Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Out there, somewhere
Posts: 9,867
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Bobs answers are great and I will add a thing or two. Belts are a pretty important item or, set of items maybe I should say so, get as close of an inspection on those as you can. I say "as you can" because, depending on chassis, bedroom setup, engine access, fan shrouding, underneath plumbing and structural cross pieces/exhaust and anything else that could be in the way, getting a close inspection of those belts can be a bit of a challenge.
Second, in your era of CAT engines, the infamous "Blow-by tube" or, otherwise known as the "Slobber tube" needs to be checked to see if it has been extended so that it exhausts at or near the very rear of the coach. That blow-by tube is one of the primary causes of radiator fin and CAC fin clogging.
What happens is, if there is an incorrect amount of oil (as in even a bit over filled) the effects of that over-filling are shown as "Blow-by" in a sort of oil mist, exiting from that blow-by tube. And, the exhaust of those tubes from the factory, were right under the center section of the motor. And, as they expelled their mist, that mist was lodged into and on, both the CAC (Charge Air Cooler) and, the radiator fins.
When that happens, the engine fan will, as normal operation, act as vacuum cleaner and suck up all the dirt, dust and debris from the roads surface and, spit it right into those oil soaked fins. When that happens, it builds up to a point that, the layers and layers of oil/dirt/dust begin to clog those fins. When that happens, you no longer get air through them to cool the radiator and therefore the radiator coolant.
That means running at higher temperatures, especially while pulling grades.
And, speaking of oil, I'd bet my house that, that particular engine uses only 19 quarts of oil in a full oil/filter change. A call to CAT with the engine serial number will verify or, there's sources on the net too that will verify it's oil pan capacity.
And, speaking of oil and capacity, many of the dip sticks in those CAT engines of that era, were incorrectly marked so, this is why it's imperative that when an oil change is done, and a for-sure amount of 19 Qts. are added, then when the engine has sat for a pre-determined amount of time after a run-up from the oil change, that the correct markings on the dip stick are inscribed to show the correct amount.
Another point to check for is whether or not your particular engine has ONE or TWO fuel filters. There was some "squabbling" between Freightliner and CAT in that era and, it was determined that only ONE fuel filter was needed, for a short production run. Then, the two filter system resumed. So, check to see which system you have and, which filter(s) that you may need at a next change which, if you don't have any service records on this engine, should be as soon as possible so that you, yourself, establishes a base line for fuel filter change-out.
From that point on, it's follow the regular CAT service intervals.
Also, in your era coach, it was standard procedure for the Chassis/coach manufactures to set the coach up so that there was/is NO CHASSIS battery charging while on shore power or, generator power. The HOUSE batteries can and, most likely are charged by what's called the Inverter/Charger that you have on board. If this is the case with yours, then parking that coach for any extended periods, can and, most likely will produce a dead or at the least, a very low state of charged set of chassis batteries.
If that should end up being the case, it's easily remedied with a couple of different devices. One is called the "Trik-L-Start" and, its newer, larger brother, the "Amp-L-Start". Both are great units and are very easily wired into the factory systems to alleviate that no-charge problem with shore power. There's a few thousand threads on it on here and other RV forums.
In spite of some folks thinking the CAT engine is problematic (primarily to improper reporting of HEUI pump issues), those CATs are great engines and, there are quite a few thousand of them still in use today in all kinds of industry. CAT quit producing the "over the road" engines back when the smog regs got too restrictive for them to compete. But, parts availability and CAT service centers are well abound, all over the place.
You may hear of a potential problem with the "fan bearing" and it's lack of lubing due to hard to get to application. Well, the C-7, 300HP, 330HP and 350HP versions, utilized a permanently lubed fan bearing, unlike the predecessor, the 3126 version of the CAT. That's not to say it (the fan bearing) is endless in life, it can and, some times has failed. Just how often, well, based on the few zillion C-7s out there in RV land and any and all of the trucking industry that's still using those C-7s, it's really hard to say.
Other than basic maintenance, checking the fins of those items mentioned for clogging etc., oil change/dip stick marking/, blow-by tube extension/, fan serpentine and water pump belt checking, battery charging from both sources i.e. engines alternator to see if both sets of batteries are receiving a charge while the engine is running and, while on shore power, you'll be good to go with that CAT 350. Good luck.
Scott
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2004 ITASCA HORIZON 36GD, 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 Toad '20 Honda NC750X DCT
Retired-29.5 yrs, SDFD, Ham - KI6OND
Me, Karla and the Heidi character, (mini Schnauzer)!
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