Triple epiphany
Sounds impressive but to me I was able to solve over the last two days an 8 1/2 year mystery, incorporate and understand a 27 year old customers comment and remember and use mr Fores comment to me from oct. 1987.
I assume you all keep things in the back of your mind that someday might come to the front and be solved.
To explain and hopefully help some here as an aside please put up with my explanation.
When we got our coach I had the engine computer read out. 102k miles and 7.7 mpg.
Ok went to work. VPMS showed a over driven engine fan. -50+ hp. Old tires. Minus ? Restrictive muffler minus ? Valve adjustment? Cam sensor? Altitude sensor old model. Restrictive air filter.
Fixed all that 8.2 mpg for 30k miles. 70 mph tow. Downshift up hills manually with mode off.
Seems as good as its going to be.
Yesterday I thought as I had the time in this trip going from big bend national park(Terlingua, tx) to San Juan Capistrano, to try something different,
Started in Las Cruses, New Mexico yesterday morning. Went on I10 westwards and set the cruise at 65 versus my normal 70. No hurry. 729 miles to go and 3 or more days available.
Also the coach records showed the original owner had a different ECU program installed 2 years after he took delivery.
When leaving a light , dark diesel smoke showed in my drivers mirror for a few seconds. Hmmm.
Two months ago the ECU failed in southern Utah.
Flat bedded in to Vegas and the Cummins dealer.
Replaced the ECU with the correct one for the serial number. Driving the coach it seems a tiny bit slower. Hard to notice but a bit.
No smoke from a light anymore. Hmmm
Very close performance. Not enough to worry about an I am anal.
Wow 9.5 mpg VPMS some front corner winds for a 100 miles. Passed ocotillo on I8 then up the grade west. RMPG down to the 4's on the hill. By the time we flattened out near San Diego on I8 the MPG for the last 650 miles was 8.8.
By the time we got home it was 9.0 for the last 729 miles.
Then I remembered cm fore telling me at the unihome introduction on oct 87 " bob I set the coaches up for the best mpg at 65mph"Duh.
65 turns out to match the gps limited truckers so I went to 66.
Computer program and 4 mph. 10% better mpg it seems. So far.
An old customer/ buddy who had a U240 mentioned in 93 that he drove from the bottom of the steering wheel. Whatever that meant. But it always stuck in my mind.
Plus I noticed the coaches driver seats front right edge foam was squashed. Hmm
No way to grab the bottom of the wheel. Too much steering input needed, two hands on the wheel mostly.
Hmm rebuilt the steering box. Coach goes straight.
So today I moved the seat way back and tilted it way back. As far as it would go.
Bingo. Crushed foam supports my right leg perfectly. So the first three owners drove this same way.
And now that the coach goes straight I can drive it from the bottom of the steering wheel with my right hand on the bottom and my left on the left spoke of the steering wheel.
Ah at 23 years and 3,000 hours and 140k miles I now have the driving position and steering that the previous owners enjoyed.
I had to fix the running gear and tires to be able to drive the coach safely semi reclined an with more legroom.
No wonder the foam was squashed. Way more comfy.
Everything related to everything else.
The 7.7 mpg was some of the previous owners towing at 70 just like I did.
Plus maybe a hotted up ECU? Plus the mechanical differences.
Engine on cruise and mode on hit 208 on the grade up from Ocotillo and trans at 218.
Got down to low 40's mph on the hill letting the trans and motor do their own thing.
Sorry for the long post but maybe some info is of help
Topic: Triple epiphany