12/7/2018:  Camp Freightliner 2.  Working with a Technician on my coach

Freightliner offers customers the opportunity to drive your coach into their factory service shop and work with a technician for $100.  Well it was well worth the expense. After all, I have worked on Gasoline Engines, but a Diesel is a different animal.  To work with a technician that knows what they are doing and learn what is involved is a great experience.  We worked together from 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM (lunch was included).  Although I was not able to pickup a tool, I was allowed to ask questions (& I took full advantage of this opportunity), take pictures, and keep notes for future reference.

During the time we did:

• Two factory torque recalls
• Fuel/Water Separator filter
• Fuel filter
• Air Filter
• Fixed a bent tire valve
• Torqued all chasis bolts to proper specs.  I was surprised at how many need retorqued
• Greased 12 fittings on the front and 3 fittings on the back
• Adjusted the Air Bag ride height.  I didn’t know there was such a thing
• Weighed all 4 corners of the coach and calculated the best air pressure for the tires (120 Lb in the front tires, 150 Lb in the rear tires)
• Changed Engine Oil (24 quarts)
• Changed Front Axle Oil. (Who new the front axle had oil instead of grease??)
• Adjusted the steering wheel by 9 degrees so it actually is straight while going down the road.
• Changed Generator Oil
• Changed Generator Filter
• Realigned rear mud-flap.

A couple of strange things that are different about Diesels

• The Air Filter is approximately 2’ in diameter by 3’ long and contained in a metal barrel.  You do not just replace the paper filter.
• The engine takes 6 gallons of oil
• When you take the Fuel/Water separator off, Diesel fuel continues to flow out of the filter opening.  It is lower that the Diesel fuel tank so the fuel drains from the tank until you screw on the replacement filter.  The technicians tie a rag around their wrist while reinserting the replacement filter to keep the Diesel fuel from rolling down their arm.
• Before reinstalling the Fuel and Fuel/Water separator filters you have to saturate them with diesel fuel so as to not create an air bubble in the fuel line.
• The Oil filter is about the same diameter as a similar filter that we would install on a gasoline engine, but the Diesel oil filter is approximately 12” to 15” long.
• The Oil filter also has to be filled with oil before installation
• The Diesel also has an Air Dryer Filter for the Air Brakes.