My Coronado, 14L Detroit nagging issues

Discussion in 'Freightliner Forum' started by Ghost44, Jun 6, 2014.

  1. Ghost44

    Ghost44 Bobtail Member

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    Jun 3, 2014
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    Hi guys, new to the forum. My name is Mark, from Chicago, Intermodal Lease on Owner Operator.

    I bought my second truck exactly a year ago, it's a 2006 Coronado with a 14L Detroit matched with a 13 speed transmission. Well I always wanted a Coronado but couldn't really afford one, looked at used Gliders but they were still too high priced for me. Bought this truck in Indy for $30k with 850k on the odometer.

    Love the truck but has been a fuel nightmare since the beginning (terrible MPG, considering I run empty or bobtail 40% of my daily workload)

    Back ground on the truck it's a mid roof with a blade spoiler, duralite intercooler (charge air cooler), newer head, turbo has been checked out seems good.

    Immediately within a month I did the ugly fix Charlotte mod because it felt like I was fighting the truck to accelerate. Don't get me wrong MPG went up nicer to drive but just didn't seem to have the balls that it should. ..

    Took it to Inland Power to get CAC checked and overhead done and was on the dyno. CAC good, overhead done, dyno allegedly all parameter were in check but not putting the power down that it should to the wheels for being set at 500hp.

    Ok I get the truck back replaced a bunch of clamps on anything that was connected to the intake did the spray bottle leak down everything checked out ok. The only thing we noticed was with the key in the on position the computer was reAding 4psi of boost. Changed the sensor didn't change their reading. Onward faithful Detroit soldier...

    Same #### she has no balls.(my other truck is a 2002 Century Detroit 12.7 430hp that in comparison feels like it has 500hp. )

    Changed the intake manifold gasket. No change.
    Changed the exhaust manifold gasket. No change.

    Google searched and searched and searched.

    Coughed up $480 and got a new ECM harness and installed it. No change.

    Changed the VPod. No change.
    Changed the Delta P sensor, ok a little improvement on power and mileage I guess we are getting SOME where but I'm not holding my breathe.

    Did another spray bottle leak down test this time including the turbo actuator which was fine but when I sprayed the EGR, there's a little triangular small cover plate with one screw that was bubbling up.

    Time for a new EGR? Would this cause this 4psi boost pressure signal that the computer is picking up at idle and with the truck off?
     
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  3. Ghost44

    Ghost44 Bobtail Member

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    Jun 3, 2014
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    Also it has these nuances. Between 1300-1400 RPM it seems as though there is a dive in boost pressure just comes down. another thing at times when you let off the throttle either to shift or not the turbo doesn't sweatshirt spool down nice, it'll just "swish" like the sound I dunno like a suction noise kinda. I would say blow off but that's not really the sound I hear. You know the sound a modern car intake makes when you take off the air box and give it throttle? Kinda like that.
     
  4. dustinbrock

    dustinbrock Road Train Member

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    I have a 03 12.7 430 and I can't barely hear that peanut of a turbo on there but when I drive a 14 l that s.o.b. just whistles and gives that loud pressure relief sound between shifts.

    Those duralites are bullet proof, they don't fail.

    500 14l 13 speed..... What gears in the rears? And in your 02 as well?
     
  5. dustinbrock

    dustinbrock Road Train Member

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    I ask about the gear ratio to cover all bases. I had a 525 n14, 18 speed with 3:58 gears and I switched them out to 4:11 gears. My truck felt like a gutless piece of crap because the gears were so much shorter, would have hurt my fuel mileage if I were hauling light loads.

    Luckily for me I haul 140,000lbs so when I was loaded it made my truck a beast.
     
  6. BigJls1

    BigJls1 Medium Load Member

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    somebody chime with rebels screen name rebel127 or something...he can make that thing run like it should.

    also you can get an off the shelf harness for that truck and slap a 12.7l 500 hp (glider motor) awesomeness in there for very little over the cost of a inframe. Something to think about since you should be budgeting for an inframe anyway, at almost 900k your on borrowed time.
     
  7. Ghost44

    Ghost44 Bobtail Member

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    Jun 3, 2014
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    Well the sick thing is as I have read through the threads I read all you guys running super heavy and like I said I run like typically 70k gross or less and when I mean less I mean straight up empty cuz in international Intermodal we almost always run one way empty which drives me nuts with this poor fuel mileage no balls crap.

    The Coronado has 3.56 gears the old Century has 3.73 with a ten speed.

    But I KNOW if the truck was running right I should be able to average well over the 5.08 mpgs that I get now. There are days when I'm running nothing but empty containers all over town.
     
  8. BigJls1

    BigJls1 Medium Load Member

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    3.56 are otr gears. your never going to get good mpg fueling a 14.0 liter motor and 3.56 gears "around town" . thats why the centry is better, takes less fuel to get 3.73.
    moving.
     
    Tam_Tam Thanks this.
  9. eeb

    eeb Heavy Load Member

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    What size tires ya running? Assuming they're 275/80R22.5 or larger, you could swap to 255/70R22.5 to lower the "effective" gear ratio, be cheaper and easier than swapping gears, and easily reversible if you decide to go OTR or something.
     
  10. Battle Born

    Battle Born Heavy Load Member

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    So for these 14L a higher ratio is goig to be better? Probably taller rubber too? Why the hell do they sell so many coronados with such light rear ends?
     
  11. eeb

    eeb Heavy Load Member

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    Mar 24, 2013
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    Deeper gears(numerically higher) and shorter tires for around town acceleration. Taller gears and tires for steady state highway cruising.
     
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