Diesel Idling- Why?

[DanSebastian]

I would like to know why some folks with diesel pushers need to idle their coaches for extended periods of time before the leave the RV park. I've seen people start up their coach and then proceed to do all the things required before hitting the road. i.e put in slides, retract levelers, drain tanks, disconnect water, disconnect power, all while the coach is idling.
WHY???
I have a diesel pusher and don't start the coach until I'm ready to put in my slides and retract the levelers. That takes at MAX 10 minutes and I'm gone. There is nothing more annoying than a noisy diesel idling when not necessary. Please consider fellow RVers.

Thank you.

Dan

[Skip426]

Welcome to iRV2 , Dan

In my case you're preaching to the choir .
Nearly everything gets done before I flash up the Cat , pull forward , hook up the toad ( after shutting down ) then idle out of the RV park .
The only time , I idle up the coach( 3-5 mins) is when I've over-nighted in a rest area, and want to see the temp gauge move before pulling onto the freeway.

Most owners never read their engine owners manual , and figure their modern diesel is the same as their grandfathers tractor on the farm .

[lorim]

Personally I need to air up.. I do have a slow leak though, so if I sit overnight I need to pump back the 120-lbs of air pressure needed so my air breaks release. Also need a few more lbs to air up the suspension air bags because it all gets dumped before leveling. But even with my older unit with a bit of a leak.. 10 minutes is about all it takes.

[geordi]

Originally Posted by lorim

Personally I need to air up.. I do have a slow leak though, so if I sit overnight I need to pump back the 120-lbs of air pressure needed so my air breaks release. Also need a few more lbs to air up the suspension air bags because it all gets dumped before leveling. The system only produce air when the engine is running

Most of the higher line coaches have automatic air releases on the tanks so that as soon as the jacks are raising the body even just a bit, the air is being dumped whether you like it or not. You might have the same - it isn't a leak so much as it is by design.

It doesn't take more than about 10 minutes to pump up, mine does the same thing (auto dump) and doesn't leak down overnight if I haven't used the jacks and left it ready to run.

I might start it up before pulling in the walls and certainly have it idle while retracting the jacks so that it has power and isn't further losing air... But it also doesn't take me more than 10 minutes to pull the hoses / power cable / retract the slides... What are these people doing that takes longer than that?

[charliez]

Diesel engines do take longer to warm up, and it's a good idea to do so. Maybe not for hours tho. It's is also a good idea to idle them after a long run. The turbo will be very hot and the oil can be cooked into sludge inside that turbo if it's not allowed to cool. You can actually add cool down timers where you turn the key off and walk away and the engine will still run for a preset time or a preset temp is reached.

[Tizbad]

I only idle long enough to build enough air pressure so that it can achieve "ride height". Then, I shut it off and retract all slides. After this is when I remove water hoses and the electrical cord. This eliminates head banging.
Most diesel engines (as documented by Caterpillar) use about one gallon per hour when they idle.
The only other time I let it idle for a couple of minutes, is after pulling off of the interstate for a Rest Area or fuel, to let the turbo cool down.

[TXiceman]

Truthfully, they only need to idle long enough to get the air system up to pressure for the air bags and air brakes. Pull out of the park slowly and don't get down hard on the engine. Take it up to speed slowly and let it warn up as you drive.

Ken

[Spdracr39]

I also have to idle it to air it up then shut it off so I can retract the slides and get ready to leave. I will start it back and let it idle to do my final walk around then I'm off to hook up the toad.

[winniman]

Welcome to rving. They will also let their dogs crap all over, cut through your campsite, make noise when you want quiet, smoke big cigars, and send campfire smoke though your campsite. No point in worrying yourself about what others are doing. If you let it bother you, you wont enjoy rving. Just saying.

[SlowJoe]

Originally Posted by DanSebastian

I would like to know why some folks with diesel pushers need to idle their coaches for extended periods of time before the leave the RV park. I've seen people start up their coach and then proceed to do all the things required before hitting the road. i.e put in slides, retract levelers, drain tanks, disconnect water, disconnect power, all while the coach is idling.
WHY???
I have a diesel pusher and don't start the coach until I'm ready to put in my slides and retract the levelers. That takes at MAX 10 minutes and I'm gone. There is nothing more annoying than a noisy diesel idling when not necessary. Please consider fellow RVers.

Thank you.

Dan

First post and you start out like this?



Nothing more annoying than a diesel engine idling? You must live a charmed life if that is the most annoying thing you must endure. I would suggest that you consider your fellow Rvers also have minds of their own and are free to do things as they choose. You may be happier if you recognize this and do not allow the actions of others to affect your day.



Welcome to the forum.

[HJLowell]

Originally Posted by TXiceman

Truthfully, they only need to idle long enough to get the air system up to pressure for the air bags and air brakes. Pull out of the park slowly and don't get down hard on the engine. Take it up to speed slowly and let it warn up as you drive.

Ken

Correct Ken
100 percent

[TonyMac]

I fire mine up, and do my "Lights and Last Chance Walk Around". By the time I get back in the seat a minute or two later, it's aired up and warm enough so that when I exit the park to the surface streets and finally make it to the freeway, it's at operating temps. Cool down takes place on the descent from freeway speeds, the trek thru town, and the idle thru the park to my spot. Simple, effective and efficient.

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi Dan! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

If I need to air my tires from the on-board compressor I do that the day before we are to leave, and during the day when hopefully it won't disturb our neighbors. On the morning we are leaving, I get all the outside work done, then start the engine long enough to build the air up for travel! Have fun and keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[Itchytoe]

Originally Posted by DanSebastian

I would like to know why some folks with diesel pushers need to idle their coaches for extended periods of time before the leave the RV park. I've seen people start up their coach and then proceed to do all the things required before hitting the road. i.e put in slides, retract levelers, drain tanks, disconnect water, disconnect power, all while the coach is idling.
WHY???
I have a diesel pusher and don't start the coach until I'm ready to put in my slides and retract the levelers. That takes at MAX 10 minutes and I'm gone. There is nothing more annoying than a noisy diesel idling when not necessary. Please consider fellow RVers.

Thank you.

Dan

I sure wish an idling diesel engine was my biggest worry. I just had to replace the black tank drain because I caught something and managed to rip it out of the tank and break it to little pieces. (Had to replace some of the grey system too.) Luckily, I gave it a good cleaning the day before, but a cleaned black tank is still a black tank...
And I get to replace some leveling jacks tomorrow because I managed to bend the snot out of them too. What the heck did I hit?