R U an RV Mutant too?

[zeelarry]

Long message, but I'm trying to condense it as much as I can.

I would like to pass on some information about the overheating problems Diane has had with HER Mutant RV, for the past two years.

For starters, it's a FREIGHTLINER XCS chassis, with a Cummins Turbocharger, ISB 6.7l, 340hp. Cummins DOES NOT SUPPLY the radiator, CAC, fan, nor fan control & fan clutch. All of these items are supplied by & installed by Freightliner. Okay, now, when it began to overheat, and continued to overheat, I took it to Cummins. Cummins said they couldn't find any problem and that there were not any CODES!!! This was BS, because I have a Silverleaf and showed them the CODES, and all they told me is that they cannot find the reason for overheating. What they failed to tell me was that the problem belongs to Freightliner.

Anyway, I had the coolant system flushed & refilled twice; cleaned the CAC & Radiator front of, in between, and back of] several times. I even bought s high pressure steamer; replaced the thermostat, replaced the radiator cap, as well as an electric fan that attaches to the outside of the radiator. It pulls 3500-4000 cfm, and helped somewhat, until our return from the GC@CL. Yesterday, I took the MH to an Independent Truck shop in for an oil & filter change on the transmission. I figured I would have them look at the cooling system and see if they could find the problem. Well, talked with them today and it took the TECH about 5 minutes to locate the problem.........COOLING FAN CLUTCH!!!!! The ECM was telling the Fan Clutch that the radiator was hot & turn on the FAN. The Fan Clutch told the ECM that it was tired & retired, so it wasn't going to do anymore work!!!!!

So, if you have a Cummins on a Freightliner Chassis, and the CAC & Radiator are sandwiched [Fan blades in front of the CAC, and the CAC is in front of the Radiator, with about a 2" gap between the CAC & Rad], be careful about overheating. It starts our with a slight increase of coolant temps; then the temps will be okay; then the next time you are out, the temps will go way up to cause the warning light to tell you to check engine & tell you that the coolant temp is HOT. If you push it, the engine will derate, STOP DEAD IN ITS TRACK!!!!!

So, if you start to overheat for some unknown reason, have the fan clutch checked by Freightliner or a mechanic that has the tools & knowledge. DO NOT TAKE IT TO CUMMINS, otherwise you will be screwed>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

BTW, this is a common problem, with the fan clutch, but Freightliner will not do anything about it....

[Sky_Boss]

Originally Posted by flaggship1

I have a temp hold on a winter parking lot in RGV. ...
So our patch of "Tex-Mex blacktop" looks like this.
...]

Hello Neighbor! Close enough to throw a rock at. LOL

Better yet, close enough to try to teach Sandee how to cook. Good luck wit dat.

BTW...I was suppose to tease you and tell you we got our Winter Ranch deposit back and found a place next to your lot...I just couldn't do it.

HMMM...the 3 months + 1 free month is what we did last year. It worked out well and we didn't really mind leaving about 8 days early to get to MCD.

It gave us plenty of time to decompress as we went into retirement and just do what we wanted to while we waited for our retirement checks to settle out and our brains to get used to not caring what day of the week it was. LOL

[timarti]

Originally Posted by flaggship1

So what is that, about 2,000 miles from Possum?

That sounds about right! All I know is that it takes seemingly half the trip just to get out of Ontario which goes on forever, then the prairies, then the mountains, then the left coast, lol. Yikes, 45 years since I last drove it. (also continued on up to the Yukon that time, camping in an 8' canvas tent. Made an external A-frame of wood to suspend the tent peak and get rid of the center pole. ah youth!)

[flaggship1]

Originally Posted by Sky_Boss

Hello Neighbor! Close enough to throw a rock at. LOL

Better yet, close enough to try to teach Sandee how to cook. Good luck wit dat.

BTW...I was suppose to tease you and tell you we got our Winter Ranch deposit back and found a place next to your lot...I just couldn't do it.

HMMM...the 3 months + 1 free month is what we did last year. It worked out well and we didn't really mind leaving about 8 days early to get to MCD.

It gave us plenty of time to decompress as we went into retirement and just do what we wanted to while we waited for our retirement checks to settle out and our brains to get used to not caring what day of the week it was. LOL

Ya know they're owned by the same company so maybe you can get em to let ya move. I think the pet area backs up to the Event Center that someone complained on RV reviews was noisy... I asked about it - and got comfy with it - I like music and events - some seats left for Willie Nelson and Family Nov 25th!

As for cooking - we love doing it and will be as best I can tell - park to park about 5 miles west of you. I have it on hold - cause I need to pass a couple Dr visits that were ordered when I had the flu. Feeling like myself again - which is what doc ordered.

K then - will check back in a bit - Annie is calling me. Gotta jump now.... Lol.

[Wayne M]

Originally Posted by CampDaven

Grand words, for sure!
Okay, that does it. Possum gets to plan and organize the next GC.
All in favor give me an "OH YEAH"

OH YEAH!

Originally Posted by timarti

LOL, the Ontario pin is a bit farther north than we are. North Bay, as shown on the map, is the magic spot.

None of the pins are where people actually live. I didn't have that information, only the State. Just think of yourself being lucky that I moved you closer.

Originally Posted by flaggship1

[...]K then - will check back in a bit - Annie is calling me. Gotta jump now.... Lol.

Getting your practice in, eh?

[flaggship1]

Ya got that right Wayne!

Hope ya make it down south this winter - there are sooo many places to choose from. It's hard to decide. Google earth and a phone are your friends. As are helpful folks in the office. The nicest lady - with the patience of a saint - gave me way too much of her time - and she and her husband both went and took pics and emailed to me.

Let's keep fingers crossed that the old heart and respiratory Docs give me a reasonable hall pass!!

[flaggship1]

Hey Zeee / thanks for the heads up on the Cummins / FL issue. We have an ISB 325 Turbo and FL Chassis. I had the radiator pulled - flushed - CAC cleaned etc last year when my turbo was replaced. So fat so good - and knock on mutant wood!

Hope you're squared away!

[Moonrover]

zeelarry ...

Good info concerning the fan clutch. This problem is not reserved for your style cooling system, however. Fan clutch failures pop up on all brands, and ironically, as was your experience, many mechanics overlook the obvious.

When I first learned how the fan clutch operates in the failed state, I was sort of shocked that the engineering design was not to default to fan-clutch lock, rather it goes into free wheeling upon failure.

[slickest1]

Originally Posted by flaggship1

Thanks Dennis. So the trout fit two to a pan but weren't too tasty huh... So here's the secret recipe for camp cooked fresh trout.

Find large flat rock (or two). Build campfire. Get rock good and hot. Toss some bacon on rock. Toss trout filets on top of bacon. Be sure smoke and bacon are generously applied to to filets - add a little pepper - salt if the bacon didn't do that job - and if ya have a lemon ok - but if not you won't miss it. This is my mutant trout method. Been doing it for years. It does take just the right flat rock though....

And thanks again! Glad ya got off and stretched a line. Fishing is mutation in motion!

Usually fresh caught panfrys are very tasty just fried in butter. I have copied that down and will give it a try. Mutants are similar to but not like old dogs as they can learn new tricks.

[Possum]

Originally Posted by flaggship1

So what is that, about 2,000 miles from Possum?

In case you were serious Tina is about 2592.9 miles from our house via the Trans Canada Highway.

[flaggship1]

Originally Posted by Possum

In case you were serious Tina is about 2592.9 miles from our house via the Trans Canada Highway.

Dennis - I knew it was a bit of haul but wasn't sure how far. Guessing was 2k - and I'm starting to learn - when dealing with distance in Canada you add 500 miles In Texas it's only a +100 miles....

[Dogpatch]

Originally Posted by flaggship1

Oh Yeah!
Course he is in Canada - and Les is too - and they're 850 miles apart

In that "apart" you forgot to add a fairly healthy swim. He lives on the island!

[flaggship1]

Originally Posted by slickest1

Usually fresh caught panfrys are very tasty just fried in butter. I have copied that down and will give it a try. Mutants are similar to but not like old dogs as they can learn new tricks.

Can't go wrong where fresh line caught fish or bacon are concerned. Now I do believe the flat rock has a whole lot to do with it! I have found suitably flavored flat rocks in Arkansas - Oklahoma - New Mexico - Colorado - and California - and few other places. I'm sure they're up there where you are too. I never think to take one with me... Doh.

[Dogpatch]

Originally Posted by CampDaven

Makes sense for him to pick a place warmer than where he lives.

Hey.....we don't live in Alaska! I don't know about Possum, but it gets stinkin hot where I live! It hits 90* and over 100* at times.

People from all over Canada flock here for holidays.
We run for shade, swim in our pool for a cooling and then into the A/C'd house.