Cummins ISL EGR Cooler Failed

[Tunedude]

I am stuck in a repair shop dealing with the EGR cooler failure.  I have a 2008 Monaco Diplomat 400Hp Cummins motor with 64K miles.  My cooler failed and pushed coolant into other parts of the engine.  When we had the repairs done we found out Cummins stopped making parts for that cooler.  We had to pay for a new cooler system which was not cheap.  Is anyone else having these problems?  After the repair we got 70 miles away from the repair shop and had to stop for other problems due to the coolant getting into other parts.  I have not seen any recalls but this seems to me to be a manufactured problem, not operator error.

[wildebill308]

I certainty do need help. If you watch this video you may have a better understanding of how a ERG cooler works.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4G9IrmxjOM

Bill

 

[hermanmullins]

Nice video. I learns quite a bit. Just hope I can remember what I saw and heard.

Herman

[wildebill308]

Makes you understand why there are people selling EGR delete kits.

It would be nice if the OP came back with some more info.

Bill

[obedb]

Have a trucking buddy with a newer Series 60 Detroit that has EGR. Found a shop that will remove it for around $2000. ECM has to be modified also.Never had to deal with it because my last truck was a 2001, but based on all that I have heard, I hope he does it. In PA, diesels are not inspected. 

[dickandlois]

1 hour ago, WILDEBILL308 said:

Makes you understand why there are people selling EGR delete kits.

It would be nice if the OP came back with some more info.

Bill

Got a feeling he is in a state of total frustration !!! The issue with the Cooler appears to have been known before his coach was built and the sad thing is, I have feeling a that the chassis builder got hoodwinked into buying them with a low price.

Rich.

[Tunedude]

This is an ISL 2008 Cummins pusher.  The cooler was an EGR cooler which had to be replaced with a new system..  That failure lead to having to clean both filters, replace my Turbo, and other components,  Very expensive.

[wolfe10]

Note from Moderator: 

With the additional facts from the Original Poster, I have edited his original post to identify what engine and failure he had. 

And deleted posts about other engines made before we knew what problem/engine he had.

Brett

[wildebill308]

3 hours ago, Tunedude said:

This is an ISL 2008 Cummins pusher.  The cooler was an EGR cooler which had to be replaced with a new system..  That failure lead to having to clean both filters, replace my Turbo, and other components,  Very expensive.

If I didn't say it earlier, welcome to the forum. What filters did they replace and how did they say it damaged the turbo?

Bill

[jleamont]

Tunedude, did they show you the failed turbocharger? I have had to take them apart and un seize the unison ring so the vanes would operate and clean out the scale. This is common as a little antifreeze passes through it will cause the turbo to build up scale inside and the variable vanes will stick.

This usually occurs over time as the cooler is allowing antifreeze to pass into the exhaust before the big cooler failure that leaves you stranded. It's uncommon for an EGR cooler to burst all at once. The root cause for the EGR cooler failure (in most instances) is mostly caused by the engine oil cooler partially clogging up inside and the coolant in the EGR cooler gets too hot due to low circulation, it will begin to deteriorate the solder joints in the EGR cooler as the over heated antifreeze (often boiling) leaves the oil cooler in route to the EGR cooler, causing it to leak over time.

I always replace the oil cooler at the same time, if the engine is not equipped with a coolant filter one gets plumbed at that time to stop the next clogged oil cooler. A clean cooling system is a happy cooling system.

I have also sourced EGR coolers that are welded internally rather than soldered, they are usually 2x the price but its the last time you will replace it.

[manholt]

Thank you Joe, that was educational !

Carl

[wildebill308]

5 hours ago, jleamont said:

Tunedude, did they show you the failed turbocharger? I have had to take them apart and un seize the unison ring so the vanes would operate and clean out the scale. This is common as a little antifreeze passes through it will cause the turbo to build up scale inside and the variable vanes will stick.

This usually occurs over time as the cooler is allowing antifreeze to pass into the exhaust before the big cooler failure that leaves you stranded. It's uncommon for an EGR cooler to burst all at once. The root cause for the EGR cooler failure (in most instances) is mostly caused by the engine oil cooler partially clogging up inside and the coolant in the EGR cooler gets too hot due to low circulation, it will begin to deteriorate the solder joints in the EGR cooler as the over heated antifreeze (often boiling) leaves the oil cooler in route to the EGR cooler, causing it to leak over time.

I always replace the oil cooler at the same time, if the engine is not equipped with a coolant filter one gets plumbed at that time to stop the next clogged oil cooler. A clean cooling system is a happy cooling system.

I have also sourced EGR coolers that are welded internally rather than soldered, they are usually 2x the price but its the last time you will replace it.

I had never heard of the oil cooler plugging up on the coolant side. Learned something new. 

There are videos on Youtube showing them cleaning turbos and descaling. 

Bill

[jleamont]

Bill, I didn't believe it until I cut one open on a band saw. After I did that I found videos on you tube, should have looked there first . I was shocked there was an actual build up inside, like a yellow greenish sludge in some spots, others were hard like teeth tarter. The addition of a coolant filter is supposed to correct the problem, I always overkilled and replaced the EGR cooler with an aftermarket one that was stainless steel and welded for added security. You don't make happy customers when the expensive repair only lasts a few years and they are back again.

Here is a video on a Ford Powerstroke 6.0L (AKA Navistar VT365 V8 turbo diesel, the predecessor to the Maxxforce 7). This engine (in the video) is equipped with the HEUI fuel system design that is found in the CAT 3126 and C7 (not the C7S released in 07 and was only around for 2 years) the Powerstroke 7.3L, and most of the Navistar DT series pre emissions engines (T444, DT466 etc..), obviously they just do not have the EGR system, but the same basics do apply on how critical an oil cooler plays on your engine.

 

[Tunedude]

After replacement of the failed EGR cooler (the cooler was pushing coolant out through the exhaust system at the rate of all of it at once) we tried to get back on the road but the Turbo gear stuck.  This caused check engine and turn off engine.  The Tech showed me the stuck gear before replacing.  He also said the actuator valve was not reading to specs when tested.  The DP filters were saturated but we were able to have them cleaned.  The repairs consisted of a new EGR cooler system (Cummins does not make replacement parts for the one that was installed), replacement of the Turbo and actuator valve, and cleaned reused DP filters.