turbo question

[jmorse]

I have a '07 3500 c&c that is on it's third turbo. There was nothing wrong with the original turbo(fuse for turbo circuit would blow and continued to blow even when the actuator was unpluged) but dealer changed it anyway. When I got the truck back, I complained that the exhaust brake was not as effective as the original turbo. I also had a hissing/whistle under heavy load(couldn't find a leak anywhere) that was not there before. The second turbo lasted about 1500 miles and the bearings failed. The current turbo still is not as strong with the exhaust brake on as the original turbo. Through all of this I lost my automatic cold start high idle feature. Dealer says the update flashes eliminated that feature. I now use the cruise to set high idle after start up. I'm told when replacing the turbo, it must be homed so the computer knows where the actuator is. Is this true ? If so I wonder if they just bolted it on and sent it out the door. Also was told that if the injector codes are not entered during a reflash that the ECM will not know what injectors are in there. Can anyone enlighten me ? I've lost all faith that my dealer has a compotent mechanic.

Thanks,

Jim

 

[Drdorian]

The second turbo lasted about 1500 miles and the bearings failed.

Through all of this I lost my automatic cold start high idle feature. Dealer says the update flashes eliminated that feature. I now use the cruise to set high idle after start up.

I'm told when replacing the turbo, it must be homed so the computer knows where the actuator is. Is this true ? If so I wonder if they just bolted it on and sent it out the door.

Also was told that if the injector codes are not entered during a reflash that the ECM will not know what injectors are in there.

First turbo: you said you had a bearing failure, if it indeed was a bearing it was the turbine shaft bearing in the bearing housing.



High Idle: Automatic cold start high idle feature? The trucks will always idle higher in cold temperatures, this is not a feature that can be added/removed. The feature that can be added/removed is the high idle using the cruise control buttons, and it sounds like you have that



Turbo "homed": The turbo actuator does have a zero positioned which must be set/calibrated with StarSCAN/WiTech when a actuator is removed. When a turbo is replaced you can just remove the old one and install the new one, no need to align the actuator as it was aligned at the factory when it was assembled.



ECM codes: The ECM codes are stored in "non-volatile memory" meaning that a reflash will not erase them. You only need to record/re-enter ECM codes if you replace an ECM. Part of the ECM replacement procedures have the technician use the service tool to record them so they can be re-entered. If the ECM is toast then you have to pull the valve cover to check the codes

 

[HBarlow]

You may be wise to question the knowledge and skill level of your dealer's tech. Some of them have not had (or taken) the opportunity to participate in Dodge/Cummins training. I wonder how many problems with repeat failures result from a lack of knowlede or skill or failure to follow written procedures?

Sag2 once answered a question I posted about that. He suggested I ask if the dealer tech was trained and certified on Cummins engines to Level IV.

One of our three resident Dodge-Cummins techs will probably respond to your question as well.

Drdorian above may also be a Dodge-Cummins tech.

 

[JohnBower]

I had some wiring that was under the rocker arm cover burn up. What was this wiring for? Repair order didn't say much about it. There was smoke coming from the hood and the smell of wiring melting.

 

[jmorse]

Drdorian,

When the truck was new and started in cold weather(frosty mornings) the exhaust brake would close and it would idle up to about 1100-1200 rpm without me doing anything. Now it will idle @ 800 rpm all day long (when cold)unless I set the cruise. That is my complaint. Dealer is trying to tell me this feature was eliminated. Second, if you can bolt a turbo on and go as you state then have the design changes to the newer turbos made the exhaust brake less effective ?

Thanks,

Jim

 

[HBarlow]

The cold weather idle up feature has been a very desirable feature provided by the software program in our ECMs for several years, at least 2005 and up. I have not seen my '08 C&C idle up but don't operate in cold weather much so don't know if it's there, or not. My '06 did it a lot when I was transporting up north in cold climates. I would be disappointed to learn that it had been deleted by software changes.

If it has, we can still accomplish it with the cruise control buttons.

I'm interested to hear from a dealer tech or other person familiar with the latest software.