Starting Cummins ISM/ISX During Storage

[manholt]

Ahh, winter in PA.  Delightful time of year!  Down here, it's a slightly cooler extension of Summer!  No hibernation needed..

Since you have not done anything in Winter past, you don't need to bother now! As the Cummins report said...there is no current engine manual for exercising the engine!  Not sure how or what we need to read into that statement.   

[five]

16 hours ago, wolfe10 said:

 

 

....Current Cummins engine owner’s manuals don’t mention exercising.  However, Cummins has suggested in seminars that it is a good idea to start the drive engine while you are exercising the generator.  This has many benefits including: charges system batteries, lubricate components, expels moisture from the lubricating oil, and renews fuel in pumps and injectors.  There are options depending on your situation:

              Good – start and run at high idle (hit cruise set switch) until coolant reaches operating temperature

              Better – allow engine to reach operating temperature and drive the coach forward and back to lube axle and transmission components

              Best – go for a 30 minute highway speed drive"

 

Thanks, Brett.  The person who sent this said he'd like to see the link or document recommending running a diesel for a few minutes that started this discussion.  I for one, would like to see HIS reference for the statement above.  If it's really important, it would be in the manuals.  He then goes on to say, "Cummins has suggested in seminars...."  Fine, who is "Cummins?"  I'm certainly no diesel expert, but have owned four...a Duramax, Yanmar, ISL and my current DD.  NOBODY recommends idling these things.  Here's a quote from my DD manual:  "The common belief that idling a diesel engine causes no engine damage is wrong.  Idling produces sulfuric acid, which is absorbed by the lubricating oil and eats into the bearings, rings, valve stems and engine surfaces."  It goes on to say if you must idle an engine, for cab heating or cooling, idle at high idle.

[elkhartjim]

I've always debated with myself on when to do the annual oil/filter change. If I change it at the beginning of the season, March lets say, and by the end of December I begin to use it only occasionally until March comes around again, the engine is sitting there with all kinds of bad stuff in the oil that can't be doing the moving parts any good. 

As mentioned in Five's previous post, chemicals such as sulfuric acid may be in the oil. Well, that sure can't be good for the bearings, etc. 

Thoughts anyone?

 

[wolfe10]

Also been around diesel most of my life, starting with MB diesels in the 1970's, followed by marine diesels and DP's.

I will continue to do what has worked and does not add moisture to the crankcase:

Change oil BEFORE storing.

Only start it if I can drive a minimum of 25 highway miles-- enough to get the oil up to operating temperature.  Since we live in S Texas and the only "white" I ever want to see is on a beach, a monthly drive is not a problem.  I suspect that most areas do have at least one nice day a month!

[manholt]

Brett.  If sunny is a nice day, then all Lower 48 qualify....however, zero to 40 below zero and sunny?  That's a stretch, but in the South we have no excuse.  As both FIVE & Jim wrote, we still don't have a definite answer for the OP, just what we do and we had that at square 1 !   

[wolfe10]

Carl,

Agree.  The only progress we have made is that Cummins has challenged/denied the alleged advice to start the ISM/ISX frequently for supposedly galvanic reaction reasons.

Hopefully the OP will post a link so that can be corrected.

[elkhartjim]

Thanks, Brett. I've always changed it at the end of the season.

As I recall, the OP saw the comment on a social media site and we all know the reliability of some of those.

[jleamont]

1 hour ago, wolfe10 said:

Carl,

Agree.  The only progress we have made is that Cummins has challenged/denied the alleged advice to start the ISM/ISX frequently for supposedly galvanic reaction reasons.

Hopefully the OP will post a link so that can be corrected.

I found the post on Facebook and copied and pasted the Cummins expert advice above, the specifics and detail was outstanding! Information like that is too good not to share. Someone on there can benefit from it.

If any of you are on Facebook "MONACO RV OWNERS GROUP" is the page it popped up on.

I don't run the engine as I have no means of getting get up to operating temperature, with that being said the potential damage would be worse than any gains. After the first precipitation up here the roads look like the Bonneville salt flats, every time there is any chance of precipitation in the forecast they go RAMBO and recoat everything with salt brine then another layer of salt, there is no way Ill put our coach on corrosive substance's, I was lucky enough to find this coach with a previous owner more of a fanatic than I am with stuff like this, anyway It gets so bad the roads become dusty . So dusty the fleet at work always has elevated Sodium in the oil analysis in the winter months, yep it makes its way in there via air intakes, scary stuff!!

I do run the generator and Aqua-Hot monthly.

[wildebill308]

One of the reasons I always recommend doing oil sampling/analysis is to know what condition your oil is in and what contaminates are in it. I change my oil annually. Some times it isn't exactly on a perfect 12 mo 15,000 schedule. One of the reasons I don't worry is because my drain oil is better than what some are putting in. Your TBN numbers tell you how much protection you have left in the oil. This is from last years report. "The TBN is 6.8, showing active additive left for a longer run. 1.0 or less is considered low." 

Bill

 

[five]

On 11/9/2017 at 8:37 AM, jleamont said:

 

...I do run the generator and Aqua-Hot monthly...

Joe...don't know what you mean by "run"  but Lloyd DeGerald, one of the Aqua Hot gurus, says all you need to do monthly is turn on the burner and walk to the AH exhaust.  As soon as the exhaust is warm, you've done all you need to do, so you can turn it off.  He also advised that when camping you should also turn the  "Tempering Valve" (gray knob on the right side) all the way to the left, then all the way to the right...then back to your setting....monthly.

[jleamont]

Five, same as you mentioned above is all I do, in fact did it this morning before work. I don't have the valve you mentioned, only one temperature valve on our model, it requires taking the covers off and the burner out for access. If that needs to happen monthly, ill replace it when it breaks.

[manholt]

Yeah.  That's a new one for me!  Never done that and have never had a problem in 3 DP's....have it serviced or service it yourself once a year!