Cat C9 Question

[Robin Goffrier]

We are considering trading our 2001 40' Marquis in on a 2008 42 Contessa Milan.  The coach is absolutely beautiful with 1.5 bathrooms.  We wanted to upgrade to 4 slides from 2. As well, I have had some of the fancy gadgets on the Marquis start to fail and there are few replacement parts. This Contessa has the Cat C9, 425 horse engine which has the environmental  features which result in, among other things somewhat lessened mileage and generally less favorable reviews.  I would like to know if there are any Fellow Beaverites out there that have had reasonable or even satisfactory experiences with this engine.  The coach has 36,000 miles on it.  Thanks.

[Dale Soule]

We purchased a 40' Monteray 18 months ago, love it.  Has C-9 with  28,000 miles now has 35,000 miles had trouble with barometric switch go bad. never really had full power.  Put a Cat electric fuel pump on as # 1 filter.  All the difference in the world, now it putting out close to 400 hp.  Heat, oil consumption all good, fuel mileage with the pump 7.5,  7.7  consistent.  I think C-9 tops out at 400 hp.  Hope this helps.   

[Bryan Beamon]

Robin the 08 Contessa had turbo problems with C9 425hp  engine. Suggest you see what additional responses you get on the forum. The C9 400 hp engines in the 07 Contessa was fine.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Brian,
Agree. the 425 is problematic due to turbo issues. One member lost 3 turbos. Look for a 400 but (IMHO) avoid the 425. The 400 should give you good service. Monaco bought a large number of 400hp C9s in 06 to supply the majority of 07 coaches.
Steve

[Dan Murphy]

Robin
Keep looking! You are asking for trouble if you trade for a Contessa with the C-9 425 hp Acert engine.We bought a 2009 Contessa 3 yrs ago and although we love the coach we have had a lot of engine problems.The regeneration-afterburner system is crap and will fail.

For many years Cat replaced turbos under the 5 yr warranty and you can find many 2008-2009 coaches that have had a turbo or possibly 2or3 turbos replaced.The engines are no longer under warranty and a turbo replacement is VERY expensive! If you have a problem with the regeneration/afterburner which is known as the DPF [diesel particulate filter] the Caterpillar people will tell you you need a new turbo which is a temporary fix and will never fix the problem.

The C9 425 along with the C-13 and C-15 Acert engines are poorly designed and were a major cause of Caterpillar pulling out of the OTR marketplace in my opinion. There are class-action lawsuits against Cat by many trucking firms that have lost millions of dollars with the larger Cat engines in there fleets. Do your research!

[Dave Atherton]

Robin, been holding back on thoughts about the Caterpillar C-9 425 hp. Being my livelihood
has been around Caterpillar Engines and Caterpillar Equipment. Everyone is trying to point you in a different direction and yes keep looking. Caterpillar C-9 or Caterpillar C-12 both are very good engines
In the 400 hp range. The C-9 425 has been a train wreck and reason for everyone turbo replacement
Excess heat from the Regen system. If perhaps you buy motorhome ( good deal ) there are
different roads to make the C-9 425 preform, looking ahead that will chase the Failure worms from
Exhaust system. Feel free to contact Ask Dave on the BAC Forum. Dave Atherton Retired Cat mechanic

[Gerald Farris]

Robin,
On the 425 HP C-9, the exhaust brake uses a variable geometry turbo where the exhaust turbine in the turbocharger has moveable blades to restrict the exhaust flow instead of the butterfly valve (traditional exhaust brake) that was used on the 400 HP C-9. This design change was necessary because the regeneration module that adds fuel into the exhaust stream on the 425 HP C-9 makes the use of a traditional exhaust impossible. This added complexity in hardware and software generated a very high number of turbo failures.

Gerald     

[Joel Ashley]

I suppose it would violate EPA regs. if a person tried converting back to the standard 400-rated C9, being rid of the regenerative garbage.   I've always been thankful we bought our coach when we did, just before the implementation of the exhaust "cleaning" regs.  Our C9 is great, almost more power than our 37 footer needs... nothin wrong with that.

Joel

[Greg Ross]

We have a 2008 Contessa with the Cat C-9 425 and we have had problems.
the codes said turbo problems but after replacing 2 turbos and getting the same error codes the shop , NC Machinery in Washington state, found a loose connecting in the plug that supplies power to the engine  control module, ECM.
They were changing the engine wiring harness at the time, that cleared up that problem.
The last problem we had was with the regeneration system (check engine light and the regen light on the dash).
Peterson Cat in San Martine, south of San Jose cleaned the nozzle (CAT 308-1504) and changed the spark plug(Cat 295-3099)and everything seems ok. The tech said to clean the nozzle once a year and showed me where the port to clean the nozzle is. If anyone wants more info about nozzle cleaning I would be happy to go thru it with them.

Greg Ross
2008 Cotessa 425.

[Laurel Moore]

 I am interested in the nozzle cleaning where is located I have a 2009  contessa. I had a  similar  problem they replace the ARD head. I wonder if cleaning the nozzle would have been the same fix

[Dave Atherton]

Laurel Moore, cleaning of the nozzle would not make a difference on replacement of the ARD
Head. There are 27 technical service bulletins on the Re-gen system pertaining to the Cat C9S
425 hp engines and replacement of the ARD head is included. What I posted on Ask Dave pertain
to turbocharger replacement electric actuator failure that requires complete replacement of
the turbocharger. Dave Atherton Retired Cat Mechanic

[Laurel Moore]

Dave, in your post  of being able to take the worms out of future turbo problems. Is this something to look into?thanks for your response.

[Dave Atherton]

Laurel Moore, what Dave suggested there are other opinions with the Caterpillar C9S 425 hp
engine. There are many technical Service bulletins out on this engine. Basic your engine is
not preforming to EPA Reg's most of the time as a person may think. Getting into technical
Information on the BAC page than Ask Dave I can provide you with Information of different
ways to go to be within EPA guide lines. Dave Atherton Retired Cat Mechanic