C9 cat engine short running periods

[Laurel Moore]

My coach set in the garage for  11 months ,started on a trip after. 1000 miles engine light came on.before I could get to a repair shop engine died. Mechanic said coach had been setting too long and sooted up the Ard head he used a soot cleaner,  To get it to Regen my understanding was not to run engine for short periods when coach is in storage?  Any advice would be appreciated.

[Mike Shumack]

Dave A is the expert here - but I'd ask the mechanic "how does the ARD head soot up from sitting too long?". Soot is formed when the engine runs.

I would be thinking along the lines of "fuel problem". Did you change the fuel filters?
A fuel pressure gauge is helpful in this type of diagnosis.

[Joel Ashley]

I too, due to financial or multiple medical issues, was forced to park the coach for years at a stretch.  The advice I took to heart was not to run the engine at all if I couldn’t at least take it out on the highway and get the engine up to full temp.  In the past there have been no issues, at least not with the engine, when leaving an extended mothballs stage.

Laurel’s post interests me since the latest storage spell has been, much to my chagrin, nearly 4 years.

Joel

[Dave Atherton]

Laurel, I gather your Cat C-9 engine is a Caterpillar C-9S which has the regeneration system. First of
all I do not want to be negative with my response but your engine is very temperamental like a old
milk cow. Sitting or running it is called a cash cow because it required a caterpillar service shop to
keep it running. Soot build up at ARD I would rule out. The ARD has several service bulletins but
not soot buildup. Diesel fuel pressure , high limit shut down sensor within the regeneration system,
If you have available resources to get me Caterpillar ET fault codes I can help you. I would suggest first
Checking to see if your getting power to engine ECM with key switch at pin 70 red wire, or dirty ground connections at batteries  including the ECM ground on computer. This is not a engine that you can work on alone without caterpillar diagnostic service tool called Cat ET.  Dave Atherton Retired Cat Mechanic

[Laurel Moore]

Thanks for all your feedback I will work on getting the cat ET fault codes when I get back home from Florida in a couple weeks I’ll let you know what they are

[Laurel Moore]

I changed oil in both fuel filters before the trip that started  the problem it started with no regionAnd check engine light came on , I called the cat mechanic at fabick in St. Louis said it might reduce power but it would be OK to drive it back I did not reduce power for Little over 1000 miles of travel that started the derating and Engine lost all power, called coach net waited three hours on the side of the highway and then call my own towing company and paid $800 for towing

[Mike Shumack]

Laurel,
I'm going to say something you don't want to hear - but here it is anyways...

The 2007-up CAT engines are horrible (the C7"S", C9"S", C13 "LEE" and C15 "SDP"). Trade your Coach in now for a Coach with a pre-2007 CAT engine (engine year, not Coach year). Even if you lose a little money on the trade, it would be worth it. The savings in aggravation and repair bills will more than make up for it.
Sorry for the bad news.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Laurel,
While we all have a right to our opinions, keep in mind that 100+Forum members run 2008 and later model year coaches, mostly with 2007 and newer CAT engines. If there  were systemic issues with these engines, I think we would be seeing this on the Forum, but we are not. Don't get me wrong, I specifically verified my 07 had a 400 Hp C9 built in 06 as I wanted to avoid the problematic turbo issue in the C9S (425 Hp). My understanding is that the problem was, in the main, caused by a poor design by the turbo manufacturer, and that CAT has since employed an improved turbo that addressed the issue.
Steve

[Dave Atherton]

Laurel, if you can contact me on phone I can help you with your Cat C-9S. Second I have many
years working with Caterpillar engines both on road and off road. Guess I feel yes, there are few
models that I would avoid ( mainly the Cat C-9 S and the Cat C-7S, the reasoning I’m just bringing
to your attention both engine models because of the regeneration system. ) one thing I would suggest Before you get overwhelmed with negative opinions let’s talk about positive opinions from many
motorhome owners running Caterpillar engines. We are just talking about above two models with problems. The biggest problem I have found is the lack of understanding or schooling with Caterpillar
electronic engines where opinions are formed. In closing the Caterpillar engine is a very fine engine
choice versus other engine builders. Guess I’m missing something with all the problematic different
model Caterpillar engines, I have access to technical service information for all models of Caterpillar
engines and cannot agree that problems are wide spread. Dave Atherton Retired Cat Mechanic

[Laurel Moore]

Dave Atherton, thanks for your response but let’s be clear  I am not down on cat engines I owned a C7 cat for seven years and a c9 for 8 years. It has been in a cat service shop  3  times,with my average Annual cost of $700. In 8 yrs. I would enjoy talking to you, call or tex. Me at 3145412118 I do have a couple question