Community Forums

bigdog · 12-25-2013, 11:51 PM

I have been getting a bunch of blowby and heavy smoke from the exhaust on start up and then a clacking sound. Once I get it running and on the road, the smoke goes away,but I still know the leak is there. Took it into my friendly local shop and was told that I had a leaking manifold and because I have a side radiator,it would be uppers of $2K. He then told me that his Cat guy had just left him and for me to take it to another shop,which I did. They looked it over and told me that I had a bad exhaust manifold leak,I hadn't told them that I already had taken it to another place first, and that it would be somewhere in the $4K range because of the side radiator and the fact that it has a couple of broken bolts. (?) Then he proceeds to tell me that I'm really needing a new engine because of the amount of blowby and that's going to run between $16-20K for a rebuilt long block. $12-16K for the engine and shipping and $4k foir the changeover.opppss. Needless to say I pulled it out and brought it home. I'm thinking that I'm going to take it to the Cat shop in Fife,Wa,45 miles away, and let them work on it.

palehorse89 · 12-26-2013, 03:54 AM

How many miles are on your engine? I did my exhaust gaskets myself, I also had a broken stud I had to drill out of the head. The labor is where they get ya.......
Sure sounds like a very steep price for the repair though.......
Do a search in the cat and cummins fourms, there have been some that just went through this. Try and find a good diesel mechanic in your area other than a big authorized cat dealer and see what he would do it for. Those big shops charge big labor rates and there are diesel mechanic's that would do a fine job for you on this repair,just have to find him....

RV735 · 12-26-2013, 04:40 AM

bigdog, Please post your outcome. I am all ways interested to learn what is happening to other owners of Cat engines. How many miles on your MH? Have you towed or traveled in many mountains?

Good Luck

Safe travels and THE JOY IS IN THE RIDE

Argosy · 12-26-2013, 05:55 AM

Blow by as blue smoke on start up? If so you do have problems. That's generally valve seals and guides though, oil leaks past them and you get smoke when the engine starts.

I'd continue the search for a good mechanic.

jauguston · 12-26-2013, 09:31 AM

Big Dog,

If you don't like what they say in Fife go to the Mount Vernon NC shop and ask for Eric Westlund to do the work. He has done work on mine and he is a great tech.Con the manager is a great guy also. Everything they have done for me has been LESS expensive than I expected. Tell them I sent you.

If you are getting a hammer like knock for a short time on cold start up and white smoke you likely have a bad leaking injector. I had that. The Cat computer system can identify which one it is.

Jim

Papa_Jim · 12-26-2013, 11:02 AM

There's a huge difference between needing new exhaust manifold gaskets, and needing a new engine or an engine overhaul.

Has the engine been burning oil?

I'd look for another mechanic.

Jim

bigdog · 12-26-2013, 04:24 PM

Ok. answer to replies;
1. no the engine doesn't burn ANY oil. The most I have ever had was on our trip to Las Vegas. Oil was full at home and we went via I-5 to Bakersfield to Ridgefield to Furnace Creek and into Vegas. I had to top off before we left for home. I had 4K on the oil change by then.
2. Currently 108K on the engine, Got the one owner MH at 80K.
3. On the trip that it started to go bad on,I changed the air filter before we left and the old one was wet and coming apart.ooppss. we went over White Pass here in Washington and then thru Pendleton and caught I-15 in Utah to Vegas and then home via Oceanside,Ca and up 1 to San Francisco and out to I-5 and home. The blowby started on the way home,but wasn't bad and I heard the exhaust sound after we Vancouver Wa at the first rest area.
I took it to CAT in Fife after we got home and they couldn't hear the leak,but it had been driven 50 miles there. They did an oil change and tested it as he they said it was really thick at just under 8K miles. took it home and really had blowby,so took it to my mechanic and they took out 3 qts for me down to 19 qts. CAT said the oil tested out ok.
on edit: for a pix of the air filter,go to the 2nd page of the air filter thread on this forum.