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I’m quite aware that my Maxxforce 13 has EGR/DPF issues. Knew that when I purchased it from International and when I spent nearly $15,000 replacing the emisssions system: DPF, DOC, EGR coolers, etc. That’s why we won the $135 million Class Action lawsuit

The problem is that my DPF is getting clogged with heavy soot. When inspecting under my truck, I found a leak in my gasket of my oil pan which required me to add a gallon every couple of weeks. To save money, I started using cheap Pilot generic motor oil which resulted in my DPF getting clogged more frequently. I definitely got what I paid for – crap oil for crap prices.

I’m born and bred a racer and I like to push the pedal to the metal like an Indycar Racer. Sometimes climbing hills, I have to maintain my speed or else I start losing momentum. I don’t have the horses like a galloping Mack or Kenworth, so I learned to increase my speed downhills so I maintain momentum when climbing back to keep me from stalling – scary as it might seem. Often, my DPF would get clogged and then without warning, my engine would derate and I would lose momentum. This is bad, on a manual, cuz I have to shift down which is tough on a steep slope.

So there’s a fine line and I have to tread it carefully. Now I’m going to avoid going 70 MPH especially on hills and see if that will keep my DPF from getting clogged.

When the DPF gets soaked with soot, the engine starts to derate – which I notice on hills. Then I start getting a warning light on my dash. I typically have about 15 mins to pull over and do a parked regen (but sometimes, I only get mins before I get the red gong of death – a Stop Engine warning). When doing a parked regen, the DPF heats up to nearly 200 degrees turning the soot to ash and expelling it — you can see this as white smoke. It gets so hot and noisy that if you’re parked over grass, you can actually set it on fire.

So today, I’m at the TA in Paulsboro, NJ replacing my oil with Mobil Delvac I Synthetic. Also replacing my gasket in my drain pan because there’s a slight leak. Total bill: $1,150

90% of the soot and contaminants that is collected in the DPF comes from the engine oil, not the fuel, like many would believe.

I just have to learn to slow down and not panic when driving on repetitive hills. Even if that means losing speed on the upclimb.

If I can, choose a lighter load or take a different route. And of course, use synthetic or a premium motor oil, not the cheap Pilot kind.

So all of the chemistry that starts in a lab makes a huge difference on the road.

I’m looking forward to taking this rig on the road with a fresh oil change. But first gotta stop enroute in DC to run some errands at home.

 

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After spending a half day parked in DC so I can run errands, I drove towards Houston hoping to get as far south as I can making up for lost time. I didn’t want to push it too hard because I didn’t want to run into Tropical Storm Cristobal, battering the Gulf coast.

I made it 190 miles to the Walmart in South Hill, VA (330 miles today from Paulsboro NJ) before they shut down for the night. I got some food then noticed that there their parking lot was full of trucks, and the management is amazingly friendly to truckers. So I decided to play it safe and spend the night here. Need to get up bright and early to make up for falling behind schedule.

I rose by 6am and after a nice, warm shower, I was anxious to get on the road. I started the truck, and to my surprise, the engine won’t turn over. I looked under the truck and noticed oil everywhere. I had lost a lot of oil during my drive from DC since everything under the truck was coated with a thick grime, and during the night a noticeable puddle of oil had formed.

I called the TA in Paulsboro NJ who informed me that the work would be covered only if a technician from a TA or Petro can come to verify that oil had leaked from the oil pan. Unfortunately, the closest technician is 90 miles away in Mebane, NC, and a couple of hours later she showed up.

The mobile technician confirmed that there was a missing bolt in the back of the oil pan and the gasket wasn’t properly seated causing massive amount of oil to leak out.

I relayed this information to the TA in Paulsboro, who claimed that two bolts were never there in the first place, and I was made aware of this. Thus there’s no warranty. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

The bolts were not missing when I brought the truck to the shop because I had done an inspection of the oil pan a month ago, and no bolts were missing. Additionally, my instructor from North American Trade Schools, Mr Hyde, confirmed that all the bolts were in place and there was only a slight leak from a couple of bolts that were over-torqued causing the gasket to leak. (I was only losing about a gallon every two weeks – compared to 12 gallons in 2 days).

Before the work was started, I mentioned to the mechanic in TA Paulsboro, NJ that my gasket was leaking (showed her a video of the inspection completed. She confirmed that there was some leak on the bottom of the oil pan, so she recommended changing out the gasket.

The technician claims that only after dropping the oil pan did she realize that 2 (out of 20) bolts were missing. I stayed in the cab of the truck most of the time and also around the truck, so there was plenty of opportunity for the techs to inform me of this discovery. But instead of notifying me, they decided to reinstall the oil pan with the two missing bolts, and thus the gasket wasn’t properly seated.

From the video above, the mobile technician stated that the bolts were on there before because the metal is shiny under the bolt, and that the gasket sticks out and isn’t properly seated.

Then they decided to pull a fast one on me by sneaking a note to the bottom of the invoice that the 2 bolts were missing and that their work is not under “warrenty” [sic]. The manager never went over this issue with me – she was hoping I wouldn’t catch it. The invoice and inspection report were 3 pages so there was a lot of fine print and they assured me that everything was ok.

In reality, I would have never left the shop knowing I had 2 missing bolts especially after I just spent $1,145 for Mobile Delvac synthetic oil and gasket. In fact the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act provides an implied warranty for consumers. Both goods and services are protected – when a reasonable customer purchases a service, he/she should expect a certain result. If not the company should remedy the situation.

Likewise, the TA should have never let me go on the road with the missing bolts. All they had to do was wait till the following morning and purchase the bolts from the International dealership for a couple bucks a piece and install them. I would have easily approved this delay, especially since it was past 8pm when the work was done , and I didn’t need to leave until the next day.

As an owner operator, I would never authorize incomplete work and would never get on the road knowing that I have missing bolts. Doing so not only guarantees leaking oil all over the roadway but also put the lives of many others at risk.

Very disappointed at the TA to not take responsibility for their mistake, not assist with my tow, and shifting the blame on me.