“Please Wait”

[NewmarKate]

When I purchased and test drove my 2021 Kountry Star 3709 the salesman told me and showed me the “Please wait “ on the dash before starting the engine. He said it is warming the glow plugs. Ok, got it-simple. Then, start engine when “please wait” goes off. Well, I live in Indio, Ca. (Hell on earth&#129397. So, when I turn on key to “acc” I only get warning bells alerting me to my tanks airing up. What happened to “Please wait”? Are the glow plugs already warmed up?

[RVStitchy]

For our 2020 Kountry Star on a Freight Liner chassis I go with the audible tone. When I first turn the key on I get a ding-dong tone for about 5 seconds or so. I think the check engine light is on but would need to look again to confirm. Once the ding dong ends I turn the engine on. Then I get the continuous screaming alarm while the tanks get up to 75 PSI pressure. Maybe you have a Spartan and it is different.

[Skip426]

The " Wait to start " isn't a glow plugs cycle , Cummins engines use a grid heater, not glow pugs ( think of it as a toaster in the intake manifold)warming the air to aid starting in COLD weather . Below approx 45f it will come on , above that temp it's not necessary .

[jarwiebe]

Originally Posted by NewmarKate

When I purchased and test drove my 2021 Kountry Star 3709 the salesman told me and showed me the “Please wait “ on the dash before starting the engine. He said it is warming the glow plugs. Ok, got it-simple. Then, start engine when “please wait” goes off. Well, I live in Indio, Ca. (Hell on earth&#129397. So, when I turn on key to “acc” I only get warning bells alerting me to my tanks airing up. What happened to “Please wait”? Are the glow plugs already warmed up?

Only comes on when ignition is turned on, not on "acc".

[NCC-1701A]

Originally Posted by NewmarKate

So, when I turn on key to “acc” I only get warning bells alerting me to my tanks airing up.

I don't think your tanks will air up with the key turned to ACC. Your engine would need to be running for the pump to be pumping air into your tanks and building pressure. The warning bells are probably to tell you that your air pressure is not yet high enough to inflate the air bags and/or release your air brakes. If you watch your two air pressure gauges and those bells turn off when the pressure hits somewhere around 70 - 75 PSI, that's it.

As already stated, the pre-heat function doesn't always come on. Only when below a pre-set temp of the engine. If you are traveling in very cold weather and shut the engine off for a break, it won't come on again if you restart while the engine is still above the preset temp.

[New2road]

There are a tremendous number of sensors and inputs the Control Modules are waking up and then sorting out prior to being in a stable operate mode. Giving them a few seconds to warm up enable the cycles to fully execute. In your temps, no preheat is needed but giving the beast a few seconds to power up and normalize will help with the reliability of the electronic components.

cheers

[NewmarKate]

Originally Posted by NCC-1701A

I don't think your tanks will air up with the key turned to ACC. Your engine would need to be running for the pump to be pumping air into your tanks and building pressure. The warning bells are probably to tell you that your air pressure is not yet high enough to inflate the air bags and/or release your air brakes. If you watch your two air pressure gauges and those bells turn off when the pressure hits somewhere around 70 - 75 PSI, that's it.

As already stated, the pre-heat function doesn't always come on. Only when below a pre-set temp of the engine. If you are traveling in very cold weather and shut the engine off for a break, it won't come on again if you restart while the engine is still above the preset temp.

Thank you, my mistake, I wrote “acc” but was really “on”

[Clemson]

Can't believe what salesman try and tell owners...if your Cummins engines are from the last decade, they do not have glow plugs!! It normal for the check engine yellow light to stay illuminated for 5 to 10 seconds AFTER the ignition key is switched to the one position. do not start until yellow CE lights goes out!!

[wolfe10]

Originally Posted by Clemson

Can't believe what salesman try and tell owners...if your Cummins engines are from the last decade, they do not have glow plugs!!

Correct. It (same for other engine brands) use an INTAKE MANIFOLD HEATER instead of glow plugs. Yes, small diesels, like on most diesel generators do still use glow plugs.

[Old-Biscuit]

Salesman's info was correct...just used wrong nomenclature
Glow Plugs is more common term for diesels vs Grid Heater

Both preform same concept....pre-warning in cool temps

On Cummins.....intake air temp below 66*F the Grid Heaters will come on
You can easily tell when they get energized by watching the Battery Voltage Gauge----------2 grid heaters pull voltage way down

[Dutch Star Don]

"NewmarKate"....once you turn your key to "ON", all the lights on the dash will illuminate to tell you that they're working. On my last two Freightliners, a yellow check engine light (mil) will stay illuminated longer than the others, about 20 seconds. If yours does the same thing, you need to wait until that light goes out. It's an indicator that basically, your computers are talking to each other. Once it goes out, you're ready to start. If you start before the yellow light goes out, you'll typically get a check engine (yellow) about 30 minutes down the road. You'll have to wait for 5 restarts of the engine before it will go out.

As others have said, you have a heater inside the engine manifold. Living where you do, you'll rarely have it come on. When it does, you may see the "Wait to Start" indicator. If you're watching your gauges in cold weather, you may also see the "Volt" meter on your dash, drop way down and the back to about 13 volts. This is caused by that grid heater drawing a tremendous amount of amperage, momentarily. This is perfectly normal.

Not that you would ever do it, but in the old days when a diesel didn't want to start, they would spray either into the engine. With a modern diesel and grid heaters, spraying either into a cold diesel could cause a big bang!

If you're on a Freightliner chassis, there is a phone APP called Freightliner 24/7 Direct. It has all the dash indicators listed and what each one means. It has the Freightliner 24/7 800 number and a few other features.

Another source for info.....if you look through your Freightliner stuff that came with the coach, there is a Freightliner white credit card with a bmp at one end. That bump is a storage card, that can be removed and plugged into a USB card reader. It has the entire Freightliner Manual on it.

[Suburbazine]

I generally just wait for the DEF lights to finish their cycle before cranking. I read in Freightliner's manuals somewhere you can actually get the dash into a diagnostic warning state if you crank the engine before it finishes the startup sequence.