Diesel engine fumes inside coach

wagonmaster2 · 07-13-2006, 06:42 PM

Has anyone with a late model Winnebago DP experienced engine fumes in the coach while moving down the highway? I have a 2004 Meridian 36G DP. This was evident on our first trip in it and was mentioned to our dealer upon returning home. The tech said he couldn't see anyplace it could get in. Freightliner worked on the exhaust pipes twice and after our dealer went out of business another dealer looked at it and said the same thing. Last November we decided to take it to Forest City. They claimed they found where two panels under the utility compartment didn't come completely together and had a gap between them and they plugged it with something. In June on our first trip since the work at Forest City we discovered fumes are still getting into the coach. I called Forest City today and they said their work is only warranted for 4 months. The fumes get bad enough after 30 minutes to 2 hours of driving (seems to depend on the wind direction) that we get headaches and nausea, and have to stop and air out the coach. This has been our first DP and Winnebago coach, and may well be the last one of either. I'm not sure what to do now. We only have about 17,000 miles on this 2 1/2 year old coach and I'm sure not anxious to take any long trips in it either, which was the original purpose of a DP. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Wagonmaster2
2004 Meridian 36G

wagonmaster2 · 07-13-2006, 06:42 PM

Has anyone with a late model Winnebago DP experienced engine fumes in the coach while moving down the highway? I have a 2004 Meridian 36G DP. This was evident on our first trip in it and was mentioned to our dealer upon returning home. The tech said he couldn't see anyplace it could get in. Freightliner worked on the exhaust pipes twice and after our dealer went out of business another dealer looked at it and said the same thing. Last November we decided to take it to Forest City. They claimed they found where two panels under the utility compartment didn't come completely together and had a gap between them and they plugged it with something. In June on our first trip since the work at Forest City we discovered fumes are still getting into the coach. I called Forest City today and they said their work is only warranted for 4 months. The fumes get bad enough after 30 minutes to 2 hours of driving (seems to depend on the wind direction) that we get headaches and nausea, and have to stop and air out the coach. This has been our first DP and Winnebago coach, and may well be the last one of either. I'm not sure what to do now. We only have about 17,000 miles on this 2 1/2 year old coach and I'm sure not anxious to take any long trips in it either, which was the original purpose of a DP. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Wagonmaster2
2004 Meridian 36G

Ptribbey · 07-14-2006, 04:14 AM

Winnebago has had problems with the A/C duct from the A/C unit to the duct work in the roof. The duct in one section was a two piece design and the duct can leak. If you are going down the road without your air running I would think you could be sucking in air from around the engine area into the coach. Try turning on your house air while traveling and see if this eliminates the problem. Many times you can feel cold air coming from the duct work when you are parked and running the A/C.

If this is the problem you may get Winnebago to fix the duct under warranty.

ichn2go · 07-14-2006, 04:58 AM

I hope that you have all the occurances of this problem and the conversations with Winnie documented.
Call the customer service number ask for Rod if he is unavailable ask that he call you. Start from day one and tell him about the problems you have had.
Put the onus on Winnie and tell him you have got to have it fixed even if you take it to an independant dealer. They are reasonable you just have to talk to the right person and be persistant.
Under no circumstances should you have to put up with diesel fumes in the coach. Good Luck

vicsryd · 07-14-2006, 04:08 PM

Given the number of times someone (Winnie dealer, Freightliner and Winnie factory) has worked on the problem you would be eligble under the lemon law in most states. This is regardless of whether you are curerntly in/out of warranty since you started the complaint back when it was new. Here in Washington State the limit is three repair attempts including the factory, which you've arleady done. Usually the attorney general's web site in your home (RV registered) state will have the details you need.

wagonmaster2 · 07-14-2006, 07:59 PM

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll keep working on Winnebago, but so far all they have suggested is "take it to a local dealer for examination". And that's really the laugh after all the time I've spent at several dealers and Freightliner, but I guess that's the regular response to us customers. Thanks again.
Wagonmaster2

The Shadow · 07-15-2006, 05:11 AM

You might want to contact the NHTSA and file details with them. If this has happened to other Meridian/Journey owners it could provide a big push for Winnie to get the problem fixed properly. In our experience W needs a big push to get certain types of problems resolved properly.

Like me, you didn't spend all that money to have to struggle with something like this. We've taken a break from W with our current MH. We will, in the next few years, downsize as we are buying a park model in Florida. A couple of W Class C units would be candidates but reports like yours and our past experience sure won't move us in their direction. If, and only if, we see a change in their attitude and positive results then we would consider an Aspect or Outlook (or Itasca equivalents).

Don

wagonmaster2 · 07-15-2006, 04:19 PM

I wish we had a decent Winn dealer here in north central Oklahoma. The selling dealer in NW Arkansas closed out 9 months after the purchase. The assuming dealership said he didn't want to waste his time on the coach since the closed dealer had already looked at it twice. The next dealer, in Tulsa, treats non-purchasing customers like third rate people, you go to the bottom of their appointment list and it can take as long as 6 weeks to get in. They won't even walk out into the parking lot and listen to a water pump without an appointment. The Oklahoma City dealer has a reputation in Northern Oklahoma for not fixing problems the first time. I've been told by owners 250 miles away to avoid the dealer in Wichita (only 90 miles from me). And then Winn tells me to take the coach to the local dealer for examination - I almost laughed. I may have to make the 1,400 mile round trip to Forest City again just to get it looked at, hope not. Everyone has had excellent suggestions, including going to NHTSA. My biggest worry is passing out while driving if the fumes accumulate too much without the usual odor.
Wagonmaster2

traveler of california · 07-16-2006, 04:35 PM

I used the dealer in Wichita to fix my slide issue and they were very good. Prompt, polite and reasonable. It isn't a big place or fancy, but I would return. By the way I was an out of state customer.

Nick, '01 Journey

CC38EL · 07-17-2006, 02:48 AM

I'm not sure how you gain access to your engine from inside the coach. But your bedroom setup looks similar to mine (bed over storage comparment with engine access covers inside).

I had fumes on one occasion and it turned out to be the engine covers under the bed. In addition to bolts that hold the cover down, there are also seals that mate with the access edges, sort of like interlocking lips. The panels appeared to be tight and down, but in actuality, the seals had been pinched and there was an opening that allowed engine compartment air and exhaust to enter the bedroom.

We didn't see the gaps until a technician put a light on top the engine and we closed the blinds.

Jim

Kiwi · 07-17-2006, 04:52 AM

Any of the following can cause this problem:
1) Rear slide not sealing correctly, or slightly extended.
2) Rear emergency exit window toggle handles not fully dogged down.
3) Leak in AC ducting that "sucks" a bit of fume in.
4) Your muffler is disconnected from exhaust pipe. (there was an undocumented recall on this - clamp design was bad.)

MrTransistor · 07-17-2006, 03:12 PM

Hi All,

I can attest to Kiwi's comment about disconnected exhaust pipe. On our 03 Journey, one of the couplings in the exhaust system had been installed incorrectly (very small slit) and allowed exhaust fumes and lots of soot into the coach. There was so much soot that I attributed an inverter failure to the problem. I helped the Freightliner technician install a new coupling and with it properly centered, the problem and smell were gone.

vicsryd · 07-17-2006, 04:16 PM

Since there was no response to my lemon law suggestion does this mean Oklahoma doesn't have a decent lemon law?

On the other hand if it does and you've documented your visits then all you need to do to get Winnie to take action is tell them your filing a lemon law arbitration. They'll spend dollars finding and fixing the problem long before they'll pay the legal expenses of having to be present (and lose) an arbitration hearing.

wagonmaster2 · 07-19-2006, 06:16 PM

Thanks for all the excellent suggestions. Freightliner worked on the exhaust twice, replacing several clamps once and one of the flex pipes another time then sprayed all joints and connections with a soapy solution while the engine was running so I think surely they would have found any leaks (maybe?). We have a mat covering all the metal under the bed so we can use it for storage and have so much stuff on top of the mat its hard to believe anything could leak past it. Everything under the bed was removed for Winny to inspect and look for the leak while we were at Forest City and they didn't find any leak around the seals but I will try the light on top of the engine. The fumes get in whether we run the basement air or not but seems to be worse if we are running the front air on Max (all inside circulation) and least if the front air is on vent (bringing in outside air) which is bad if weather is hot and we need maximum cooling. It also helps to open the drivers or passengers side window slightly, but then again doesn't do much for maximum cooling. I tried to shine a light around the closet slide-out from the outside while its closed but its really hard to get in any kind of position inside to see all around it. Winny also checked both slide-outs for water leaks and found nothing. The air leak they did find was underneath on the drivers side of the engine which was leaking into the utility compartment and eventually into the coach. Once they found something they must have stopped looking for any more. I'll double check the rear windows. I have never heard of any kind of Lemon Law in Oklahoma but will check on that also. Too bad I can't fill the coach with somekind of odorless smoke and watch outside where it comes out. I'm writing a letter to Winny following up my phone call to see what else they might come up with, but the least will probably be to bring the coach back to Forest City. As if all we have to do is run back and forth 1,400 miles spending $500 each time. By the time they get through hasseling me around I'll be so frustrated and fed up with it I'll just get rid of it. You've all been swell to respond with so many suggestions. I don't know if a letter to NHTSA would do any good.
Wagonmaster2

CHIPPYSGT · 07-20-2006, 04:31 AM

Could it be fumes from your generator? If it's up front like mine you might be getting fumes thru one of the many holes in the firewall that allow wiring, tubing, etc. access.

Just a thought.

Ptribbey · 07-20-2006, 05:56 AM

I just remembered a story I heard from a CAT owner that may apply, or at least be something you might want to check. The complaint the CAT owner had was overheating on hard pulls. He went from Frieghtliner dealer to Freightliner dealer and finally they discovered that the radiator fan was mounted backwards. It was sucking air rather than pushing air like it is suppose to do. I would think this situation would also pressurize the engine compartment and in turn more exhaust would seep into the coach. I know this might be a long shot, but I doubt anyone would suspect this and check. The CAT owner said the mismounted fan came that way from the factory. It will only take a minute to check the direction the air is moving through the radiator.

wagonmaster2 · 07-20-2006, 07:07 PM

We run the generator very little while actually traveling, and the fumes happen when its not running. I know the fan is blowing outward as I almost get blown away when checking the transmission fluid with the engine running. All such good suggestions. Its scary to think how many different problems can happen to an RV. Thanks for any and all suggestions.
Wagonmaster2