Newer Cascadias Opti Idle System

Honestly i loved my green on my pete and cant wait to get one on my lonestar. Over 10k hours and nearly no issues. Then again i also actully did the maintaince on it....so....as for how you can sleep. Go do a team run for 5 years. You can sleep through literally anything after that.

 

Give it time on those batteries, after a season or two, they start to lose charge faster, then the truck starts more often. I worked for a company that had that system in a Prostar, it got to the point that it would start every 4 hours or so in the summer. It also had the water heater espar, that part I liked because it would put out warm air out of the trucks regular ducts instead of just one hole under the bunk like the regular air heating espar. The only problem is, when the little pump goes bad on the water heating unit, it is a bit pricey to rebuild or replace.

 

As a reefer driver, I get tickled over drivers getting bothered by opti-idle, or farting lot lizards, or what-ever sounds that disturb their sleep. I bought these babies at Walmart for about 4 bucks or something. Cut the little band thing off, put them in, dude, you can't even here your wife #####ing about whatever. Make sure you have a loud alarm clock.

 

I agree the opti idle is torture. It’s horrible. I found a way to make the truck idle but I’m not giving away my secret. They want me sleeping in a truck that turns on and off all night long, and still doesn’t warm up inside. Yeah right.

 

May or may not be reliable? You mean the tri-pac? I've had at least 6 trucks with a tri-pac and the ONLY times I had an issue was one time on a truck issued to me that had a 5 year old system the fuel pump went out. 30 minutes to change it, and on the road again. The one I have now started squealing, bearings in the alternator went out. 30 min later, gone again. I have no idea how many hours were on the other ones, but thousands for sure. This one just turned over 4000 hours. Has been dead-dog reliable. And saved 4000 hours of idling of the big engine. That makes the truck worth a lot more.

Trucks with APU's that work are worth more than those that don't. It can also be a lifesaver. I had a battery APU on a truck that had the fuel pump go out in the middle of the desert in bumfukk nowhere California at like 10pm. Literally stuck in the middle of the desert with a truck that I can't start because fuel sprays out everywhere when I do. My battery bank only would last a few hours in the ice cold low teens that it got down to that night, and I had no way to recharge.

If you have an APU with heat and AC, you literally have a life saving engine under you at all times. The big engine goes out, you're fine. The APU will run and keep you cool or warm and keep the battery bank charged to keep your AC powered things working just fine, while you wait for a wrecker or repairs. When temps get into the single digits, in the middle of the desert, it can save your LIFE.

The big engine fails and you will freeze, sweat or lose AC power in a very short period of time. Ask me how I know. Opti idle STILL relies on a big engine that works.

 

I had opti idle on my 97 and 99 freightliner century's. I loved it, set the temp and go to sleep. If it get 4 degree higher or lower than what it was set for. The truck started itself adjusted the heat or ac, shut itself off. Never woke up, or disturbed my sleep.
Maybe as an ex army guy, I'm just used to sleeping when can thru anything that isnt a threat. Touch my door handle, knock on my windows, or stand still between my truck and the ine I am parked next to. Will wake me up, but opti idle doesnt.