White smoke/steam, no crank

[Skip426]

Unfortunately , the dropped valve, probably destroyed the piston and took out the cylinder wall, right through to the water jacket.

Maybe they can find you a good used motor.

[Family Time]

Wow, that is bad news. A couple of years ago I had a similar problem with my C7, it ended up being a cracked block.

After disassembly, inspection and pricing all the parts I needed. I ended up buying a new complete engine I found at a government surplus auction. It really wasn't that much more money and I was getting a 100% new engine, new turbo, new injectors & heui pump,new air compressor, etc. I did have to change over the accessories, pulleys, wiring harness, computer,etc. And after selling off the good used parts (ebay) from my old engine it was by far the cheapest way to go. Not counting my time of course.

This is where I found mine,
Search Results - Government Liquidation

[MaverickBBD]

Can Cat find you a rebuild, new/used engine? Being on the 5 corridor may be a good thing. Is it time for replacement coach?

[1ciderdog]

Originally Posted by Family Time

Wow, that is bad news. A couple of years ago I had a similar problem with my C7, it ended up being a cracked block.

After disassembly, inspection and pricing all the parts I needed. I ended up buying a new complete engine I found at a government surplus auction. It really wasn't that much more money and I was getting a 100% new engine, new turbo, new injectors & heui pump,new air compressor, etc. I did have to change over the accessories, pulleys, wiring harness, computer,etc. And after selling off the good used parts (ebay) from my old engine it was by far the cheapest way to go. Not counting my time of course.

This is where I found mine,
Search Results - Government Liquidation

You were able to remove the engine from the back? They are talking about raising the RV and dropping it out the bottom. Thanks for the Liquidation site. It'd be nice to find one on the west coast.

[1ciderdog]

Originally Posted by MaverickBBD

Can Cat find you a rebuild, new/used engine? Being on the 5 corridor may be a good thing. Is it time for replacement coach?

Thanks for the reply. Just last month I was went to an RV sales show but didn't find anything my wife or I really liked. To bad we didn't but then this would be someone else's problem.

Hope to know more about the condition of the engine early this coming week.

[gatorcq]

Try RVServiceReviews Website

[Family Time]

Originally Posted by 1ciderdog

You were able to remove the engine from the back? They are talking about raising the RV and dropping it out the bottom. Thanks for the Liquidation site. It'd be nice to find one on the west coast.

I'm sure it would be faster to drop it out the bottom. Lifting the RV high enough really wasn't a safe option for me at home.

The engine I bought on-line was in Alabama, I had a shipping company pick it up at the military base and deliver it to me.

You can see that taking it out the back, at least on mine involves removing the lower section of the rear cap, radiator/intercooler and the rear cross member of the frame. I'm not sure if it is just a National RV design but the rear cross member also ties into outriggers that support the rear section of the body, which I needed to shore up while it was apart.

[charldk]

Originally Posted by 1ciderdog

Just contacted Peterson CAT in Medford and the news is not good. They pulled the valve cover and the engine "dropped a valve". He went on to explain that the valve broke the head and allowed water into the engine which would be why I saw all the white smoke/steam. He doesn't think they can get the head off while the engine is in place and they will need to lift the RV & drop the engine out the bottom. The real bad news is that he said he will be surprised if the block is not damaged beyond repair requiring a new engine. That's getting out of my budget, yikes!

You might consider CAT REMAN division (in Mississippi I think). They sell remanufactured assemblies like head, block, etc. all the way up to complete reman engines, at a fraction of the cost of new. Worth a call. A dealer might try to sell you a new one however. I don't know if you can purchase REMAN parts at a CAT dealership. This is a Caterpillar Division.

[1ciderdog]

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind.


I had left some tools in the RV so went there this afternoon to get them. The RV is up on hydraulic jacks. That's the first time I've ever been able to get into basement storage with out bending over. That was nice. The mechanic working on it said he hopes to have the engine out tomorrow afternoon. Then he has to pull the head and then I'll know if the block is shot. I'll update as this goes along.
Bob

[CJ7365]

Man, what a bummer, is a "dropped" valve common on these engines? what causes something like this to happen?

[gemert]

No its not common but very expensive when it happens.

[1ciderdog]

Follow up: I went today to look at the damage. There is a cracked cylinder and the crack is easily visible. They said the head is also damaged and the turbo was damaged by metal parts from the broken valve. So they recommend a long block which is pretty much the engine without add on items such as the turbo, starter, alternator and other add on parts. They said I need two new injectors, new water pump (the old one is good but since the engine is out replace it) and other assorted items. The list was extensive even showing $2 gaskets as well as the big ticket items. Sure wish I had that policy I dropped a couple of years ago.

The estimate is over $20K. That'll sure eat up my cash reserves and dig into credit cards. But when done I'll have a new engine in an 11 year old RV so any thoughts I had about downsizing will wait a few years.

I feel comfortable with the mechanic and the shop. Seem to be very good honest people.

If anything of significance comes up or big changes I'll up date this posting.

[Bucky1320]

Very unfortunate and sorry to hear.
I did like the pictures of the home install. Looks like they craned in the engine over the house and rv? Wow! Did you make the cradle to jack it into place? What was the worst part of the job or more time consuming?

[wa8yxm]

Let me put it this way.. Several options. Your first thought (head gasket) is both most likely and best scenario the rest are more expensive.