Allegro Engine Dying

[neilcarol]

We have a 2012 gas Allegro Open Road, 4 months old.

On our first trip while going up a hill, in first gear, high revs, all power shut down (eng./elec). It happened again last week on the interstate in cruise -- again, high revs. Shut down again.

So far dealer is stumped. Any ideas?

[nitehawk]

neilcarol, I doubt anyone can help you with just the information you have supplied. Being somewhat familiar with Tiffin coaches I never knew they made engines. What brand is your drivetrain?

[desertdeals69]

Does it restart right away? It might be the ignition relay/solenoid. I had the same symptons which happened once or twice a year. Took me several years to locate the problem. After I replaced the solenoid I cut it open to see what the problem was. The contacter, which is free to rotate, had a burnt spot on it . No more problems in the last few years.

[neilcarol]

Ford v-10

[dickandlois]

Does it restart right away?

This is a good question that was asked. So does it start right up again or is there a delay and about how long before it restarts?

The only item that comes to mind with the information you have offered, is a ground issue somewhere. Many of the parts of the engine are made of aluminum. The material has a different expansion characteristic then the steel screws and brackets used to mount many of the electronic systems and sensors to the engine. This difference can cause an intermittent connection as things heat up.

That could mean a stripped screw connection, a screw that is not torqued properly or something like a wire connector that is not properly crimped to a grounding lug.

This could be happening in your case, as you mentioned it has happened when the engine is running under a heavy load for an extended period of time. You mentioned that it quit when climbing in low gear and again at high speed and high RPM's.

Was it a hot day when the second engine shutdown happened,while using the cruse control ?

Rich.

[neilcarol]

No, not an unusually hot day, and if we sit for a just a couple of minutes it starts up.

Tiffin told us to replace the crank shaft sensor, but the Ford motor place didn't really think it was that.

[dickandlois]

Neil,

The crank sensors do fail. I had one fail, but it kind of cut out a couple of times, did not stop the engine entirely. It did finally shutdown the engine, the same way you described. I had around 70K on the truck at the time.

Being that they do fail and the pattern fits your problem it might pay to have it replace. A real bad part can get through a test before its shipped.

All it takes is a bad wire connection in the molded assembly and it will fail in short order.

Then if that does not solve the issue one might check the grounds as I mentioned earlier. Being new does not mean that all the connections are good. Have had a few loose grounds on new vehicles over the years and there are allot of them to connect.

Rich.

[hermanmullins]

AH, Ground connections. The ground connections on MHs remind me of the ole song, "The knee bones connected to the thigh bone, the thigh bones connected to the hip bone...." Neils problem does sound like the sensor. Since the sensor helps control the spark, under extreme conditions it may not read the changes needed and just shuts down. Then when it is shut off, the computer will adjust and go on from there.

I would be very concerned about my safety if it shuts down on the hwy. That being said I would only drive in the right lane until I am sure the problem is fixed.

Herman

[desertdeals69]

Since the electric and the engine stops its probably not going to be an engine component failure. Its going to be power going to the system, which I addressed in an earlier post. I would also rule out grounds because there are several, the dash, frame, engine. Might be battery cables, check to see if all connections are clean and tight.

[hermanmullins]

dd69,

I reread the post and you are correct. Loss of all electrical sound like the 12 volt continuous solenoid. Now there is a place for a bad ground. Since the solenoid is activated by 12 volts to a ground through the solenoid it could be a bad ground there.

If I remember right loss of ground or power will disconnect the solenoid.

Herman

[neilcarol]

Thanks for all the input. When we go back to the Ford truck mechanic we will pass all info to them. in the mean time we do drive in the right lane so we can coast to the shoulder if it should happen again.

[five]

If it's only four months old, take it to the dealer and let him figure it out...at his expense.