How do I turn off the engine?

Posted by bigballsdeluxe@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 17 comments

I promise this isn’t a low effort post, this just genuinely caught me off guard today. I had my CDL State Exam today, which starts with the Pre-Trip. Well, during my in-cab, I had to turn off the engine. The engine was ALREADY ON, so I turn it once to the left, and it just didn’t turn off, as it usually does on all the other trucks I practiced in. I continued my pre-trip and didn’t say anything of it, so I ended up failing. Is there some sort of different ignition system in certain vehicles? All of the trucks in my school are Freightliners, so I don’t know what the FUCK happened. Anyways… Go ahead and butcher me in the comments if you like.

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17 Comments

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PhotonVideo@reddit

I used to drive a Hino 5 ton cab over like this. Since diesel engines don't need electricity to run, the fuel needs to be cutoff to stop. Most modern trucks do that automatically when you turn off the ignition. But an older, less modern truck usually had a pullout lever to cut the fuel. I kinda liked it because it made it easier to pull the keys but leave the truck running.

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Always_Shifting_4459@reddit

Let it run out of gas and it'll shut off eventually

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schwifty0529@reddit

I’d hope there’s no gas in it to begin with.

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Always_Shifting_4459@reddit

It was called sarcasm 🤣 but that's where youre mistaken as well. Some gas in the tanks would be ok

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Always_Shifting_4459@reddit

I'd butcher you but dont really wanna try calf fries, lamb fries or rocky mountain oysters 🤣 thanks tho

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Glittering-Ad-2749@reddit

Someone fucked you over. Who's truck was this? You weren't able to test in the truck you practiced in? That makes zero sense.

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Inside-Finish-2128@reddit

I've had at least one truck that used a mechanical fuel cutoff to shut off the truck. It was a pull handle "under" the dash, perhaps a T handle.

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ChaseJulien@reddit

This is the answer. Diesels don’t stop when you cut off the electricity because they don’t use a spark ignition system like gasoline vehicles do. You have to physically cut off the flow of fuel. This is usually done automatically by a powered fuel cutoff valve connected to the key position. If that valve is broken sometimes rather than replace it they’ll install a manual cutoff instead.

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mindsunwound@reddit

It might help if we knew what make, model, and year of truck you actually tested on. Not a Freightliner leaves a lot on the table still.

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bigballsdeluxe@reddit (OP)

It’s a 2020 Freightliner Cascadia

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mindsunwound@reddit

Right, so there are two options: 1. Turn the key left until it is oriented completely vertically, and you should be able to remove the key at that point. If it does not turn off with the key out, your school has sent you to test in an unsafe vehicle. 2. There should be a battery cut-off switch, usually beside the driver's seat on the floor, just above the batteries under the access flap to the battery compartment, or on the driver's side directly behind the cab, near your pigtail. If you turn that switch off, the truck will turn off, and you will need to turn the switch back on for anything electric, including lights and gauges, to work again.

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psyk0pengwin@reddit

Why didn't you ask the examiner how to turn off the engine either mid test or after he said you failed? Was it an automatic? Some of ours won't let you turn the engine off if it's not in neutral first so maybe you left it in gear?

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Grumpy_Biker_67@reddit

Weird…. I say that because in ND, your pretrip is part of the exam, which includes a startup (to build up air pressure) and then a shutoff to do a bleed down to make sure the truck air pressure doesn’t drop to quickly, then a complete bleed off to make sure the low air warning lights come on.

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How do I turn off the engine?

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17 Comments

PhotonVideo@reddit

Always_Shifting_4459@reddit

schwifty0529@reddit

Always_Shifting_4459@reddit

Always_Shifting_4459@reddit

Glittering-Ad-2749@reddit

Inside-Finish-2128@reddit

ChaseJulien@reddit

mindsunwound@reddit

bigballsdeluxe@reddit (OP)

mindsunwound@reddit

psyk0pengwin@reddit

Grumpy_Biker_67@reddit

Beneficialsensai@reddit

amazingmaple@reddit

turbotaco23@reddit

turbotaco23@reddit