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Old 09-18-2016, 09:44 AM   #181
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I think if I have any more issues I will try some cetane - carry a few gallons right next to the motor oil

Where is the best place to get it?

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Old 09-18-2016, 01:18 PM   #182
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Dred: for Power Service stuff, the best price I have found is Walmart. Kid you not. I hate that place, but $$$ talks. I just picked up several quart bottles @ $7.97 ea. its even cheaper by the gallon, but I like the "one time use" aspect of the quarts that treat a 50-gal refill (or 100-gal refill at the "low-dose" level) all at one shot. I like the convenience. Hehehe.
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Old 09-18-2016, 01:30 PM   #183
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oops!! im not supposed to be pouring 1/2 bottle in my 25 gallon tank?? diesel Kleen is the stuff I use... my bus hasnt exploded yet..

-Christopher
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Old 09-18-2016, 01:40 PM   #184
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oops!! im not supposed to be pouring 1/2 bottle in my 25 gallon tank?? diesel Kleen is the stuff I use... my bus hasnt exploded yet..

-Christopher
You are fine. The quart treats 100 gal at "low dose", or 50 gal at "high dose" (see label). So a half quart in 25 gals is the textbook "hi dose".

FWIW, I've run it at twice the hi-dose level with no issues except the exhaust stinks and the engine winds-up smoother and nicer than usual. The local farmers will run it at 1 quart per TEN gals for a couple of hours in the new Deeres when the EFI gets jacked-up. They claim is saves them a $2000 trip to Deere where the techs basically do the same thing. I wouldnt go there without a compelling reason, but it shows how hard you can dose if you need to.
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Old 09-18-2016, 02:00 PM   #185
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thanks coyote - I hate Wallyworld too, but depend on them for supplies, and have even been seen overnighting in the parking lot a few times
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Old 09-18-2016, 06:51 PM   #186
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Thanks Tango - it is a struggle now, but I am trying my best to hang in there - at the top of the world


Where are you Dred? That looks familiar. Although we've been most places....
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Old 09-18-2016, 09:00 PM   #187
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Where are you Dred? That looks familiar. Although we've been most places....
Pics are from Mineral Creek/Poughkeepsie Gulch above Ouray, and Engineer Pass above Silverton. I am parked in Montrose till next week
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Old 09-19-2016, 07:13 AM   #188
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Definitely give the Diesel Kleen a try. I HATE additives and snake oils, but this stuff is legit. Nothing like the garbage seen on infomercials etc.
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Old 09-19-2016, 07:22 AM   #189
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I semi-overnighted in a walmart parking lot on my last bus trip to florida.. slept for a few hours.. all kinds of signs that said "no idling" but i let the bus idle because it was 88 degrees at 1am and i wasnt gonna sweat.. no one said a word..

I noticed one of the walmarts in columbus ohio along the freeway near my house has signs everywhere about No trucks, No RV's etc.. but theres still both in the parking lot..

when I park in one I do usually go inside and buy some powerade zero and such.. my body dehyrdates crazy easy on long trips so i have to drink a bunch of that and water.. walmart sells it cheap..

-Christopher
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Old 09-19-2016, 07:53 AM   #190
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It was explained to me that Walmart will always post signs that comport with local laws if they are asked to do so, but they are not required to enforce them or complain of any violations. And apparently the police have difficulty enforcing many of these laws because its private property and Walmart wont complain about their customers idling/overnighting etc.

Like others, I've woken-up from a long nap only to find myself parked directly beneath a "No" sign and no ticket on the windshield.

Walmart wants your money. If taking a quiet nap on an unused section of pavement is going to make them even a nickel, they're generally fine with that.
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Old 09-19-2016, 08:36 AM   #191
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Another reason WalMart (and others) post the No trucks/No RV's signs is not only compliance with local ordinances, but also a CYA (Cover Your A##) measure. If someone is there causing problems, it gives the manager a justification to ask them to leave - involving the cops if necessary. Also, if a vehicle is parked for an extended time, they can go about having it towed. It eliminates the "Well there was nothing saying I couldn't" defense.
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Old 09-19-2016, 10:13 AM   #192
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well i guess it makes sense.. walmart has huge parking lots and people generally arent parked there on saturday mornings when they are packed busy.. so spots arent being used that would go to other customers..

I almost always end up going in and buying something.. after all its super convenient to get what i need right there.. sometimes even fuel if its one of the rare ones with gas and diesel.

perhaps those signs are for the purpose I mentioned above too.. if walmart finds themselves in a situation where the lot is filling up, and theres lots of RV's, they can easily ask them to leave per the signs.. my guess is black friday is one of those times when they might want all of their parking spaces for cars..

-Christopher
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Old 09-19-2016, 12:12 PM   #193
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I stopped at a Wal Mart in SO Ca & went inside to clear staying with the manager, what he told me was Wal Mart allows overnighters as long as the Wal Mart DOESN'T share the lot with other businesses { strip malls }
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Old 09-19-2016, 01:12 PM   #194
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Just chatted with someone who had similar high altitude starting issues. He made a suggestion that might help since your engine is not computer controlled. His was a turboed 3208 Cat with an intake heater instead of glow plugs similar to what I believe you mentioned your rig had.

His fix was to cycle the key three times back to back without starting which will raise the intake temp up to max...then crank it.

He said it helped him in spite of not really making any sense. The real problem, according to him, is that at high elevations the air is simply less dense. And since diesels rely on pressure to ignite the mix, starting with less pressure means there will be less on the power stroke. He did say that it was also very like a symptom of tired rings as they would contribute greatly to lower pressure which would be much more of an issue at high altitudes.

Don't know if this helps any, but there it is.
That guy is right on the money. However, dred's engine should be computer controlled, unless someone did a conversion to it.

I'm not sure how the grid heaters are controlled on either vehicle, whether it's a fixed timer, or computer controlled based off engine temp. And that would make a big difference on how long to run the heaters.

What dredman could do is wire a push button into the control side of the relay. So when he is at higher elevation he could hold the button in for a few more seconds to get that extra heat. That's what I did for my glow plugs(but that's because the computer failed).

Diesel fuel has a low auto ignition temperature. That temp depends on the specific blend(winter vs summer) and additives. Adding Power Service(white bottle, we use it in the winter time) should lower that temp making it easier starting.

Diesel engines use rapid compression of a fresh intake charge in order to create the heat that is necessary to light the fuel that is injected near top dead center. If you don't remember high school science, pressure and heat are directly related, so that when you increase pressure the temperature should also rise. That's why your air compressor tank will heat up when building pressure and air tools will cool off when used.

Elevation comes into play because at 10K ft, the air pressure is typically 2/3rds what it would be at sea level. So when there is less air to initially compress, your compression pressure at tdc inside the engine will also be less and so will the temperature. So an engine that runs perfectly fine at sea level at 70*F might have trouble at 10k ft at the same 70*F.

I'm 99% sure dred doesn't have a fuel supply issue, whether it be a lift pump or air in the lines. Simply because of the abundance of white smoke when cranking. That to me, shows that the temp in the cylinder isn't high enough to light the fuel, and that could be caused by one of a dozen different things.

My educated guess? It's a combination of the altitude and engine wear, and possibly the grid heaters not working.

What should he do to fix it?

He might be able to hold the grid heaters on a little longer to maybe compensate for it. He could shoot a little ether in the intake horn and that will raise the compression temp (don't do it unless the grid heaters are disabled). He could also spend thousands and have the engine overhauled/ or a new one dropped in.

If it was me, I'd stick with the first two and go back to enjoying life.
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Old 09-23-2016, 11:21 AM   #195
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6,000 feet and below you would never know there is ANY issues So right now the plan is to park at the bottom and ride up - so far so good
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Old 09-23-2016, 11:33 AM   #196
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hey thats why you brought the bike!! thank god youve had that with you!!

-Christopher
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Old 09-23-2016, 07:43 PM   #197
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hey thats why you brought the bike!! thank god youve had that with you!!

-Christopher

The bike is a key factor in sanity maintenance
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Old 09-23-2016, 09:52 PM   #198
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Sanity maintenance is always good, and bikes are a good way to do that. Hope you can keep on going dred.
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Old 09-25-2016, 03:18 PM   #199
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Sanity maintenance is always good, and bikes are a good way to do that. Hope you can keep on going dred.
Thanks for the encouragement all!
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Old 12-03-2016, 03:44 PM   #200
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looks like my adventure is ending in AZ?
Oil pours out as fast as I can put it - leaking from the left side. took a half gallon to move it 100 yards from here

Any ideas?

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