How many miles on your Promaster

Charity's Van · Mar 5, 2017

UPDATE, this week the dealer called me. FCA told them to replace my transmission. I got the van back on Thursday. It seems to run fine. Items i know have been changed in the 10 months it spent in the shop: TCM, Auctuator, Shifter, & the transmission itself. I have not been out on a run with it yet. I have driven about 350 miles so far. As soon as I can get work/a run I will know if it is solved for the moment. And yes you read that right 10 months in a row at the dealers, 3 different ones.

brokcanadian · Mar 6, 2017

I'm wondering if we need some sort of business continuity insurance to buy a new van. That's a scary thought in itself. How would you protect yourself against a lemon? We don't have such a thing as "lemon laws" in Canada, it's province by province, and basically comes down to "buyer beware" even on a new vehicle...

roadeyes · Apr 14, 2017

I can't speak to specific transmission problems, but outside of some DEF line corrosion on some of the 2010 model year diesels, most of the emissions related problems are still related to excessive idle. Excessive number of DPF regens and plugged DPF's, bad injectors, plugged EGR's are all related to excessive idle at low rpm's.

Emission problems began with the first year (2001 I think it was) that had EGR. These engines are not meant to be idled for extended periods of time and if they must be idled they should be bumped to 11-1200 rpm.

It amazes me to this day how many modern diesels of all sizes I see still idling at low rpm in truck stops all night long in the not even so cold weather. Pre 2007 you would watch them pull away in a cloud of grey and black soot. Post 2007 that crap is going into the DPF and causing excessive regens. I don't know if it's a case of the driver not caring (they will when they break down and aren't earning any money), or whether the information is just not being properly transmitted on how to care for these modern emissions systems.

brokcanadian · Apr 16, 2017

Sadly I've decided this is the last diesel I'm going to own. Everything I love about them is based on pre-emissions. Propane near me at 1.31 a gallon helps...my next van will be a dual fuel

schwanman · Apr 16, 2017

The

brokcanadian said:
Sadly I've decided this is the last diesel I'm going to own. Everything I love about them is based on pre-emissions. Propane near me at 1.31 a gallon helps...my next van will be a dual fuel

The Schwans company has used propane for many, many years. Back in the day the trucks would have both intakes when delivered to depots. So when you sold chassis's they came with a gas and a propane intake.