RE: Class A stability while camping
Skip,
We have had two fivers, and now have a Class A DP, and the difference in stability is simply amazing. Even with all the extra little doo-dads we installed in both fivers to stop us from bouncing around, we were never quite happy with the results. Now in our "A" with HWH air leveling, we hardly notice any movement at all.
Good luck with your decision....lots to think about!
Cheers,
Grant
RE: How to keep squirrels out of engine area?
Hi Ken,
Here in Victoria B.C. we get a lot of damp days, which were causing some condensation in the engine compartment of our DP. Solved that problem by using a small computer fan to circulate the air in the engine space, just like the one we use on the boat in the winter to stop mildew etc. This also had the unexpected bonus of stopping the occasional rodent dropping we used to see in the engine compartment....I guess they don't like the sound, or the air movement...whatever the case may be, it seems to be effective. It may just work for squirrels as well.
Hope this helps,
Grant
RE: Oil blowing out of breather tube!
We have had a similar issue with our 2000 ISC, except ours only throws oil out the tube when we are using the Pac-Brake. Apparently this was a problem that Cummins was aware of for a few years. After talking with Scott at Cummins USA, he said he was aware of the problem and recommended using a crankcase ventilation system, the Cummins part numbers were CV-50111 or CV-50202 depending on the amount of oil blowing back out the tube.
May not be exactly the same problem as yours, but maybe the same fix?
RE: 2004 Country Coach Feedback
Sully2....you are quite right, sorry about that. The Affinity was indeed the top of the line.
To the OP, just a footnote on Country Coach. We stopped in to see the newly re-opened facility in Junction City Oregon this past spring, on our way home, and were very impressed with the people and the service. They were very helpful, and if I were looking at a used unit, I would not hesitate to call them with any concerns about a particular model.
Happy Hunting,
Grant
RE: 2004 Country Coach Feedback
Hi Larry and Rita,
The pecking order for Country Coach in 2004 was, Affinity, Allure, Inspire, Intrigue, Lexa and Magna, with Magna being the top of the line. The only "Newport" model listed on Nada for 2004 was an Allure. I have no personal knowledge with this unit, but we do own a 2000 CC Intrigue, and have found it to be a very good and reliable unit for our needs. If you find that the reviews on line are too negative, you may consider moving up in model quality and down a few years in age. We have had very good luck going with higher quality slightly older units.
Hope this helps,
Good luck,
Grant
RE: Cummins ISC / Pac-Brake oil carry over?
Thank you all for your time and replies.
-BillofPA, nice to hear that the Cummins recommended fix worked on your coach, that gives me hope. The only reason I was questioning their fix was the quantity of oil I was blowing out.For example, I attached my "peanut butter jar" in Arizona and put about 3000 miles on the coach in relatively flat terrain, checking to see how much oil was collecting. When I got to the Siskiyou Summit heading north I had only accumulated about an inch of oil in the jar...I thought I had the issue solved, but when I arrived at Canyonville on the downhill side of the trip (using the exhaust brake most of the way) the jar was full to the vent pipe and overflowing out onto the mudflap and also on to the Honda we were towing (what a mess!), must have been at least 1/2 a quart plus whatever was on the ground and on the car. We emptied the jar and have not used the Pac Brake since. Now only 1/4 inch of oil in the jar and all is clean for the last 1000 or so miles.
-Brett, the engine has about 25,000 miles on it total, and had not been used much before we bought the coach last year. So it should not have excessive wear. I guess there could be problems from NOT having had much use in the last 10 or so years, but it seems to run very well and uses very little oil as long as I stay away from the exhaust brake. Good point about not restricting the air flow, I guess that a good rule of thumb would be to have at least the same diameter hole or larger leaving the catchment container, as the inlet tube from the crankcase? Sound right?
-BigskyBob, I went to the Pac Brake website and found the spec on the ISC and it is the same as your ISL- 60psi.
I will cautiously make the voyage into my Cummins dealer next week and see if I can gleen any insights from them.
Will keep you posted.... and again, many thanks to all for your input.
Grant
RE: Cummins ISC / Pac-Brake oil carry over?
Ivylog,
Thanks for the link, I did try something like that when we were on the road, I drilled some holes into the lid of a peanut butter jar, then hose clamped it on to the crankcase tube, then put a brillo pad in the jar to stop the spatter....and it worked...sort of. It was not big enough, but if I had a better design and an easy access drain, it may be worth another try. I would have to make sure it did not restrict the flow of air.
Grant
RE: Cummins ISC / Pac-Brake oil carry over?
Hi Brett,
Thanks for the reply, I just had the oil changed on my way north this year, but can not honestly tell you if they added to the dipstick mark or if they added by volume.I have no problem with the blow by, even when in the mountains, as long as I do not use the exhaust brake..no oil on the mudflap or on the back of the coach.
The tech from Cummins said they changed the position of the crankcase vent tube about the same time the 8.3 went electronic, it was on top of the engine,and was changed to the side of the block, which they thought may be the cause of the oil backing up in the tube and causing the carry over when the exhaust brake was applied.
I guess my best defense is to avoid using the Pac-Brake until I can sort this out. I will make sure to have the service dept double check the oil level by capacity and not by the stick.
Grant
Cummins ISC / Pac-Brake oil carry over?
Hello All,
I have a 2000 Country Coach Intrigue, with a 350 Cummins ISC that has been having issues with oil blowing all over the back of the motorhome and the towed vehicle, when using the Pac-Brake for any length of time.
Talked to Pac-Brake, who referred me to Cummins. Found someone there who told me this had been an issue in some of the early ISC's, and that the fix was a crankcase ventilation recirculation kit that re-directs the liquid oil back into the crankcase, and still lets the vapour out to atmosphere. He gave me two choices, the CV50111 or the CV50202, depending on the crankcase output flow.
The question is....has anyone here had the same problem, and actually tried one of these kits, and, do they really work?
I ask this because, when reading the product description for the kits, Cummins says they are for eliminating drips from the breather tube, and does not mention the kit taking care of the excess oil caused by the back pressure from the Pac-Brake.
These are rather spendy filters, and I do not want to go to all this trouble and expense, just to end up back at square one.
Thanks for reading this....any and all info is appreciated.
Moderator...if this post should be in the Tech section, please let me know.
Cheers,
Grant
RE: Is it just me...???
I read the side of a bag of firewood we purchased in Arizona last winter, and was surprised at the list of chemicals in them....supposedly to kill the bugs, and make the wood OK to cross state lines. The smell of the bagged firewood was terrible compared to some of the Mesquite we got from a woodlot down the road.
So, good wood, a hot fire, and burning on a calm night all help some.
Just my opinion.
Cheers.
RE: Importing Class A to Ontario, Canada
Ted,
I agree with Edouard,probably best to take your plates off and let your friend make arrangements to stay with the motorhome and do all the appropriate paperwork, including any temporary permits, before entering Canada. It should be trouble free, as long as the plates come off before the border.
Hope your chum enjoys his new rig !
Grant.
RE: Importing Class A to Ontario, Canada
Hi bsinmich,
Believe it or not,(and I did not at first) that was the word from more than one official (and his supervisor) at Canadian Border services. The issue according to them, is the fact that the vehicle is in Canada, being driven by a Canadian resident without having paid the proper taxes, and taking it one step further, you could conceivably leave your US plated vehicle in Canada indefinitely for your Canadian cousin to drive ,thereby avoiding the tax completely. There is in fact, a very short list of ways to temporarily import a vehicle into Canada, but take my word for it, they make it as hard as possible to do this.I will try to include a link to this process.
Grant
http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/dm-md/d2/d2-4-1-eng.pdf
RE: Importing Class A to Ontario, Canada
Hi Ted,
The only glitch could be if your friend wanted to actually bring the motorhome into Canada before doing the importation. A Canadian resident can NOT drive a U.S.Plated vehicle in Canada. No problem for your nephew to drive it across for him, as long as he is a US resident, but it would probably be easier to just do all the Importation procedures before crossing the border, normally this would mean that you would take your US plates off in the US, and he would have to get a temporary permit to drive the unit into Canada where he would get all the inspections done. Learned this the hard way.
Grant
