thomandcoley

Got it! SPOT ON! Don't have to tell me a 4th time!

The FINAL update! Again, thanks for sharing all of your vast knowledge, you all are the best! FINAL VERDICT: Fan clutch. $650 part A guy named Don at Spanish Fork Diesel Repair in Spanish Fork, UT got us in quick and the final bill was $989 versus $6800 at Cummins. Who, by the way, was gonna charge us $952 for the part. Grrrrr. They said they would HAVE to remove the radiator and all to fix it. Not so. Don fixed it from the access hole under the bed. We are heading to Creede CO now to headline the Headwaters Music Festival Saturday and Sunday. We made it over the mountain passes towing a car and the hottest it got was maybe 212. At 210 we heard that big ol' fan motor kick in and it dropped the temp right away.

Hey all - Can't thank you enough for all the great info. After taking it to Cummins to be checked out, the super qualified technician there left off my radiator cap. Shortly after departing the place, my friend driving behind me called and alerted me to steam coming out of the back. So I had Cummins send their mobile tech out with more coolant. He put 7 gallons in it!!!!! This morning, we sprayed the CAC and radiator with Simple Green Extreme, some dirt came out but the water was mostly clean and clear after soaking it really good. Drilled a hole in the bottom to let it drain (will be plugging it up later today). My buddy said he could see light coming through the radiator once I started spraying the Simple Green. That did not solve the problem. We departed and maybe 10 minutes in, it was already overheating, not towing the car, on relatively flat ground. While on the side of the road waiting for it to stop overheating, the mobile tech from the previous day just happened to be passing by (how odd!) and stopped to assist. Hooked computer up to it, had me rev it up til it was 210 degrees. He couldn't over ride the fan with the computer to make it come on, tried a couple different things. He said the fan clutch is shot. At 210 degrees, the fan was just spinning freely. Also, he didn't charge me for his time. My friend suggested adding an extra cooling fan as he has one on his hot rod. We mounted it on the radiator in the back. That did not solve the problem. We have the fan clutch ordered, arriving tomorrow. We made it to Spanish Fork, UT and the mechanic here said he can get the part in the morning (which by the way is $300 less than the one from Cummins, even though coming from same place!) Also his hourly rate is about half of what Cummins rate is. He says he can try to replace it without removing radiator and CAC. Hoping this FINALLY solves the problem!

Latest update: Cummins in Salt Lake says it needs fan hub. And that the radiator needs to be removed and cleaned out and doing all that will take about 35 hours @ $150 an hour. Yep. $6800. I seriously need a second opinion and someone to help in Salt Lake ASAP as we need to be in Colorado by Friday night. Another place said he didn't think you needed to remove radiator to fix fan hub. Cummins tech said fan hub was "restricted" and not moving properly. Also I can see more than just the hole in the fan shroud from inside the bedroom floor - around it looks clean. Maybe I am looking at the radiator? I need to take pics.

No, the problems have been happening for a few months - we have had a hectic schedule - we travel full time in our RV for work, not pleasure - and have had limited time to get it into a shop. The overheating was a gradual problem - it got worse over time. Never heard a loud roaring from the fan when it overheats, but it's like a blast furnace blowing hot air behind the rig where the radiator is. Looked at inner radiator today from bedroom access hole, visually it does not look filthy dirty but hard to tell if there's junk inside it. At Cummins Salt Lake City today for another diagnosis, they have all the paperwork from the last shop, hopefully they will nail it down this trip.

The mechanic said he thought the fan clutch was operating properly, but they only tested it sitting still and not under a load on the road. When it gets to 225, the overheat warning buzzer comes on. Usually we pull over and let it cool down once it gets that hot. One time I did this and the temp got all the way up to 248. When I gear down, the temp goes down fairly quickly - sometimes. If I'm not on a huge hill. Before all the overheating began, it would run about 194 - 201 We had a couple days after the repairs where we drove it mostly on flat ground, pulling the car, and had no issues. But then on another day about 10-15 minutes in, it overheated going over a long flat bridge.

I have a 2009 Forest River Berkshire Class A diesel pusher with a 6.7L Cummins that keeps overheating. In the past month I have: First, Had the rear radiator blown out with air and then pressure washed. Lots of black filthy water came out. Still overheating. Then: 1. Had the Turbo replaced ($3400 rebuilt part-if you get one BE SURE it comes with the actuator) and the exhaust fixed where it had come loose and had it re-milled to fit better. $2800 labor. The tech showed me the turbo and it was definitely jammed up and not able to spin freely. Drove away, still overheating. Returned and then: 2. Had thermostat replaced $551 Drove away, still overheating, took it back third time and then: 3. Had a re-gen done on the catalytic converter 4. Replaced the air filter - it was filthy and jammed up with dirt Did all that at a place called Ross Point Truck Repair in Post Falls, ID. Drove away, still overheating. SPENT 4 WEEKS THERE!!! STILL NOT FIXED!!! 5. Had the inner cooler or CAC sprayed out with water Took it to Western States in Spokane WA and they hooked it to the computer and said it was not showing any codes. If I downshift all the way to 3rd, 2nd or 1st on my Allison transmission, and get the RPM's up to like 2700-3000, it still gets hot but doesn't overheat. Of course, I can only go like 30-45mph. Doing lots of mountain driving in the next week. My wife and I travel for work, so if we are stuck somewhere not moving we are losing lots of money. A few folks have suggested the water pump. Another guy said maybe it's a sensor, but it mainly overheats on big hills. ALTHOUGH, it has overheated on flat ground towing the car about 15 minutes in to the trip. Our manufacturer says we should only tow 5000 lbs, our car is 6000, every mechanic I have talked to says the Cummins 6.7L should tow 10,000 lbs with no issues. We have had this rig since Oct 2017 and towed the car at least 7000 miles with no issues. It's not losing any water when it overheats. Engine oil level looks good. Transmission fluid is clear, full, and does not smell burnt. ANY IDEAS????

Just a heads up if you end up in the same predicament that I'm in - a replacement turbo is about 3 grand. You need to make sure if you are getting one that it INCLUDES the ACTUATOR. My rig is sitting at the shop with a brand new turbo ready to be installed and no actuator. Cummins says actuator is another $1000. This is ridiculous. I have spent hours and hours trying to find a replacement turbo, finally get one, and it's missing essential part that costs an extra grand.

Hey all - thanks for your replies! That is the price for a new Cummins Turbo for my 6.7L 350 that the mechanic found. SstGermain is right - new ones are in the $2200-$3500 range and rebuilt or reconditioned ones are VERY hard to find. This whole ordeal is gonna cost like 7 grand. NOT what I was expecting, but the turbo itself is so expensive. I have a 210 number but right now I'm up in North Idaho for the summer visiting my kids. The rig started overheating on the way up here from Texas. It is currently taken apart at the diesel repair place in Post Falls, ID. They said it had a blocked exhaust port and that the turbo is locked up. The tech showed me - the turbine is supposed to spin freely and it's all locked up.

Trying to find a rebuilt Cummins Turbo for my 2009 Forest River Berkshire. It's a 6.7L 350 and the part # is 5325451-RX. I have looked EXTENSIVELY online and can only find new ones. The part is about $3000 new. If you have any info please text me at 210 913 0149 as soon as you can! Thom Shepherd