done by a mechanic during a scheduled service

[BamaBus]

There was a thread recently from Sraycwb that gave a fuel tank vapor lock caused by a clogged tank vent as the reason that a t444 would not run. He said removing the fuel cap would have released the pressure.

[bigskypc50]

Do you have a fuel water separate. If the fuel water light on? Don’t know if that keeps them from starting. The shop that changed my fuel filters did not refill them before installing and after the first prime of many many pumps it started and ran just fine, Then it just died on the way out of the shop, more air in the line. Toke two guys 10 minutes or so of rapid pumping of that little shot gun shell. I would crack an injector line and see if you have fuel at the injections

[Viggo]

Originally Posted by BamaBus

There was a thread recently from Sraycwb that gave a fuel tank vapor lock caused by a clogged tank vent as the reason that a t444 would not run. He said removing the fuel cap would have released the pressure.

It's possible the tank is clogged, but not likely. I've looked into it with a flashlight (galvanic lucifer might be a more appropriate description) IMG]https://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/flashlights.png[/IMG], and I've seen nothing to indicate algae growth. The tank itself was well maintained by the school district.

Originally Posted by bigskypc50

Do you have a fuel water separate. If the fuel water light on? Don’t know if that keeps them from starting. The shop that changed my fuel filters did not refill them before installing and after the first prime of many many pumps it started and ran just fine, Then it just died on the way out of the shop, more air in the line. Toke two guys 10 minutes or so of rapid pumping of that little shot gun shell. I would crack an injector line and see if you have fuel at the injections

So, maybe. I remember the two upper left lights showing. One was definitely the brake, the other might have been an OIL/WATER or OIL/FUEL light. It's not out of character for these lights to function though on startup.

As an update, I have a mechanic coming out to give me his assessment. I did not get a chance to crack the lines, as I don't even know what lines I would crack or what tools I'd need. I plan to get this fellah to show me some of these normal maintenance things while he's here:
1. Priming the engine, location of prime pump, etc
2. replacement of fuel filter, procedure for replacement
3. Lines to crack/bleed, and how
4. Regular Maintenance (fluids, filters, etc)
5. Common/Suggested tools I'll need, including things like buckets, fuel containers, etc.

Anything else?

[Viggo]

Hi folks,

Wanted to give an update... As of 1930 Central Time, the bus is now running again!

The problem was likely a mixture of the following:
1. The bus has been sitting for ~6 months without being run (my fault, my travel schedule went haywire)
2. The tank was half full, and parked on a slope
3. The priming pump (the little block nobbin on the left side of the engine) was worn out from decades of priming, and likely introduced a pathway for air at the engine
4. Didn't run the engine long enough to overcome the air in the line from the 3 things about when we did start it.

We were able to start it up 3 times a week ago because it was sucking fuel from the fuel filter, which has about a 1/3 gallon inside. Since I didn't run it at least 15 minutes, it just used that fuel without filling the lines from the tank. The primer pump likely introduced an air leak into the fuel line as well that emptied the line down to the engine. And since the engine was down slope, there was no other counterpressure to hold fuel in the lines.

The fix was the prime the engine, but the little primer pump just was too warn out. It would grab suction for a few pumps, but then something inside would fail and you could feel the fuel drain away. Had to remove the primer pump, and my new best friend Danny (excellent diesel mechanic, and all around awesome fellah) fed diesel into the line until the fuel filter and line upstream was full. We cracked the line on the most rear-ward cylinder, cranked the engine, and used a bit more starter fluid than I'm comfortable mentioning to get the entire set of lines to the engine filled with diesel. Then, reattached the balky primer pump, and ran the engine. After some grumpiness, the engine pulled enough vaccum to fill the line from the tank to the engine, and we were good to go.

Moral of the story: Start her regular, run her longer when you do start her, and keep a funnel and diesel can on board to prime in case she completely shits the bed. Also, replace the bad primer pump with a new one ASAP, probably this all metal darlin: https://mercedessource.com/store/hea...nd-primer-pump

Next task: Filling the tires. Did you know standard air pumps at gas stations just can't get air into bus tires? I do, now.

[cadillackid]

standard air pumps are usually idiot-proofed at 40-50 PSI max.. your bus needs likely 90-100 PSI...


buy a clip-on air chuck with a gauge and a nice long hose. 3-6 ft and never stand in front of a tire being filled.. a sidewall blowout will blow you across the parking lot..

[Dirtdoctor]

Google ROCK CATCHER FILTER- after 15 yrs of dealership maintenance they finally found the Little Rock catcher filter on the 466, it’s easy toClean and replace.