Low MPG and diesel smell in cab

[gthiessen]

DV also a way to rid the fumes in the cab is put your heater controls on recirculation were you get no fresh outside air. I've experienced the smell also on trucks on the lot and this seams to get rid of the smell. I know the 2nd gen trucks also have this problem. Hope this helps Greg Thiessen Dealing very, very close to invoice. Oo.

 

[DBVZ]

Oil level is fine, and smells like oil. The extension of the breather hose would just mask the problem, if it works at all. I am hoping the dealership will find a solution that will both remove the smell and improve the fuel efficiency.

 

[DBVZ]

This was disappointing. The dealer found nothing wrong. They now say the oder is normal (again) and the solution is leave the H/AC on recirc instead of vent. They are back to saying it is engine parts preservative coating burning off, even though it smells like raw diesel and I have almost 3500 miles on it now. No help at all with the MPG issue.



I can deal with the recirc issue, but it seems odd they would have it designed so it causes problems when used as directed. If you can't use the vent setting, why have it available?



Any other ides to improve MPG? Someone suggested adding an Edge box could help. True?

 

[dnitzel]

Originally posted by DBVZ

This is getting worse. The last tank was just under 13 mpg, and the computer is now showing 11-12 mpg most of the time. It went to the dealer today, and the service guy agrees the diesel smell we get in the cab is NOT normal.

Same here on the mileage. 2500 on the OD. 12. 8 mpg rather consistently in town, and on the highway. Our local government has the traffic lights set up so that you stop at all of them. Just as well be 4 way stops. Towed my trailer last week, only 250 miles, 10 mpg.

 

[mr plow]

mileage.

initially, my mileage sucked. i was constantly plowing or driving back and forth stop and go. now that my plow is off, annd driving is more on the normal side, i have seen a mileage increase of about 2-3 mpg. i am now around 14-15 mpg which is more on the normal side. do you run anything additional in your fuel? i regularly use stanadyne performance formula. also could be the quality of the diesel near you.



just my . 02c.



regards.



plow.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

I drove my neighbors new 2003 CTD 3500 HO 6 spd. yesterday. He was complaining that the last tank of fuel only averaged 11 mpg for around town driving - empty.



I think I will keep my 2002. I got 11 mpg pulling my 8,000 lb. 5th wheel trailer to Bristol, TN and back at 66 mph.



He sure had the power though.

 

[Dean Upson]

I suspect that your neighbor may have not filled the tank completely on the previous fill up. My mileages have run just about the same with the '03 as they did on my '94 and '98. 5. If he is getting that low mileage consistantly, he either keeps his foot in it or there is something that should be looked at. Just my opinion .



Dean

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

DBVZ, like I was mentioning, Rob Hanson or any of the NW BOMBers would be glad to give your truck a good looking over. Sometimes another good set of eyes can help. Rob lives just a few miles from you. PM me for directions. Someone will be glad to help. I'm going to post this on www.nwbombers.com



Vaughn



EDIT: Thread on NW BOMBers

 

[Diesel Freak]

As Vaughn was saying, we will gladly look over your truck... if you are in the area this Saturday there is a mini BOMB party ar Rob's.



http://www.nwbombers.com/board/ikonboard.cgi?s=3e8c83105e50ffff;act=ST;f=1;t=2773

 

[DBVZ]

Vaughn,

Thank you for your help. I will not be back in Washington for a few more months. It came back from the dealer and seemed to be running more efficiently, though they did not say they adjusted anything. I am not using any additive in the fuel. I may extend the breather vent tube behind the cab if I keep getting that smell, but I will try the recirc setting first. Is no one else dealing with this diesel smell problem? If it is "normal", it should also be common.

 

[Parshal]

Originally posted by gthiessen

DV also a way to rid the fumes in the cab is put your heater controls on recirculation were you get no fresh outside air.

Where is the button to allow fresh air in? All I have is an AC button. I miss that about my Toy***. I'd leave it on warm and have the vent open so I got a little air circulation. I've not figured out how to do that on this truck.

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

DBVZ, I smell my blowby fumes pretty strongly in the cab as well, although it doesn't smell like raw diesel at all to me. Well if you're getting better mileage then maybe all is OK.



I'm thinking about rerouting my blowby hose. Kinda lame design if you ask me. It was better the way it was, but with the engine redesign the accessory belt passes right in front of where the hose used to come from. I'm not too wild about the valve cover and plastic cover, especially considering Cummins put their all-important Engine Data plate right on the plastic cover. How dumb is that??

 

[davidclark]

DBVZ, in your original post you said you use cruise control alot. Try going a tank without using CC, and it should improve. CC absolutely kills MPG...

 

[dnitzel]

Originally posted by Parshal

Where is the button to allow fresh air in? All I have is an AC button. I miss that about my Toy***. I'd leave it on warm and have the vent open so I got a little air circulation. I've not figured out how to do that on this truck.

The HVAC in the normal mode (> 8:00 on the control dial) brings in fresh air through the cowling unless you have it in the recirc mode, counter clockwise at 7:00 and 8:00, which is cabin air from under the dash. On most American style auto HVAC, fresh air is introduced into the cabin via the cowling in normal mode all the time unless the recirc button was pushed or was on max air. My brother who is an engineer insists that if you use the max air button on his Suburue it reduces his milage. He thinks it kicks in the extra AC unit?! I told him that all it does is change the HVAC air inlet from the cowling to the cab.



In the '03 Dodge, I would guess that the fumes are being sucked through the engine compartment up into the cowling or around the outside of the vehicle then into the cowling. The cabins on the '03 are pretty draft free and air tight. Maybe they could be reduced if the HVAC was used in the recirc mode at 7:00 or 8:00. But, with the lack of fresh air, the windows will have tendency to fog up in cool and cold weather. A person can crack the read windows for some extra air as well or open the sliding rear window.

 

[DBVZ]

David Clark,



Thanks for the tip about the cruise. The trip home from the dealer, that looked better, was without cruise on so that may be part if the problem. Seems odd, since once you get to speed, cruise should be a more steady throttle control than the foot. In big rigs I understood cruise was encouraged for economy.



Thanks for the suggestions. I get much better advice here than from the dealership.

 

[The Frankster]

DVBZ,



Remember when you had the "Cruise" on with your gasser? Remember going up a slight grade and the cruise kicked you into passing gear? The cruise does the same thing with the diesel. It still shoves the accelerator to the floor but the diesel doesn't go into passing gear... it just eats the raw fuel like a hungry teenage boy>>>>Cruise is great for the Kansas flats... not good for hills and the like! Just my experience...



Frankster :-{}

 

[DBVZ]

That makes sense. Of course the alternative to more fuel climbing, is to slow down. I guess I could try that.

 

[JDalton]

I don't think diesel is what you are smelling. I have driven a number of new units on test drives and they seem to have a protective coating on the engine similar to cosmoline. The less miles the more smell as this coating burns off. Has a strong but different smell than diesel. Check one out at a dealer, especially the exhaust manifold which looks like it ha a layer of wax on it.

 

[davidclark]

CC would work better if it had a "look ahead" capability. Like it sees the big hill ahead so it powers up *before* it gets to the hill, not halfway up it. And same for downhill, save fuel be anticipating the gravity feature on the downhill side... But that's in the far future, because the oil company's conspiracy to keep fossil fuel vehicles inefficent which creates more profit for them in the long run...



As for the cosmoline burning smell, that's what the service dept told me when I took mine back with what looked and smelled like oil on the manifold. They added dye to the oil and checked for leaks, none found. No smell after about 700 miles... Now at 9500 and loving every mile of it!!!Oo.

 

[DBVZ]

No smell after 700? I am at 3700 now, and the smell in the cab was stopped by setting the ac to recirc, and was the same from mile 37 through 3700. The smell I got is very much like raw diesel. After 3700 miles I doubt it is the coating still baking on or burning off.