My RVs Primitive Brain
Background: 2008 Winebago Destination. 340 Cummings ISB 6.7L diesel. 27k mileage. We are in our third season on this chassis/coach and it has been a sturdy chariot to places familiar and new. O...
Forum Discussion
We kept getting low coolant warnings on our CatC7. We also were getting some fluid spitting back on our toad. This went on for several months. We would actually go into limp mode before it would clear and all would be good and we could run all day. Started getting worse with the warnings. . . Took it to 2 CAT centers, one independent and the Freightliner Service Center in Gaffney, SC. No one could find the problem. We finally opted to turn off the warning in the computer. We had changed the low coolant sensor and anything else that was thought to cause the problem, so CAT was comfortable with disabling the sensor. That meant we would just manually check our coolant, which was always in the normal range.
After that we were running fine, still the occasional spitting on the toad. Last year on the way to Texas we were about 200 miles from our RGV destination when I noticed on the rear camera there was some fluid all over the lens and running down obscuring the view of my toad. A lot of dirt/debris in it as well. Nothing amiss on the engine, per my gauges and the Silverleaf diagnostic, so we kept rolling. Just as we were pulling into a camp at Edinburg, Texas, we got a check engine light that went out right away. When we stopped for the night we checked the toad. It was literally covered in an oily substance which was also all over the back of the Phaeton. A real mess. We wiped some of it off with a paper towel. It was oily/greasy and smelled like paint thinner and was yellowish. Big mystery. The next morning we drove on to Mission without further incident and parked in our spot. Then we started the search for a CAT mechanic. We have wintered there for about 8 years and knew NO one who could work on it. Turns out, just across the road from where we spent the night in Edinburg was a CAT RV service center. So a few days later, we went in there to see what they said. . . before I even finished telling the mechanic what was happening, he started finishing my sentences. They knew exactly what the problem was. Took it in on Monday after Thanksgiving, got her back on Friday, totally fixed and she has run fine with NO issues since then.
Problem? The seals on two injector cups were shot. They allowed diesel fuel to push up around the injectors and mix with the coolant. When too much got into the overflow, it would exit the overflow tube to the pavement and blow back on the toad. It was diesel fuel mixed with coolant. Apparently we had a considerable amount that one day when it blew a large amount all over the toad and the back of the motorhome. That was a long driving day, and it was hot outside, so all the conditions were ripe for it. One shorter runs, we had barely noticed it.
They tore down the engine, changed ALL the injector cups, new coolant and we asked for an oil change as well, since she was due.
She has run perfect since then with no more coolant problems that had plagued us for 8 momths and no more splashback on the the toad. They had our coach for 5 days, from Monday to Friday. An excellent job. That was Holt CAT/RV center in Edinburg, Texas. You just gotta find the right mechanic. We have the Good Sam extended warranty and that covered about half the cost of the repair which we thought was reasonable.
Dale
After that we were running fine, still the occasional spitting on the toad. Last year on the way to Texas we were about 200 miles from our RGV destination when I noticed on the rear camera there was some fluid all over the lens and running down obscuring the view of my toad. A lot of dirt/debris in it as well. Nothing amiss on the engine, per my gauges and the Silverleaf diagnostic, so we kept rolling. Just as we were pulling into a camp at Edinburg, Texas, we got a check engine light that went out right away. When we stopped for the night we checked the toad. It was literally covered in an oily substance which was also all over the back of the Phaeton. A real mess. We wiped some of it off with a paper towel. It was oily/greasy and smelled like paint thinner and was yellowish. Big mystery. The next morning we drove on to Mission without further incident and parked in our spot. Then we started the search for a CAT mechanic. We have wintered there for about 8 years and knew NO one who could work on it. Turns out, just across the road from where we spent the night in Edinburg was a CAT RV service center. So a few days later, we went in there to see what they said. . . before I even finished telling the mechanic what was happening, he started finishing my sentences. They knew exactly what the problem was. Took it in on Monday after Thanksgiving, got her back on Friday, totally fixed and she has run fine with NO issues since then.
Problem? The seals on two injector cups were shot. They allowed diesel fuel to push up around the injectors and mix with the coolant. When too much got into the overflow, it would exit the overflow tube to the pavement and blow back on the toad. It was diesel fuel mixed with coolant. Apparently we had a considerable amount that one day when it blew a large amount all over the toad and the back of the motorhome. That was a long driving day, and it was hot outside, so all the conditions were ripe for it. One shorter runs, we had barely noticed it.
They tore down the engine, changed ALL the injector cups, new coolant and we asked for an oil change as well, since she was due.
She has run perfect since then with no more coolant problems that had plagued us for 8 momths and no more splashback on the the toad. They had our coach for 5 days, from Monday to Friday. An excellent job. That was Holt CAT/RV center in Edinburg, Texas. You just gotta find the right mechanic. We have the Good Sam extended warranty and that covered about half the cost of the repair which we thought was reasonable.
Dale
