Add Oil light after a hard freeze 2004 Journey 39K

[jefflbi]

Seems I can't take a trip without having some sort of issue.......... welcome to camping, right?? Well here's my story. I left home (south Jersey) during some wintery weather. traveling to AL to look at a cabin that is for sale. I used a Harvest Host for an overnight. I drove 8 hours that day no problems other than the weather making the RV and toad very dirty and icing on the windshield. I got to my destination in VA, which also has a 50 amp hookup. It was very cold and that night was the first hard freeze with temps going into the single digits. The next day I started the engine in prep to leave and I noticed on the rear camera on the checklist screen the line that said Engine Maintenance was blinking. Now I didn't have a single issue the day before and I had just had the engine serviced in Dec. I clicked thru all the screens and when it was just rear of the RV on the screen there was a symbol that looked like an oil can with a spout that was blinking. It blinked for maybe 5 minutes then it just stayed steady. During this time I got on the road and drove about 30 miles before stopping to fuel up. I googled the symbol and it's meaning and it appears it means that I need to add oil. While fueling up I checked the engine and trans oil levels and they were right up to the full line as I thought they would be. My mechanic friends say that it's most likely a sensor. My question is where is that sensor and how hard is it to replace??

I want to add that the temps in AL have been cold since I arrived and last night there was another hard freeze and it appears tonight is going to be the same. But starting tomorrow, there is going to be a warming trend and Thursday it is supposed to hit 60. I have started the RV since I got here and I probably will not start it until I leave a week from now.

[wahoonc]

I don't know if this is applicable in this situation or not...

I have had generators that would not start due to low oil shutdown in cold weather. I would disconnect the wire to the oil sensor, wait for the unit to come up to operating temperature then reconnect, then we were good to go.

From your description, I would suspect a wonky sensor. No clue where it is.

Aaron

[Ray,IN]

No way to say when we don't know the engine brand/model.
If you happen to have a Cummins ISC, this article describes the different locations Cummins used.
https://thecampingadvisor.com/8-3-cu...nsor-location/
If you have a Cummins Quickserve account, the information there is accurate.

[jefflbi]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

No way to say when we don't know the engine brand/model.
If you happen to have a Cummins ISC, this article describes the different locations Cummins used.
https://thecampingadvisor.com/8-3-cu...nsor-location/
If you have a Cummins Quickserve account, the information there is accurate.

Sorry, Cummins 330.. But this isn't about pressure, it's about needing to add oil, which my levels are where they need to be.....

[Ray,IN]

I'm not aware of a low oil level sensor on an ISC. I've had to add a gallon of motor oil one time, but there was no dash light. Your best bet is go to https://quickserve.cummins.com/info/index.html and create a free account. It requires your engine S# at signup, then you have access to all the information for your engine.

The Cummins Parts catalog is open, no signup.https://parts.cummins.com/esn-entry/main
FWIW, I just tried to look up the low oil sensor for my engine, search results: not found..

[emiddleb]

You probably have the TripTek system. The one that overlays your backup camera view with info about the trip.

THERE IS NO SENSOR. The TripTek maintenance reminders are based on elapsed time/miles and simply display on the screen at the appropriate time. It thinks you need to change the oil because the timer for that reminder triggered.

To reset those timers you need to go into the maintenance screen. Press both Up and Down arrows together. Then use the View button to get into the Maintenance screen. Use the Up/Down arrows to select the item (Engine Oil) and the Reset button to clear the reminder.

[jefflbi]

Originally Posted by emiddleb

You probably have the TripTek system. The one that overlays your backup camera view with info about the trip.

THERE IS NO SENSOR. The TripTek maintenance reminders are based on elapsed time/miles and simply display on the screen at the appropriate time. It thinks you need to change the oil because the timer for that reminder triggered.

To reset those timers you need to go into the maintenance screen. Press both Up and Down arrows together. Then use the View button to get into the Maintenance screen. Use the Up/Down arrows to select the item (Engine Oil) and the Reset button to clear the reminder.

I thought the exact same thing but one of my mechanic friends who works on county trucks and buses said that big rigs don't have those kind of fancy features like the average car/truck. I also would have thought that the Freightliner place that changed the oil in Dec would have reset such a feature if there was one. I just did what you said and sure enough I was able to get to reset screen, but the process was slightly more involved than you described. I had to press the View button until there was nothing being displayed but the camera view, then I pressed the up/down arrows at the same time and the reset options came up. But thanks a bunch!!! This is a huge load off my mind!!!!

[emiddleb]

Congrats on fixing the issue. My instructions were from memory (grey hair) and sorry that they were a touch off. The TripTek is a 3rd party product installed by Winnebago on some DPs of that era, so not surprising a Freightliner tech wouldn't think to reset it.

[jefflbi]

No worries brother! You got me pointed in the right direction and I was able to figure it out........... Much appreciated!!

[Jrampey]

This is a good time to remind you that there are crankcase heaters on these beasts… it would be a lot easier on the engine if you turn on the crankcase/oil sump heater for a few hours or overnight before those really cold morning starts.

[jefflbi]

Originally Posted by Jrampey

This is a good time to remind you that there are crankcase heaters on these beasts… it would be a lot easier on the engine if you turn on the crankcase/oil sump heater for a few hours or overnight before those really cold morning starts.

That's a good reminder!!! Thanks!!

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by Jrampey

This is a good time to remind you that there are crankcase heaters on these beasts… it would be a lot easier on the engine if you turn on the crankcase/oil sump heater for a few hours or overnight before those really cold morning starts.

Didn't you mean coolant heaters? I've never seen a Cummins MH engine with a crankcase heater as OEM.
A quick search for Cummins crankcase heater, resulted on zero results, but did find cummins crankcase breather heater.

[emiddleb]

Yes, it's an engine coolant heater.