2005 Itasca Meridian 39K Struggles up Mountain passes

[TheArthurs]

Hi all! We need some help figuring out where to start looking for repair help. We have a 2005 Itasca Meridian 39K very well maintained. She runs on a 350 HP CAT (c7 i believe) engine. We use her for short trips here and there so she doesn't get a ton of mileage.

The past 2 years while going uphill in the mountains she starts struggling in an almost jumpy sort of way and the engine light comes on. Easing off on the pedal helps some, but there ultimately is no power. She will limp along at around 20-30mph. We end up pulling over to give her a rest and she does fine for a short time, then starts struggling again as stated before.

Of note, temp gauge is in the normal range, our fluids are all good and at good levels. No smoke from the tailpipe. Happens when towing and not towing.

Anyone have a suggestion where to begin? Is this something that we could DIY? Or take to Freightliner for diagnostics ($$$) and repair?

[Morich]

I'm not a diesel guy so just a general thought and I will let others throw in better experience.
One of the things I keep in mind is my tendancy to try too hard to save money on repairs! We have a good deal of money invested in the RV. More than most keep in the back pocket! So we feel tight when it needs repairs!

But then when it comes to engine work, many do not have what we need to go beyond basics, Maybe a fuel filter would help in your case?
But the other side of saving money is how much it can cost us!
Some thing that a good tuneup might cure or head off can cost us a lot of lost mileage and do it over and over many times before it gets so bad we have to have it fixed.
If we are losing five MPG on poor performance, it can cost us a lot more on fuel than if we bite the bullet and get that good fuel economy!
At five dollars a gallon, it doesn't take long to burn off a $100 bill! Even worse is if it is something semi-minor but doing progressive damage to the engine! OUCH!
Something like poor ignition carbons up the cylinders so they need repair?

[TheArthurs]

Originally Posted by Morich

I'm not a diesel guy so just a general thought and I will let others throw in better experience.
One of the things I keep in mind is my tendancy to try too hard to save money on repairs! We have a good deal of money invested in the RV. More than most keep in the back pocket! So we feel tight when it needs repairs!

But then when it comes to engine work, many do not have what we need to go beyond basics, Maybe a fuel filter would help in your case?
But the other side of saving money is how much it can cost us!
Some thing that a good tuneup might cure or head off can cost us a lot of lost mileage and do it over and over many times before it gets so bad we have to have it fixed.
If we are losing five MPG on poor performance, it can cost us a lot more on fuel than if we bite the bullet and get that good fuel economy!
At five dollars a gallon, it doesn't take long to burn off a $100 bill! Even worse is if it is something semi-minor but doing progressive damage to the engine! OUCH!
Something like poor ignition carbons up the cylinders so they need repair?

Wise advice Morich! I 100% agree, but I am posting this for my husband's sake as he is always leery of being over-charged by the repair guys. :( I do understand where he is coming from, because an auto dealership wanted to charge us $2000 when all we needed was an oil change!!

But in this case, it is a huge rig with a huge diesel engine that neither of us know a great deal about.
I tend to trust them until they prove me wrong, besides, the Freightliner shops are super professional and diagnostics and repair are what they do all day every day!

[Morich]

Definitely not meant to be critiacl of what he is saying! I am prone to being the same and note that I'm sometimes too critical of what we get charged!
I'm with him but not sure he nor I are right? Does that make any sense at all?
I've been dIY trained for so long that it is hard to break the mold---even when I know I'm wrong!
We owned rental property for too long to remember and it was always a question when we came around to hiring something done as we had such bad experience!

Sewer line that was crushed by a truck? First, why was the truck in the yard?
I could not get the guy we usually used to clear lines, so hired it out but went by to check on progress. Since it was less than 18 inches deep and we knew right where it was. In the tire tracks! Not a high tech question of where to dig!
But I got there and there were five guys with three not even having shovels! How many guys can work in a hole that size?
Hired a guy to reglaze windows to keep the glass from falling out and got there to find he was putting caulk on the seam between the metal storm window and the wooden trim! Found he did not know what you use to glaze windows!
Hint? It called glazing compound!

Yes, I'm fully against hiring anything done if I can avoid it!

[TheArthurs]

Oh boy! Honest work can be hard to come by!

[bigb]

Have the fuel filters been checked/changed? Especially if it sits a lot, diesel can pick up/grow microbes that clog filters, if not addressed they can get out of hand and cause real problems. Fuel starvation will show up first under heavy load.

[Our ride]

Change both fuel filters also put a good fuel additive that will take care of bacteria and algae. Fill with fresh fuel and run the hell out of it.Unfortunately if there is a lot of crap in the fuel/tank you may need to change the filters a couple of times.

[Ray,IN]

The Arthurs; you have chosen the most expensive way to travel and camp. If preventative maintenance is not kept-up, it gets even more expensive to repair problems later.
You must either learn how to DIY or pay others to perform the work. Every time you are about to begin something on the MH, run a search for the problem and how to do the repairs, but here is where you must read between the lines to determine if that is the correct answer to your question.
Didn't find the answer, then is the time to do as you have done, ask on the RVing website.

Originally Posted by bigb

Have the fuel filters been checked/changed? Especially if it sits a lot, diesel can pick up/grow microbes that clog filters, if not addressed they can get out of hand and cause real problems. Fuel starvation will show up first under heavy load.

You nailed it!

[TheArthurs]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

The Arthurs; you have chosen the most expensive way to travel and camp. If preventative maintenance is not kept-up, it gets even more expensive to repair problems later.
You must either learn how to DIY or pay others to perform the work. Every time you are about to begin something on the MH, run a search for the problem and how to do the repairs, but here is where you must read between the lines to determine if that is the correct answer to your question.
Didn't find the answer, then is the time to do as you have done, ask on the RVing website.




You nailed it!

Yep, that's precisely what we do and have done all along.
We've had our girl for a time and have no problem with being able to afford what we need to in order to maintain.

[be happy]

My 07 Meridian 36' has the cummins engine. We both have heavy coaches as the Meridian is a well built unit.

Yes filters are a must to change, I average about 4,000 miles per year, have the oil changed every year and the fuel filters change every year. As I am not a mechanic I do have to have folks do it for me. It seems they always find something wrong on the underside of the unit. For me that good as it keeps the old girl running safe.

Your air filter may need to be changed, as these diesels like lots of air.

Going up the mountain you want to try and keep the rpms up somewhere around 2000. This will mean doing a manual down shift, if you slow down it will mean a slow crawl up the mountain.

Hopefully a fourm member with great diesel mechanical knowledge will come on the help.