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Black Smoke Issue Solved

Yahoo Message Number: 15493
I have posted questions on this group board several times about my coach having black exhaust smoke during acceleration. Just wanted to post a follow-up to this ongoing saga...after 5 years and 60,000 miles I finally got some very valuable assistance from Cummins Engine Company factory engineers. I have had the coach in 8 different Cummins Distributor service centers....they always only wanted to focus their efforts on the turbo system...turbo, CAC and plumbing. Finally, after my engine warranty had run out in January I got help from Tom Gonser of www.rversonline.com. I sent him an email asking if he had any Cummins contacts who might be able to help me get Cummins engineers involved. He immediately replied and said he would forward my email to a retired Cummins exec and see if he could help me, within a day I received an email from Cummins Director of RV markets asking me for additional details about the visits I had made to the various Cummins distributors. He also said he would get one of his field engineering teams to meet me at a facility of my choice to try and get to the bottom of the issue.

And, did he ever get me some great help. After verifying that the ECM was programmed properly and that turbo system was working properly they then at my request pulled the fuel injectors....finding several with uneven spray patterns...they immediately ordered a new set of 6 fuel injectors and also at my request they checked to see if valve adjustments were proper.
Either the new fuel injectors or the valve adjustment fixed the problem....the engineers think the injectors were the culprit but thought it was a good idea to check the valve adjustments as well which they found to be within tolerance.

It certainly is different, in a good way, to deal with Cummins engineers rather than dealing with mechanics at a distributor...the engineers actually listen to you and are willing to think outside the box while most, not all, but most of the mechanics and service writers at Cummins distributors only wanted me to stay out of their service bays....insurance regulations...and didn't want any input from me on possible solutions. I actually asked them several times to check the fuel injectors and the valve adjustments, after they had finished checking the usual turbo system...in every case they declined. Maybe they wanted to keep milking the factory while it was under warranty but they didn't do me any favors.

I am a happy camper, but sure would have spent a lot less time in service facilities had the distributors been smarter or if I had been smarter and found the engineers sooner. BTW, they also found the cause of my high speed fan problem which has also been with the coach since new in 2000. The air sensor is mounted at bottom of turbo pipe just before it connects to the intake manifold. When they removed the failed sensor, it was full of water from condensation...it acts like a cup in the bottom of the turbo pipe. I will be taking this issue up with Country Coach. With so many of the coaches with fans running at full speed they should be interested in the cause and should be willing to fix this design error. BTW, it sure is nice and quiet with that fan idling for the first time since I've owned the coach.

Persistence does pay off but it has been a frustrating journey.

Ray

2000 Intrigue 11040

Re: Black Smoke Issue Solved

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 15495
Ray, I have been following youe saga since the day you bent my ear at the factory a couple of years ago. Glad you are now one of us, a happy camper!
Don

'02 Intrigue #11427

Quote from: travman100
I have posted questions on this group board several times about my > coach having black exhaust smoke during acceleration. Just wanted

to
'02 Intrigue #11427

Re: Black Smoke Issue Solved

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 15496
Tom & Stephanie are a great team and a wonderful source of information.

 It was their account of how they went about purchasing a new Motor Home that got us thinking about CC which eventually lead us to purchase our 2000 used Intrigue. We have never regretted that decision.

 When we were looking to relocate out of California it was Tom & Stephanie who pointed us toward Sisters in Central Oregon and that is where we purchased our Oregon home.

 We regularly read Stephanie's "postcards" at rversonline.com and cherry pick some of the destinations mentioned for our own travels.

 Thanks T & S. Happy travels.

 Regards, David & Karen

Re: Black Smoke Issue Solved

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 15501
Don, the really frustrating thing about this issue was that all the supposed experts had no clue as what to do about the problem...no one at CC nor at any of the 8 Cummins distributorships I visited.
Finally, had to find that secret back door to good service. I am impressed with the Cummins engineers who worked and got the problem solved.

Now, my next wind mill is the engine fan issue. CC has to have a "secret" fix to that problem. They installed the air sensor so it collects moisture. I hope to be able to find someone at CC who is interested in solving this problem for me and the dozens of others who have put baffles and all kinds of other bandaids on the problem rather than solving it. I think the fix is to move the air sensor to the top of the air duct which will require some machine work. I will just keep the old one plugging the hole in the bottom and have a machine shop drill a hole in top of air duct and install a snub to screw the sensor into but I am thinking that CC already has a bulletin out to do this and I'd like to find out if that is the case. If not I'd like for them to issue one and stop with the weird type fixes...like baffles and the like.

I have another thought also, is it possible that there is a valid reason for having the sensor at the bottom of the air duct? If there are any turbo system experts online could someone answer that question?
Ray

2000 Intrigue 11040

Quote from: dons2346
Ray, I have been following youe saga since the day you bent my ear

at

Quote
the factory a couple of years ago. Glad you are now one of us, a > happy camper!

Don

'02 Intrigue #11427

[quote author=travman100"

>

> I have posted questions on this group board several times about

my

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coach having black exhaust smoke during acceleration. Just

wanted

Re: Black Smoke Issue Solved

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 15502
Ray, I studied mine a little today. I can see no reason why the sensor couldn't/shouldn't have been mounted on top, or on either side of the tube. I haven't removed my sensor, and inspected it for moisture yet, but the next time I have the top lid off, I will for sure. For those adamant on changing the orientation, you can remove the tube easy enough and have another pipe bung welded on in your choice of location for piece of mind. This is really a no-biggie deal to do. No matter where you put the sensor in that general locale, the turbo has no clue were it is anyways. Hence, no issues there. The harness seems to have sufficient length to at least relocate the sensor to 3 or 9 clocking position on the tube. HTH.
Jim 10996

Re: Black Smoke Issue Solved

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 15519
Quote
Tom & Stephanie are a great team and a wonderful source of

information.

They sure are!!!

Quote
>

It was their account of how they went about purchasing a new

Motor Home

Quote
that got us thinking about CC which eventually lead us to purchase

our 2000

Quote
used Intrigue.
I ended up buying my CC after reading their articles and using some of their suggestions about what to look for in value. I think we made the right choice and thank Tom and Stephanie for their great site!

Quote
We regularly read Stephanie's "postcards" at rversonline.com

and cherry

Quote
pick some of the destinations mentioned for our own travels.

Thanks T & S. Happy travels.
Ditto from me!

Carol

04 Inspire 51046

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BTW Tom, if you read this do you have a good stock tip? I

want to

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purchase a new coach but need to make a lot of money first!

GGGGGGGGGG