RV Engine Issues

We decided that the Caterpillar C7 Diesel engine in the RV needs to be repaired sooner rather than later. We noticed that there was more blowby from what is referred to as the slobber tube. This is the crankcase vent which relieved pressure inside the engine to the outside via a tube ending just below the engine. Back in November, Bridget was following me through Orlando in the borrowed Prius C and she mentioned that there was a lot of “smoke” whenever I accelerated. But, otherwise just wisps of “smoke”. This “smoke” is air with tiny droplets of oil from the engine. The engine had been doing this for quite a while. Back when we were towing the Prius on the tow dolly, after any lengthy trip, the car would be filthy from oil droplets and dust. The Jeep would be the same. 

Since it has been doing this for a while, I figured that we would be able to get back to the Pacific Northwest and we would take it to the Cat shop in Albany where we had the last engine work done. A few weeks back when we left North Carolina into Tennessee, there were some steep grades. When we arrived at our Harvest Host stop, the front of the Jeep was almost dripping oil. It had gotten worse. I added some oil to the engine . At our next Harvest Host, the amount of oil on the Jeep seemed about the same. Coming into Athens, TX, the oil pressure would drop on any uphill so while we were waiting in the Walmart parking lot to check in to the RV park, I added several gallons of oil. The engine holds six gallons. At this point, I was still thinking that the amount of blowby was related to load. One possibility was a leaking seal in the turbocharger which would allow pressurized air to go into the engine via the oil return tube. This would be a relatively easy fix.

On the drive from Athens, TX, to Hondo, TX, the oil pressure dropped again. I added three more gallons of oil. So the problem is getting much worse. There were no steep grades or high speeds or sustained heavy loads. After talking to several shops in the area, we will be taking the RV to one about sixty miles north of here. They think it might be scored cylinders or a cracked ring. They think it’s unlikely to be the turbocharger seal. They will examine and probably pull the head while the engine is still installed. Depending on what the problem is, there are several repair options several involve removing the engine from the RV.

Another possibly peripheral issue is the hydraulic radiator fan motor is leaking hydraulic fluid. The shop thinks that it may not be spinning fast enough when the engine temperature goes up and isn’t moving enough air through the radiator stack.

More on this later once we have more information. Bridget is looking for housing options which is made challenging since we have the dog and cat.