Community Forums

wagonmaster2 · 05-12-2016, 07:35 PM

Has anyone with the Freightliner dash information panel seen the little engine icon than means "Malfunction indicator lamp", and if so what did . you have to do about it And if not does any know what it really means?
Other than to call Freightliner which is on my schedule to do.

dan-nickie · 05-12-2016, 09:02 PM

To me it means read the Freightliner manual. No offense intended

Cat320 · 05-13-2016, 04:46 AM

...or call FL 24/7 help line with the last six of your VIN:
800-385-4357

wagonmaster2 · 05-13-2016, 06:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dan-nickie

To me it means read the Freightliner manual. No offense intended

None taken Dan, just found out many times in the past that some real time experience in the field by our fellow RVers is much better than what someone could write in a book.

WYRon · 05-13-2016, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wagonmaster2

Has anyone with the Freightliner dash information panel seen the little engine icon than means "Malfunction indicator lamp", and if so what did . you have to do about it And if not does any know what it really means?
Other than to call Freightliner which is on my schedule to do.

Depending on what system you have, there are ways to get a display of what the actual problem was...unfortunately another look up how to do it in the manual or call Freightliner.

exgman · 05-13-2016, 08:27 AM

I currently have that light lit on my dash. The book says it's probably emission related and I can finish my "work schedule" and then have it checked out. A call to Freightliner got me a "no idea" answer but I should get the code read as soon as possible. I'm at Oregon Motorcoach having some work done ( not chassis related) so they had an independent mechanic come in and read the code. According to his reader, the code is related to a malfunction in my cruise control. I have a service that Detroit offers called Virtual Technician. If my engine throws a code, it's transmitted to them and they email me with what the problem is. No email, so I called them and they have no code from my engine. I also have Silverleaf and it doesn't show a code either.
So Wagonmaster2, good luck in figuring it out. I think having the code read is your best bet for getting the problem solved. Depending on your location, it could be expensive but nobody at the end of a phone line will know anything specific about the problem.

twojayhawks · 05-13-2016, 02:30 PM

If it is the amber engine light it might not be anything to worry about at all. Mine came on shortly after we took delivery and I took it to FL. It stopped while it was over there and they took no action. They said it is related to the exhaust after treatment blah blah. Another forum member mentioned you should be diligent to let the gauges "swing" before you start the engine. I have been practicing that and haven't seen the amber light since August 2015.

wagonmaster2 · 05-13-2016, 06:21 PM

Appreciate all the answers, and the fact it probably won't be answered by calling Freightliner or taking it to a shop.
But as all these gremlins go, yesterday the amber engine light was there and today when I started the engine after setting all night the amber light was gone. Thank goodness it wasn't the Stop light.

BoDu · 05-13-2016, 06:24 PM

Our engine light came on as we were pulling through a rain storm in southern Utah. Stopped as soon as possible and called the FL help line. They walked me through the procedure of checking for the proper fault code through the light bar control unit. It was emission related and required no immediate work, so they gave me the name and number of their nearest Oasis dealer which was in Las Vegas. We were heading that way in another week, so we called and made an appointment. At the FL Oasis dealer they determined that I had encountered an emissions fault but that it had cleared up and no further action needed unless it recurred. Very professional. It did cost me around $100 for the diagnostic in the shop, plus two extra days in Vegas while we waited for our appointment time. The 24 hour help line helps me sleep well when we are on the road.

wagonmaster2 · 05-14-2016, 01:47 PM

Thanks for that reply Bob. It had been raining on us for 2 weeks off and on and was threatening rain the next day. It's really helpful for us on the road to have these things crop up but have no real detrimental issues then clear up themselves. I wondered about getting it checked even after it the light disappeared by itself but how can they fix something that's not broken then have to charge for their time. Our coach is still under warranty but it still means a long drive to the nearest FL dealership after we got home.
I'll call FL just to be on record that something happened but cleared up all by itself.

Fencebuster · 05-14-2016, 02:08 PM

We had the amber engine light come on last September. I have to say I didn't realize that I needed to leave the key on prior to starting so that it could cycle through. We have followed proper procedure since then (read the manual) and no issues.
Anyway, I did call Freightliner, they told me how to get the code, he read the code (emissions) and that although we could drive it, we would want to get it addressed. We went to the Freightliner in Lincoln, NE. They recalibrated it for us (under warranty) and we were on our way within a couple of hours. It definitely affected how much DEF we were using (in a good way).
No problems since. Must matter who you get when you call Freightliner. We had a very good experience.
Good luck!

bobmac · 05-14-2016, 03:45 PM

Waggonmaster
If you have the Freightliner manual, you can get to a section that will provide you with the actual code. You need to get into the diagnostics section and it will display codes that have occurred - I am not certain if they will be displayed on if the light has gone out. I had the same symptoms as you had - a code occurred as I started to drive and didn't repeat until the next time I started particularly in poor weather.
To make a long story short, my EGR had to be replaced fortunately just before the warranty expired. You might consider getting a ScanGauge- D which will provide additional instrument functionality as well as read codes. It records the "intermittent codes" and stores them. Simple to use and you will have accurate info to solicit Freightliner or Cummins help.
While action might not be required for the code you had it is important that you record the details in the event in case it occurs again. It will make it much easier to secure service if you have a record. The first intermittent codes I had turned out to be for the EGR. It appears that they are prone to failure and it is part of the emissions system. When mine finally failed after numerous ignored warnings, it stuck open severely impairing the operation of the turbo and lost power on hills. Had a slow trip home!
Good luck,

gatorcq · 05-15-2016, 03:47 PM

WagonMaster, unfortunately, you did not provide enough info.
That light indicatives something wrong. Whether big or little no one knows as we need.
Year, Engine. With this info maybe we can start proving items related to YOUR engine and year. THIS is important, anything you get without that info is guess work, and most of it will not be related to your problem.

wagonmaster2 · 05-16-2016, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gatorcq

WagonMaster, unfortunately, you did not provide enough info.
That light indicatives something wrong. Whether big or little no one knows as we need.
Year, Engine. With this info maybe we can start proving items related to YOUR engine and year. THIS is important, anything you get without that info is guess work, and most of it will not be related to your problem.

I always seem to forget the important information. I have a 2015 Cummins ISL 450 HP engine in a 40' Dutch Star. We're trying to get ready for a trip to the mountains in 2-3 weeks and since it will be 100 mile trip to the nearest FL shop I just figured they wouldn't do anything after we got there unless the symptom was showing by then.