overheat issue Diesel engine

[lj2654]

Well, After almost 3 1/2 months in Ringpower CAT in Brooksville Florida I finally had the shop foreman admit that they screwed up on my coach. I took it there August 30th, 2015 for some repairs and maintenance:
belts
dash ac issues
thermostats
oil leak above starter


what they did:
thermostats
belts
replaced rear wheel bearing seals
a/c compressor - rcvr dryer - condenser motor
sensor replaced for the oil leak
found cracked fan blade( wasn't cracked when taken in(as far as I know)
supposed to be finished November 1st, 2015 the latest!

Still not together:
overheated engine (225) when test drove after work complete
started pulling radiator, found some insulation from engine compartment between CAC and radiator(said 95% sure this causing issue)
Hooked radiator back up.Ran coach again says good 200 degrees, day before Thansgiving)
Wanted to keep till after Thanksgiving, Monday after he drove again, now (217) too hot. Now pulling radiator and CAC out to radiator shop, radiator shop pressure checks and says its ok, CAC leak checked too, ok!
Radiator delivered back to CAT 12-8 yesterday at 2 pm. We went up there at 410 pm 12-8. Radiator sitting on pallet,foreman showed me some hoses they replaced, and a line they replaced for cooling system. Then I asked the same question I had been asking since they installed the brand new fan assembly "are you sure the fan was installed right? I asked him to get the fan(removed now for the radiator removal) and hold it up to the mount on engine, as he did he said, the fan was marked by the technician how to install the new fan, and he marked and installed it backward back in November causing the overheat issue.

All this time and work didn't even have to be completed, so he basically was caught red handed and was not going to tell me about the fan at all and blame it on something else they replaced.

Today they are starting to put it together, I was told yesterday!

I had to cancel November's trip and have another coming up the 19th to the 28th of December.

They really have not had good communication from the start, as the only way I knew anything was to go there. Thank goodness it is only 10-15 minutes away from my home.

This is just a heads up for anyone that needs engine work done, be vigilant if you decide to go there, and be smart wherever you take your motorhome for any repairs. They are not all as honest as you think!

[hershey]

As I quoted in the previous thread, that was exactly the experience I had with my fan replacement...However, there was no other needless expenses like cleaning radiator etc. Mine was done in a cool month and I didn't experience any overheating until May, several months later when the temps in Moab was 104 degrees. It was a long day with the engine running much hotter than I was comfortable with nursing it along. I self diagnosed the backwards fan only because I fly RC planes and know that if a prop is installed backwards, you lose probably about half the air flow generated by the prop. The garage did reimburse me for the labor to re-install the fan properly at a garage in WY.

[11178adm]

I have been following your saga for a few days glad it is finely getting resolved. the worst thing is you can never get the time back

[chuckftboy]

Everyone makes the assumption that these are highly trained technicians. The best technicians get the better jobs like over the road tractors. The junior mechanics get stuck with working on RV's which nobody wants to do. Many of the independent Freight Liner dealers here in Florida charge a higher labor rate for motor homes than for semi trucks. Our toys are not the easiest things to work on.

[PaulJ2]

I find this incredible. Dosen't anyone ever LOOK at which way the fan is turning when they are done with a job? All fan blades pull or push air with the concave side of their blades. Maybe just me i guess.

[Big_Katuna]

Am I thinking correctly? The fan is mounted backward in a DP than in a conventional truck where the fan pulls air in.

I'm guessing they put it on the way they are used to doing it.

Not making excuses.

[FIRE_UP]

lj2654,
Well Sir, I surely feel your pain. Ultra long story short, while traveling to Texas from San Diego, the J1939 data link in our '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT broke one of its three wires. That knocked out all our gauges, exhaust brake, cruise control etc. We took the coach to "On the Border Freightliner" in El Paso TX.

What a nightmare that place is. Talk about lack of communication!! They wouldn't even talk to us unless we barged our way into the front office etc. And we weren't the only ones. There were other folks with broken RVs and, truckers with broken over-the-road tractor/trailer rigs too that, no one from the service/supervisors would talk to either.

Those boys (supposed techs) were absolutely clueless in what and how to fix our rig. Talk about being pi$$ed off for 2.5 days. Well, they knew it when they handed me part of the bill. Anyway, I surely know how you feel.

It's very difficult to know just how good a repair center is if you have no idea about the place before you authorize work to be done. Word of mouth is the best advertising, that's for sure.
Scott

[rgatijnet1]

Some lessons are time consuming and expensive to learn. Be glad it is over and just move on with your travels when you can.

[stvdman]

Glad to see resolution! Too bad it took way too long.

After reading your other post, it seems TOO common for those fans to be put on incorrectly.

Happy travels!

[midnightsadie]

I,D be trading this rv in , the day its done , things do happen sorry for your loss .