2008 Cummins ISC 360 first drive report

[rotts4u]

I was a bit worried about getting a new emission engine due to the first year blues but so far after a few hundred miles all is well. The big Cummins really cranks out the torque and at super low rpms. On most of the steep grades I drove up yesterday it stayed in 6th and sometimes it would drop to 5th with rpms in the 1500-1800 range down in the meat of the torque curve. Only once on a very steep and long grade did it drop to 4th.

I have not yet been able to check economy but the gauge is showing 8.8 on my first day. Taking into account the odometer that is underestimating the miles that seems pretty good. The new clutch fan design must be working to increase efficiency.

So far no issues at all on this combo and I will try to post later on MPG data.

Don

[rotts4u]

I was a bit worried about getting a new emission engine due to the first year blues but so far after a few hundred miles all is well. The big Cummins really cranks out the torque and at super low rpms. On most of the steep grades I drove up yesterday it stayed in 6th and sometimes it would drop to 5th with rpms in the 1500-1800 range down in the meat of the torque curve. Only once on a very steep and long grade did it drop to 4th.

I have not yet been able to check economy but the gauge is showing 8.8 on my first day. Taking into account the odometer that is underestimating the miles that seems pretty good. The new clutch fan design must be working to increase efficiency.

So far no issues at all on this combo and I will try to post later on MPG data.

Don

[vicsryd]

Per your other post, this is a Tiffen Phaeton, right?

Any chance you could provide pictures of the new cooling fan setup?

[rotts4u]

Yes it is on the 2008 Phaeton but I am not sure I can access the fan area well enough for a photo on the rear radiator. I have not specifically looked at the old one but did read the new one has a fan clutch. Is that enough that one could actually see a difference? Or is there something else I can see?

Ill try to get some pics but I am traveling a bit away from the coach for now so it will be a bit before I can get the pics

[vicsryd]

I've seen a couple of retrofits of the Horton clutch fan drive and the difference is quite visible/obvious. My interest is because there are several folks looking to do retrofits and FL supposedly is coming out with a kit. We are trying to get a sense of what changed to know if it's a DIY or have to pay FL or CAT or Cummins to do the work.

You'll either need to get on a crawler and go underneath or shoot down from the service hatch using a digital camera to get shots of the general cooling fan/shroud area behind the engine. I found when I did this for some shots I had to just hold the camera into the abyss and shoot blind.

We'll also need a shot from the rear with the service access open so we can get a sense of how they have repositioned the cooling package in general. From what I read everything (engine, radiator, etc.) is lower so now the bedroom floor and service hatch is flat.

[rotts4u]

I didnt have time to remove panels etc but did crawl under it and grabbed a few pics tonight.

http://s179.photobucket.com/albums/w320/edonsmith/

I know this is not exactly what you wanted but perhaps it will help you some. I just didnt have time to do the full deal.

I also included a pic of the front discs too.

[vicsryd]

The pics are great. The fact you could get such a clear shot of the fan/clutch says something about the new lower placement of the engine.

In the one pic you can see the bracket that holds the electrical interface to the spinning clutch which lets the ECU tell it how much to engage.

The other change I noticed is they relocated the coolant reservoir tank so it is better shielded from sunlight (also a little harder to get to). UV exposure has shown the tanks to degrade and crack.

And the disc brakes are way cool.

I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't I'm jealous.