Diesel Engine Oil Level Check

[cdsuggs]

36 minutes ago, WILDEBILL308 said:

When you went to quick serve did you register your engine serial number? If you did it should give you just information on your build. Look at the pan it will show capacity for your engine then you may need to look at the oil filter to get capacity of the filter. 

When I do my engine it comes out to 19q for the pan and 1q for the filter so 20 quart total.

With your 2010 coach you may not see the oil splatter common with the older coaches that had a slobber tube. 

Bill

Yep, Registered the engine (still need to put in the generator), went to the dataplate page, selected the CPL (CPL279) and scrolled down until I found the oil pan.  If my addled brain remembers, it said 15 qt.  I used to know how many rivets it took to completed the cargo floor of the aircraft I flew, but am having trouble wrapping my brain how to learn what I need to know about owning a motorhome.  It doesn't help that I don't know anyone else around here with a DP.

[wildebill308]

22 hours ago, cdsuggs said:

Yep, Registered the engine (still need to put in the generator), went to the dataplate page, selected the CPL (CPL279) and scrolled down until I found the oil pan.  If my addled brain remembers, it said 15 qt.  I used to know how many rivets it took to completed the cargo floor of the aircraft I flew, but am having trouble wrapping my brain how to learn what I need to know about owning a motorhome.  It doesn't help that I don't know anyone else around here with a DP.

Well you know me. What engine do you have? What is the engine serial number?  I did a little looking and Cummins list 17.6-20.8 QT for the 6.7 I am betting you are ok using 20 qt. It would look like the previous owner or shop has done the research. Let me know what you find out.

One other way is to call Fleetwood with your coaches serial number handy and they can tell you. 

Bill

[cdsuggs]

On ‎7‎/‎15‎/‎2017 at 6:52 PM, WILDEBILL308 said:

Well you know me. What engine do you have? What is the engine serial number?  I did a little looking and Cummins list 17.6-20.8 QT for the 6.7 I am betting you are ok using 20 qt. It would look like the previous owner or shop has done the research. Let me know what you find out.

One other way is to call Fleetwood with your coaches serial number handy and they can tell you. 

Bill

 

Sorry it took so long for me to get back to this.  The motorhome is in Oklahoma City waiting on a turbo replacement.  When Cummins in OKC called me to tell me that the actuator was find but the slider on the turbo was frozen, they told me that it has the 15 qt pan, just like the Quick Serve list I looked at says.  They didn't feel comfortable trying to adjust the level without draining it all out, so now I'm paying for another oil change after 300 miles.  It just keeps getting better and better.  By the way, during my investigation of the situation, I called both Fleetwood and Spartan with no result.  Cummins made the engine, so I'll go with their answer, after I, or the warranty company pay for the new turbo.

 

[wildebill308]

That sounds about right,15 quart pan and a quart in the filter. I double checked my records and I take 16 quarts to.

Sad they are working you to sell anouther oil change. Simple job to loosen the drain plug till it leaks let it run for a while then recheck the level. I have pulled the plug out (by accident) and reinstalled it with thee oil coming out. It was a little more messy.

Keep us updated.

Bill

[kaypsmith]

Since this is on topic, I was looking up some specs on my engine and ran across this, very interesting read from an old diesel mechanic. I hope some of it to be helpful since most of you have newer engines, some remarks may be out of your school, but same principals mostly apply. If you are calibrating a stick, same principals apply, cold oil does move slower than hot oil, meaning, patience is the key to getting it correct.

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Tips on Checking your oil level

OIL LEVEL CHECK:
The correct way to check the oil is to shut off the engine with the bus sitting on a level spot. Let it sit for a couple of hours and drain all back into the oil pan, then check it. If you check it after just shutting the engine off it will check about 1 qt.. low up to about 15 minutes or so. (Depends on the temperature of the engine oil, the hotter the faster it will flow back.) If the vehicle is not level use common sense and if the nose is high, the oil will show over what it really is. If the nose is low the oil will show lower than what it really is. If the left side is lower than the right side it will read lower and visa versa.  The best time to check the oil is just before you start it while it is level. After you start it you can test the level and you will find that it will show approximately 1 gallon low while running if it was at the full mark before you started it.

Tips on Oil level procedures

OIL LEVEL:
Back 30 years ago while working for a large contractor that ran several pieces of equipment which all utilized the 2 stroke Detroit Diesel engines, it was a practice to run the oil 1 gallon low, since when it was full it seemed to smoke and leak more until it got down to the 1 gallon low mark. It might take 2 hours to use the first gallon and then not use another gallon for the next 4 hours. We had not heard of the EPA, nor were any of the famous DOT boys out looking at all the oil dripping, oil was cheap but we didn't like stepping in it so we just ran equipment and trucks 1 gallon low. Much smarter now, I have learned that although it may leak less and smoke less, it also runs hotter when running low on oil. Plus, if you start off running 1 gallon low and then drive it until it uses an additional gallon, you will then be 2 gallons low, which when making a sharp turn or going up or down a steep incline or hill, you increase the possibility of sucking air instead of oil out of the oil pan. This will result in rapid and premature wear on all moving components, lack of cooling to the pistons, and galling of the cylinder walls and pistons.

DIP STICK:
It is a good thing to check your dip stick just after an oil change after you have installed the correct amount of oil that the bus manufacturer recommends to confirm that the dip stick has the correct markings on it. It is not unusual to find that the dip stick has been replaced with the wrong one or is poorly marked. Install the correct amount of oil to include that which is in the filter, start the engine let it run until it reaches 180 degrees, shut if off and wait at least 2 hours (Overnight would be even better if you have the time) This is being picky, but, I have dropped the pan off of many engines and returned the next day, slid under the engine only to have a drop of oil hit me in the face or in the ear and continue to do so regularly during the entire time I was under it.