How much????

[teddychamp]

I have a Fleetwood Bounder 39R with Cummins 330hp Turbo diesel. Noticed that the Exhaust manifold was cracked and needs replacement. This is apparently a common problem with Cummins Engines. Ordered the parts from Cummins in Spartanburg SC for $ 369.00 including Gaskets and Bolts and received them the next day. Excellent Price and Service. At that time I ask how much Cummins would charge to install the manifold and after checking with Service, I was told that the installation alone would be $ 1,600.00 not including parts. Good thing I was sitting down.! The Engine sits approx. 12 inches below the large opening in the Bedroom and the Exhaust manifold is clear from obstructions and easily accessible from this opening. The mechanic working on that Engine could even run the AC in the Motorhome to be very comfortable. Based on experience this work should take about 4 hrs at the most since there are only 16 bolts involved including the Turbo charger. This means the Cummins charges $ 100.00 per bolt. !!! Guess I will do the Job myself as planed.

[Stuck_in_first]

why pat
thanks for the quick reply. I have 144000 miles on a chevy with no exhaust problems so I guess they fixed it and I abuse it by turning it off every time I stop.

[wny_pat1]

Stuck in first wrote:
Wow I had always wanted a diesel but now I'm not so sure. A known flaw that they refuse to correct. And just keep it running once you start it up in the morning. Fuel must be a lot cheaper than gas.

Gee, be glad it wasn't the Cummins 5.9 cylinder head. When I had my head replaced I asked the shop about doing the manifold too. They said leave it alone as it was not a known problem. But I went to a heavy truck engine shop, not Cummins.

And did Ford or Chevy ever fix the known flaws on their engines??? The 460 and the 454 exhaust manifolds??? And Ford with their Eco Boost engine "shutter" problem?

[sailor_lou]

Good job and now you know it was done correctly.

Lou
05 Travel Supreme Envoy

[BarbaraOK]

Stuck in first wrote:
Wow I had always wanted a diesel but now I'm not so sure. A known flaw that they refuse to correct. And just keep it running once you start it up in the morning. Fuel must be a lot cheaper than gas.

It was a specific year range for Cummins and the ISC engines (at least everyone we've met has had the ISC engines) and they didn't appear until after Cummins had already gone to a different design.

Once started in the morning, we don't shut down (like to hitch up) until she is warm - usually only when we are fueling up - and then always do a cool down coming off of the highway, into the truck stop (sitting in line, etc.) or to the RV Park. We drive straight through to our next stopping place (max 4 hours) and just idle as we switch drivers at rest areas.

Barb

[BarbaraOK]

Bruce Brown wrote:
Just an FYI...

Most of these crack because they're not allowed to properly cool before shutting the engine down. Not all of them for sure, but most.

Remember, let that thing idle for a few minutes (or more) before shutting it down. Things get HOT under there and heat cycling is bad news.

Bruce,

This became a KNOWN problem for ISC engines in the 2000-2005 year range and most often showed up after 6-8 years of use. Are you going to tell me all of us, or even most of us, weren't cooling down after coming off of the highway and finding the RV Park? I know we were and I will assume that most of the others were - - pretty hard not to do when you consider getting off of the highway, and slowly finding the way to the RV Park, getting into the site, etc. before setting down!

Barb

[Rickyrocket]

Glad you got the job done and saved some bucks,if a bolt breaks off in the block the easiest way to remove them is to hold a bigger nut over the broken bolt and MIG weld them together they come right out,the weld wont stick to the block because its cast iron

[teddychamp]

Well, I just finished the installation and it was no big deal. The biggest job was to disconnect the Turbocharger flange from the Exhaust manifold due to space restriction. It took five hrs to complete the job with many breaks and some knuckle scraps but it was worth saving $ 1600.00. Would do the job again anytime.

[randallb]

bobb,
I was not aware Cummins had different exhaust manifolds for an OTR truck and a RV. Could you please provide part numbers or just a physical description? I always thought Cummins used one exhaust manifold for all applications and clearance issues were dealt with by the down pipe shape.
Randy

[Cbones]

Just had it done on my ISB a couple of days ago. Luckily Cummins picked up the tab minus a $100 deductible. It took the mechanic 2 solid days to complete. My coach has a DPF, so there was a little more in the way, but the Cummins service center said it would have been $1600-1800 for the job. They had to cut 3 or 4 bolts.

[jag73e]

My 8.3 cummins just cost $1339 total which incl $273 manifold, 8.8 hrs labor @ $85/hr equals $748 labor, rest in misc parts costs, bolts, gaskets, etc, etc. . Incl one broken bolt. Would not do this myself to save the $748 labor bill. Good luck.

[kdk]

As mentioned before, be generous with the Kroil and with the time to let it soak in. I had mine replaced at Cummins repair facility under the original manufacturer warranty. They quoted 6 hours but turned out to be 17 hours of labor due to 10 broken bolts that were drilled out. That was 3 yrs ago and made sure they used anti-seize on the installation. I mentioned Kroil over PB Blaster as I have used it in industry with very good success.
Good Luck; Keith

[path1]

Wow I had always wanted a diesel but now I'm not so sure. A known flaw that they refuse to correct. And just keep it running once you start it up in the morning. Fuel must be a lot cheaper than gas.

Not much stuff that doesn't have a weak point of some kind.

[Stuck_in_first]

Wow I had always wanted a diesel but now I'm not so sure. A known flaw that they refuse to correct. And just keep it running once you start it up in the morning. Fuel must be a lot cheaper than gas.

[JumboJet]

Install an Exhaust Gas Temperature gauge and shut the Cummins down once the EGT gets below 400F.