Overheating issue

[C20]

As i've posted before we have been having troubles with the engine overheating since the first trip we took in the motorhome. Took it to Freightliner twice under warranty and nothing found. Took it back three more times after warranty and put a temperature sensor in it, a thermostat, and finally pulled the radiators out and cleaned them.

I'm a retired FF and I had our FD mechanic do some research on the matter, and he found a service bulletin on the fan clutch. He came out and took it apart and sure enough it had the oil leak around it that meant the clutch was bad. Ticks me off Freightliner couldn't figure out the issue on their chassis! Oh and the fan clutch was $900!!

BTW,
The story is it would only overheat in traffic at the end of the day or if you stopped at a toll booth etc. Had to have run all day and got the heat in the motor, just idling in the morning etc, would not make it overheat.

If anyone has a similar issue or chassis PM me and I can send you the link to the service bulletin.

[C20]

Scott,
It's a viscous coupled fan clutch. That's the problem, the oil leaked out of the clutch and it wouldn't engage the fan when the motor was hot. Apparently any of the Frieghtliner chassis with the cummins engine from 07 on have this type of set up.

[FIRE_UP]

C20 wrote:
That was the part from Freightliner. Did some research on it and there were only 4 in the US. Freightliner could also shop overnight and that worked out for our camping situation, so we were stuck with that. It was a clutch fan made by Horton but with more time on our hands and travel schedule we might have found one cheaper.

Without knowing any more about the situation and, just getting into this thread, a fan clutch for any regular gas automobile or light duty pickup is NOT the same as a fan clutch for a diesel engine, especially a larger one. They are considerable different and way more heavy duty. Most fan clutches on the larger diesels are air actuated, not thermostatically controlled like they are on regular cars/trucks etc. Therefore, the cost of one of those is going to be considerably higher. The fan clutch for our '89 Class C Ford on an F-350 chassis and the 460 cu.in engine, waaaaaaaaaaay back in '92 was almost $300.00.

At least you have one. I wish our present coach, an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT had one. If you have a rear radiator, yours is the first one to have a fan clutch that I've heard about. There's probably a lot more out there that have one but, this is the first I've read that has one. If it's a side radiator, I can understand it having one.
Scott

[C20]

That was the part from Freightliner. Did some research on it and there were only 4 in the US. Freightliner could also shop overnight and that worked out for our camping situation, so we were stuck with that. It was a clutch fan made by Horton but with more time on our hands and travel schedule we might have found one cheaper.

[crasster]

Wow $900 for the fan clutch? That's insane! Was that the installed price or just the part? If the part did you check ebay as they have much less expensive parts.

[Scottiemom]

We had a problem a few years ago that went on and on without a solution. 2006 Phaeton, C7 Cat, Freightliner chassis. We were getting "low coolant" signals and would go into limp mode. After getting up to speed in the morning, she would run all day with no problems. Starting up the next morning. . . hard to start, alarms. . . all related to coolant. Eventually had that alarm disabled in the computer.

MULTIPLE Freightliner service centers could not find a problem. NONE. We replaced sensors, modules, etc. . . .there was NO low coolant. We even took her to Gaffney, and they assured us they would find the problem. What a joke.

Finally on our trip to the RGV we "blew" fluid out the back all over the rear camera and toad. But she still ran fine, so we continued on since there was no place near us for help. We arrived at our winter roost without further problems.

Found Holt Cat in Edinburg, Texas, with an RV center. Walked in and met Eloy and Lupe. Started to explain what was happening. They finished my sentences and the story. They knew EXACTLY the problem. Blown seals in the injector cups. Took her in for service the next week and she's been running great since. Replaced all the injector cups, replaced fluids, flush, etc. No more problems. So there are able bodied mechanics out there. . . just gotta find them.

Probably if someone had tested the coolant, they would have found diesel fuel in it. It was easy to see by the time we took it in, but no one bothered to check before.

Dale

[midnightsadie]

had a honda crv drop the tranny at 46k ,they put a new one free.never hurts to talk to them.

[DSDP_Don]

I doubt you'll get a warranty claim on a 2008, but you never know. They may give you some assistance since one of their shops missed the issue that should have been obvious. I would express your displeasure and the money you spent and see what they do.

The good news......you know your cooling system is in tip top shape and good for many years.

[K_Charles]

A factory rep can get it warrantied if he wants to and if it wasn't too long ago.

[Supercharged]

C20 wrote:
As i've posted before we have been having troubles with the engine overheating since the first trip we took in the motorhome. Took it to Freightliner twice under warranty and nothing found. Took it back three more times after warranty and put a temperature sensor in it, a thermostat, and finally pulled the radiators out and cleaned them.

I'm a retired FF and I had our FD mechanic do some research on the matter, and he found a service bulletin on the fan clutch. He came out and took it apart and sure enough it had the oil leak around it that meant the clutch was bad. Ticks me off Freightliner couldn't figure out the issue on their chassis! Oh and the fan clutch was $900!!

BTW,
The story is it would only overheat in traffic at the end of the day or if you stopped at a toll booth etc. Had to have run all day and got the heat in the motor, just idling in the morning etc, would not make it overheat.

If anyone has a similar issue or chassis PM me and I can send you the link to the service bulletin.

Add ex.engine oil cooler problem over with.

[C20]

midnightsadie,
Are you saying I should sniff around for a warranty claim? Any experience?

[midnightsadie]

call there hot line and discuss the problem.have your paper work in hand and that they new there was a problem.

[C20]

Now I know!! Wish I had known before all the wasted money. Ticks me off Freightliner didn't check it first!

[the_bear_II]

I've had three fan clutch problems on two different engines. It's one of the first things I check when I have an overheating problem. One fan clutch went bad after a few months.