Community Forums

EngineerMike · 03-28-2006, 08:11 AM

What is the oil fill volume you ISL owners are getting?
I just did my 5K service and got 29 quarts incl. filter change, and the dipstick shows overfull by approx. the height of the cross-hatch (i.e. over the word full by 3/8" or so).
Add that to the grease mess in coach & damage to the screen door latch, I don't suppose I'll use Future Ford (WRV's recommended service location in Sacramento) again.

EngineerMike · 03-28-2006, 08:11 AM

What is the oil fill volume you ISL owners are getting?
I just did my 5K service and got 29 quarts incl. filter change, and the dipstick shows overfull by approx. the height of the cross-hatch (i.e. over the word full by 3/8" or so).
Add that to the grease mess in coach & damage to the screen door latch, I don't suppose I'll use Future Ford (WRV's recommended service location in Sacramento) again.

Mike & Nancy · 03-28-2006, 09:00 AM

Mike.....
We have 04 with 400ISL....had oil changed at "Homecoming" by Cummins Northwest. They had to remark dipstick because ours was overfilled. I do not have paperwork with me at this time to be able to tell you how many quarts. I would suggest calling Cummins Northwest in Yakima to get exact quantity of oil.

Mike

swansnest · 03-28-2006, 10:39 AM

Hi Mike ... We took it to Coach Care for both our oil changes and they put 27 quarts in it. We now have synthetic Ams Oil- 530 series 3000 in it (specifially designed for heavy duty diesel engines). Mike Young says to put 26 qts in and leave it a little low.

Tris

EngineerMike · 03-28-2006, 11:05 AM

Mike- Thanks. I sent a fax to WRV to figger out the dipstick calibration from their point of view. I was worried that the '06 elimination of the service bay closure panel (no neat white metal panel separating service points from road grime like on previous coaches) also changed the dipstick offset and that early 06 units might have an old dipstick. But if yours has same symptom, the 06 change is not the source.

Tris- From the Aguanga Gearhead Session, I recall the "oil carryover" discussion, in which Cummins NW said that the engine does not like to be overfull, but don't worry as it will correct that problem for you (via blow-by

). Didn't want a gallon or so of overfill blown by, hence the original post. Sounds like I have a regulation fill, but non-regulation dipstick. Also sounds like a bit of an underfill is a good idea.

I'll follow up when it is definitive. Thanks.

Gary Arnold · 03-28-2006, 07:47 PM

I have 02 400ISL and use 27 Qts with filter change.

Gary

Mike & Nancy · 03-29-2006, 02:49 PM

Mike....Just checked my Invoice from Cummins Northwest (Mike Young) for my oil change in 04 400 ISL. Per mechanic OEM dipstick calibrated incorrectly. Calibrated and remarked dipstick to proper level, 24 quarts High and 20 quarts Low. Total is 27 Quarts of oil with filter. Hope this helps.

Mike

jerry davis · 04-02-2006, 12:52 PM

Another interesting point on the ISL oil level. I thought my 05 was using quite a bit of oil as I was adding a quart every 500 miles or so. Turns out the plastic dip stick tube was not secured to the engine and had been slowly backing off giving me increasingly false readings. I eventually was 8 qts high before I discovered the problem (thanks to Mike Young of Cummins at the Pomona FMCA show). I suggest checking the dipstick if anyone has strange level readings.

Jerry Davis 05FDDS

EngineerMike · 04-03-2006, 01:19 PM

Jerry- Thanks for the tip. I shoulda checked that yesterday while I had the "hood" (aka bed) up. My level is headed the other direction (too full per the stick), but its easy enough to check, & I need the weight training. Maybe if I make it a regular regimen, I can enter the Olympic Bed Lift?
Still waiting to hear from WRV on their hypothesis.
One thing I heard @ the Aguanga gearhead session that didn't sound right was the oil usage spec for Cummins. It was so outa whack I didn't write it down; thought I heard it wrong. Nope- 1 quart/250 miles is "OK" per the Cummins Troubleshooting & Maintenance manual

Holy greased pig, Batman!

jerry davis · 04-04-2006, 02:48 PM

Mike- No way for for quart/250 miles usage. When I was speaking with Mike Young in Pomona he thought that if I was using a quart/500 it was too much. By the way, you can easily see where the plastic dipstick extension attaches to the block from the bay where the air filter and dipsticks are located. If you can see any silver (there is about a two inch steel tube attached at the factory) then the plastic is not set correctly. The plastic extension is supposed to bottom out against the block.
Mike also thought that I should have had oil out the blow by since I was at least 8 qts high but I never had a drop anywhere on the external parts of the engine.

Jerry Davis
05 36'FDDS

EngineerMike · 04-06-2006, 10:35 AM

Jerry- In terms of actual blow-by experience, Young's Aguanga comment is probably aimed at existing ISC owners. The ISL, at least the 05 engine builds (for 06 coaches), come with an engine breather blow-by control system similar to the Air-Sep systems used in yachts for some time now. Imagine the trouble w/blow-by in an enclosed engine compartment on a boat- not pretty. So Cummins started to install a similar package (see the Cummins ISL Flyer, upper left of 1st page; the gizmo on top of the valve cover is the main part of the system).
Also, Young noted that the Cummins spec (qt/250 mi), if experience by a motorhomer, would likely cause a "discussion" initiated by the customer. And Cummins would likely listen, to see if it was a Cummins problem.

As to my problem, I heard from WRV yesterday & the matter is being referred to CumminsNW for a closer look. I'm very satisfied w/the response on this. Its looking like the tech may have overfilled the engine & lied about the volume, but WRV is participating to make sure it isn't a WRV/Cummins problem w/the engine (wrong oil pan, bad dipstick calibration...).

EngineerMike · 04-10-2006, 03:37 PM

Mike Young from Cummins NW confirmed today that ISL fill should be 24 quarts plus 3 if changing the filter for 27 total. Also that dipstick Add mark indicates down 4 quarts.
Not sure why that's less than the 29 advertised by Cummins for the ISL.
Also not sure why the dipstick didn't check the dipstick after he put the oil in to see that engine was properly full, but that's not entirely related to Cummins engineering.