RV Chev 454 P30 Chassis Engine surging - Audio clip linked!
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RV Chev 454 P30 Chassis Engine surging - Audio clip linked!
https://youtu.be/ondixOwvVgg
Short Version: Our RV was having engine issues, I recorded the noise to help with diagnosis. You'll hear the surging, and then it seems to "catch" and run nicely for a few seconds, and then begins to surge again. Please see the bottom for questions.
Long Version: Our '93 Winnebago Itasca Sunrise C-Class Motorhome (Chevy 454 engine with P30 chassis) is experiencing intermittent issues. After a few hours of highway driving it would have issues idling and would die (sometimes we could turn the engine over again, but as soon as we touched the gas it would die again), the engine was also overheating. We had the radiator replaced in December, and at the time the tech said that our transmission looked to be newer and in good condition. The new radiator helped the engine overheating but did not fix the stalling issue, as it has reared its head twice since, both times after having driven for 3 hours on the highway. If we let the engine cool down for a few hours, we are able to continue on - which means that by the time we've gotten it to a tech they can't recreate the problem (and thus have big issues diagnosing).
A few weeks back we had another issue (unsure if related) where, while driving on the highway the engine seemed to start revving really high, as if trapped in a lower gear, and almost intermittently surge. As we tried to accelerate through to about 40-45 mph we'd experience the surging. If we kept the foot on the accelerator, it sounded like the rv would eventually shift, the revs would wind down, the engine would sound normal. The engine would run normally for about 10-15 seconds, and then the surging would start again. We have not experienced this surging issue at lower speeds, it seems fine until about 40 mph. We checked the transmission fluid and the level and colour appeared fine, and after having spoken to a few techs who said, maybe you were just going up a hill or it was really windy, we thought that perhaps the issue was not an issue. We haven't really driven it since then until yesterday.
Yesterday, we stalled on the highway... again. The tech couldn't recreate the issue, and said that it was likely the fuel pump or the ignition (I had told him that we'd had the radiator replaced in December and that we had been told that the transmission looked good). He couldn't diagnose for certain so we had to make a choice and had him replace the fuel pump. He said that if we encountered the issue again then we would know that it was an issue with the ignition. When we drove it away this afternoon the engine sounded so much better and it was idling normally. We got an hour and a half away from the repair shop, stopped to get gas, and when we went to get back on the highway the revving issue that we had encountered once a few weeks ago, happened again.
THE VIDEO: I pulled out the ipad and recorded this short video before we pulled over in case a tech tried to tell us that it was in our heads again. You'll hear the surging, and then it seems to "catch" and run nicely for a few seconds, and then begins to surge again.
SO TECHNICIAN FRIENDS AND STRANGERS: We are currently pulled over on the side of the road. Here are my questions for you:
1. What does the engine issue heard in the vehicle sound like to you?
2. Do you think the stalling issue and this issue are separate issues or related?
3. If we let the engine cool off for a few hours we can likely drive for a few more without the issue showing up again, should we try to make our destination? We are currently 3 1/2 hours away. Or would that risk further damage to our RV? It is two hours back to the repair shop that we just left, I'm not sure if there is a closer place...
We've had this thing looked at 5 times since we purchased it in July of last year, and our issues still haven't been fixed. We are currently 2,800 km away from home so jumping ship isn't really an option unfortunately, but we can't invest a chunk more money into it either. We need to get it home (or at least back to Canada) before we can part ways with it. Any advice or suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated!!
Yours most gratefully,
Tim and Kaitlyn
Short Version: Our RV was having engine issues, I recorded the noise to help with diagnosis. You'll hear the surging, and then it seems to "catch" and run nicely for a few seconds, and then begins to surge again. Please see the bottom for questions.
Long Version: Our '93 Winnebago Itasca Sunrise C-Class Motorhome (Chevy 454 engine with P30 chassis) is experiencing intermittent issues. After a few hours of highway driving it would have issues idling and would die (sometimes we could turn the engine over again, but as soon as we touched the gas it would die again), the engine was also overheating. We had the radiator replaced in December, and at the time the tech said that our transmission looked to be newer and in good condition. The new radiator helped the engine overheating but did not fix the stalling issue, as it has reared its head twice since, both times after having driven for 3 hours on the highway. If we let the engine cool down for a few hours, we are able to continue on - which means that by the time we've gotten it to a tech they can't recreate the problem (and thus have big issues diagnosing).
A few weeks back we had another issue (unsure if related) where, while driving on the highway the engine seemed to start revving really high, as if trapped in a lower gear, and almost intermittently surge. As we tried to accelerate through to about 40-45 mph we'd experience the surging. If we kept the foot on the accelerator, it sounded like the rv would eventually shift, the revs would wind down, the engine would sound normal. The engine would run normally for about 10-15 seconds, and then the surging would start again. We have not experienced this surging issue at lower speeds, it seems fine until about 40 mph. We checked the transmission fluid and the level and colour appeared fine, and after having spoken to a few techs who said, maybe you were just going up a hill or it was really windy, we thought that perhaps the issue was not an issue. We haven't really driven it since then until yesterday.
Yesterday, we stalled on the highway... again. The tech couldn't recreate the issue, and said that it was likely the fuel pump or the ignition (I had told him that we'd had the radiator replaced in December and that we had been told that the transmission looked good). He couldn't diagnose for certain so we had to make a choice and had him replace the fuel pump. He said that if we encountered the issue again then we would know that it was an issue with the ignition. When we drove it away this afternoon the engine sounded so much better and it was idling normally. We got an hour and a half away from the repair shop, stopped to get gas, and when we went to get back on the highway the revving issue that we had encountered once a few weeks ago, happened again.
THE VIDEO: I pulled out the ipad and recorded this short video before we pulled over in case a tech tried to tell us that it was in our heads again. You'll hear the surging, and then it seems to "catch" and run nicely for a few seconds, and then begins to surge again.
SO TECHNICIAN FRIENDS AND STRANGERS: We are currently pulled over on the side of the road. Here are my questions for you:
1. What does the engine issue heard in the vehicle sound like to you?
2. Do you think the stalling issue and this issue are separate issues or related?
3. If we let the engine cool off for a few hours we can likely drive for a few more without the issue showing up again, should we try to make our destination? We are currently 3 1/2 hours away. Or would that risk further damage to our RV? It is two hours back to the repair shop that we just left, I'm not sure if there is a closer place...
We've had this thing looked at 5 times since we purchased it in July of last year, and our issues still haven't been fixed. We are currently 2,800 km away from home so jumping ship isn't really an option unfortunately, but we can't invest a chunk more money into it either. We need to get it home (or at least back to Canada) before we can part ways with it. Any advice or suggestions you have would be greatly appreciated!!
Yours most gratefully,
Tim and Kaitlyn
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Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 78
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From: SF Bay Area
Working link to video because OP's link is messed up.
Warning: I'm not a certified mechanic...
The fact that it drives for a while after being cold again and dying after long periods of driving during which it ran okay sounds like the exact symptoms I had with my old 89 Ford van when the TFI module (ignition module) was failing. Not sure how the ignition systems work on a 1993 454 engine but if it has an ignition coil, try replacing that?
When you are broken down at the side of the road, do you get spark?
Here is a fairly vague article but the first portion gets the general idea across. No need to do the second portion:
How to Test an Ignition Coil: 13 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow
Take out a spark plug, reconnect the plug wire that you had to disconnect to get it out, ground the threaded part of the plug to something metal like the engine block (be sure you are away from other electrical components and free of anything that moves when the engine is running/turning like the cooling fan), and try to crank the engine. Make sure you are using an insulated set of pliers to hold the plug in addition to gloves. Otherwise it might hurt a bit...
See if you get spark from the plug. If not, then you have a problem with the ignition system. If you do get good spark, then the problem is likely not the ignition system, and could be something else. Just remember - in order to run a gasoline engine needs air, fuel, spark, and compression.
Warning: I'm not a certified mechanic...
The fact that it drives for a while after being cold again and dying after long periods of driving during which it ran okay sounds like the exact symptoms I had with my old 89 Ford van when the TFI module (ignition module) was failing. Not sure how the ignition systems work on a 1993 454 engine but if it has an ignition coil, try replacing that?
When you are broken down at the side of the road, do you get spark?
Here is a fairly vague article but the first portion gets the general idea across. No need to do the second portion:
How to Test an Ignition Coil: 13 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow
Take out a spark plug, reconnect the plug wire that you had to disconnect to get it out, ground the threaded part of the plug to something metal like the engine block (be sure you are away from other electrical components and free of anything that moves when the engine is running/turning like the cooling fan), and try to crank the engine. Make sure you are using an insulated set of pliers to hold the plug in addition to gloves. Otherwise it might hurt a bit...
See if you get spark from the plug. If not, then you have a problem with the ignition system. If you do get good spark, then the problem is likely not the ignition system, and could be something else. Just remember - in order to run a gasoline engine needs air, fuel, spark, and compression.
Last edited by mistaake; Mar 28, 2015 at 9:50 PM.
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