Tiffin Engine Maintenance - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Tiffin Engine Maintenance

travelinbob · RV-Dreams Family Member

When we bought our 5'er we considered a MH instead but the issue came up about the maintenance and we decided to go with the 5'er.
Besides the TV and fridge I can fix 'almost' everything else. With a DP I would think it would be best to leave the fixing to the experts or it may cost you more in the long run. I'm sure the upkeep on a 5'er and truck is much less than a DP.
What I am refering to is after your warranty is expired.
Bob

ahoweth · RV-Dreams Family Member

Hi Terry and JO:

Having been the proud owner of several coaches, both gas and diesel, I can honestly say that maintenance of a DP didn't cost me any more with the DP than with the gas unit. Oh, yeah, the individual times that I sought maintenance might have had a higher price tag than with the gas unit but, the hourly labor rate is the same and the DP required less maintenance than the gas unit. One of the reasons is that the DP is essentially built on a heavy truck chassis while the gasoline unit was built on a light duty truck chassis. Huge difference.

Our first DP had a rear radiator, Freightliner chassis, while our second and third DP's were built on Spartan chassis. The Freightliner with the rear radiator had absolutely no access to the engine from the rear. Not good! Even changing a fan belt required crawling up under the coach or crawling over the top of it when you lifted up the floor of the bedroom. Mechanics don't typically enjoy either of these. The Spartan chassis both had a side radiator which allowed access to the engine from the rear and you can work on it standing flat footed on the ground. Mechanics like that much better!

As far as oil changes and filter changes, I can do that myself with not much more difficulty than the gasoline coach. There is just more oil and a larger filter to deal with. Changing the fuel filters in the diesel is different from the gas unit. Diesel is a little messier to deal with but diesel is safer because diesel will not flash into flame like gasoline will. The filters are a bit more expensive but the convenience of having the engine in the rear and the additional torque that the diesel provides is well worth the difference in price.

JMO

jrp · RV-Dreams Family Member

Terry, I don't think there is anything different or special about the Tiffin engine configuration, theirs is just like most other diesel pusher mfgs. Whats more relevant is whether this Tiffin comes with a Cat or a Cummins engine, and which chassis model. I'm familiar with the rear rad Cat C7 engine on a Freightliner XC chassis, thats a popular combination used by many different coach mfgs.
For day to day routine maint, the only inconvenient item is the Cat secondary fuel filter which is mouted toward the top of the Cat engine. There is a removable floor panel in the rear bed area that provides access to this filter and the top of the engine. Some experienced diesel mechanics can actually change that filter from underneath. I've had 2 that told me they didn't need to go inside and replaced it with no problem from their oil change pit under the engine. When I do it myself, I use the removable floor access. The other common issue with rear rad Cat is the possibility of the engine "slobber tube" releasing an oily mist that gets sucked up onto the front surface of the radiator and can cause overheating if not cleaned. Most folks who have serious oil blowby condition, usually find out they or their mech were over filling the oil reservoir and the excess gets blown out the slobber tube. Adding an extension to direct the slobber tube mist out to the side also helps avoid this issue. If your Tiffin comes with a Cummins engine, I have no experience with them yet.

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Cummins isn't bad either and since Cat has decided to not make "over the road engines" right now you won't find Cat engines in new trucks or motorhomes.