Journey 2004 Cummings Engine

JHS · 01-07-2007, 03:29 PM

The Turbo Charger on the Cummings Engine has failed twice. At 9 months and 3500 miles we had to have the turbo charger replaced. Now with 20,000 miles and three years, 2 months, the check engine light came on and the diagnostics says the turbo charger needs to be replaced. Any ideas out there what could be causing this problem? It seems unlikely that we could have had two bad turbo chargers to me. Any imput would be appreciated. Thanks, Joan

JHS · 01-07-2007, 03:29 PM

The Turbo Charger on the Cummings Engine has failed twice. At 9 months and 3500 miles we had to have the turbo charger replaced. Now with 20,000 miles and three years, 2 months, the check engine light came on and the diagnostics says the turbo charger needs to be replaced. Any ideas out there what could be causing this problem? It seems unlikely that we could have had two bad turbo chargers to me. Any imput would be appreciated. Thanks, Joan

CaptBill · 01-07-2007, 06:34 PM

Have you taken the air cleaner off (engine shut down, of course!), and checked to see if the turbo turns freely? I had a pair of Cummins diesels in my boat, and over winter lay-up, when the engines had not been started for 6 months, one of the turbos stiffened up.

I had thoughts of $$$$ flying out the window when a diesel mechanic told me to just try turning the turbo by hand, and seeing if it would free up. It did. I then started up the engine, and took the boat out for a spin. Everything worked as it should, and I had no further problems with that turbo.

Just thought it might be worth mentioning. Best luck.

SargeW · 01-08-2007, 05:40 AM

What size Cummins are you running and what year is it? It is highly unusual for a Turbo to fail, let alone twice. There are only a few reasons for a turbo to fail. One would be a defective air cleaner allowing debris into the air stream, and damaging the bearing or impeller. The other would be an over modified engine putting excessive boost into the stock turbo, thus prematurely wearing out the impeller.

I once had a turbo fail on a ford due to a clogged oil line that was susposed to cool the turbo bearing.

There is also a condition known as "turbo bark". That is when the driving style of the operator is to mash the go pedal, and then come completly off the pedal repeatedly. This causes a rush of boost to slam against the impeller that has now slowed dramatically. Repeated aggressive accleration/deceleration can be very hard on the turbo. The "bark" may not be audible to you if you have a pusher. If the turbo is indeed bad, find out what part of the turbo failed (bearings, impeller ect) so that the cause may be identified. Otherwise, another failure may be somewhere in your future....

Sarge

Bill Gotthelf · 01-08-2007, 04:01 PM

Sarge is right but I would like to add a few things. I would be willing to bet when they changed the first turbo you got a remanufacturered. I have seen remans fail after only a few miles because they did a bad job on the reman. Also a good idea would be to let the engine idle a few minutes after driving to lower the temp in the turbo. Ideal temp should be around 350 before shutoff. The turbo temps could be over 600 degrees after driving and shutting off at those temps causes the oil to break down in the turbo and dry starts every time.

JHS · 01-08-2007, 05:16 PM

Cummings engine is in a 32T Journey 2004.
It is an ISB 5.9L turbo-charged diesel 300hp, with Allison 5 speed.
I am not mechanically inclined. At present I am waiting further information from a Freighliner repair facility that is an authorized Cummings repair facility. First time it was taken to a Cummings repair facility. The check engine light started to come on sporadically. Took it in for routine maintenance and to have the check engine light diagnosed. I'm not a quick start and go and stop driver. Will update when I hear more from the Freightliner facility.

Tagalong · 01-09-2007, 02:38 PM

JHS, we have the same setup as you (see Sig.)
I hope you find out the problem. Just this past summer we had the check Engine light come on and Cummins Northeast found the EGR valve was bad. While they had the EGR valve off they could and did inspect the Turbo. Come to find out, it had to be replaced as well. I asked if I could see what they found... I couldn't believe it, the edges of the fins had been worn down by something. The air intake system was never opened so they thought it possible a small piece of weld or some other debris could have done it. I changed the air filter when I returned home to make sure the old air filter didn't have dust/dirt in it. I tipped it over on a piece of cardboard and tapped pretty hard on the intake end. Nothing came out of the filtered end. In any case, after reading your story, I hope I'm not going to experience a repeat!!!! Good luck!
Tagalong

Bob C · 01-12-2007, 11:47 AM

hi all

wow, this is a blast from the past.. i too have an '04 journey 32t with the 300 cummins and 6 sp allison.. i too had the turbo replaced 2ce within the first year.

the first was an electrical problem, the second was a bearing faliure...

the interesting thing was it failed a third time immediately after the second replacement, however, the problem, once properly diagnosed, was due to an improper installation the second time (the mechanic neglected to tighten a clamp which holds the aircharge hose to the engine, and the turbo was pumping its charge into the atmosphere)..

i must say that although i ran into several freightliner dealers which really suck, winnebago corp, freightliner corp, and my local dealer were superb..

i have since put on over 20,000 additional miles with (dare i say it) no issues (now i hope i havent jinxed myself)..

best of luck

bob casale
riverside, ri

gunny · 01-12-2007, 02:23 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bob C:
hi all

wow, this is a blast from the past.. i too have an '04 journey 32t with the 300 cummins and 6 sp allison.. i too had the turbo replaced 2ce within the first year.

the first was an electrical problem, the second was a bearing faliure...

the interesting thing was it failed a third time immediately after the second replacement, however, the problem, once properly diagnosed, was due to an improper installation the second time (the mechanic neglected to tighten a clamp which holds the aircharge hose to the engine, and the turbo was pumping its charge into the atmosphere)..

i must say that although i ran into several freightliner dealers which really suck, winnebago corp, freightliner corp, and my local dealer were superb..

i have since put on over 20,000 additional miles with (dare i say it) no issues (now i hope i havent jinxed myself)..

best of luck

bob casale
riverside, ri </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Bob:

What sort of electrical problem with the turbo? Not aware they had any electrical connections of any kind.

Bill Gotthelf · 01-12-2007, 05:03 PM

There is no electrical connection to the turbo. The 5.9 uses a Holset HX35. If it is your money replacing the turbo there are many companies out there selling direct bolt ons. The popular replacement would be a HX40 with heavier shaft and bearings. You get more air to the motor and it keeps the egt's down. also delivers cooler air which results in more power and better fuel economy.

jimandsue60 · 01-12-2007, 05:15 PM

Please make note! It is a Cummins engine and not a Cummings engine.

Jim

Bob C · 01-13-2007, 05:40 AM

hi gunny

im not sure, prior to purchasing i took the unit out on a 2 hour test ride and the ck engine light came on, they told me the turbo was replaced as a result of a faulty relay or something.. that was in dec of '03'.. i took delivery in jan of '04 and used it without incedent until late '04 - at that time i brought it in to my dealer for service and as they were driving it back from the freightliner chassis center to their dealership, they lost all power to the engine and had to have the rig towed back to the freightliner facility where they replaced the turbo (bad bearings if i remember correctly).. in late feb i took a trip to fla, and on the way down (climbing the deleware memorial bridge) i lost all power, and buy the time i got to the top of the bridge i dont think i was doing 15mph.. with a lot of noise comming from the engine compartment - we all assumed it was another turbo failure..

turned out the freightliner facility who relpaced the 2nd turbo hadnt tightened the clamp which connects the hose of the turbo the the intake of the engine and it blew off..

so that's my story.. it was **** - but it wasnt the unit's fault - it was shoddy work by the installer and it really ruined a vacation..

it took me several months on the phone with winnebago corp, freightliner corporate, the freightliner dealer who messed up, my selling dealer, and the freightliner dealer who repaired the hose problem (they screwed me in another way - but i wont waste bandwidth on that now)

for those who are interested it was freightliner of hartford, ct who messed up the install, and a freightliner facility in pa who messed me up by no doing what they said..

bob c
riverside, ri

Pushrod · 01-17-2007, 06:54 PM

On my '03 Expedition w/300 Cummins, the turbo was replaced before I took delivery, the coach was still new. About a year later, the check engine light came on, and the turbo had to be replaced again. There is a solenoid that moves part of the housing depending on the boost reqirements, when it fails, the entire unit must be replaced. I don't know if the solenoid is a stand alone replaceable part yet, we traded the coach in sometime ago. As a side note, there was no noticeable change in power.