What detroit diesel am i messing with!?

[oregondiesels]

ok i bought this old diesel genset as a...project i guess, something to mess with. thusfar i can't get it to fire up fully, had it trying a bit on ether, and when i pull the fuel rod all the way out it smokes like crazy but...thusfar, haven't made it really go Vroom...

the dataplate says model 3913 but...i can't find anything online in regards to a detroit 3913...

[CoyleJR]

It looks like 3-53 series. That is three cylinders and 53 cubic inches per cyl. Look at the valve cover if it is held on with screws it is a 53 series if it is secured with two large wing nuts it it a 71 series. They are two stroke and loud but they will run forever.
John

[oregondiesels]

thanks, it has 2 large wing nuts you can undo by hand on the valve cover so i guess it's a 3-71 :)

[AVM62]

Looking at the air box covers, I'd say you have a 3-71.

[oregondiesels]

thanks guys, still haven't gotten it fired up... like i said, when i pull the fuel rod out it'll smoke enough to...kill all insects within a 15ft radius, but beyond that doesn't even sound like it's trying, thinking i should get some fresh diesel... if that doesn't do it, perhaps a sticking injector? i did pull the valve cover (it is EXTREMELY CLEAN) and everything is free, nothing is stuck, i'm amazed by how clean it it... i made sure all the lines were tight to the injectors.

[CoyleJR]

Oregondiesele,
There is a emergency shut off on Detroit Diesel engines. It is spring loaded and will snap shut and shut off the air supply. That is something that is easy to miss if you are not familiar with DDs. Also fresh fuel and fuel filters are a good starting place.
Good Luck
John

[a5150nut]

Looks more like that silver solinoid to the left of the blower is attached to the shutoff flap. Is it moving when power is appied?

[oregondiesels]

it doesn't move, it is stuck in the Down position, i've tried it in both the up and down positions with no luck (either way it just smokes up the yard)

[Liftgate]

The silver solenoid attached to the blower inlet housing is an emergency air shut off. Make sure the little reset lever on the bottom of the trip is down. That will let air to the blower. Make sure you prime the fuel system good. You should have fuel coming out the return line from the head. Disconnect the fuel line at the output of the fuel pump and prime it there. It should start. Diesels don't like air in the fuel system. You might also want to check valve clearance and injector timing later. Have fun.:D

[oregondiesels]

i did a no-no today, and ran it on some ether, it fired right up, and just needed a trickle at low rpm's, and ran on it's own at higher rpm's but smokes like a mother....

[CoyleJR]

Oregondiesels,
Throw the ether can away and spray WD-40 into the motor. The WD-40 can't hurt the motor and is almost as good as ether. The DDs will smoke a lot when they are cold, so the smoke may not be too bad of a sign. Did you get fresh fuel and fuel filters? They are the first step to get your DD running. The second step is to make sure the emergency shut off is open. That motor will run if it has air and fuel. If it has a primer pump, pump it when you are trying to start the DD.

If you want to get a good idea of the condition of the motor, remove the three air box covers. They are the three covers on the side of the motor, one bolt per cover. You will be able to take a good look at the pistons and rings. If there are pieces of rings in the air box you will need to buy some liner kits and rebuild the motor. If there are not pieces in the air box you just have a fuel and air issue.

Good Luck
John

[Liftgate]

i did a no-no today, and ran it on some ether, it fired right up, and just needed a trickle at low rpm's, and ran on it's own at higher rpm's but smokes like a mother....
Ether won't hurt a detroit 2 cycle engine. Check the air filter and make sure it isn't plugged.