oil change mis-information?

[litespeed]

I wandered by the Spartan booth at Quartzite and came away with some maintenance info. Decided to look at it and caught 1 thing that does not agree with my Cummins manual or any of the posts I have seen here.

The engine oil change intervals for ISL was listed as 20,000 miles EXCEPT for 2010 engines...where they specified 9000 miles. Anybody else ever run into this recommendation?

The other thing I noticed was a recommendation on " parked " MH's..to start engine every 30 days..run it in place til engine temp is up AND move MH forward 25 feet and then back 25 feet to get oil circulated on axle seals.
Most folks recommend driving the motorhome.....not running in a no load situation. And for some..driving every 30 days is not easy to schedule etc...
Are they just being anal?

[RickO]

That does sound like some weird recommendation. I thought conventional wisdom was that starting an engine which had been idle for a weeks was tough on it due to the lack of lubrication and that it was best to just wait until the rig could be exercised at highway speeds.

Batteries are a different matter though.

It'll be interesting to see what our experts say on this.

Rick

[Perry White]

Just remember. Spartan builds the chassis, not the engine. Starting and idling in the winter on low idle will cause high aluminum count. Pistons slapping.

[Mr_D]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perry White Just remember. Spartan builds the chassis, not the engine. Starting and idling in the winter on low idle will cause high aluminum count. Pistons slapping.

I called Cummins over this point and they said if you couldn't drive the rig for 30 miles or so it was best not to start it at all. So I don't start it till we're going someplace. I've done that for many years now.

[tylerdmoore]

Having owned and run heavy trucks for many years, I'll say this:

The recommendations can be divided into two parts:

1. The reason to run the engine is to create heat and remove moisture from the block...as well as keep oil covering all internal components. You need to achieve operating temps for at least 30 minutes to accomplish this. If you can't reach 180+ at high idle then you will need to drive it. It creates more harm than good to idle for short periods of time or to idle at low RPM. Driving is best.

2. The reason to "roll" the chassis is again to keep all internals (axles, differentials, wheel seals etc) covered in fresh oil. When sitting the moisture in the cases will attack the metals creating pitting and corrosion.

In my personal experience, the only real issues that seem to pop up are the wheel seals. I have let rigs set for months with zero attention and had no issues. The wheel seals do tent to dry out and weep however.

The other issue to keep in mind is acid build up in the oils. If you change your fluids prior to storage, instead of in the spring you eliminate damage from any acid build up from the year before.

Personally, I will "high" idle the main engine one month up to temp for 30 minutes. The next month I drive it for about 30 miles. All good

[dougburi]

To repeat Perry White -- Cummins builds the engine (not Spartan) - do what they say which is "no need to run engine during storage" - just drive it when you are heading out on a trip. The move forward 25' and back is valid to lubricate the seals, but this is a very minor problem and conflicts with the "don't run a cold engine a short time". Catch 21 I guess? My view: Park it; forget about it; drive it away when headed out on the next real trip.

[LonBoy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tylerdmoore Having owned and run heavy trucks for many years, I'll say this: The recommendations can be divided into two parts: 1. The reason to run the engine is to create heat and remove moisture from the block...as well as keep oil covering all internal components. You need to achieve operating temps for at least 30 minutes to accomplish this. If you can't reach 180+ at high idle then you will need to drive it. It creates more harm than good to idle for short periods of time or to idle at low RPM. Driving is best. 2. The reason to "roll" the chassis is again to keep all internals (axles, differentials, wheel seals etc) covered in fresh oil. When sitting the moisture in the cases will attack the metals creating pitting and corrosion. In my personal experience, the only real issues that seem to pop up are the wheel seals. I have let rigs set for months with zero attention and had no issues. The wheel seals do tent to dry out and weep however. The other issue to keep in mind is acid build up in the oils. If you change your fluids prior to storage, instead of in the spring you eliminate damage from any acid build up from the year before. Personally, I will "high" idle the main engine one month up to temp for 30 minutes. The next month I drive it for about 30 miles. All good

By high idle you do mean under 1000RPM any more rpm and you could damage the engine per Cummings run for four 4or 5 minutes then take off when you get to a stop run the engine for 3 or 4 mminutes to cdool the engine to the same temp. JMO

[tylerdmoore]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LonBoy By high idle you do mean under 1000RPM any more rpm and you could damage the engine per Cummings run for four 4or 5 minutes then take off when you get to a stop run the engine for 3 or 4 mminutes to cdool the engine to the same temp. JMO

The "high" idle I refer to is 1000 RPM as preset by Cummings. And as I stated...All information is from MY personal experiences with heavy duty diesel engines over 25 years. You may agree or not...just saying.

[KenSherwin]

Asking a question from ignorance here. If you have your coach parked for the winter, would it be reasonable to jack the tires off the ground to avoid flat spots and then turn the wheels manually occasionally to roll the oil around on the wheel seals? Of course, you would have to have a source of compressed air to release the park brakes.

Or is all that just too much bother?

[Wizard]

Ken, would be too much trouble getting my tires up off the ground, also don't know if a free wheel spin would do as much good as a loaded spin.

I'm with the crank and drive when you need it crowd.

[dougburi]

I believe storing without loading the suspension is not recommended; e.g. wheels off the ground. Also, it is not just wheel bearings / seals that are involved. Tranmission, engine, etc. have seals that can dry out as well. I suggest we keep the "seals" problem in perspective - seals do not as a rule fail suddenly on the road. On very rare occasions when a problem develops, seals usually weep very small amounts of fluid which can be messy, but at least doesn't stop a trip or leave you stranded

[GaryKD]

Back to the OP's question, was their an * next to these statements. The * might define where they got the information. If there is no reference to the origin of the information then Spartan is just trying to get more business into their shop. During these hard times they are trying to get as much business as they can and any way they can.

[Iron Man]

Quote:

Originally Posted by litespeed I wandered by the Spartan booth at Quartzite and came away with some maintenance info. Decided to look at it and caught 1 thing that does not agree with my Cummins manual or any of the posts I have seen here. The engine oil change intervals for ISL was listed as 20,000 miles EXCEPT for 2010 engines...where they specified 9000 miles. Anybody else ever run into this recommendation? The other thing I noticed was a recommendation on " parked " MH's..to start engine every 30 days..run it in place til engine temp is up AND move MH forward 25 feet and then back 25 feet to get oil circulated on axle seals. Most folks recommend driving the motorhome.....not running in a no load situation. And for some..driving every 30 days is not easy to schedule etc... Are they just being anal?

Was it "Spartan" or a Spartan facility that you talked to? I find it odd that spartan makes change intervals for CUMMINS engines. It sounds like a Spartan facility drumming up work.

[bluepill]

Many of the bare chassis sit at manufacturer's storage lots for months before being brought onto the assembly line. Then they may sit a dealer's lot for months or years before being sold. The batteries probably get charged once in awhile, but I doubt that the drivetrain gets excercised.

Just sayin'