Week 262 - Lucky in Kentucky - 08-21-2011

Lucky in Kentucky

Warning: This travelogue is very technical and will be of interest to very few. But, it is our hope that it will be helpful to others in our situation.

Okay, why are we in Kentucky and not in Colorado? Seventy-Five Thousand, Seven Hundred Fifty-Seven point Five miles is not a lot of miles for a diesel engine, except for ours. It started in 4-5-6, April 5, 2006, the day we bought the Mothership. When our motorhome was built, an assembly worker did not properly clamp a hose between our air filter and our Cummins ISL400 engine. As a result dust entered our engine and ground the rings, pistons, cylinders and perhaps other parts into oblivion.

How did we discover this? On March 13th, 2011 our Stop Engine light came on. This means "STOP your engine"; "Do not drive". We pulled over and checked a number of items and found the oil was down three gallons (out of eight gallons). We filled it and watched it daily and it was using one quart every 250 miles. After visiting three diesel shops, the "dusting" problem was found. Our estimate in California to rebuild our engine was $20,000 to $25,000, time and materials. In addition we would have to find housing for three weeks and would not be able to work out of the motorhome during the day. Thus, another three weeks loss of wages.

We were told that the engine might last for ten's of thousands of miles if we kept the oil topped off. So, that was the plan. Keep the oil up, drive less and park more. Then, when we could save the money, we would have it repaired. But, as we continued to travel, our oil usage became as much as one quart per 60 miles!

Since March we have met or talked with a dozen diesel shops. They all acknowledged they had little experience with removing and replacing motorhome engines as these engines last forever. Therefore, it will be expensive and they could not offer a fixed bid, only an estimate of the hours required.

When we were in South Dakota, Ellen went online and found the only used ISL400 engine in America, in London, Kentucky. The used engine was $4,500.00 and a local London, KY diesel shop would install it for $6,000.00 (another estimate of hours). The total might be $10,500.00. This would save us 10 to 15k dollars. So, we headed off to London, Kentucky to look at the engine and meet the technician who would install it.

On the way to Kentucky, we called Preston Shera, the Cummin's Corp Consumer Advocate. He had already helped us out when we were in Alaska. Preston suggested we contact Cummins in Louisville, Kentucky. We stopped in Louisville on the way to London to get an estimate.

In London we looked at the used engine. It came out of a 2003 Monaco Dynasty that had burned. The exterior of the engine looked like a barbecued steak that was left on the grill too long. The vendor explained that while the exterior looks bad, the interior of the engine would be fine while ours was destroyed. Okay, let's assume the engine is worthy.

Next we visited the local diesel shop who would install the engine. The property was strewn with with vehicles to be repaired, a good indication that people in this area trusted this man. We would be able to work in the motorhome and live in it at night, a good savings in dollars. However, everything in the shop was covered grease; the vehicles, the walls, the floors and even the faces of the employees. This did not inspire us. Also, while they would offer warranty repairs, if needed, we would have to return to London. Alright, this was a very economical alternative. But, thinking about it, made us grimace.

Enter the CPL Number. CPL stands for Common Parts List. Your engine's CPL number, ours is 1096, indicates what accessories are attached. If you replace your engine, you want the same CPL number. A different CPL might be okay, but you will have to perform additional hours to make it work. We found that the used engine in London's CPL number was 8106. This means it has a "jake brake"; we don't. It means the electronics are different; we must use ours. It means a lot of other things are different and will cost extra hours and cost in parts. So, we decided NO on the used engine.

So, back to our first plan: keep the oil up, drive less and park more. But then, Cummins Louisville emailed us a quote. It was $16,000.00. Way below the California quote. And, it was a fixed price. And, while we must find housing, we can work in the motorhome from 8:00 am to Midnight (that should be enough hours). Additionally the six month warranty service can be obtained from any Cummin's dealer across the USA. Nice! We have accepted this offer and Cummins should begin work on Monday, August 29th.

So, what can we learn? Don't give up, keep questioning, keep learning, listen to your wife. Ellen found this engine and while it was not the solution, it got us to Kentucky where we will save $9,000 plus no loss of wages and the price is fixed.

We're happy and we have a week to wait, so what to do now? What else, take a road trip? We are going to visit friends in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, visit Nashville, Tennessee and then get back to Louisville and get a new engine!

Therefore, we are lucky to be in Kentucky. Once you get over the $25k sticker shock, $16,000 sounds great!

Praise God and have a good week.

Love, Pete and Ellen

And oh, yeah , here are pictures of the Jeffersonville, Indiana Elks where we spent the week waiting for the quotation from Louisville Cummins. This elks has 30 amps of power, accepts any donation, serves meals daily and the pool and showers are included. We have stayed at 78 different Elks and this is one of the nicest.

Photos from Aug 2011