Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) One crispy engine

[BSowers]

I was climbing the grade out of Redding up toward Mt Shasta with a cab over and the engine temp was running mid range on the gauge and Pyro reading 1050-1100. The outside temp was 100. Next thing I know is that I'm playing James Bond to those following, engine starts laboring and I barely make it to a turn out and engine dies. H2O Temp gauge is off the deep end and stays there for 45 minutes with engine off. What IS the high reading on the h20 temp gauge? The hoses were not leaking. Oil level was fine. No water in oil. Blown head gasket?

I tried to start the engine after I could add water and it labored turning over, barely runs and blows smoke. What F'd up?

ooooo the humility of it. A FORD towed it.

Anyone know a good shop to do the engine work in Redding Ca. ?



My daughter and I did manage to make it to my Bro in law's B'day party at Diamond lake and have a decent Fourth

 

[Pat@BD]

I believe J&H Perfomance is in Redding. They would be a good place to go. There is also Redding Fuel Injection.

 

[BSowers]

Thanks.

Visualize this. While on the road... dropping back 5 yards and punting... . with no internet connection and with a little knowledge that I had seen an ad in the TDR regarding a shop in Redding with some initials in the name R H? K R? wellllll Here I am at Enterprise rental, looking thru the phone book under automobile repairing for them, tried several possibles to no avail, most of them were closed on July 5th. Finally I found it. They're listed under Automobile PERFORMANCE as J&H Performance with a block ad stating that they deal almost exclusively with Dodge CTD's. I called, left a message, they were closed as well, on a whim had it towed there, I had not talked to any person, just an ans mach.

When I finally got home I checked the TDR site and found some references to their great work. I also talked to my neighbor at 10pm monday, who just happens to own a Dodge CTD. He grew up in Redding and knows J&H as a good place to take it.

This morning I got a call from Harvey and I mentioned that it was in regards to the rig in front of his shop that greeted him when he got in this morning.

He asked many ???'s, never had something like this happen to a "not bombed" engine and said he'd look into it. Very easy going fellow.

Am waiting with baited breath for findings.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

is that 1100* pre-turbo? I'm stumped... wondering if you might have clogged a piston cooling nozzle

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Hopefully the pyro gauge wasn't reading too low, I know JNutter (shooter) fried a motor towing a grade due to a faulty pyro gauge



Vaughn

 

[moparguy]

Brian, I sure hope things work out with the repair not being to expensive. Out of courosity, what kind of oil filter do you run?



Good luck, RJR

 

[BSowers]

Fleetguard from Geno's

J&H Performance is working on it. Am getting a slightly used ahem broken in engine plus some bells and whistles.

I just got back from a 10 hr 450 mi adventure to visit the ailing and look at the donor transplant. Harvey and Josh are decent, unassuming, fair people with what looks like great mechanic skills.



Brian

 

[lil red cummins]

so WHAT happened to your engine????



inquiring minds want to know!!!



jim

 

[BSowers]

Wellll, Stock engine EGT's, (so I'm told), shouldn't get to 1375 but it did according to my SPA gauge. It was 100+F, long grade at 55, inattention to gauges due to narrow winding lanes in construction zone, hauling a cab over, maybe blown head gasket thrown in there and it snow balled from there. ie pressure blows out water and overheats, then extreme temp melts piston. Of course all this is speculation till Harvey tears it apart.

Water in oil and oil in water and blow by are some of the indicators present.

Brian

(week and a half. counting days)Oo.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

again I'm wondering if your pyro thermocouple is pre or post turbo?

 

[BSowers]

The Pyro is Pre turbo.

As for the nozzles, that'll have to wait till Harvey does a tear down.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

wow, something's definately amiss... 1375* shouldn't cause catastrophic damage like that. I'm betting you've got a clogged oil nozzle or two/three/etc.



Forrest

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

I've seen threads about 1250F and 1300F as registered on the pyro pre-turbo resulting in meltdowns, due to sustaining those temps too long. When you're running temps like that there is very little margin of safety and the line between being OK and going into meltdown isn't that great.



Vaughn

 

[RustyJC]

And that's what puzzles me. My truck would hit 1300 degF pre-turbo when towing our 13,500 lb 5th wheel when the truck was absolutely stock. I can only imagine how many of these trucks are out there dragging 5vers heavier than mine up mountain passes without gauges and being driven by people who don't know any better than to keep them floored for miles on end, yet how many meltdowns do we hear about? Hmmm.....



Rusty

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

When running at 1300 degrees EGT, you're at the ragged edge of disaster - won't take very much to toss ya over the edge - fuel timing a bit off, coolent not quite up to snuff - temp probe off tolerance just a wee bit, etc. , etc...



Sorta seems to require lotsa faith - or craving to live on the edge to try extended periods of time up at 1300 or better - and better be prepared for the possible downside...

 

[BSowers]

Yep. Take it from someone who knows/has experienced it/ is paying the price... for not watching closely.

Let me tell ya, it wasn't even an A ticket or maybe it was the inverse of an "E" ticket. :--)



(Of course the younger members wouldn't know what an "E" ticket is)

 

[RustyJC]

Originally posted by Gary - KJ6Q

When running at 1300 degrees EGT, you're at the ragged edge of disaster - won't take very much to toss ya over the edge - fuel timing a bit off, coolent not quite up to snuff - temp probe off tolerance just a wee bit, etc. , etc...

But, Gary, that's precisely my point. How many 2nd generation HO trucks are out there being driven by non-TDR members dragging heavy 5th wheels or goosenecks all over the place? I'm talking about the trucks with no mods whatsoever - including pre-turbo pyrometers. I would imagine these trucks get the heck hammered out of them by these unsophisticated owners who are towing on long hills, mountain passes, etc. where the trucks would see the HO's typical 1300 degF stock EGT, yet we don't hear of meltdown epidemics, do we?



Rusty

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

I would imagine these trucks get the heck hammered out of them by these unsophisticated owners who are towing on long hills, mountain passes, etc. where the trucks would see the HO's typical 1300 degF stock EGT, yet we don't hear of meltdown epidemics, do we?



Maybe they simply haven't yet crossed that line and gone over the edge - AND maybe there's more failures out there than we know - membership in TDR is decent - but only a relatively small percentage of Dodge/Cummins out towing on the road.



My wife and I get out fairly regularly into quite a few campgrounds - we see LOTS of dodge/Cummins rigs there and on the road - but NEVER have yet encountered another TDR member in any of those settings - we're a pretty SMALL minority!

 

[BSowers]

I agree Rusty. but WHY ME?

I had 0 mods cept for the pyro.

something failed (understatement).

I'm hanging on the Blown head gasket theory.



__________________

Brian



late 97 2500 4x4 CC LB 210k Super Stop rotors, Rancho 9000, SPA Pyro/Boost, White Knight Bk/up lite, Parking partner, diving in wallet first, running on Biodiesel.

Transplant will have DD C201 cam kit, 3kGSK, J&H intake, KDP tab, K&N filter

 

[RustyJC]

Yep, but in our RVing trips (my wife is wagonmaster for the Texas Boomers RVing group) and as a moderator on iRV2.com, you would think I'd hear about a crappy reputation the HO Cummins has among RVers if it's melting down left and right. In the general non-TDR populace of Cummins owners, I haven't heard of this (and you can bet the Ford and GM folks would be touting it if it were happening!) Have you?



Rusty