trimster

I don't think it's the NOX sensors. The main faults revolve around "abnormal data rates", Lower than expected voltages, so wiring/connections. After I ran the re-gen several times, the Aftertreatment soot level was seemingly stuck on 2. The tech cleared codes and bumped the aftertreatment software with his computer and the soot level reading corrected itself to 13% on the computer and the dash shows a corresponding reading. The tech explained the data and wiring issues as " the system is trying to communicate but can't so it's giving up...throwing faults...shutting down". I did run across an older (2018) truckers forum thread on the problems I have been having. Some good side information from a kinda Volvo guru brought up some interesting thoughts. One was the amount of bio-diesel in our fuel. His conjecture is that bio-diesel runs cooler (which it does) and that can cause the DEF/Aftertreatment system to not achieve the heat it needs to do its thing. "5-10% bio is okay. Some pumps are now saying up to 20% which is to much." His other finding (he did testing) was that certified DEF is kinda all over the place for water to urea mix. 17 out of 20 bulk pumps read way more water than allowed. 1 out of 12 boxes (he said 'lesser brands') tested to much water. The Volvo systems are way to sensitive me thinks, to this kinda stuff. Last two fill-ups were Costco diesel. I can't remember what the pump said for potential bio-diesel. I don't use bulk DEF at the pumps. But the last 4 boxes were Tech brand from Wally world. I pumped that out and now have Blu-Def. Not saying these 2 things caused the issue, as it appears to be sensor/electrical connection related from the computer dump. But maybe... perfect storm. The bugger now is that the Aftertreatment/regen problem is taken care of and the truck is still in de-rate. Communication/data rate problems with the ECU-ECC. Am I on or off the mark here? Should I pull connectors and spray with cleaner and reseat in hopes of solving a bad connection? I have a listing of the software versions installed in the truck for all systems. Is there a place on the web where I can find what the latest versions should be/are? Thanks all for the support. This is a real wrinkle in a long awaited get-away.

Here's the fault dump from TEC. Good chat with the head of service while he was pulling the computer information. Seems that the regens worked. Soot level is 13%. Really good. The big problem seems to be in the data links between the NOX, DEF, and main computer. Their solution is to bring it in on Monday and have the tech start troubleshooting the that sub-wiring harness. I've pulled the speed sensor plug and the ACM fuse so I can drive it, manually shifting. It is really weird and stressful when you stop and go. The trans has to think for 5 to 10 seconds about a gear and clutching and all that stuff. 1500 rpm limit. 12 gear is 65 mph or so. Power is way down. But we can move about. Now, my plan is to spend the weekend with a can of electrical contact cleaner, pull all the connections I can find on the DEF tank, main filter connections, etc. and clean them, and reseat the plugs. My thought is that a broken wire is not likely... but a corroded contact is. SCR? what is this unit/box/thingy? Another issue is parts. They are 2 months out on NOX sensors and other system things. Volvo can't keep up. But that is the whole supply chain for about everything. The NOX sensors I replaced are aftermarket with good reviews. They've been in there since July of last year. We have this campsite until the 25th, then we're suppose to be in Corvallis for 2 weeks. Guess we have time to make some changes but finding a landing spot over the 4th has been hard. Hence the long stay in Corvallis. In a word... this all sucks. But with money and time, it gets worked out.

It's '2 over normal ', not 2%. I'm going too pull the speed sensor to the trans. so I can drive over 5mph and take it to TEC volvo on Redmond. They'll run a diagnostic.

Ya, not solved. Still stuck in derate.

Regen done. Soot level 2. Still in derate. Running regen again. 8 miles away in Redmond there's a TEC volvo dlr. I'm going to pull the connection off the trans speed sensor so I can move above 5mph.

Just went thru dash faults. Engine ecu = sa16 dtc p103C00 Aftertreatment = none Vehicle ECU = none Regen started now, after injector cleaning. It was kinda dirty.

Yes. I had a full computer dump. There were faults pointing to the DEF filter sensors. Replaced those & cleaned injector 7. Had volvo clear the system and push a regen. Not sure on the mobile guy's computer tools. Will be checking soon.

After 3 parked regens, truck is de-rated. Ideas needed. Here's what I have done so far: - 1 regen . - drained and replaced DEF, thinking it was bad. - ran another regen. No change. -ran a third regen. No change in soot level. Truck in derate. Plan is to pull & clean the 7th injector, then run regen again. There is a local mobile repair that comes recommended. Have not talked with them about their ability to force regen. If my plan doesn't get it back, mobile service is next. Bend, Oregon has a large truck service. That's 35 miles (possible expense tow). Thoughts, ideas, suggestions are really needed right now. TIA

Thanks. Kind words. Good to see everyone at the rally.

Road trip starts tomorrow . Shake down test. Final boxes installed. Lots of little things to do to finish, but road worthy as is.

I have some of the flexseal tape stuff kicking around. Didn't even think about that solution. Next time. Thanks

Yup. That's what I did. Box looked like hell. Some minor damage to the ramps. Nothing i can't live with. Now figuring out where they need to set so the CanAm goes up properly. 2 test runs got it close. Wrenching it up backwards. Aligning front wheel ramps shown here.

So it's common for the windshield washer fluid fill tube to leak/fail....according the dealer. Bad design. And they are spendy. $300 if you can find one. The guy at the parts desk looked around, lowered his voice..."I'd go to Lowes or something and get a piece of flexible tubing and fix it that way". Hmmm. I had not idea what I would be looking for to fix this but what the heck. I pulled the side panel off the battery side. Yup, big crack in the tubing flex section. Have no clue how that could break. It's plenty beefy. So I cut it out and headed to Lowes. Searched and searched the plumbing isles and found nothing until... a bin where the gas lines were... a 12" flexible line that fit over the smooth part of the washer tubing perfectly. And it was a score... marked down from $3.98 to .98 cents. Smeared some e6000 craft glue (also known as ShoeGoo and Plumbers Goo) on the ends of the truck side tubing. Slipped it on and wa-la. Fixed. The flex is stainless. Hope this hack is helpful.

Update: Getting ready to hit the road on the 15th so crunch time and a ton of FedX frustration. The under-bed boxes are in. Whew... what an ordeal. Broke far to many drill bits doing the drill-n-tap thing to mount these in. Ya, my bad for doing some tricky drilling with carbide bits. Broke two tips off in two holes. A diamond hole saw bit came to the rescue, cutting out the metal around the broken bit. Took a while, but worked great. From this.... to this.... Still need to add the weather gaskets around the doors. So far...working as planned. And the bigger cabinets are coming along nicely. Hope to install them tomorrow. Now the FedX drama. Ordered the Big Boy ramps from Discount Ramps. They are great to deal with. Their choice of shipping options... ya, not so much. The ramps arrived in Salt Lake on 1 July. Then 4 times they were loaded into a delivery truck only to be returned to the docks. "barcode unreadable". So the driver can't read the address on the package? Guess that's a lost skill set. Then the ramp package tracking went into 'exception' ... then disappeared completely for days. Then re-appeared as 'new barcode label created'. Then 2 more 'loaded on truck' and then returned to docs. Now it says 'barcode label unreadable. New barcode created.' It's not the 10th and they can't even seem to deliver them to one of the FedX store fronts. Repeated calls to someone in India gets one nowhere. They really work hard to keep the customer from calling the local distribution station and talking with someone who speaks understandable english. Wonderful customer service. My expectations are pretty low now that the ramps will be undamaged, it they arrive at all. I'm thinking I need to just drive over to the main shipping center (4 miles) and bang on the door. I really can't create the mount locations for the wheel chocks until the ramps get here. Really frustrating... well, actually way past that right now. So many packages delivered here and to neighbors, totally destroyed. Ya, not going to ship FedX anytime soon. So that's the latest.

The last owner (commercial driver) put them on wrong plus they were plastic and the adheasive tape has failed. I just replaced them with 1" DOT reflective tape.

After our trucks are reclassified as a motorhome, do we need the top clearance reflectors on the back of the cab?

Update: Just got off the phone with head of code enforcement. Readers Digest version, they are not going to let me park it on my property because you "can not have more than one recreational vehicle" on private property. Yes. Unquestionably out of touch with todays reality. There are exceptions for those who have large properties (acres). I've put the code references below given me by them. They tried weight. Not going to work because class A's are way over the weight of our Volvo. They tried 'appearance' until I told them the state stipulates what a motorhome is and the physical appearance is NOT one of the criteria. As the code guy who gave me the warning said 'it looks like a semi... it's a semi'. The head of code also found it interesting (not in a good way) that the code dude said "I have been watching you and your trucks for 5 years." Head of code found that troubling on two levels. One that he has not been with the city for 5 yrs. And she agreed that, that kind of attention is close to stalking. Or at the lease, targeting. So, right now they are not going to do anything until they meet again and offer me a time to plead my case. There are some form of judges that weigh in on interpreting the code some where along the line. They will see the 'only one RV on the property' and call it in favor of the city is my guess. They don't want to offer a waver for my situation because they don't want people who get cited for having a commercial vehicle in their yard pointing to me...and having to explain why mine is okay. In my mind... that's your damn job. Just because it is inconvenient for you, not my problem. It's part of your job...that we pay you for. Needless to say, I'm going way past pissed off at this point. They seem to like to poke you because they can. End result... more really mad people making life for a city employee hell. And I can do that if this comes out wrong. I did ask how they justify this code when it's cross purposes with the ability for a home owner to subdivide their house. Now they have two legal residences on one property plot. How can you enforce one RV per property. Or the new one they adopted allowing LOTs of people to rent rooms in a house as long as they are all family. Hmmm. Nobody check paperwork to see if they are, in fact, legal family. Then there's the folks who have MDT and HDT (registered as an RV) pulling horse trailers with living quarters. The trailer is registered as a horse trailer but it's also an RV. They obviously had no answer for that and she didn't even know it was a thing. Okay, bit of venting done. Here's the code they sent me: 13.24.040: RESIDENTIAL PARKING REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS: A. Vehicles, Recreational Vehicles, And Trailers Must Be Parked Upon A Hard Surface: All areas utilized for the parking of vehicles, recreational vehicles, and trailers shall be paved with a hard surface, e.g., concrete, asphalt, brick, or other hard surface approved by the director. This includes the front yard, side yard, and rear yard of the home. It is prohibited to park upon areas that have been landscaped or are reserved for future landscaping. 1. Exceptions: Single-family residential properties with animal rights will be allowed to store animal transport trailers. These trailers are not required to be parked on a gravel or hard surface but must be parked within the rear setback of the home. B. Maximum Area: The maximum area of hard surface for the purpose of parking vehicles on a residential lot shall be restricted to not more than twenty percent (20%) of the front yard excluding the driveway providing access to the primary attached or detached garage, thirty five percent (35%) of the rear yard, and one of the two (2) side yards associated with the lot. Exception: The maximum area of hard surface allowed for residential lots with circular driveways shall be determined on a case by case basis. C. Carports, Vehicle Covers: All structures attached to the dwelling for the purpose of protecting or otherwise covering vehicles shall comply with applicable building codes for the structure and with existing zoning regulations for minimum distance between main dwelling structures and side property lines. Detached carports are required to meet the minimum standards for an accessory structure and adopted applicable building codes. Where vehicle covers are used, covers shall be approved manufactured covers. D. Parking Of Recreational Vehicles: 1. Parking Location Restrictions: Recreational vehicles parked or stored at a residence must be located within the rear or side yard of the home. Such vehicles may only be parked or stored within the front yard of a home if it is physically impossible due to natural topography or property boundaries to locate a recreational vehicle within the rear or side yard of a home. 2. Restricted Parking Area: No recreational vehicle shall park or extend within a restricted parking area. The restricted parking area is defined as follows: a. Interior lots (noncorner lots): The street right of way, which includes the back edge of sidewalk (edge closest to the home, a minimum of 5 feet), or any area in which parking or storing of a recreational vehicle would create a traffic visibility hazard. b. Corner lots: Both frontages shall comply with those standards outlined for interior lots, and nothing shall be parked that intrudes into the corner "sight visibility triangle" as defined by this code. 3. Prohibited Parking Locations: Recreational vehicles shall not be parked or stored within the street right of way. 4. Number Of Recreational Vehicles Permitted: One recreational vehicle per dwelling. The vehicle may be parked within the front yard and then only when a side or rear yard location is not available. E. Parking Of Commercial Vehicles: 1. Parking Location Restrictions: Commercial vehicles parked or stored at a residence must be located within the rear or side yard of the home. Such vehicles may only park within the front yard of a home if it is physically impossible due to natural topography or property boundaries to locate a commercial vehicle within the rear or side yard of the home. 2. Restricted Parking Area: No commercial vehicle shall park or extend within the restricted parking area. The "restricted parking area" is defined as follows: a. Interior Lots (Noncorner Lots): (1) Any area in which parking or storing of the commercial vehicle would create a traffic visibility hazard. (2) Commercial vehicles less than twenty four feet (24') in length and less than eight feet (8') in height may not be closer than ten feet (10') from the back edge of the sidewalk (edge closest to the home) or the public right of way. (3) Commercial vehicles between eight feet (8') and ten feet (10') in height and less than thirty feet (30') in length shall be parked in the side yard or rear yard. (4) Commercial vehicles over ten feet (10') in height or more than thirty feet (30') in length shall not be parked on a residential lot. (5) Semi-tractors, trailers, or trucks shall not be parked on a residential lot. b. Corner Lots: Both frontages shall comply with those standards outlined for parking or storage of commercial vehicles on interior lots, and nothing shall intrude into the corner "sight visibility triangle" as defined by this code. c. Prohibited Parking Locations: Commercial vehicles shall not be parked or stored within the street right of way. d. Number Of Commercial Vehicles Permitted: Only one such vehicle may be parked on a residential lot. A commercial vehicle parked or stored on a residential lot must be owned or apportioned by an occupant who resides at the residence. e. Storage Of Commercial Vehicles: The storage of any commercial vehicles for a period exceeding seventy two (72) hours is prohibited except for a bona fide temporary absence of the owner. F. Enforcement: The authority to enforce the provisions of this section shall be vested in the police department and with the community development department. (Ord. 12-15, 7-11-2012)

Hopefully they don't try that angle. We have the same weight restrictions here. I'd then press code to have all motorhomes to be cited. That would be hundreds of vehicles.

So the city code folks have put my warning on hold for now until they figure it out. The head of the code dept is off on medical leave, hence the delay. Ball is in their court for now.

Bit of an update: With delays in shipping of drawer guides, door hardware... the fabricator is behind on my job. But all is good. Ramp boxes should be done this week. Doors might be a few days out getting power coated. 12' ramps from Discount Ramps are on backorder until July, maybe. That's not a good timeframe. If anyone knows another source for 12' ramps that will carry 1000lbs each, it would be appreciated. Stuff I have done in the 'between' time: - run airline from trailer brake line to the back of the bed. - Finished the wheel chocks - Winch came in so I finished that build. - built the #4 wire run from the batteries to the winch and tested. Works fine, just need the ramps so I can test under real load.

Nothing I got from them indicated these were prototypes. "No warranty " yes. Would I get a commission if they were sold referencing me...yes. That led me to believe that they were actively selling them. Once I started sending them the list of problems and suggested fixes, they stopped responding. Guess they weren't as interested in this product as they would have you believe. I guess I'm one if two.

So, I did a follow-up review on this hitch. Ya, Propride stopped responding to my emails after the first video. This should irritate them more.

Yup. But the invoice says "no warranty, no guarantee ".

It does. It is rated at 17k. My trailer loaded is 13.8k typically. But that hitch rating is bogus. The damage shown was when the trailer was empty (approx 11.8k). Incredibly, I have sent documentation of all the problems with this hitch to PropPride. Crickets. The still have them for sale, albeit hard to find on their site. You have to use the search function to find them. Their published facts on the site are misleading. Their not interested in fixing that either. When they sell them the invoice says "...sold without warranty or guarantee...". ProPrides tongue-pull hitches are really good...and spendy.

Big thanks for this. Not sure the process here. Need to research more.