what does a diesel throttle do?
 

may sound stupid but can anyone give me a simple explanation of what exactly the throttle does on a diesel engine ? like a 7.3 idi or a distributor style injection pump? I understand that diesels dont have a throttle body or butterfly like a gas engine to regulate air and that they are controlled by adding fuel.. but physically what happens when i push the pedal? what is it doing exactly to add fuel? I've searched the whole internet for a simple answer to this and cannot find one .. thank you

Here's a cool article on the DB2 Stanadyne Injection Pump that doesn't get too technical:

http://www.trucktrend.com/how-to/exp...njection-pump/

Yes! thank you very much that is exactly what I wanted.. the metering valve is what I am trying to learn about.. thanks for that link

that metering valve is what you can modify in the throttle body or whatever you would like to call it, to get that black smoke. now, it isnt going to increase your HP, and it sure isnt going to help fuel economy, but by modding that part, you can adjust how much fuel goes into your cylinders (too much fuel = some extra that wasnt burnt off, and hence, black smoke). just incase if you were wondering.. lol

Wow...years ago it meant setting the rpm's to run a pump using the power take off. It was done manually by using a throttle handle with a cable to set the engine rev's.