CAT C15 /6NZ trouble continues

Discussion in 'Heavy Duty Diesel Truck Mechanics Forum' started by truck 307, Dec 20, 2017.

  1. T800H

    T800H Medium Load Member

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    The Keys
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    It sound like you have a bad connection, you might have to on do those cables coming from the battery box and check every single inch of them, but don't forget the ground on the engine block since you are in salt territory.
     
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  3. pushbroom

    pushbroom Road Train Member

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    Get all the cables pulled out of the batt box, as you have already proved thats where the problem is. GIve the cable ends a tug and check for any rub out spots. I like to run a zip tie through the eyelet of every ground, that way when you put things back together nothing should get messed up. It looks like you have 2pos and 2 neg 2/0 cables going to the starter. With the 4 cable system, there is no jumpers between batts 2 and 3. I highly recommend putting them in. Also your cables have rubber covering the end and a copper washer that has to be stacked in the correct order to get connection. I would cut off the plastic ends so it is just copper on copper. I also like to put any accessories bolted to the top of the battery nuts to not interfer with the factory wiring. The only other wires in the batt box from factory should be the ECM power harness. The routing of said harness is attached.
     

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    spsauerland and SAR Thank this.
  4. pushbroom

    pushbroom Road Train Member

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    Also being it is an old truck, it is also likely people have added their own accessories or done their own fixing throughout the years with most of it being done incorrectly. Want to post some pictures of the batteries and harnesses and maybe we can eliminate the non OEM items?
     
  5. truck 307

    truck 307 Light Load Member

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    I greatly appreciate your
    I greatly appreciate your help. I will keep you posted on my progress.
    Seeing as it's Christmas today and add the fact we got another 8" snow overnight, and I have yet to finish replacement of our loader tractors glow plugs (and we have 800 ft of 4 ft + drifted in driveway to clear once the loader is up running again), it'll be tomorrow when I get back to the Peterbilt dilemma.
    Merry Christmas to you and your family. Thanks for your continued efforts to help me.
     
  6. truck 307

    truck 307 Light Load Member

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    Thanks for the continued support. Your help is greatly appreciated. I'll keep you posted. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
     
  7. T800H

    T800H Medium Load Member

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    The Keys
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    Merry Christmas
     
  8. spsauerland

    spsauerland Road Train Member

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    West Harrison, In
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    Pushbroom has giving you some great advice and information. I would take it apart like he says and inspect it before I ever hauled a load. It is a lot cheaper and easier to fix when it is not on the side of the road. Pay just a close attention to grounds as you do on 12V pos connections. I would physically pull on every connection and check all terminals and sockets in connectors. A little bit of di-electric grease would be a good idea on all connections pins and sockets. If you find corrosion, make sure your repair is back in good wiring. Good luck and keep us posted.
     
  9. truck 307

    truck 307 Light Load Member

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    Pushbroom had some great ideas. But the thing is, ive already gone through it all (the wiring, primary originating at the batterys, the power wire to the ECM, which is new as of 2 months back which didnt have a mega fuse, just a fusible link connected to the 2nd battery from the left which was replaced in its entirety along with the fusible link, as well as every cable directly at the batterys and where they all go to)
    The symptoms (in a nut shell) are both speed and torque related. Lets say i leave a traffic light
    ( and to refresh everyones memory of what was on one of my previous pages), anytime im off the accelerator for a seconds or so, like at a traffic light, etc..., engine pulls tip-top, lots of clean smooth power (i pull 140,000 lb all day every day when loaded). Lets say a tall hill is beyond the light almost immediately, truck pulls strong, lots of power, lots of boost. But just like another fella who called me last week from Alberta (im in Ontario Canada) i fear up shifting at speeds above about 40 MPH, as its then it will start to stumble, even if im in a strong fuel sucking hard pull.
    After shifting at that speed, its a 50/50 chance she will start with the problems or let me pull through yet another gear.
    Ive considered truck pitching / the possible extended pull on wire(s) as a result of that extended torquing of the truck body. But in the end, visually im unable to find a thing. Yet, it must be wiring related, seeing as; A) Rinse/ wash water at the Blue Beacon a few weeks ago when the outside temps were well above freezing, had my truck in a violent power drop / stumbling / chugging etc. for the first....10 or so miles, untill road wind and engine heat dried up whatever circuit was being grounded out ? B) Two weeks ago, after a nasty snow storm and road salt coated my glass and entire truck, i stopped in at the local "outside" do-it-yourself truck wash, where i simply and quickly sprayed / rinsed off the truck, " at a fridged -13 degrees". The rinse water froze up before i put it in gear. And all the way to my pick-up point a couple hours north of the wash bay i left, the engine ran so UNBELIEVABLY WELL !!, i was in heaven, and didnt want to stop. But i stopped to load
    my open top 53 ft end dump trailer, all the while engine running to keep air PSI up and keep an eye on my load weight guages, and i must assume the "no road wind" + engine heat when idling, melted the wash / rinse water that (i can only guess) that was frozen & completed a broken or compromised wire / circuit during my previous problem free 2 hour drive .
    C) Hoisting up of the battery (etc) cables inside the battery box (all these cables and wires are strong, not chaffe, near new condition with clean tight connections) also ended up lifting up the huge cluster of cables and wires "behind & below" the battery box, as far as 3+ feet away from the back of the battery box could be seen moving, but its a huge cluster with upwards of 12 heavy
    (primary) wires , lower guage "signal" wires (from tranny speed sensor, throttle position sensor, clearance lights, Wabasto wires for engine pre-heater, Wabasto wires from bunk "Air-Top" heater, power invertor cables, "Air-Dog" fuel/ air seperator system wires, and the list goes on.
    Im thinking its somewhere in the vicinity of these wires where my problem is.
    Today , i got under the truck to see what i could see....again, but nothing jumped out at me. But it was -19 degrees outside with well over 2 ft of snow on the ground and , as much as i need to,
    "want to" more closely try to locate the wire, circuit or whatever is compromised, bare hands laying under the truck in 2+ ft of snow didnt inspire much dedication today. Tomorrow i will have the loader tractor out of my heated shop, enabling me to work inside on it. In the mean time, i made the 2 hour return trip just now to drop off the truck at a shop ive found to be very dedicated and honest, out here in farm country. I left my "problem with the truck" bible on the dash, each page describing any and everything which effects the 18+ month / $ 23,000+ ive spent to date trying to figure it out. Here's hoping they can isolate, locate, and repair this very big, very anoying and unresolved problem, which nobody else has yet to be able to. Ive even offered a $1,000 reward (over and above any paid wages any technician may receive) in hopes somebody will dedicate themselves to help resolve it. I dont care who figures it out, my $1000 stands to everyone, and im a old school man of my word... GUARANTEED 200 % !!!
    There's an awfull pile of 379 Pete's out there, 100's of thousands in or around the same year of my truck (2003) most of them with CAT C-15 power, and someone must have experienced such a problem, or know of someone who has or has had a problem like what i am having.
    Bobtail...no problem
    The hardest / heaviest pull imaginable, at low speeds...no problem.
    After a stop or after not on the accelerator for seconds, no problem.
    Pulling a long steep hill with 70 ton on, at low speeds, no problem.
    Never any smoke. Effected by water. On occasion goes completely away.
    Every time the truck goes into a shop (like when CAT had truck for 3 days once, 2 days another time, 8 days another time, i pull out of the bay, hook back onto the 5 axle loaded trailer i arrived with many days ago(so to have techs drive with me so they can hear / see / feel the problem under load) and when i get on the highway for my 70 mile drive home, the truck pulls problem free , but only for that ride home, The next day, back to square one again... but why ? CAT didnt claim to have found anything nor did they upload any data into my ECM..
    All i can say is "HELP". AND PLEASE KNOW HOW MUCH I TRULY APPRECIATE ANY AND ALL HELP YOU ALL HAVE GIVEN ME.
    One day, the problem will be solved, and i will post what the problem was and how it was solved...GUARANTEED 100 %
    Please please, keep up with your help , support and advice, i cant thank you'se all enough.
    If you feel texting or phoning me would be best, please feel free to at any given time.
    My number is; 905 746 5505
    With thanks once again.
    And a BIG " Happy New Year" to you and your families.
    Stay in touch, please.
     
    Oxbow and SAR Thank this.
  10. truck 307

    truck 307 Light Load Member

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    Aug 11, 2014
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    Hi Diesel Tech. Quick question. Is the above noted "70 pin" for my 2 plug ECM ?
    My truck, i just 2 hours ago dropped it off at a shop ive used in the past, so they can give it a try to resolve, so with my truck not at home i cant open the hood to check to see if the ECM has 35 pins on each of the 2 harness plugs that connect to it.
    2nd; is the noted info what ill find on the harness plug end, or on the ECM itself ?
    Thanks very very much.
    Greatly appreciated.
     
  11. pushbroom

    pushbroom Road Train Member

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    The only other thing could be sucking air. Are your fuel tanks a top draw or bottom draw? If they are a top draw I have seen the standpipes crack and suck air. The primary fuel filter base on the frame rail can also crack and suck air. Based on the torque/ engine twisting even a rubbed out line can temporary seal itself on a frame rail. Hopefully the shop finds something! If you ever make it over to Sask I'll take a crack at it.
     
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