DIM Oil, Coolant, Filter change - ISC350

[brotenc]

Did it myself (DIM) last week and sure learned a lot about my coach.
2001 Dynasty King with the Cummins ISC 350.

Oil Change w/Filters :

I bought the filters according to what my user manual indicated which was a minor mistake. There were two fuel filters and both of them are the fuel/water separator type. One filters to 25 microns and the other to 2 microns. The book had me buying a type of filter that would have a glass bowl underneath but teh actual filter was a FS1212 with a drain valve like the FS1022. Both filters are on the back of the chassis and very easy to get to. I used a pan under the filters while doing the work and nothing go on the chassis or the ground. I filled the filters before installing them and went through the procedure where you turn the ignition key on for a minute to recharge the fuel line (3 times). The engine started right up.

The hardest part in changing the oil is removing the existing filter without making a mess. It is heavy and awkward to deal with. Since I have considerable room under the engine I am going to fabricate a jig, so to speak, that I can put under the filter and be able to raise and lower the filter. If anyone has done this I would appreciate any advice.

I also added a fumoto valvle on the crankcase to make it easier to drain the oil. You can buy them from Amazon for about $22. It does not proturde downward much more than the original plug since it is angeled out of the pan anyway. The mechanisim to open and close the valve requires two positive actions and I can't see how something could cause the valve to open accidentally. By the way, I have one of these on my pickup and it makes oil changes really easy. especially if you want to drain into smaller containers.

Coolant Drain/Flush/Refill:

This job took quite a bit longer than I expected but I should only have to do this once. I did not know what kind of coolant was in the rig (green) and I didn't know if it had ever been flushed. My coach has 78K miles.

I decided to go with the fully formulated coolant that doesn't require adding the SCA or the use of a filter containing the SCA. I used a filter without the additive. This stuff is good for a long time. I now carry a couple of gallons of 50/50 mix of the fully formulated if/when I need to add any.

I bought a 58 gallon container from Amazon that is really great for collecting coolant/oil/etc.. It's a Blitz 42008 58 quart oil drain pan for $79. It has a large area where the oil/coolant, etc., falls and a mesh opening that won't allow a dropped plug to fall into the container. It also has a large spout on the end for dumping and is on wheels. I can easily get it under my Pickup (Ranger) and the coach is no problem of course.

Since the drain pan was new I used it to collect the coolant after I fully warmed up the coach. From all appearances the coolent was good without any gunk or other residue coming out. As I said before, it was green in color. I put the drain pan in my Ranger and drove over the the recycle center a few miles away and dumped the coolant. Very easy with two people since the pan has handles.

I had bought 50 gallons of distilled wateer for the process for flushing and filling.

After draining the original coolant I filled the system with distilled water and a flushing agent and ran the coach for almost an hour. When I drained the system there was some discoloration and still some of the "green" antifreeze in the mix. It wasn't bad though. I made another run to the recycle center.

My system was taking about 36-38 gallons each time and my system is supposed to have a capacity of about 45 quarts. I did not remove hoses since I didn't want coolant mess in my driveway.

I flushed two more times and dumped the water on the ground after it went into the drain pan. The water was warm but clear and there was no sign of coolant.

I had bought the concentrated coolant since NAPA didn't have enough of the 50/50 mix on hand. I started by adding my own 50/50 mix of concentrate and distilled water and after two gallons had been added I added two gallons of concentrate. My thinking was that there was still about 8 quarts of water still in the system. The two gallons of concentrate would bring the 8 quarts in the system to the required 50/50 mix. I added another gallon and a half of my 50/50 and the system was ready to go. I started the coach and let it run for about 30 minutes until my temp gauge had reached 160.

What did I learn?

The coolant job takes longer but was worth it because:

1. I know exactly what was done and what is in the coach.
2. Saved a few bucks doing it myself and with the cost of upkeep every little bit helps.

The oil change was a snap because:

1. All the oil, all in one shot with the Blitz drain pan.
2. Very easy to get the oil to the recycle center and dumped.
(By the way, I used the drain pan for the coolant first and it will only be used for oil from now on.)
3. Fuel filter changes are easy but can be a little messy. If you follow the procedures for making sure you rechage the fuel lines everything will work fine when you are ready to start the engine.
4. Don't completely trust your user manual. Look to see what is on the coach just in case things have changed. If they are different do some reseach to see why.

What's next?

My Allison MD3000MH transmission is next. I have no idea when the system was last serviced or whether it has the Transynd fluid. There is a tag attached to the transmission top and when I get a chance I will wipe it off and see if it says the system has Transynd. If it does I will only replace the filters themselves along with the Transynd necessary for that operation. If not, I will probably drain the system and move to Transynd.

I do have a question on the filter changes that someone might be able to help me with. When you loosen the bolts that hold the filters will fluid escape around the edges of the covers? From the way it looks to me that is what I expect to happen. I will be using the Blitz again for sure. I already know I can by the maintenance kit with both filters and all the gaskets at NAPA.

In the end:

I am glad I did this. Money was saved that would have been spent on labor, not sure how much though. Also, I have the assurance that I KNOW what was done and what was put into the engine and radiator.

I know this kind of stuff is all over this website but my reason for posting was sort of like saying "we can do this ourselves".

Chuck Broten
Olympia, WA

[Dirtbuster]

Sounds like we are going through the same motions. I have had my coach for around 4 months. I have done my oil, fuel, & coolant. I do have TransSyn, & need to get my transmission filters changed. I am starting the maintenance from square one. This is a lot to do, but I want to know what condition my coach is in.

Last week I just went to " Camp Freightliner ". I got a lot of great information from the class, along with access to Freightliner's Parts Pro. The class was a 2 day class, with 5 days worth of info. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to do their own maintenance, Freightliner or not. Mike Cody did an outstanding job!

My hat is off to all of the members of IRV2 for all of the info that is shared!

Thanks Again!

[H. Miller]

Did the oil and 2 fuel filters yesterday.
NOTE: one of the fuel filters had a notation on it "for ISC engines do not pre-prime this fuel filter". No explanation - just don't do it. It seemed to crank an extra 5-6 seconds and ran normally thereafter.
As to which filters.........I was finding different filter numbers in different places so with flashlight in hand took the numbers from the existing filters.

[Norm4015]

I did most of the same service as you before we hit the road last summer. I knew it was done right and I saved a lot of money by doing it myself. Don't forget to lube the chassis and service the generator. Oh, and the front wheel bearings.

I always install the fuel filters dry and use Cummin's precedure to prime the air out of the system.

When I replace the oil filter I first loosen it a bit (to make sure I can get it loose) and punch a hole in the bottom to let the oil drain out. I put a bucket under it to catch the oil. When I remove it there is no oil to spill. I fill the new filter about 90% full and install it. Only 90% so it will not spill out when installing it.

When you remove the Allison transmission filters oil will drain out. You will drain less than 2 quarts removing the Main filter and a total of 8 quarts when you remove both filters. If you are doing filter replacements only it will take about 8 quarts to refill. I always measure the transmission fluid that drained and put that amount back in. If you remove the transmission's drain plug (along with the filters) you will lose about 19 quarts. When you install the filter plates be sure to use a torque wrench because they are easy to over-tighten and strip.

[Dirtbuster]

I was told at the local Cummins shop, to fill the fuel filter before installation. Put the fuel in the small outside holes. Then the oil will be filtered before the fuel pump. A 1/2" or 3/4" pipe nipple can be put in the large hole, to keep unfiltered oil from the middle.

[SpursMVP]

How did you all find the part number for your Cummins Air Filter?

I've completed the maintanance that is mentioned by the OP and wow what a learning experience. Glad I did it, but now I'll probably rely on the truck stop related firms to do the oil change as crawling underneath the rig was tons of fun.

[Retiredblade]

Ok fellows, I am in the same boat, going to change the coolant when I get home in the Spring. Now, been reading and don't know what kind of coolant to put in, my Cummins is a 2000, things have changed with the new ones. My coolant is green, but the newer stuff for the new engines is red and cost around $17.00 a gal, so what did you all do?

[Steve Ownby]

Chuck B,

What coolant did you use? the only coolants that don't use SCA are OAT type & are good for 3 years and then 3 more after the addition of a supplement package. Is this what you are using?

The Allison filters will dump some fluid when you drop the bolts. If you have Transynd then your fluid has been changed because it was not shipped from Allison until sometime in '03. Transynd has a 48 month change cycle. Don't get trapped into just looking at mileage because most all motorhome owners will hit the time limit long before the mileage.

[Retiredblade]

Man, when I get home I'm facing about a $500. Cost in coolant change and transmission fluid change, my old gasser was a lot cheaper to maintain!

[denochs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Retiredblade Man, when I get home I'm facing about a $500. Cost in coolant change and transmission fluid change, my old gasser was a lot cheaper to maintain!

Welcome to the world of diesels

Just another note on self maintenance. Lubed my chasis Sunday afternoon. It was done by a dealer before. Found several places they missed entirely. Well worth it to do it yourself. While under the coach I look for loose bolts and other hanging debris.

Dave

[ShapeShifter]

Nice write-up Chuck!

I'm just a little confused in a couple places because you seem to switch back and forth between quarts and gallons. I assume the Blitz pan is 58 quarts, and not gallons as originally mentioned. And did it really take 36-38 gallons of water to flush the system each time?

[brotenc]

The 58 gallons for the Blitz was a brain cramp.... it is 58 quarts.
I did use about 36 gallons during the whole flush cycle using about 8-9 gallons each time until there was no more evidence of the old coolant (green). Then I used a mix of undiluted charged coolant with distilled water in a 50-50 mix. I only used distilled water because I didn't want anything in the water that might foul things up. Our water is not hard at all but didn't want clorine and etc. in the system.

[Retiredblade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by denochs Welcome to the world of diesels Just another note on self maintenance. Lubed my chasis Sunday afternoon. It was done by a dealer before. Found several places they missed entirely. Well worth it to do it yourself. While under the coach I look for loose bolts and other hanging debris. Dave

As long as I can, I grease and maintain my rig. One time I was under the machine and found a bolt missing from one end of my shock. When you think about it, those service people, what do they care if they miss a zerk fitting or two, it's not their machine and your down the road later and you think they did a good job.

[bluepill]

Just a note on the filter change for the 3000. This applies to my 2008 unit, and I expect it would be the same for yours. Although there are modern style o-ring seals inside the removeable filter cap, for some reason Allison still uses 19th century technology (flat "paper style" gaskets) to seal the caps to the main case. It took me many hours to carefully scrape the old gasket material with the help of foaming gasket remover and a razor blade. I used foaming, because I was working overhead on the cases. It is slow and tedious work because you must leave the foam applied for 20 to 30 minutes at a time, and be very careful not to score the aluminum. Wear safety goggles and nitrile gloves - the foam is nasty stuff.

FWIW, I just used a 48 quart plastic 'Sweater Box" from Walmart for the oil and trans fluid changes. Worked fine, cost under $7.