as i was poking around

[furltech]

i have a 353 in my tj and the other day i was messing around and cleaning up around the engine .and noticed a small lever at the bottom of the air intake so being curious in nature i moved it .the engine wont run with it moved so i was wondering if it was some sort of safety switch or just a factory kill switch .works good for immobilizing the machine for the weekend from vandals though .it is actually two pieces you have to move a small round thing and the lever holds it in place by means of a small groove .thanks in advance

[vtlogger1973]

What you described is an emergency shut off in case an injector locks your engine at full throttle.  If that happens, pulling the fuel shut off does nothing and the engine will run at full throttle untill you shut the air off.   On my TJ there is a pull handle (universal choke cable at NAPA) on the dash to shut off fuel, and a second to close the air  shut off.

[Mark K]

I trip that when I leave for the night. It will never start. Just don't use that to shut the motor off regularly. It will suck the blower seals out. It was also put on there in case the engine started to run on it's own oil, bad blower seals can cause this. My tj has a cable hooked to it running to the dash so it can be triggered from the seat.

[treefarmer87]

my c5 has one. it makes me feel a whole lot better when i leave at night or on the weekend.

[furltech]

that is what i figured .good to know .thanks guys

[beenthere]

If someone was going to steal it, wouldn't they likely know what/where that lever was at and what it was for?

[furltech]

i am not worried about it being stolen. just messed with .and you have to take the side grill off of mine to reset it and it has been my experience that thieves are not that ambitious .

[Skiddah]

It's one of those things that just keeps the honest man honest I guess.  A determined equipment thief will get your machine if they want it I suppose.  This is best to keep kids, vandals, etc. from taking your machine for a joyride or destroying something.  I had a 350 Timberjack with a 353 and I used to use it nightly.  There were always young kids, 7-8 year olds who lived next door coming to play on my landing when I left for the day.  I told the father of the kids repeatedly to keep them away from the pulp pile, equipment, etc. but he wasn't that trustworthy.  I used to turn the battery disconnect for a while but that's right next to the seat and well labeled (these kids could read).  I always got nervous that they'd hit the start switch and hurt or kill themselves.  My friend told me about this feature and I got my peace of mind back.

[sandhills]

I might be completely wrong or misinformed but I was always told detroits could run backwards, if you didn't get them completely shut down by the fuel shut off they would almost die, kick back, then start sucking air through the exhaust and blowing out the breather and that's where the shut off on the intake came into play.  Never made much sense to me though as it would only blow the shut off back open ???

[vtlogger1973]

Detroits will definitely run backwards, but that usually happens when I stomp on the clutch at the last possible second trying to prevent a stall.  Shutting off the fuel will stop it.  So will stepping off the clutch and on the brake. (stall)

[Sprucegum]

Here in Alberta's oil patch every diesel has to have one in good working order and easily accessable or you're not allowed on the lease. If the well spews out natural gas in a blow out - your fuel shut off might not do much for you.