OTR Diagnostics, DEF, Derate Faults

[ARD]

@ARD, from what I’ve been reading, you’ll get one if you’re stuck beside the road. Just a consideration.

The Entegra guys have a lot of info in their forum at the other place.

Thank you, very helpful and lots of information as you said.

 

[jagpot]

For those interested in some of the details of the DEF Header operation se link below. Also, there are a number of service bulletins on DEF Headers from Cummings, Freightliner and Spartan. Too many to list here but interesting reading.

Understanding diesel after-treatment systems and how to repair them

The biggest challenge for a technician working on these types of systems is the lack in understanding of how these systems work, what components are in these systems and where...

www.vehicleservicepros.com

Thanks Joe. I just read the article and certainly know more about the after treatment system now. I am now leaning toward a sensor module malfunction. I will share this with Cummins on Monday.

 

[JRS]

Is this only a Spartan Issue? I have not seen anywhere first hand information that FL has the same problem.

@Dutch Star Don stated elsewhere on the www that spartan and FL use different heads. There is also information that internal components can be replaced individually, and that may resolve the problem.

This whole spartan being caught without parts for the def head is very similar to FL not being able to keep our PDMs running due to supplier issues. So most FLs are running without tail lights or brake lights, and don't even know it.

Some FL owners have experienced it too along with Tiffin's Powerglide chassis. Does appear that the FL numbers are far less than Spartan.

 

[Old-RV'er]

I think based on how long this has been going on, and the depth of reports, that it's an industry wide issue. We have no way of knowing how many OTR units have been affected. I am assuming not NHTA recalls, etc., have been posted, since it may not be a safety issue parse'. I remember reading about this back in 2019 in another forum. So it may not be just a "chip" issue, there may be other parts of the system which fail. If anyone knows the items failing aside from the chips, that data might then be used to formulate what exactly is happening. I did not finish reading the link about DEF system head repairs.

 

[ARD]

UPDATE: Received call from Spartan. They will not send me a DEF head until I derate and have stop engine light. They have advised that I should leave my campground now in the event that I do derate and am on the side of the road, they will still have a DEF head to send. If I wait until my departure date of July 10th and I derate, they will not have any DEF heads to send. ?

 

[J&JD]

UPDATE: Received call from Spartan. They will not send me a DEF head until I derate and have stop engine light. They have advised that I should leave my campground now in the event that I do derate and am on the side of the road, they will still have a DEF head to send. If I wait until my departure date of July 10th and I derate, they will not have any DEF heads to send. ?

Good grief!! Ridiculous to the extreme. Send the customer out on the road to wait for a dangerous over the road derate…..that is just dumb!
Maybe your earlier thoughts of heading near a repair facility might be your best bet. Perhaps they could help you get a stop engine light to appear.

 

[Neal]

So what does a fulltimer do? Stop RVing? Much less anyone...I can't imagine driving on a ticking time bomb! This is not a new problem, as I've been reading this has been going on with Shaw DEF heads since 2018. Who is covering the tow? Who is going to pay for your hotel room? I think Spartan/Shaw needs to be ready to accommodate both.

If you don't have a Garmin inReach you better get one. I know @ARD does, better have it charged up and understand how to use it. I'm going to post an article on this soon as I just watched a webinar on the inReach for my aviation use but it applies the very same to RVers. It's your backup should you break down and not have cellular.

 

[NWIP]

Yes this situation is getting more ridiculous by the day. In @ARD’s case they are asking her to drive over the Rockies where you have steep grades, narrow roads and few turnouts to get off the road. Wonder what attorneys for Spartan would think about this advice? I think I would have Spartan document their advice in writing since it was discussed on phone, that way I would have it for the upcoming lawsuit ?

 

[redbaron]

Yes this situation is getting more ridiculous by the day. In @ARD’s case they are asking her to drive over the Rockies where you have steep grades, narrow roads and few turnouts to get off the road. Wonder what attorneys for Spartan would think about this advice? I think I would have Spartan document their advice in writing since it was discussed on phone, that way I would have it for the upcoming lawsuit ?

It's documented here

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Our son is the logistics manager for an international company that imports a lot of equipment from China. He says the cost of container shipping has increased more than ten-fold...if you can even find a container available in China to ship your imports in.

This is a very bad situation for Spartan, and Spartan-chassis owners. It is apparently time to park our coaches with a Spartan chassis. We are seriously thinking of doing so...permanently.

TJ

 

[MapNerd]

You would think they would be able to come up with some kind of work around until they can get more DEF Heads

 

[MapNerd]

Our son is the logistics manager for an international company that imports a lot of equipment from China. He says the cost of container shipping has increased more than ten-fold...if you can even find a container available in China to ship your imports in.

This is a very bad situation for Spartan, and Spartan-chassis owners. It is apparently time to park our coaches with a Spartan chassis. We are seriously thinking of doing so...permanently.

TJ

Seems to me a 747 could hold an awful lot of DEF Heads. Far more than they likely need. Sometimes that’s the cost of doing business.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Sometimes that’s the cost of doing business.

Apparently not in Spartan’s case!
TJ

 

[Neal]

Seems to me a 747 could hold an awful lot of DEF Heads. Far more than they likely need. Sometimes that’s the cost of doing business.

It all comes down to communication (or lack thereof) from Spartan. What is the real problem? There is mass hysteria going on now with people insulating or heat shielding DEF tanks, people thinking they need to keep DEF tanks full, that means 11 gallons is unusable? Bulk vs. Boxed DEF? When in the end, this issue likely has ZERO relation to the actual DEF but is a software or sensor issue. With that said, the sensors are probably having the same issue as me trying to get a graphics (GPU) card for my computer. Not sure if it's a Japan or China issue or a transportation issue. We are all speculating but in the end Spartan owes their dealers and customers FACTS.

 

[MapNerd]

It all comes down to communication (or lack thereof) from Spartan. What is the real problem? There is mass hysteria going on now with people insulating or heat shielding DEF tanks, people thinking they need to keep DEF tanks full, that means 11 gallons is unusable? Bulk vs. Boxed DEF? When in the end, this issue likely has ZERO relation to the actual DEF but is a software or sensor issue. With that said, the sensors are probably having the same issue as me trying to get a graphics (GPU) card for my computer. Not sure if it's a Japan or China issue or a transportation issue. We are all speculating but in the end Spartan owes their dealers and customers FACTS.

All true. It is surprising how reasonable my customers become when I actually explain a technical issue to them and why it’s not simple to fix. A little transparency goes an awful long way.