New Engine on the way

[Grizzly]

I always heard "high volume" is the best. I guess I should try some fuel from another place, but I'll tell you straight up that the price increase is hard to swallow when you're filling up with over 100 gallons of fuel. I can get it at the Flying J for about $2. 19 and everywhere else it's $2. 47 or better, at least around Tucson and Phoenix. That's an extra $28 on one fill-up. I may give it a try after I burn up all this Flying J fuel I have in the tank right now.



How about Love's (Texaco I think)??? Any opinions?



Anybody else care to weigh in on this?

I've had problems with Loves in Albuquerque on my '95 very much as described on post #18. On a tip from a diesel mechanic, I switched to Chevron and I got better mileage and best yet, the engine sounded better and less smoke on startups and heavy aceserations.

 

[tractorseller]

I have to make a tractor delivery to Phoenix tomorrow morning. I'll start using some other fuel and see what happens. I guess it can't hurt to try. I sure hate to get bent over like that on diesel prices, but there are worse things I guess. I'll submit to the rip-off a time or two and post the results here.

 

[tschwab]

when I start it in the morning and smokes out everything within 50 yards with the old white smoke (smells terrific :-laf ). It gets worse every week.

Same exact thing here, goes into the dealer on the 26th, I actually have to drop it off on Christmas, so it can sit over night for the "Cold Start". What a pain. Really beginning to wish I would have kept my 12V.

 

[EDankievitch]

Dodge Warrentys suck

Hi everyone,

Just thought i would put in my two cents about my experience with dodge and the "star" system. I had a 2002 ram diesel it developed an oil leak (timing gear box gasket). Back to the dealer for warranty in the process they indexed the cam or the injection pump wrong. The computer could compensate and it would almost run good when warm. but the idle was rough when cold and the temp was a lot hotter than normal and it would lose power and die after a while. I had all kinds of trouble codes and the dealer replaced a lot of injection pumps and sensors all according to "star's procudure" the last staw was when they replaced the turbo and it fell off on the way home from the dealer!!! Now I'm a marine diesel tec and I also teach diesel engines at the local trade school, dodge told me that I had no clue about what was going on with my truck, and they had to do what dodge said to do. They never were able to fix the truck only make it worse. Daimler Chrysler told me to take it (the truck) to a different dealer. I try-ed to all the dealers told me "I did not buy it there, They would not service it". Some warranty program. I traded in the truck at a big loss just to get something that would run. And I'm still fighting with dodge to get reimbursed. Cummins is a great engine just don't let the dealers (Dodge) fix them, they have no clue. Hope you all have a better experience and may be some one is reading this and can change things so this does not happen again to me or someone else. And the "The Big Three" wonder why the imports are beating them, product support???!!! Thanks for letting me vent Ed

New truck 05 quad cab with 6 speed stick nice truck but headlights poor

 

[NicholsJ]

I have an 03 common rail I just recently experianced engine failure with 50000 miles and dodge voide my warranty because of an inoperable blow off valve,they also couldnt tell me how the failure happened or what the cause was. The engine is locked up and they tore down the top half of engine and did not reassemble it. Well i was inspecting it and found some metal shards down in the intake were the air goes in the engine,there are no turbo or intercooler problems,I dont know whats wrong with it or know how to fix it,but I think its pretty ****ty of dodge to not stand behind me neither will cummins. What can I do,I need to get the truck going,and probably will not buy another chrysler product and neither will anyone I know.

 

[JJuday]

Something smells fishy in Denmark. Then again I don't know the whole story behind it either. DC, from my experiences have been good about replacing stuff and not asking too many incriminating questions. So what are you gonna do? Go Ford? They are gonna stick it to you harder than DC eve could, being that they have had more experience at it for the past almost three years now. Just my two cents. Oh and at least no one is flaming you for saying anything bad about Cummins/DC like a certian website... ... ... . yeah that's right Diesel Stop, I'm talking about you guys! :-laf

 

[HBarlow]

I have an 03 common rail I just recently experianced engine failure with 50000 miles and dodge voide my warranty because of an inoperable blow off valve,they also couldnt tell me how the failure happened or what the cause was. The engine is locked up and they tore down the top half of engine and did not reassemble it. Well i was inspecting it and found some metal shards down in the intake were the air goes in the engine,there are no turbo or intercooler problems,I dont know whats wrong with it or know how to fix it,but I think its pretty ****ty of dodge to not stand behind me neither will cummins. What can I do,I need to get the truck going,and probably will not buy another chrysler product and neither will anyone I know.

Interesting story. It is pretty rare to hear of a Cummins engine failure such as you described and much more rare to hear of a situation where Dodge, Daimler-Chrysler, or Cummins denied an engine warranty claim when the owner experienced a catastrophic engine failure not caused by abuse, neglect, modification, or mileage far exceeding warranty limits.



What is a "blow off valve?" Is that an oblique reference to a modified turbocharger or boost control circuits? You didn't address factors that would normally be discussed after such a failure such as the circumstances leading up to the failure. How about your ownership . . . since new or recent purchase, service and maintenance history and records, type of use the truck has been subjected to, operating environment when it failed, oil in crankcase, modifications, etc.



I don't want to sound like the blindly loyal Ford owners denying reality over on the Ford website but your story is a little hard to understand and accept. Could you provide greater detail so that TDR members can understand what might have happened and offer informed suggestions for helping you get your truck repaired? Yours wouldn't be the first or only Cummins engine that ever failed and TDR members are usually genuinely curious and sympathetic when such stories are reported.



I wonder whether you experienced a legitimate engine failure that should be covered under warranty, a catastrophic engine failure caused by abuse, modification or installation of unauthorized parts, if your engine was damaged by a hand full of metal shards thrown into the intake by someone who doesn't wish you well, if you are unclear about the facts or didn't explain them very well, or if you are simply planting a story here for a laugh.



Harvey

 

[TRCM]

It is stilling injecting atomized diesel into the cylinder then pressurizing the crank case with a combustible mixture. Aside from what will get by the rings the crankcase is vented to the intake manifold so it is feedning itself until the injection event is shut off.

Ok, I may have a 12v, but how can the crankcase be vented to the intake manifold ? Mine isn't, and if it was, once the turbo made boost, the crankcase would be blowing out tons of oil from the blow off tube.



These are not like a gasser engine where the crankcase/pcv system is vented to the intake.

 

[Blakers]

Ok, I may have a 12v, but how can the crankcase be vented to the intake manifold ? Mine isn't, and if it was, once the turbo made boost, the crankcase would be blowing out tons of oil from the blow off tube.



These are not like a gasser engine where the crankcase/pcv system is vented to the intake.

I'm not sure if these engines vent their crankcases to the intake or to the atmosphere like the 12 valves, but I know that "compressing the crankcase with a combustible mixture" is ridiculous. Look at the volume differences between the crankcase and the compressed space on top of a cylinder. Probably tens of thousands of times different.



Blake

 

[Blakers]

I refuse to buy fuel at Flying J, Pilot, or TA unless I am on empty and they are the last stop for 100 miles. I am pretty sure they cut it with kerosene to reduce the pour point and gelling. .

I would like to know if this is true or just a rumor someone started. It probably would not be too hard to get a sample and have it tested. A simple hydrometer would most likely tell you whether the fuel was cut with kerosene.



I would like to see fuel rated by BTU with a sticker indicating that right on the pump.



As far as condeming Flying-J, I have used it almost exclusively in my truck with no problem whatsoever and I get 20 mpg. Flying-J buys their fuel from the same regional suppliers as other stations do, so it may vary geographically. But then, other brand stations in that region should have similar fuel problems or charactoristics.



I buy almost all my fuel from Flying-J in Austinburg, Ohio and they buy most of their fuel from United Refining Co. in Warren, Pa. Most of the diesel fuel in the whole region, at least as far west as Cleveland, comes from United as it is the biggest refinery in Western Pa.



It would be interesting to get a box of test tubes, stoppers and labels and keep a sample of every fuel fill up. Then you could track fuel qualities and compare to mileage and performance obtained. Would be an interesting research project!



Blake

 

[HBarlow]

Some Flying Js and other truck stops in the northern states do offer No. 1 diesel during the winter months. I've read but don't remember what is blended with diesel fuel to prevent gelling in extreme cold weather. It might be kerosene but, whatever it is, I'm sure it is legal and an accepted practice. Can you imagine the lawsuits and liability that would result from even one Flying J being caught improperly diluting their fuel for even one day? You'd only have to stand around a typical Flying J for one afternoon counting the hundreds of OTR trucks that pass through their fuel islands buying hundreds of gallons each to realize that improper diluting of fuel is very unlikely.



My 2001 Ram has over 284,000 miles on the odometer with about 135,000 rolled up this year alone. 99. 9% of the fuel it has burned has been purchased from Flying J stations all over the US. I've bought about $25,000 worth of diesel fuel at Flying J stations this year. I have never, I repeat never experienced any contaminated fuel from Flying J or other truck stops. I have not collected samples or examined any of the fuel I've bought under laboratory conditions but I can't imagine a safer source of clean diesel fuel than a Flying J, T/A, Petro, Pilot, Loves, or other truck fuel station that turns over tens of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel each and every day of the year. I've talked to Flying J tanker drivers. Some Flying J stores have more than one tanker truck and keep them running almost continually running back and forth to their regional fuel suppliers to deliver fuel.



Harvey

 

[DPKetchum]

Neighbor is a horse hauler. He says he trys to buy a Flying J then anywhere else.

 

[DIESELMAN]

UPDATE - Ron's truck has been replaced, whats more, since they replaced it with Molten Red instead of the Grandma Gold, they replaced his shell too.



DM

 

[nickleinonen]

I have an 03 common rail I just recently experianced engine failure with 50000 miles and dodge voide my warranty because of an inoperable blow off valve,they also couldnt tell me how the failure happened or what the cause was.

blow off valve indicates something aftermarket on the truck, as it never came with a BOV [nor does any other turbo diesel engine] on it. . you play, you pay...

 

[Blakers]

blow off valve indicates something aftermarket on the truck, as it never came with a BOV [nor does any other turbo diesel engine] on it. . you play, you pay...

I think he means the pressure relief valve on the high pressure rail. I believe they all come with that.



Blake