CA 12 idling cut out after 45 minutes.

[Jeremy Parrett]

 Jane and I stopped just west of Wilcox.AZ  yesterday,New Years Day. It was cold. The front door had been popping open at highway speed so we stopped to lube the linkage thinking this might help. Both of us outside the coach with no coats ,phones ,keys or wallets ,engine running.....I shut the door to test the latch and much to our amazement found the door had locked itself !!!   As the sun was lowering over the horizon we had visions of us out on I 10 thumbing a ride to somewhere warm.  Luckily this was not necessary as a friendly trucker ,using his phone managed to contact a locksmith in Wilcox who arrived 1 hour later and let us back into our coach!!  
While we were waiting.....the point of this story.....after 45 minutes or so of idling the CA 12 455hp 1999 engine quit .   We restarted the engine using the rear start and since have not had any problems. We would like to know why the engine stopped!! Is there some limitation device to prevent excessive idling??
 As a caveat the locksmith informed us that there are plastic parts in the door lock mechanism that act as friction pads to prevent the lock from self locking when you shut the door rather hard!!!
  I guess my liberal application of WD40 prevented these friction pads from doing their job !!  
Happy New Year to everyone !!!

[Gerald Farris]

There is no idle time limiter built into the C-12 engine computer (ECM) software. So if it died while idling, there is a problem elsewhere.

Gerald

[Jeremy Parrett]

Hi Gerald,
 thank you for the info. We are now in Yuma AZ and the C12 is running very well.  After running hard for 4 hours and then idling at the rest stop I wonder if the turbo has a temperature cut out?   The Silverleaf did not record any faults.   Thanks again,  jeremy and jane
  

[Bruce Benson]

My guess is your fuel partially jelled.  Fuel purchased in a normally warm environment will do that when it gets cold.  Diesel is blended climate and season specific.  Those of us who purchased the original GMC 350 diesels are painfully reminded of that fact.

I agree with Gerald, you have or had a problem.  Fuel or the computer are about the only choices that come to mind.

If you are not carrying both spare fuel filters now would be a good time to start doing so.

[Marty and Suzie Schenck]

I retired in 2004 from delivering new class 8 and 7 trucks. I found that since the introduction of computer controlled engine management systems, that manufacturers have been known to program some strange parameters into ECM's.  Try idling your coach again, and see if it dies again at or around 45 min.  If it does die, it is a setting in the ECM that can be changed.  If it doesn't, then you had and or have a problem. Marty

[Jeremy Parrett]

We will be doing an idle test tomorrow.  We were running on half a tank. It had been really cold through the mountains between Las Cruces and Tucson. Fuel gelling makes sense. Will be stocking up on both fuel filters X 4 .
 Thank you all for your input.   Jeremy and Jane







2000 Marquis Amethyst C12 455HP

[Jeremy Parrett]

Jane and I are amused to note that no one has remarked on the fact that we managed to lock ourselves out of our coach!!  We can only assume this is because we are not the only ones who have accomplished this !!!

[LEAH DRAPER]

OH NO, You can't claim that title alone.  I have done it once also.  NOW I always carry my keys clipped on my pocket!!

Am sure there are many others too.  Had to get a locksmith to get in, fortunately I was in civilization, not out in the boonies.

[Bruce Benson]

We keep a real estate lock box with both keys attached to a line coming out of the propane tank.  We have had the brass contacts on the door that operate the keyless entry become corroded and thus the automatic lock ceased to work twice now.  There are also times when she locks it, leaves and his clicker is on the key hook and not in his pocket.  We use the spare keys often!

[Tom and Pam Brown]

If for some reason there is a idle shutdown timer (I beleive there is because of the carb regulations) will all do respect to Gerald. When idleing for any length of time just idle the engine up to around 1000 rpm's using the cruise control.  This beleive it or not will burn less fuel and bypasses the idle shutdown timer if so equipped.  At idle the engine struggles a bit requiring more fuel. By increasing the RPM's you also increase oil pressure for better lubrication therefore burning less fuel.
Most idle shutdown timers on the Cat engine are set to 30 minutes.

[Jeremy Parrett]

Well well well, who knew ,eh!!   Thank you all very much for your input....again.
 I always wondered what the spring loaded contact bar was for by the door hinge!!!  We do not have keyless door locks which I now see could be a blessing.
Spare keys are now kept in the battery bay in a magnetic capsule.
      

[Edward Buker]

It would seem unlikely that the fuel was gelling, given that the fuel is used to cool some of the injection components and I think the main engine computer. If the engine started that morning and gelling was not an issue at start up then as you drove, fuel returned to the tank should have been at a significantly higher temperature and the fuel mix in the tank would have risen in temperature. Fuel temp is one of the items that can be monitored on your dash engine monitor panel. I have seen mine go as high as 160F if memory serves me right but that was in hot weather. You could watch that fuel temp next time out in cold conditions and confirm if the fuel temp rises as expected.

later Ed

[Tom and Pam Brown]

Cat engines return approx 80% of the fuel in the return line to the tank.  On trucks with exposed fuel tanks in temperatures below 10 degrees they sometime will gel because of the wind chill created by the trucks movement at 70 MPH or more.  With the fuel tank on motorhomes being mostly unexposed to wind chill issues it is doubtful the fuel would gel.  Having said that there is anti gel additives available.  
A quick look at the sight glass on the fuel filter (if applicable) would tell you if the fuel is gelling or waxing due to cold weather.  The fuel will have what looks like bits of wax floating aroung in the sight glass.

[Bill Sprague]

Jane and I are amused to note that no one has remarked on the fact that we managed to lock ourselves out of our coach!!  We can only assume this is because we are not the only ones who have accomplished this !!!

I locked my self in, not out.  Had to find someone to let me out.  Then I dismantled the door.  A very cheap clip fell off deep inside the mechanism.  It now has some expensive safety wire instead of the cheap clip.  

[Jeremy Parrett]

 The sight glass was free of any bits......  remembering  the fuel was clear and flowing well when we did the rear start, so gelling was not the issue.  We have yet to do the idling test, as we are parked in a Yuma RV Resort till tomorrow. Thanks again for all the input.