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RE: 2006 Diplomat Economy Mode_ NOT enabled? Wow!!
In reality the economy mode does very little to effect the economy of operating your motorhome, unless you are doing lots of city or mountain driving. It has "zero" effect on interstates and alike. So don't think you might be or could have saved lots of fuel.
Actually it is in rolling hills where economy mode gives the greatest increase in MPG.
In regular mode, cruise control or maintaining steady speed with accelerator: Starting at bottom of hill going up next one (NOT mountains, just rolling hills)
Throttle goes to WOT in 6th gear, downshifts to 5th at WOT. Top of hill, shifts back to 6th and then throttle closes (or worse, throw on exhaust brake which downshifts transmission and prevents building a little speed to "attack" the next upgrade (again, we are talking about rolling hills where building 3-5 MPH more speed is safe). At bottom of hill, back to WOT. This repeated 6-5-6-5-6-5 uses a lot more fuel than having the transmission stay in 6th gear (economy mode).
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wolfe10
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06/16/08 11:30am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: A few questions on diesel chassis issues
And you will be giving ONE SMALL shot of grease to the upper engine pulley/fan pulley bearing, not the water pump. Look between the pulley and the head. Normal access is from above (inside the coach)
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wolfe10
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06/12/08 01:23pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: FMCA Convention Twin Cities
Dianne and I will be there.
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wolfe10
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06/12/08 01:17pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: CAT hesitates
We are on the road-- on the way to Bloomington, IL to put on a Rally for 250 members (125 coaches) in the Cat RV Club.
You should be able to use your key/ignition to download the stored failure code. Check your Cat owners manual or call the Cat RV Hotline at 877 777-3126.
And pretty much anytime you could have a fuel-related failure, it doesn't hurt to change the fuel filters. Also check and make sure you do not have any air in the system at the same time. Use the primer pump BEFORE changing filters/when this stumble occurs. If the pump stroke is HARD, no air, if EASY to pump and then becomes hard, there was air in the system.
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wolfe10
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06/12/08 01:06pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Mountain Driving Habits
OP, please verify that you have an EXHAUST BRAKE not JAKE/ENGINE COMPRESSION BRAKE. The Cummins L engine could be ordered either way. But the only effect on driving techniques down a grade is that the Jake brake offers a high and low setting which gives you more flexibility. The Jake brake also gives more braking HP than an exhaust brake.
The correct way to descend any grade is to find a speed that keeps your speed IN EQUILIBRIUM (neither accelerating nor decelerating) WITHOUT USING THE SERVICE BRAKES.
We have descended double digit grades in the Green Mountains of Vermont without ever touching the service brakes. Yes, we were in second gear with the exhaust brake on. But we "roared" past a logging truck whose equilibrium speed was around 8 MPH.
And ALL heavy vehicle brakes will overheat if used to control speed. There is insufficient brake surface and insufficient heat dissipation to use them for anything more than application to allow you to slow enough to "down arrow" to a lower gear. NOTE: There is a wide range in "pre-select gears"-- that is the gear the transmission seeks when the brake is turned on. The Allison ECU can be programmed to select any gear 2-5, but 4 and 2 are most common. So your use of up/down arrows on deceleration and/or barely touching throttle to turn off exhaust brake is somewhat dependent on what gear your seeks.
That speed may be 50 mph or 10 mph depending on the grade. It may be in 5th gear or 2nd gear with the exhaust brake on. As a benchmark, your speed in a DP will be higher than a loaded 18 wheeler and lower than an empty one.
As far as climbing a grade, I suspect your Cummins owners manual (you might read it and post what IT says-- not just take our opinions) will suggest that the lowest RPM ABOVE PEAK TORQUE RPM that will allow you to climb a grade is the most economic way to do it. Sure, high RPM will get you there faster-- you decide how much a couple of MPH vs MPG is. And, if engine operating temps climb, gear down and bring RPM's UP. Producing the same HP/speed on grade with the water pump turning faster will lower engine operating temps.
And the driver has the most control by leaving the trans in Economy Mode and using the up and down arrows to select the "proper" gear. No transmission is any where near as smart as a good driver in mountains. BY DEFINITION, the transmission is REactive, not PROactive. It sees what happened several hundred yards BEHIND the coach, while a smart driver selects the correct gear for what is in FRONT of the coach. That is not to suggest that you can not leave it in DRIVE, but that will certainly be less efficient for MPG AND for MPH than a smart driver.
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wolfe10
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06/12/08 12:55pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: FMCA convention St. Paul MN
See you there. We will be in Bloomington, IL to put on a Rally for 250 members of the Caterpillar RV Engine Owners Club and will then head north along the Mississippi River to St Paul.
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wolfe10
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06/12/08 12:38pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 2006 Diplomat Economy Mode_ NOT enabled? Wow!!
Easy to VERIFY whether economy mode is available.
Accelerate at WOT (wide open throttle) in regular and again in economy mode.
Note max RPM in each gear before it up-shifts.
If no difference, no economy mode.
In regular mode, my engine up-shifts at 2400 RPM. In economy mode, it up-shifts at 2000 RPM.
There will be and should be NO DIFFERENCE in shifts at part throttle, ONLY at high throttle settings.
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wolfe10
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06/10/08 06:11am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Diesel engines.....?
I did a search regarding the use of SCA, one poster wrote that when utilizing ELC it doesn't need changing for several years (5 years), also you don't have to worry about using an SCA additive.
If true wouldn't the extra cost for ELC justifies the expense? Or am I just being lazy, looking for the easy way out.
LUeno
Actually quite a number of OTR trucks run Caterpillar ELC (or equivalent from other manufacturer) and many of us convert over to ELC as well.
And indeed the only thing you have to do is to add a "booster" after 3 years. It is then good for another 3 years.
NO SCA TESTING AND ADDING.
But make sure if you do this that you PROPERLY clean the cooling system before switching kinds of coolant. Caterpillar and others have a liquid cleaner you run through the cooling system to do it.
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wolfe10
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06/10/08 05:47am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 2001 Discovery Overheating...
On all coaches, but PARTICULARLY REAR RADIATOR coaches, the after-
cooler and radiator need to be cleaned PROPERLY AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR.
You can verify that you actually need to clean them by taking a
strong flashlight. Access the engine from the TOP (bedroom). Shine
the flashlight inside the fan shroud/between fan blades. The fan
blades "sling" the dirt toward the perimeter, so you want to make
sure that the perimeter is as clean as the center (You are looking at
the front ((Front of coach)) of the after-cooler. The radiator is
behind that the after-cooler(back of coach). Yes, there are a few
coaches with stacked radiator/after-cooler and these can be cleaned
from the back (back of coach).
If you just have dirt on the after-cooler, a hose with garden nozzle
will work fine. If there is oil/greasy deposit, get the engine a
little warmed up and turn it off. Wet the after-cooler and spray some
Dawn dish washing detergent (Some use Simple Green) along with water
on it (AFTER-COOLER) from the FRONT inside the fan shroud. Let sit,
but not until it dries out. Hose out. Repeat.
Pressure washers are dangerous-- it is hard to maneuver them around
the fan blades and VERY easy to bend the fins.
You will also want to clean the radiator which is done from the
back/outside of the coach. But this is NOT where most of the dirt
will be deposited.
Now, if you are climbing a hill and experiencing overheating, use
the transmission down arrow to select a lower gear. For a given road
speed, XX number of HP are required (read that also as heat
produced). Producing XX HP (same heat load) but with the water pump
turning at say 2,100 RPM instead of 1,600 RPM WILL reduce engine
temperatures. But it will also increase fuel consumption. So I view
this as a short range fix ONLY. Best answer is to get the cooling
system back to 100%.
And how are you on rear axle GAWR and GCWR with that trailer?? You do not say your trailer or tongue weight, but you may be an accident waiting to happen. All the toys in the world are not worth that.
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wolfe10
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06/10/08 05:41am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Diesel Fuel Leak
Jim,
This really needs to be addressed. Not only are you loosing the $$ from lost fuel, but this is a potential fire risk and it is quite likely that dirt and water can get INTO THE TANK from this same opening.
Not sure there is any way for us to diagnose this over the Internet-- you need to safely block the coach and crawl under and determine what the problem is. And if it involves replacing a line, make sure to specify that it will be used for fuel line for diesels.
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wolfe10
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06/10/08 05:24am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: $485 for a Preventive Maintenace Service?
Hopefully it was for more than an oil and filter and lube.
Look at your parts ticket. Fuel filter(s)? other parts?
For us to reasonably evaluate the price, you might list everything they said they did.
If you do it yourself, parts for a complete job are in the $70- $100 range including fuel filters, etc.
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wolfe10
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06/09/08 04:56pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: GM Vortex V8 or Ford Triniton V10 let talk mp$$$$$
Quite a wide range of answers because quite a wide range of:
1. Weight/Size
2. Driving Speed
3. Driving Habits
As an example, if one coach is 28' long and is driven at 55 MPH with another that is 37' long and pulling a full size PU at 70 MPH WILL ABSOLUTELY give different results even with the same engine/transmission.
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wolfe10
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06/09/08 04:40pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: How Hot Will 4/0 Cables Get?
Any chance of the inverter/charger being located nearer the batteries (but still in a separate compartment)?
Your run is really 10' PLUS 10'-- electrons must make the round trip.
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wolfe10
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06/09/08 04:30pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: HR Navigator leveling jack indicators stay on
Make sure you are using the jack manufacturer's recommended stow procedure.
I KNOW for HWH jacks (automatic HWH on our coach) that the procedure is:
1. Turn on system (top left button).
2. Push "Store" button.
IMPORTANT-- DO NOTHING ELSE. DO NOT TURN OFF SYSTEM. Hydraulic fluid will continue to bleed for several minutes at which time the system will AUTOMATICALLY TURN ITSELF OFF. If manually turned off, all hydraulic fluid may not have bleed back to the reservoir.
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wolfe10
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06/09/08 04:09pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Refrigerator will not defrost
Dollar bill test: Close the door on a dollar bill. You should be able to pull it out with moderate resistance. Repeat all around the door. If the bill is easier to pull from one area than others, the gasket is not making good contact in that area.
If the area of poor contact is at the top of either door, the "C" clip of nylon is inserted on the lower pin to RAISE the door. No tools needed, and takes less than 10 seconds to do.
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wolfe10
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06/09/08 12:44pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 2006 Diplomat Economy Mode_ NOT enabled? Wow!!
That would be hard to believe. The cost of that key stroke when programming the ECU would be noise level. And each ECM HAS to be programmed with such things as max engine RPM, etc.
$$$$$
Monacos addenDUM staes that this feture is not enabled in the 2006 diplomat. Or the Cayman and Knight for that fact.
Have you any idea why they would do this?
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wolfe10
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06/09/08 11:23am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Coleman A/C
Fan speed on high.
Air filters clean.
Clean the EVAPORATOR-- done from the roof. Takes some time, but not complex job.
Do not set thermostat all the way cold at night.
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wolfe10
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06/09/08 10:33am |
Tech Issues
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RE: 2006 Diplomat Economy Mode_ NOT enabled? Wow!!
MODE is programmed into the Allison ECU. Check with an Allison dealer about programming economy mode as primary or secondary mode.
Do not know if additional work would be required with a non-Allison shift pad-- no experience with them.
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wolfe10
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06/09/08 10:24am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Refrigerator will not defrost
Frost buildup that fast is normally a sign of a poor door seal unless you are going in to it a LOT.
Do the $1 bill test around the gasket. If poor seal at the top of the door(s), Dometic has an easy to install "C" clip to raise the door.
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wolfe10
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06/09/08 10:18am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Dometic Fridge Problem
Since you have already done the burner area tuneup (hopefully including cleaning the flue), next step is to check that gas pressure is 13 column inches of water. Low gas pressure will give less flame, but it could be enough to keep the thermocouple happy.
New propane regulators are around $20.
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wolfe10
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06/09/08 06:30am |
Tech Issues
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