How many have ever run a diesel engine backwards?

Hi CCJ,
like you I have heard of it but never experienced it.
Had many G Series graders do this as I had the turbo's off them to fix as they had oil dripping from the inlet snail. The oil problem was caused by the soot blocking the inside of the air cleaner safety element and the resulting restricted inlet pressure drawing the oil into the inlet manifold, when they were re--started in the correct direction.
The operators usually said they never noticed the engine was running in rev--smoke caught by air cleaner element-- but that the engine restarted itself after not fully locking the foot pedal into the lock position after shut down and the hydraulic pump and system pressure turned the engine in reverse and it restarted.

I have run a Pre-comb. engine incorrectly timed 180~ out by a client--he was there for a dyno test after he did a rebuild on D330 engine also, and insisted it would go with "Start Ya B#$%^*d", a local engine ether start spray can, and at his risk HE squired said fluid in to the intake.
It ran poorly but did run from excess residual fuel in the cylinders dieseling.

Did know of at least one engine needing full re-build after running in rev. whilst the operator refueled and, said "blow it" after the engine restarted as he left the cab. He only shut it down when he heard the engine knocking from failed bearings.
Was mainly a problem with the New Scroll Injection pumps as fitted to the DI 3304/6 etc.
They came out with a redesigned cam shape to stop this occuring.
Scan below is a Service Letter on this problem.

Your explaination of the events leading to your engine re-starting in reverse rotation is what I also could agree to as the sequence of events to cause such a condition to occur.
Interesting stuff.
Cheers,
Eddie B.

Yep it does happen alright... D342's will run backwards. Just ask anyone who has pulled scrub with a direct drive!!
Burns the cyclone tubes out of the precleaner system real quick.

Cheers djcat

Several years ago I was breaking in a new driver on an 8 yd dump truck with a Cat 3208 engine. He'd stalled it on a grade and didn't hit the clutch at all, it proceeded to roll back down the hill with the engine running backward. I told him to stomp the clutch and shut it off, set the brake and restart the engine.

So yes, it appears some diesel engines can run backwards under the right circumstances.

Yes , almost every oldtimer has experienced . Downhill , choking or during a push-start , blade against blade . On D6 , 7 and 8 there was a forward-reverse lever .
When push-started the lever should be in reverse , what was forgotten sometimes .
In general : many older dieselengines can rotate the other way round . Because there is a "normal" camshaft in the pump . To prevent this problem there were engines with a "180 degree" camshaft .So the injection happened at the end of the exhaust stroke , no problem .
But be alert : THERE IS NO , I SAY NO LUBRICATION !!!!!!!!!!
Simple : the pressure pump rotates the wrong direction .
The story about that older Lanz tractor is correct : there was no reverse . Just reverse the engine .
The Netherlands , johan7

My very own 8V71 runs backwards, better than I thought it would - hard to steer in 15th gear though with a longs trailer behind ; ) Very easy to get it to do this - just stall the truck going up a hill and as it rolls backwards, the engine will start running again, chuffing smoke out of the air cleaner.

I recall my cousin had this thing in N.Z. called a Gnat - it was a forerunner to ATVs from the '70s. Anyhoo, that thing had two speeds, and to reverse, the driver turned the ignition key off, and turned it counter-clockwise to start it in reverse. Seemed to work ok. I don't recall what brand the engine was.
Cheers,
Neil

Most newer snowmobiles have no reverse gears and the engine runs backwards for reverse.

Several years back at the antique tractor pull, a guy hooked up w/a JD 70 Diesel, & killed it trying to get the sled moving...he then engaged the clutch again & it backed up against the front of the sled...he was totally flustered, he kept trying different gears, & nothing would work right...😆
I was standing by the track, & noticed the oil puking out of the air stack, so I ran out there & told him to shut it off, it's running backwards! He looked at me like a deer in the headlights, but finally shut it down, restarted it w/the pony, & it was OK, but the look on his face? Priceless!!!
Those 2-cyl. Diesels were kinda bad about that-if you killed it & it rocked backwards, look out...😆

Done this twice with 9u D6's one a dry air cleaner and the other a oil bath.Didn't take long to see the problem,of dirt and smoke coming out the air cleaner in your face on the dry one,and oil blowing out of the wet one.Both times it happened roll starting at noon,both cases had a lot of hill left so ,killed it put transmission in forward and away I went back to a long day of hillside tillage.
Ray