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RE: Just left the dealership.... - dhirocz - 10-07-2017
Consider yourself lucky to be here. What I mean is, I had a guy approach me many months ago and turned me on to this site. That's how I found it...I came here open minded to validate what I was told and what I saw and have been pleasantly surprised that there are people out there like me who value quality and care of their equipment and find repeatable, reliable profit as an O/O out of that.
I haven't found this anywhere else I've looked. Not like this. Nothing feels better than to roll up to a scale and NOT CARE because you are confident in your equipment, or taking a 1000+mile load and not worrying if you are going to make it.
Most people I've tried to talk to who complain about alot of the same problems like you or others want a solution that doesn't make them broke. It's not a surprise that the entire industry wants a handful of your nuts. They can't stand to see you make a profit and not be entitled to a chunk of it somehow. Ironically, as far as I know, nobody who has mentioned this problem to me that I'm aware of has signed up here. And I've even done a few forced Regens for guys who I know to get them home and tried to explain to them some things just to find out they went to the 'pros' anyway. Some people never listen.
Yep, your options have been stated. I for one am very thankful to have found this place. If it wasn't for this site, I would have washed out. At this point, there ain't nothing to it but to do it.
RE: Just left the dealership.... - Jamescj212 - 10-07-2017
Thank you.
RE: Just left the dealership.... - Rawze - 10-07-2017
Don't feel singled out, I pick on everyone equally around here at different times, especially after I have had a few -- (hic) ... The whole point to my ranting above is simply to make anyone reading it think hard about what they do, not just the person I replied to.
I have seen guys buy turbo actuators off the internet "supposedly Certified OEM", only to have them fail with cheap chineese busings in only a few months, then have to go buy one at the stealers#hit later,.. all that half-price discount money down the drain that could have gone towards a good one.
I have seen people buy supposedly OEM turbochargers at a un heard of "deals" off the internet, supposedly certified and all,.. and end up with a runnaway engine, it costing them $36,000 for a new one. (This was also re-discussed recently here: http://rawze.com/forums/showthread.php?tid=2185&pid=18943#pid18943 ).
I have seen guys buy after-market charge air coolers that are supposedly "better quality" and "tougher" than factory,. Hell, they even push those crap Duraf$uck and other brands of CAC's at the stealers$its too! -- Only to see them suck the life out of your engine and fuel mileage because they were so air restrictive. The intake boots literally collapsing under the restriction when you get on it hard, some of them are so bad.
I have seen guys who buy those "Air butterflies" and/or "Air swirling " devices, and/or "fuel conditioner"/ and/or "fuel polisher", and/or "fuel molecule alignment", and/or methanol, hydrogen, and all sorts of gimmik devices, spend thousands on some of them, only to come here and watch their live fuel flow not change one tiny bit when bypassed, and their fuel mileage numbers NOT change at all. -- Somehow all of the O/O's I have met who buy those type of things seem always think they help, but can't prove it when it comes right down to it. If it worked even 10% of its claims, YOU COULD MEASURE AND SEE IT with clear gain(s)!
I have seen O/O's buy after-market, or "off the internet" DPF and/or DOC cans only for them to throw repeating NOx sensor errors, or refusing to do any regens properly after the first week or so because there were not enough platinum / chemicals in them. They end up having to go out and pay for a second one from the stealershi$t before its over, and the super deal of a company they got it from refusing to take it back because "it was installed on the truck". -- In fact, "Oficially", if a DOC or DPF is replaced, THE SERIAL NUMBER is supposed to be recorded and a record kept as such for the EPA! and ALSO, a new emissions test is supposed to be performed. This means that everyone selling DPF and DOC units off the internet are breaking the law the same way as someone selling delete kits.
I have seen people buy into those extended oil changes + synthetic oils only to have repeating overhead cam failures, while all their friends who run non-syn oil and change it often have no issues whatsoever. - Actually I have seen this more than a few times, and when you explain it to the idiot who is using that extended oil change interval bulls$it, will do nothing but arguing with you because they are so brainwashed by it,.. as they are replacing a 2nd or 3rd cam in less than a 500k mile span after switching over to it.
I have seen guys buy brand-name "upper injector and cylinder lube additives" and pour them in their fuel tanks religiously, only to end up with severe fuel impingement problems, resulting in increased compression ratio after a year or so, and blown head gaskets.
I see ALL THE TIME, and EVERY TIME I go somewhere to get my oil changed, people dumping in that over-priced white bottle of "oil additive" that strips 12% away your engine oil additive package because it HAS NO ADDITIVES IN ITSELF, the guy who owns the truck swearing by it like some ill-begotten religion instead of finding a product than can increase viscosity the same way THAT ACTUALLY HAS ADDITIVES for about 1/3 the price. -- I call it TOTAL BULLSH%$IT from the company selling that white bottle of over-priced crap at every speedco, TA, flying-J, and everywhere else!. -- It is one of the ultimate trucker gimmicks --> Lets sell some 110-grade oil with a bit of (oil stop-leak) and NO ACTUAL HELPFUL ADDITIVES IN IT that only costs us about 0.6c/gallon to produce for $34+ and market the s$it out of it like it is some kind engine life extending of miracle cure!. It is the HIGH PROFITS that has everyone brainwashed, nothing more.
I have seen O/O's spend $350 each for those expensive automatic tire pressure regulator systems only to have the systems fail repeatedly and it cost them MORE MONEY than any amount of fuel or wear they might have ever benefited from.
I have seen guys who spend $12,000 + at "super-duper expensive big-name, well known, established delete companies " only to watch a piston go through the side of the block a few months later, or the crank bearings get beat out of the engine. ALL of those big-name, big dollar places have worst programming I have even seen in an engine, yet everyone brags about those multi-million dollar rip-off companies at all the truck shows like a bunch of horney dogs at a female-in-heat fest.
I.E.> there is a plague if ignorance in this modern engine trucking industry and there is more rip-off crap out there than you can count. Anyone has to be a complete fool to even think they stand a chance on their own any more, there is so much bad information.
You know it has to be pretty sad when the "OEM" and "certified" shops and other "official" support industries around trucking are relentlessly hell bent on taking every dime you have earned instead of doing anything of quality any more. God forbid you actually figure out how to knuckle down, say enough is enough, and do those things to keep your profits in your own pocket. For that, everyone who "supposedly knows better" would call you a fool that is full of s$it just like me!
What does this all add up to??----
EVERYONE WITH THEIR HAND OUT AND A GIMMICK TO TAKE EVERY PENNY FROM YOU THEY CAN!.
Rule of thumb number one --> If it looks good, has a fancy dalled up website full of truck pictures and lots of "testimonials", their booths can be found at all the truck shows, and a large following of brainwashed worshipers hell bent on throwing all their money at them,.. It is probably 99.999% likely not so good for your long term profitability... period!.
RE: Just left the dealership.... - Brock - 10-07-2017
Rawze is like my old boss "Dino" he was a old school Greek and would never ever yell at the guy he was mad at in the kitchen, he would yell at someone else about them loud enough to hear.
He once was yelling at me (on salad station) about the guy running the pizza oven. I stopped him halfway to tell him "I don't know why your yelling at me, that's not my station"
He responded "Station? What fucking station? Are you Fox news? CTV? You don't look like you have any antennas coming out of your head!"
RE: Just left the dealership.... - Rawze - 10-07-2017
(10-07-2017 )Brock Wrote: Rawze is like my old boss "Dino" he was a old school Greek and would never ever yell at the guy he was mad at in the kitchen, he would yell at someone else about them loud enough to hear.
He once was yelling at me (on salad station) about the guy running the pizza oven. I stopped him halfway to tell him "I don't know why your yelling at me, that's not my station"
He responded "Station? What fucking station? Are you Fox news? CTV? You don't look like you have any antennas coming out of your head!"
LOLOLOLOLZ!!!
My wife says I go through this daily ritual of "WTF?" at least once a day, either in e-mails from advertisers trying to get me to "push their products" or other BS found or discussed. - She thinks its outright comical to say the least.
RE: Just left the dealership.... - Waterloo - 10-07-2017
James, you are in good hands here. Everyone knows my story, and I approached this site with an open mind. The old days of trucking are long gone, unfortunately. When I did have multiple trucks, non-EGR other than one 870 that I got lucky with, I knew nothing of these emission systems.
I went a year of what you are going through with my ProStar, I bought used with 699,000 miles on her, check engine lights, derates, sitting in multiple dealer shops being sucked financially dry. When I was suckered into a new EGR Cooler when it was a simple hose clamp, that is when I put my foot down and asked myself, "Self, there has to be a better way". I took some time off, why not, I was going broke anyway, scoured the internet and discovered this site.
EGR tuneup first, that solved most all of my issues in regards to CEL's and derates. Then something happened, I wound up at my local Cummins shop, and they told me I had a cracked DPF and it would cost $7,300.00 to fix. I had just ordered the Inline Reader off of eBay, the one you have coming and figured it was time.
Truck went back to the house, I broke out my little Lowe's Kobalt tool kit and started the process. Rawze had, for educational purposes, posted the needed info to repair this issue on the old site with the how to instructions. With a little help from Unilever the issue was taken care of over a weekend in my driveway.
Looking back, I was nervous as hell, this truck was my only source of income. If I screwed up I chanced losing everything, including my house. Well, everything went fine, with much encouragement and good advice from the men here I was successful. The truck no longer had emission issues and ran incredibly well. Fuel mileage went through the roof too, another upside.
Then the fun began, due to the F'd up emission systems, I discovered the head was toast. The emissions masked that issue, as I was to busy chasing the EGR system gremlins to see what was really going on with the motor. I nursed her for a year, until it started blowing hoses and then it literally blew the radiator apart at a GM plant when I was delivering. Off to the shop...
Instead of just replacing the head I opted for a full blown in frame, there were only a few parts and pieces that were not replaced. My local International dealer did the work, they were hesitant at first due to the mandate removal for good reason. Get this, they told me one guy came in with one of these high dollar deletes and was having major issues. Turned out whoever did this hack job to this guys truck drilled a hole, or holes in his engine block. I don't know, so don't ask, just what many at the dealer told me. They had other stories too, real butcher shop work, parts and pieces removed, plates, etc. Trucks were barely running and had suffered sever damage from these other shops and their sloppy programing.
They looked at my motor, saw the EGT gauge, everything intact on the motor, cans still there, EGR Cooler still there, etc., they said let's do it. Gave me a full warranty too. Motor has been fine, knock on wood, and it is allowed in their shop, knowing the mandate has been removed. The only shop that will not work on my truck is the Cummins shop, big outfit, but they like the work Rawze has done, that I will say, they were very impressed.
James, you are in the right place. I am just sorry that you have to go through this, something that I would never wish on anyone. There are more than a few out there that were put out of business and worse due to this government mandate. Hopefully you found this site in time.
RE: Just left the dealership.... - Jamescj212 - 10-07-2017
Well for starters it probably was a good thing to get ripped a new one, im a little butt hurt but ill get over it. It was stuff i needed to hear without question. I cut corners wherever i usually can on new parts. I'm just starting my own wrenching as of the last 30 days, ive worked on my share of things over time, but vehicles really wasn't 1 of them. I'm a millright/certified welder by trade. Working with my hands and back is not foreign to me. Also i do feel very lucky at that point to have stumbled upon this site and on youtube last month. And ever since ive started implementing a preventative maintenance program that was not in place. I'm definitely scared about doing it, not skeptical anymore about the results you all seem to have gotten. Its all appreciated.
RE: Just left the dealership.... - dhirocz - 10-07-2017
Hey, it's all good. Everyone starts somewhere. I got ripped before as well, but I'll take that over sitting on a hook with a bleeding wallet any day. My priority is my equipment, not my feelings.
I do alot of shopping for parts too, and I have scored some really good prices on some out of luck, but I'm just throwing this out there...if it's not Cummins, it doesn't go on my engine. If it's not in a Cummins box, I won't even buy it. All for the reasons rawze stated earlier. The market is full of cheap china shi#t, reverse engineered using subpar materials with no R&D by a guy getting paid a burrito or a bowl of rice to 'reman' something, which half of the time means 'clean and fix'. I'll spend the $ for the quality and peace of mind.
RE: Just left the dealership.... - Waterloo - 10-07-2017
Getting ripped is normal around here, posting RIPPED is normal too! Doing that right now! LOL!
Parts, OEM only, hunt around for items you believe you will need in the future. eBay is a good place, if you shop wisely. I have bagged some incredible deals there, and elsewhere on the Internet. Just understand what you are looking at, no photos, no sale.
Your AC on the ProStar, dig the Ambient Air Temp sensor out from under the radiator. Run the wiring, splicing involved. Clip the sensor up to the windshield wiper cowl up at the driver side of the truck. That should solve that issue. It did on mine after what, $15,000 in repairs and parts replacements at various shops around the country. Sad thing, no one knew about this issue. I only figured it out when chasing down another electrical issue using the Navistar BodyBuilder schematics I downloaded on the internet for free. I was just in the International dealer this afternoon, and the AC guy was in there... I told him how I fixed it, he was floored. Even he did not know, but he knew about the sensor and where it was located. I did this fix months ago, AC still working fine. I have owned this truck since 2013, and no AC up until a few months ago.
There is also a harness that you will need to fix under the dash where the blower motor is. There was a TSB on this last year, there was a fire hazard involved. That harness will need to be installed if it has not already been.
These trucks are an F'ning nightmare. Good thing you found this site. ;-)