Truck just ran away while driving down the road.

[Horus]

I was driving down the road to the grocery store. All of a sudden the motor just went full throttle! Nothing weird or out of the ordinary was happening. It shut off with the key but when I start it it takes off like a rocket again. Any ideas guys?

BTW several hours ago I used this truck to tow my other 1st gen home after it lost a wheel and axle shaft in the rear axle towing the buggy home. This is two strandeds with two different 1st gen Dodges in one day!

[Horus]

There is nothing visually wrong with the pump. As soon as I start it it runs away. All my tools are in the other broken Dodge. My buddy is coming and we are going to drag it back on a strap.

This is a real turning point for me. I bought my 1st gen Cummins because I wanted the most reliable vehicle possible to tow with. The VE Cummins has proven time and time again to be he farthest thing from reliable I could have ever imagined. Time to cut my loses.

[dazedandconfused]

They are reliable trucks but they are also 20 year old trucks don't forget.

[Horus]

The truck is back home. Now I've gotta figure out what went horrifically wrong.

My buddy whom towed the truck home owns an automotive service shop. He says the first thing I should check is a stuck injector. I have a hard time believing one or even two or three stuck injectors could cause the motor to rev up like that. Here is what I know...

If I start the motor it goes straight to full throttle. I'm no diesel expert but from what I have read and videos I've seen, the truck acts like a runaway scenario.

Both the SDS and the manual shut down arm on the pump will kill it.

Oil level looks normal and not diluted with fuel.

The truck seemed stronger or more powerful during this condition. I was just cruising along and had just slid into 4th when it hit. I immediately killed it but then as I was coasting down the road I restarted the motor. It immediately ran away upon start up so I put the clutch out in 4th at 30 mph. It pulled HARD in 4th gear. It really did feel like it was more powerful than what my pump will do in it's current state of tune (near stock.) Not hugely more powerful, but enough to notice.

Stuck injector?

[dunes450r]

IIRC true runaway can't be solved with turning off the key, or even the manual shutoff lever, hence why people remove the intake and are ready to choke the turbo off

[BC847]

Not a stuck injector.

Read this, and see if you fall into it . . . http://dodgeram.info/tsb/recalls/605.htm

[dazedandconfused]

Its something in your pump. I would guess what David post or governor issue.

[cmann250]

IIRC true runaway can't be solved with turning off the key, or even the manual shutoff lever, hence why people remove the intake and are ready to choke the turbo off

That is true if you talk to the "experts". I turned in my fuel screw too far, started the truck and it took off like a rocket. I waited several seconds (as long as I trusted my valve springs ) for the idle to level off and it never did. I shut it off with the key. I did that twice. It's still guaranteed that sticking a board in front of the turbo will stop it.

Some what related to what BC posted, has the truck been turned up or had a govenor spring installed lately?

[RCCUMMINS89]

I've never heard that the shut off will work on a runaway. I've never actually had a vehicle run away on me, so I've never teted it... but I've never heard of someone being able to shut it off with the key or the lever.

Either way, this sounds to me like the fulcrum lever broke.

[Hansen01]

Make sure your turbo isn't leaking any oil as well

[Horus]

Not a stuck injector.

Read this, and see if you fall into it . . . http://dodgeram.info/tsb/recalls/605.htm

Thank you for this. The fulcrum pin is really looking like the most likely cause for my condition. I went out and checked my pump. It does not have the infinity symbol stamped on the tag. The number on the tag reads 161. The recall covers 163 to 169.

To answer some other questions. No, my fuel screw is not turned in. When I resealed the top I broke off the tamper coller. Later when the truck was back running I turned the screw in just to see what it was like. It was like that for a day, then it went back to stock. It might be half a turn or so in from stock but I could run the tamper coller if I still had it. I pulled the Dynamite Diesel "power pin" after the re-seal. The fuel pin was carving a trench in it so I put the stock cone back in place. It does have a 366 spring.

I was never looking for any performance unless it is aa reliable upgrade (turbo, intercooler, injectors, etc.)

[BC847]

Splitting hairs with an axe, this may be a situation of uncontrolled full throttle, and not true "runaway".

As such, the FSS would stop the fuel supply to the H/R.

[Horus]

Splitting hairs with an axe, this may be a situation of uncontrolled full throttle, and not true "runaway".

As such, the FSS would stop the fuel supply to the H/R.

My first thought standing in the parking lot with the hood open was that it was clearly (for all I knew) a runaway motor, but that I could stoo it with the key! I had read several times that runaway can only be stopped by plugging the turbo.

I think you are right. This is uncontrolled full throttle, not runaway. Time to pull the pump top.

[dazedandconfused]

If the spring broke or came loose would it cause this?

[dunes450r]

good luck, and keep us posted!