Experience With Radiator Replacement
I have a 2004 Newmar on a Freightliner chassis and a Cat C7 engine. I purchased it when it was 8 years old and had 12K miles on it. After I had it about a year, I found out about extending the slobbe...
Forum Discussion
I was lucky that the original owner of my current Cat 3126e knew about these problems from the get go and had the dip stick remarked to 20 qts instead of going by the factory written (next to the fill tube on a metal plate) 22 qts. So when I bought this RV, and since I also knew about the issue, I paid close attention to the front of my car and to how much oil was used. Very little oily residue ever ends up on the front of my car. Now there are several who say that this model Cat uses 19 qts, but that's not always what the factory decides is correct. Which of course causes confusion.
I've tried to be observant and monitored the oil level so I'm pretty sure the 20 qts works fine for this particular setup. I've also been a conservative driver in the mountains like you and haven't had any overheating issues. I've also done the Purple Simple Green treatment, but just once. Sprayed the rad out from the back a few times too.
Now, on to the issues with your rads. They both look fine! Why replace that rad if there's no leak when a good soak and spray out will suffice? Just curious about that.
It also appears that you frequent an area where you're more apt to get a lot of dust and debris on your rad that the rest of us wouldn't. Do you live down a very long unpaved country road? Again, just curious.
Finally, it's not entirely clear...did you reduce the amount of oil used in the crankcase? Both my Fleetwood Cummins and Winnie Cat stop blowing oil at a reduced oil level. Might still need a slobber tube extension though.
Thanks for relating your experience. Knowing what others are doing about this issue is always helpful.
I've tried to be observant and monitored the oil level so I'm pretty sure the 20 qts works fine for this particular setup. I've also been a conservative driver in the mountains like you and haven't had any overheating issues. I've also done the Purple Simple Green treatment, but just once. Sprayed the rad out from the back a few times too.
Now, on to the issues with your rads. They both look fine! Why replace that rad if there's no leak when a good soak and spray out will suffice? Just curious about that.
It also appears that you frequent an area where you're more apt to get a lot of dust and debris on your rad that the rest of us wouldn't. Do you live down a very long unpaved country road? Again, just curious.
Finally, it's not entirely clear...did you reduce the amount of oil used in the crankcase? Both my Fleetwood Cummins and Winnie Cat stop blowing oil at a reduced oil level. Might still need a slobber tube extension though.
Thanks for relating your experience. Knowing what others are doing about this issue is always helpful.
