Newbie's first question

[Waterloo]

Welcome aboard Scarecrow! You have come to the right place! Let me introduce myself, I'm the guy with the worst luck on the planet. I do not think that there has been anything that I have not experienced with my particular truck, 2008 ProStar, CM-871. This is the 7th or 8th truck I have owned, first EGR/DPF/DOC truck, and I wish I could go back in time, I would have never bought one. I have never had so many issues with any other truck. EGR system nearly broke me, until I turned it off, and then the fun began, fixing the damage it did to the motor. In nearly 4 years of ownership, I may have gotten 2 +/- years work out of her. I have lost track of all the money I have poured into her and all of the lost revenue. I paid cash for the truck, I do not like truck payments, the reason I have stood fast and pissed away all the money, call me stubborn, or stupid, both apply.

Be vigilant, start purchasing tools, learn these EGR/SCR systems, and other bits on the truck. You are no longer a truck driver, you are now a full fledged Owner Operator/Mechanic/Electrical Engineer/Mechanical Engineer and general all around shop monkey, that is if you want to stay in business. Welcome to the club!

Where to start? I hope you are sitting down...

FUEL PUMP!!!!! Ceramic plungers!!!! I would not move that truck one foot until you know the status of your fuel pump! If you are running the affected fuel pump, ceramic plungers, get it fixed/replaced immediately! You do not want to go through an in frame, trust me on that. Rawze linked to it above, Engine Carnage, and it is. Already went through the in frame nightmare... Been there, but not due to the fuel pump, but EGR system.

EGR Tuneup! Clean out the soot, replace all sensors and Doser. Inspect your SCR system, look for leaks. The Urea will crystalize, white in color. From my understanding, it may be a good idea to remove the SCR unit and wash out with a power washer. I do not have this system on my truck, but see that this is a common problem with these systems as they do require periodic cleaning and maintenance. A dirty or cracked SCR unit will cause you all sorts of headaches as many shops start at your motor $$$$$$$, when all it is is a maintenance issue or a leak in the SCR system.

Get an Inline 5 reader with Cummins Insite... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Professional-Inl...35&vxp=mtr
You may have to shop around, as it looks like our Chinese friends are now moving on to the Inline 6 readers. I believe the 6 will work, more experienced here will know more than myself on the subject.

Register your motor on Cummins Quickserve! You will need your Engine Identification Number, it is located on the side of the head, drivers side, it is labeled EIN #######. Register, and you then have access to all of your Cummins OEM parts, their numbers and repair procedures so that you can do much of this work yourself with the proper tools. Shops start at $125 an hour in SE and Central Michigan. My local Cummins shop is up to $165 an hour.

I would go to your local NAPA store and get one of these, a Block Test Kit, $44 https://amzn.to/2VFq9Jd Checks for exhaust gasses entering your coolant system, which is not good... Exhaust gasses in your coolant system could point to a number of issues, not just the head or block. Been there...

Purchase and install an EGT Gauge, or Pyrometer along with a Turbo Boost Gauge. Rawze has a video on that too. This is very important, especially if you are pulling grades. An overheat on these motors is not good, be aware of what your motor is doing, the more gauges the better. Been there...

I would also get under the truck, start at the battery box. Inspect all electrical cabling. Work your way forward to the Starter. You are looking for bare cable and any place that needs to be secured or needs to be protected from chaffing, rubbing. Check the cables at the connections, make sure the cable jacket is covering the copper wire. Then check your grounds, especially the one off of your starter to the frame rail. If you find bare copper, I would replace that cable if it looks green, or allot is exposed. Then go up top, start at your Alternator and work your way back. This will save you many headaches down the road. If you find a smidge of bare copper, or a little scuff through the jacket, I use the Liquid Electrical Tape and brush it on, it holds up pretty good and will protect your copper. On the battery connections, I use Dialectic Grease to protect. Been there too.

Inspect all of your hoses and clamps, tighten as you go, replace any questionable clamps. Do not use your standard worm gear clamps, purchase the tension or spring type clamps, especially at the radiator. It is winter, and a few of us here have experienced what is known as a "Cold Leak". You lose coolant mysteriously, take it to a shop and the first thing they want to do is put a new EGR Cooler on your motor. Been there, done that, to the tune of $2550.00 when all it was was a bad clamp. Many stories like this here. Been there...

Inspect your rear suspension bushings and torque rod bushings up top between the frame rails, if bad, fix/replace. Also, adjust those rear wheel drive axle bearings, this adjustment, re-torquing, should be done every 200,000 miles, there is a video on this. Doing this will add life to your tires and stop any potential damage down the road. Inspect the airbags too, you are looking for cracks. Replace if needed. Done that...

Harmonic balancer/damper. Cummins recommends these to be replaced every 500,000 miles. They do go bad, and no, there is no way to inspect their health. There is a viscous fluid inside the damper, it dries out. When it dries out, it is no longer working. This will in time, start to take out your belts and engine accessories, like your alternator, pulleys, etc. It will also cause your motor to run/idle rough, which is not good for the engine internals. When you install, it must be painted! The paint protects, and Cummins will not warranty if not painted, mark or highlight the timing marks, and I would then clear coat. I would use the OEM Cummins damper, stay away from the aftermarket stuff, just my experience, and I have stories! Been there...

Then, watch Rawze's video on the engine overhead. This should be done immediately. Cummins recommends every 150,000 miles I believe. When you are in there, inspect the Engine Brake Wiring. I believe the 2250 has the same setup as the CM-871 in regards to the jake, Engine Brake, but I could be wrong. I think your motor only has one cam, unlike mine with two. Look for burnt or damaged wiring. If bad, replace. Been there...

Also, I don't know if you have an APU on your truck, if you don't, you should seriously start shopping for one. These motors do not like to be idled due to the pounds and pounds of soot they produce, much of which stays in your motor and just destroys it. Something to seriously look into if you do not have an APU. Mine is just as important as the motor, it is a Thermo King Tri Pac. It was built in 2007 and is still running. Very important.

I would also avoid extended oil changes, I would stick to a 12,000 mile interval due to soot. I would also use an oil analysis at every other change if you can. I use Speedco, some here will poo poo their oil analysis, but it works for me. I do this at every oil change, Shell Rotella Dino, stay away from synthetics and extended oil changes. Many of us add this at our oil changes...
https://amzn.to/2PID4oy This particular gear oil is CL-4, I believe in your motor CL-5 is better. Ask, as Rawze can tell you. This keeps the top end/cam in good shape along with the lower end bearings. Many of us use it with good results. If you are keeping the mandate, I would recommend purchasing an Auxillary Oil Filter. Most of the guys here use the Amsoil set up, this will help with filtering out all of the trapped soot in your motor. I would definitely get one.

The above is where I would start, this is just the beginning

Brother, I hope you have better luck than I have had with my truck. Spend time on here, ask questions, even the stupid ones. Start making notes on tools and test equipment you will need. The first piece of test equipment you should get, is a Coolant Pressure Test Kit. This will save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars down the road, trust me on that.

Again, WELCOME ABOARD! And Happy Motoring. ;-)