Sculptor

On 5/1/2023 at 6:36 PM, aknavy said:

This Facebook group has alot of Volvo mechanics in it that will diagnose your symptoms, tell you how much it should cost to repair, and look up part numbers.  You just need to provide a VIN  with your request.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/377877049059772

I use that group fairly often.  There are some friendly experts there who will answer in detail and follow up.

There are also many non experts and jokers.  Just ignore those.  😀

5 hours ago, Vegas Teacher said:

Sorry typed before I read....... bad habit!!!!

I guess I should have said did you get it fixed?

Later,

Cory O

Not fixed, but a fair shot at a diagnosis.  It’s the outlet sensor.  The service department spent a few minutes with me by phone.  He said it sounds like I have the correct diagnosis without hooking up to read it himself.  He said make double sure it’s not shorted or pinched.  Just take a good look at it, before buying another one.  They can’t get the sensors now but if they could the price is in the neighborhood of $750 per sensor.

We had a little hailstorm today, golfball sized hail.  We went away and left the awning out.  On the plus side we can see the stars better now. The arms must have really took a beating, but we could just get it rolled back up.  It’s out of whack enough that the arms need a bit of help now.  Our neighbors didn’t do as well.  A hole through a skylight a cracked windshield and dimpled car sheet metal.  I haven’t looked at the Volvo yet.

I got an answer on FB.  2013 is a split year, some trucks had a 9 pin port, some had 16 pin.  So each type also had a distinct code format.

Also pretty much confirmed the NOX sensor diagnosis.  Now I have to make sure it’s one or the other sensor, either before or after.

2013 VNL730 D13.  Hi folks, I recently had a check engine light come on intermittently, now it stays on.  I searched and found a link posted by NIGEL in 2020 https://truckfaults.com/search-fault-codes EDIT: THIS LINK DOESN’T HAVE MY CODES other than the FMI 12 column which does not specify which sensor.  See below.

As I’m searching google, I found many many links.  My confusion comes from the different formats of the fault codes.  Several pages (or pdf files) only listed a letter and number like so:

P0509.  

My display only has three groups of letters and numbers:

SA   0    SPN   3226    FMI   12.  This is my actual code.  

It seems to be my NOX sensor again.  They were both replaced about 4-5 years or 30k miles ago. 
while trying to confirm this, I ran across the other documents with codes in another format.

Is there a standard go-to reference for fault codes? Maybe in the H. H. Resource Guide? (tried there)

What if I just clean the sensor?

Are NOX sensors generic?  Can I buy at any dealer?  When I bought them before I believe they were Volvo specific.

Will the engine de-rate eventually?

Can someone please confirm my diagnosis of a NOX sensor?

EDIT: The link which got me the correct code was this one:  https://class8truckparts.com/media/file/volvo-truck-diagnostic-codes.pdf

The document title includes the words “2010 Emissions”.  So if the early 2013 trucks have 6 pins, and the later trucks have 16 pins, then it follows that the 2010 booklet would relate to my 6 pin data port equipment.

He is in good hands.  

1 hour ago, Ray,IN said:

Auto rental in Great Falls, MT.

In the summer of 22 less than a year ago, you could rent vehicles all day long online.  But when you call, or when the local office calls you, there were zero cars available.  And none for the foreseeable future.

Many places we have spent any time in, mostly west, there are just no cars available for rental. Great falls, MT comes to mind. It’s a good sized city with an airport, but nothing available for rent. 

An inspiring project. What will be the highlights of your black hills trip?  Lots to do there!

Also replaced the rear air bags and removed/replaced the door trim panel to lube the door lock. 

On 4/4/2023 at 7:03 PM, rickeieio said:

Look'n good Kevin.  But I have to ask about that milk crate between the cab and the box.  Is there a forward facing door in the box to access that area?

I was sure I answered this Rick. I had my usual long explanation and thought I posted it.  No other door, just what you see. 
I planned a space just big enough for the gas cans but afterward the extra space mysteriously disappeared.  Now I look to see if anyone is watching before I hook it with a broom pole to get it out. 

Added the old folding step from our fifth wheel.  Asked a friend to weld scrap angles and weld the steps to the angles.  I’ve been thinking about this for almost a year.  Finally got the ambition, the step cut off, the scrap, and the welder all in the same place at the same time.  It makes a world of difference getting in and out of the drom box.

Many folks ask if the drom is an old sleeper, and I would say no, just a big storage box with a door latch similar to a semi trailer door.

Also pictured is the new left rear fender I mounted to replace the homemade fenders it used to have.  These were mounted last May at Black Mountain Resort in Hill City, SD.

We have fit almost everywhere we have been. The Volvo turning radius is better than average but have no other experience with HDTs.

 I mostly have avoided state and county parks in the east. I put it down to the age of the parks can indicate smaller sites.  Many times I called ahead (Holland State Park, MI) and found a site. In that case we fit side by side but when backing, the Hdt was into the site across the road. 
 Look in mountainous areas for more trees I think. More trees and shade in the north, much less in the SW deserts.  More or less what you would expect. The nice thing about the SW is the sites tend to be large maybe just because they are big flat areas and the space was available. 
On Facebook there are sites dedicated to HDT friendly parks with reviews. 

On 3/21/2023 at 4:29 PM, Nigel said:

Cap off the Blue one and put a quick connect on the red so you can plug in an air hose to inflate tires, use air tools etc.

 

That’s what I did too.

We have TST.  It’s about 3 years old and still works as it did on the first day.  I haven’t had to replace any of the sensors yet.  I ordered the small sensors but they have to be removed and replaced to check or add air.  I would order the flow through design if I did it again.

14 hours ago, rickeieio said:

We'll drive I-10 through Louisiana over the next few days, west-east.  In the past, we've driven it the other way and found some short rough stretches, but that was 6-7 years ago.

We just missed you Rick.  We were in Livingston Monday thru this morning. Hope your ride gets better.

AFTER the Bighorn Mountains, or west of them, we discovered the Devils Canyon Overlook.  It’s just north of the Montana line on 37.  I know this is way north of 16 and not on your route.  Our trips have taken unexpected turns for sightseeing and this was one of them.  We had read about herds of wild horses near that highway.  We haven’t been through the Bighorns by either route (we went to Billings and Bozeman instead) but looking at the map I agree with the advice for 16.

We spent 2 weeks in Cody and it was very nice.  I can’t emphasize enough to visit the Buffalo Bill museum.  We took in our first rodeo a bit west of town, and had more than one meal at Granny’s restaurant.  Millstone Pizza was just fair.  There are lots of restaurants.  We stayed at Parkway near Walmart, it was ok in a pinch.  We moved to Absoroka Bay east of town and it was much better, I would stay there again.  

Will you drive your rig all the way into Yellowstone?  Or just a tow car?  We work camped from an employee campgound, our HDT was our only transportation.  We drove without the fifth wheel from the lake to the east gate, not from Cody, so I can say there are one or two tight switchbacks nearer the lake but I think those are doable for an HDT rig.  We came in through the north entrance before the flooding and it is also doable but very tight turns.  I consider the west and south entrances to be the easiest for a larger rig.  Near Yellowstone Lake   In the campground   I have some videos of our 6 week stay there on Rumble if anyone is interested.  I tend to stay away from YouTube. 
Yellowstone Bear

We have never been there this time of year, but very confident the chain info above is good advice.  They are serious about the high passes in MT.  Heavy snow and fog can hit those areas without notice.  
If you’re interested, there are a couple of RV parks nearby.  They are quite pricey in the summer.  The best option in my opinion is the Gallatin County Fairgrounds.  BE SURE TO RESERVE AHEAD.  The fairgrounds campground gets some traffic, and they can be sticky about letting you camp there without reservations.  Property values and rents have skyrocketed more than the national average and there are many many homeless in the area.  Maybe that has something to do with it.  Maybe because it’s a big college town.  The breweries are concentrated on the east side of town with many good restaurants scattered all around town.  If you have any extra time at all don’t miss the Museum of the Rockies, south of town.

We found one large RV dealer with parts and service west of Bozeman.  There might be more, but we were shopping for parts at the time and it was the closest.  I think truck service and parts are more northwest in Belgrade, MT. We never got up there but there might be a truck dealer or 2 there.  

Another alternative is Livingston, MT a few miles east.  There are 2 or 3 RV parks in that town and you might have better luck (again I know about summer and fall not winter). The town seems a lot quieter too.  We used a hole in the wall truck service place in Livingston for steer tires and an oil change.  Try “Beefburgers” for a takeout meal.

Sorry I wasn’t much help on the weather there in winter.  🙂

21 hours ago, GeorgiaHybrid said:

Has anyone used the Freedom Pass from TSD (the fuel card folks)? I think they are good in 26 states now with 5 more states coming online soon.

Freedom Pass (myopenroads.com)

 

This one is completely new to me also.  Thanks.

6 minutes ago, Parrformance said:

https://www.cfxway.com/uni/
 
19 states

Had not seen this option.  Thanks.

15 minutes ago, jeffw said:

I have an ez pass and it's mounted at the top of the windshield and it reads just fine.

Note that on most toll roads in the NE now, paying cash or by mail is quite a bit more expensive than via transponder.

 

I wasn't sure about it being more expensive, now I am.  And thanks for the mounting experience too.

I did a quick search in this forum on "toll road" and "transponder, and didn't turn up much at all.  We plan to travel extensively in the eastern states this year.  Do any of you use an "EZ Pass" or "Sunpass" toll road transponder?  Those are the 2 that cover the most states in the east.  IF YOU DO use either system, is your mounting location as directed by the instructions?  I can imagine it might be better on the outside of the cab or at the bottom of the glass, not the top.

The other option is to run without it, and hope for the best.  I think it might be easier to get the transponder and register the HDT in the toll system ahead of time.  It might be more difficult to get charged incorrectly and try to fix it over the phone.

On the "other" other hand, I could just do my best to pay cash at the booth if there is one, or pay the bill and fine that comes in the mail, if there isn't a booth.

I would prefer to sign up in advance.  Running down the road all summer and letting the license plate camera system do the job will end up costing more, I'm sure.

Thanks in advance for your insight.

2 hours ago, Steve from SoCal said:

I need batteries for my truck, where do I get the deals I read about here I am 50 miles north of Wichita

Adding my vote for a dealer, I called some dealers near me last week and 2 offered good prices.  A “private label” battery for $79, and a Volvo brand battery for $98. The parts guy got it down from there to $89, so I bought. 

14 hours ago, runaway parents said:

So all they quoted me for was to change oil  , Lube chassie all the filters except for the air filter . go from Bumper to Bumper and look for defects it seems to me that $900 is a little high  

I was quoted something close to that by a dealer recently.  They call it periodic maintenance or PM.  So I’m not really sure what each line-item is but I think maybe many other things are checked besides what you said above?  Brake wear/adjustment, system codes, maybe air system,,,,   $180 per hour for 4 hours (Corpus Christi) so about half is labor.  I’ve heard of higher labor rates further north.  
I’m not defending them, I just wanted a simple oil change too, so I walked away.  
Another time, I found a small shop in Montana to do the oil change and new steers, I forget the total but I think it was under $1k.  (I buy the filters and carry them for awhile when I think I will have it done soon)  

2 hours ago, rickeieio said:

No matter your background, race, ethnicity or beliefs, I wish you a Happy Holiday, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, etc.  I'll not attempt to name other holidays and risk exposing my lack of spelling skills.😁

Merry Christmas to you Rick!  And all the kind and helpful folks on this thread and other threads.

On 12/19/2022 at 5:01 AM, jenandjon said:

Got the hitch and lights on. My Nephew is finishing up wiring the lights. 

 

This one has been on my list for awhile.

4 hours ago, Chad Heiser said:

Of course I did all the work and then realized I forgot to take pictures of the process, so that was a bummer.  Oh well, at least it is done.

You’ve been very busy Chad.  😁