CM871 things to check after purchase?

[reconxlr]

(03-30-2016 )Marajin Wrote:  damn bot!. lol

Thanks Marajin.
I really would like to get the truck tuned 435hp and factory torque is just too low for me. Definitely will get free flow muffler as well(donaldson)
Do you know any more information of your recommendations?
Like their locations and contact information?

Thanks.

[Waterloo]

(04-02-2016 )reconxlr Wrote:  

(03-30-2016 )Marajin Wrote:  damn bot!. lol

Thanks Marajin.
I really would like to get the truck tuned 435hp and factory torque is just too low for me. Definitely will get free flow muffler as well(donaldson)
Do you know any more information of your recommendations?
Like their locations and contact information?

Thanks.

If you rid yourself of the mandate, you don't need a muffler. Mine sounds fine... Just a tad bit louder, but not a head turner by any stretch. Sounds just right to me. You don't want to remove anything off the exhaust system, at least I would not.

As far as contact info, they are all members here and cam be pm'd. Mr. Hag is down by Rawze in GA, Unilevers is up in Canada and in Indiana, Gearhead is in PA/MD area.

[reconxlr]

(04-03-2016 )Waterloo Wrote:  

(04-02-2016 )reconxlr Wrote:  

(03-30-2016 )Marajin Wrote:  damn bot!. lol

Thanks Marajin.
I really would like to get the truck tuned 435hp and factory torque is just too low for me. Definitely will get free flow muffler as well(donaldson)
Do you know any more information of your recommendations?
Like their locations and contact information?

Thanks.

If you rid yourself of the mandate, you don't need a muffler. Mine sounds fine... Just a tad bit louder, but not a head turner by any stretch. Sounds just right to me. You don't want to remove anything off the exhaust system, at least I would not.

As far as contact info, they are all members here and cam be pm'd. Mr. Hag is down by Rawze in GA, Unilevers is up in Canada and in Indiana, Gearhead is in PA/MD area.

I guess I won't need a free flow muffler then, thanks. am in GA myself. I will pm them hopefully one can offer directions.
Thanks much.

[Waterloo]

(04-04-2016 )reconxlr Wrote:  

(04-03-2016 )Waterloo Wrote:  

(04-02-2016 )reconxlr Wrote:  

(03-30-2016 )Marajin Wrote:  damn bot!. lol

Thanks Marajin.
I really would like to get the truck tuned 435hp and factory torque is just too low for me. Definitely will get free flow muffler as well(donaldson)
Do you know any more information of your recommendations?
Like their locations and contact information?

Thanks.

If you rid yourself of the mandate, you don't need a muffler. Mine sounds fine... Just a tad bit louder, but not a head turner by any stretch. Sounds just right to me. You don't want to remove anything off the exhaust system, at least I would not.

As far as contact info, they are all members here and cam be pm'd. Mr. Hag is down by Rawze in GA, Unilevers is up in Canada and in Indiana, Gearhead is in PA/MD area.

I guess I won't need a free flow muffler then, thanks. am in GA myself. I will pm them hopefully one can offer directions.
Thanks much.

About all you need is a bit of elbow grease, the sensors, two gauges and the Inline 5. Do the work yourself, best way to learn your truck. And trust me, you will more than likely find things that the previous owner did, especially in the electrical dept. I installed a pretty cool stereo system in my ProStar, and found two bare hot wires hiding in the overhead and running along the passenger A pillar under the trim... Not to mention a few things under the hood and cab. It is a wonder my truck did not burn to the ground.

[Waterloo]

(03-30-2016 )reconxlr Wrote:  Wealth of information! Wow thank you all will do all those checks at my local mechanic.
AC not blowing cold enough. I heard that could be as low as $10 fix
Overall truck drove fine from dealer to house 3hours 200mi drive.
Is there a forum that has instructions on how to install {**Content removed by protection bot**}? I could not find one.

Any info on where to get a good mandate?

The AC... I wish mine were a $10 fix... Watch Rawze's videos on the AC system, if you have not cooked your compressor, and find no metal in the system, you are probably ok... But, if you find metal in the dryer or anywhere in the system, get your check book out. Here is my story...

My symptoms, the AC system was howling like a Banshee and only blows semi cool air along with blowing the high pressure relief valve on the back of the compressor, spraying green slime/refrigerant everywhere! This was a regular occurrence with my truck... I was to the point of dropping three grand on a refrigerant recovery machine and do this fix myself, I was at the end of my rope! Especially after spending thousands of dollars trying to get something my old Honda has had for years, cold AC. Then I found this guy...

JD's Certified Truck Repair
3345 Greenfield Rd, Melvindale, MI 48122
(313) 383-4100

JD (John) is mainly a Big Truck AC repair shop. He has been rebuilding AC systems for 30 some years. This is the man that fixed my system and actually got it to work after two years of attempts elsewhere! And it was not a pleasant experience for John, he had my truck for a week and it drove him nuts. He still calls me to see how it is working.

John wound up rebuilding my new compressor, it had a bad pressure relief valve in it, saved me money there. He discovered my new condenser was blocked from the previous repair elsewhere. He replaced that. The expansion valve was cooked, he replaced that and the rest of the components. The condenser was the only part that was found to have metal blockage in it, but we still wound up replacing the dryer, etc. He flushed it multiple times and got her back together and it would still not blow cold... There is a temp sensor located up front by the CAC, he wound up having to pull that, put it on his bench and tested it. It was all over the map, he replaced that and the system worked. Now John called it a temp sensor, not the high pressure switch/sensor if I remember correctly. I had posted that part number here, but it was lost when the site went down.

When I came to pick her up, I got in her, let it run in the parking lot for an hour and then it started, she was again howling like a banshee! Back in the shop. The new expansion valve was pulled, and it was discovered that it was cooking the oil in the system and ruined the valve. After a bunch of phone calls, it was discovered that these expansion valves are adjustable! He flushed the system again, found no metal, put a new expansion valve on and backed out the brass button on the expansion valve and it worked. It took me a week of tweaking this damn thing to get it to stop howling, and it was all outdoor temp related. The hotter it was outside, the more she howled. Back it out some more, like I said, it took a week to get it right and it seemed to work fine, ice cold air.

One thing too, you cannot flush out these condensers, the little radiator on the front side of you CAC/Radiator. If your compressor has had any failures, found any metal in the system, just replace that condenser, it is a throw away. Get it aftermarket, as the dealer will rape you. A new condenser is right around $135, I think that is what I paid at JD's.

I tell you, the AC on mine has been an incredible nightmare. The sad thing is, I am going to have to repeat this nightmare when I get my truck back from the in frame... Just a gut feeling.

One thing I would do, is buy your parts aftermarket, stay away from the dealer. The only thing you should need to purchase at the dealer are the thermistors and any lines, like the high pressure line that is prone to failure due to its location and vibrations. Everything else can be sourced locally or off the internet for pennies on the dollar compared to what the dealer will charge you. Also, keep an eye on the International dealers for periodic sales on AC compressors. They had them on sale last year for $149 or something like that. I bought a spare.

If, you cannot get your system to work properly, and do not have an independent Big Truck AC repair shop, make an appointment with John and get a load up here to Detroit. I swear by this man and his ability to get these ProStar AC systems working properly. And trust me when I say that there are allot of guys out here with these same issues, this is well known in the ProStar community. These AC systems are CRAP.

[Rawze]

(03-29-2016 )Hedley Wrote:  the Vin numbers on the string of 2009 Prostar we bought calls for a 14V 325 amp alternator, we had issues like Cluster gauges going dead, blend door would open or close and power to the A/C compressor clutch would go out, the drivers would have to pull over and turn off the ignition for about 15 seconds and the A/C would power back up for a few hours and then go dead again and no..it was not the circuit breakers resetting, all these issues went away once we installed the correct alternator that the Vins called for....9 out of the 28 trucks had 12V 180 amp alternators and those were the ones giving us fits, take it with a grain of salt...if you have electrical issues with yours then give your Vin to any Navistar dealer and ask what your Vin calls for or just dismiss this as Hedley's terrible brain going south again.


*** the replacement alternator is PN# BLP4002H, it is a 12V 325amp Leece Neville

I look back at this and now know that many alternators have gotten really cheap in their design and create a lot of electrical noise. I think even cummins is now saying the CM2250 and Cm2350 are susceptible to alternator noise and creating injector and engine run/efficiency issues. I have heard they are recommending a filter right at the alternator as close to the source of noise as possible. this makes sense.

I have always had a very large capacitor on my electrical system at the inverter to prevent noise. Maybe that is why I have never had an issue. I recently replaced that inverter and removed the capacitor and noticed quite a lot more noise in the electrical system. I have re-installed that capacitor right at my alternator (at the source of the noise) to see if it helps reduce Alternator noise even further this time. I painted it black with a rubberized coating to protect it from the elements.

   

*** update(2018): This was the best decision I have made for my electrical system as a whole.. WOW, putting that capacitor at the alternator makes the electrical system quiet as a mouse. Makes a huge difference when placed here right at the source of the noise.