Well it wasn’t the fuel filters….(to make a short story long)

[Rich W.]

I don’t know yet but I’ll provide more info and pics on Monday. I was thinking rock damage but the mechanic said that was unlikely.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

It sounds like deleting the aftertreatment BS and the EGR would leave you with a far more reliable engine.

 

[Rich W.]

It sounds like deleting the aftertreatment BS and the EGR would leave you with a far more reliable engine.

without any doubt although this time it was the CAC (previously know to me as in inter-cooler) and not the emissions system that failed.

 

[Neal]

Can you educate the community here with pictures, what the CAC is, what it's purpose is, what to look for, suggested preventative maintenance, etc.?

 

[J&JD]

 

[Rich W.]

Can you educate the community here with pictures, what the CAC is, what it's purpose is, what to look for, suggested preventative maintenance, etc.?

Absolutely but not until Monday when the shop opens up. Today we went up to Dalton NE for their Fall Festival Antique Tractor Pulls then a trip south through the corn fields to Coloraska and back. Makin the best of it.

 

[Rich W.]

Can you educate the community here with pictures, what the CAC is, what it's purpose is, what to look for, suggested preventative maintenance, etc.?

No progress yet other than parts are ordered and I’m trying not to go stir crazy here.

A couple quick notes to address the questions on the CAC.

The charge air cooler is what we all used to call an intercooler and it is basically just a big radiator used to cool the compressed air coming out of the turbo before it goes into the intake improving performance by making the air charge more dense.

Mine is said to have failed from metal fatigue (still not confirmed) but they are somewhat vulnerable to physical damage as well from the frame twisting or, less likely, road hazards. Apparently a lot of trucks, Kenworth specifically, suffer from failed CACs due to twisting.

They can be tested and trucks are sometimes on an annual test schedule. To test a CAC they disconnect the intake pipes, pressurize the plumbing and CAC and measure the pressure loss over time. 5 psi in 30 seconds is said to be acceptable, but it shouldn’t leak at all.

My intake aystem is losing 15psi in 30 seconds. The CAC still in the rig behind the radiator so I haven’t had a chance to visualize it. When I do I’ll have a better idea of what happened and post some pics. The mechanic suspects metal fatigue although I have another theory but I’ll sit on that for now.

That’s about it - there are no moving parts and there is no routine maintenance other than checking connections, cleaning (like a radiator), optional testing annually, and watching your boost, and knowing what is normal boost under given conditions. That is how I knew I had a problem but I didn’t suspect the CAC (suspected a boot or clamp) and I didn’t realize it could lead to more serious problems other than reduced power.

For those with a side radiator, inspection and maintenance would be a lot easier.

 

[Rich W.]

Well there’s more to the story now but I’m a little too irritated to go into it. More later I guess. But to shorten a long story, now that rear of the rig is completely torn apart, it turns out the CAC was not the source of the leak. Arrgghhh!

 

[Rich W.]

Im sure the shop is going to want me to pay for the needless labor and they might try to stick me with the special order CAC and shipping. They recommended a new CAC last week but I held off until the system was tested thinking (hoping) it was something less involved and less expensive. So until now I was thinking I cost myself a few days delaying the order, but now its obvious that I was right, it wasn't the problem, and now I’m sure the fight begins. Fortunately Floyds is not a one horse operation - they have nine locations and a main office and its family run, so maybe there’s hope.

 

[J&JD]

Im sure the shop is going to want me to pay for the needless labor and they might try to stick me with the special order CAC and shipping. They recommended a new CAC last week but I held off until the system was tested thinking (hoping) it was something less involved and less expensive. So until now I was thinking I cost myself a few days delaying the order, but now its obvious that I was right, it wasn't the problem, and now I’m sure the fight begins. Fortunately Floyds is not a one horse operation - they have nine locations and a main office and its family run, so maybe there’s hope.

So what the heck was it, a hose, a clamp? When our DS was only a couple of months old an over tightened CAC hose clamp snapped leaving us stranded 60 miles from the nearest Freightliner dealer. Under warranty Freightliner towed us the 60 miles and replaced the $3 clamp the next morning. Total pain but not nearly as bad as your current situation.