Bizarre Oasis Chinook Issue on 22 Ventana

[PIERRE]

Good morning to all, before writing this long thread, I have spent multiple hours searching threads amongst all forums to see if I can find a similar situation to mine but unfortunately I have had no luck.

I am a bit desperate for some assistance as we are on our second day of a 4 week getaway to the Colorado mountains, so I am unwilling cut the trip to take it to a certified mechanic at the moment.

Here is a detailed description of the issue:

I bought this 2022 Newmar Ventana 4326 brand new so I'm the only owner. The oasis system has been maintained and serviced even more often than the ITR's recommendations.

For the last year or so, I have had an issue with the burner portion.

During the few months of the last year: I would turn on the burner and it would fire up and provide perfect heat and hot water, but, it would have a bad smell and a light amount of white smoke coming out of the exhaust. After the first time this happened, I had a full maintenance done on it, including replacing the nozzle etc. The system would operate normally for a few hours and then go back to having those same problems I stated.

During the last 6 months or so: The problems have become worse. After turning on the burner, I do get hot water but within a couple minutes, the smell comes out much stronger than before, along with the same light white smoke and now, the red fault light comes on. This now happens every single time so we have not been able to use the burner.

I had it serviced again right after the fault light started coming on which did alleviated the problem for a few hours again, but thats about it.


Notes:

-I have looked inside to make sure that there are no blockages in the exhaust system and that the air flow pipes inside the unit are properly and tightly connected. Everything seems to flow like it should.

-The fluid levels are perfect.

-The electric elements do work properly but they are not nearly strong enough to supply 7 people with enough hot water for a shower.

-The combustion fan works properly, I can feel the air coming out of its little exhaust below the system.

-The actual ignition is never an issue. I do (not) get a "flame out", nor does it have an issue lighting the fire.

-I do get the fault code on the inside panel next to the burner button but I do not get any faults or red lights on the unit itself, inside the bay.

If anyone has any suggestions on anything I can try or check myself in the mean time, I would greatly appreciate it!

P.S. I did send this information to ITR but I am rolling the dice to see if there's any information I can get before I hear back from them.

Thank you!

 

[scottramer]

So looking at the front of the Oasis around the push button, the paint seems to be discolored (or is it just the pic) if it is, is there an internal exhaust leak? Just a shot, but if there is I would think it would overheat the components inside and cause problems. It would make sense that you say it works for a bit then starts acting up.

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

This may or may not be the cause of your issues. On start-up, my generator would belch white smoke for a few seconds, then run a little rough, finally settling down and running smoothly. Members recommended running some Diesel Kleen or a similar product to clean the injectors. I added the recommended amount on my first diesel fill-up, and the problem disappeared pretty quickly. I now use Diesel Kleen regularly. It certainly won't hurt to give this a try.

Give ITR a call in the morning.

 

[Richpatty]

I also use Diesel Clean regularly and do not have any issues….coincidence? Eh, who knows. But I keep doing it.

 

[newmarokie]

Pierre, Do you get any black soot? It certainly sounds like a fuel supply problem. The white smoke makes me tend to think it is starving a bit for fuel. Check and make sure there are no kinks in the fuel supply lines. Mine started faulting out TWO years ago and I disassembled the burner and cleaned the cintered brass filter with brake cleaner. It is still running today. Make sure in all your service visits all the filters were changed.

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

I would be investigating fuel supply. This is the order of what I would try (do both 1&2 at the same time)
1) Ensure nozzle is clean (use brake cleaner)
2) Ensure the little brass cinter filter is clean (use brake cleaner) - this is located in the fuel line, can be seen after removing the nozzle, just beneath the nozzle
3) Ensure the fuel filter is clean (swap out with new)

 

[PIERRE]

Morning to all, I truly appreciate everyone's advice.

On a side note, this morning I decided to drive away from my camping spot and test out the burner a little more (as my neighbors were complaining about the foul smell and I dont blame them). Surprisingly, this time, it didn't throw that fault light after a couple minutes. It actually ran for 30 minutes with no fault light and everything was working properly BUT there was still the horrible smell as well as a little white smoke consistently coming out of the exhaust pipe. That white smoke seemed to be less than it has been. We are currently at 8k in elevation so the generator had some slight issues getting enough air during start up but it eventually settled itself out after a few minutes. Thats when I decided to test the burner and sure enough, I couldn't get a fault light to come on.

Another note: This issue happens consistently whether at sea level or up at 8k+, so the elevation isn't what caused it.

@scottramer
Good catch, I haven't noticed that until you pointed it out. I will go check to see if it is something with the camera or actual burning and come back with a status.

@Texas Clodhopper

Richpatty​

My generator has done that in the past but I haven't noticed it since my last service (10 generator hours ago) as far as start up but I can say that anything that is near that exhaust pipe, ends up burning very black. Example: grass, my water supply hose, etc. I dont know if that is normal due to the heat coming out or not. I have not tried Diesel Kleen because ive never had issues with the generator but as you stated, it can only help so I will absolutely try it. I also very much stay on top of all filter changes due to the harsh environments of South Texas where we have the generator running non stop while traveling, adding extra hours and abuse on it etc.

MemoriesByTheMile​

I will inspect it and clean it again although I had a complete service done on it less than 6 months ago, including a new nozzle and a full cleaning of internal parts etc and the problem didn't go away. I am trying to think back about the fuel filter portion of this, as I dont remember if that is something that is part of the services that I have had done or if it usually saved for a large 5 year service.

newmarokie​

I dont think ive ever seen black smoke come out of the generator or the Oasis exhaust. For the last year, it has a been a constant light white smoke that I can see coming out of the oasis exhaust (nothing from the generator). On every service, including the first ones I had when I purchased this coach, I always paid for the full service (I believe its a 3 year service kit) that includes the new nozzle/ignitor. During the last service around January, while the burner was disassembled, there was some kind of junk at the bottom of the inside of the burner. I can't tell exactly what it is as I was looking through that little window with a flash light but I sent a picture of it to ITR and they didn't seem concerned about it at the time, although that doesn't seem good. The best way I can describe it was tiny little chunks of metal scrapes sitting on the bottom, on the inside of that glass window. I will try to find that picture and upload it.

 

[NWIP]

“I will inspect it and clean it again although I had a complete service done on it less than 6 months ago, including a new nozzle and a full cleaning of internal parts etc and the problem didn't go away. I am trying to think back about the fuel filter portion of this, as I dont remember if that is something that is part of the services that I have had done or if it usually saved for a large 5 year service.”

The fuel filter for Oasis is generally up by the generator and should be changed at each service

 

[stang37]

Similar issue with my Oasis. I would get a compressor fault so I called ITR. they confirmed a possible compressor going bad. further testing required which I haven't done yet. It would run for day then fault after a couple minutes. I also got the white smoke and the diesel smell. I also saw on another thread where the pump diaphragm was cracked and cause a similar issue