When I first fire up the Barth there is a loud squeal coming from the back. Until recently, it would stop after 20 or 30 seconds but now it continues for several minutes.

I am guessing that it is a bearing of some sort. Is there a troubleshooting sequence that I can follow to isolate the problem? ... and are there any special tools that I need?

The other thing I noticed is that the oil pressure stays up around 55 - 58 PSI until the engine warms up and then it S-L-O-W-L-Y drops to normal around 45 PSI but it takes about 6 miles for the oil pressure to drop. All other gauges are right wehre they should be.

The engine is a Cummins 5.9, with a Banks Power Pack.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Carl Feren

Carl,

Have you checked for a squealing belt? A can of belt dressing could help decide. Also, invest in a mechanic's stethoscope to pinpoint where the noise is coming from if internal.

My guesses:
Belt
Water pump
Turbo
Alternator
PS pump
AC compressor

Hey Carl

Sounds like your belt needs attention OR belt tensioner OR alternator/batteries. I had similar problems after I changed alternators and the charge rate was higher. The squeal would go away after the batteries came up a bit. I changed tensioners and the squeal stopped

Oil pressure drop during warm up is normal, your numbers are in line withwhat I see on mine. I now use Kendell semi synthetic diesel oil which carries about 5 psi higher accross the range.

quote:

Originally posted by Moonbeam-Express:
Carl,

Have you checked for a squealing belt? A can of belt dressing could help decide. Also, invest in a mechanic's stethoscope to pinpoint where the noise is coming from if internal.

I did not check for a squealing belt but will. I almost forgot the first rule of trouble-shooting ...start with the easiest & cheapest thing FIRST! My wife has always wanted a mechaincs stetha scope so I may get one anyway ... now that I have an excuse , er reason to get one.

Carl Feren

quote:

Originally posted by MWrench:
Hey Carl

Sounds like your belt needs attention OR belt tensioner OR alternator/batteries. I had similar problems after I changed alternators and the charge rate was higher. The squeal would go away after the batteries came up a bit. I changed tensioners and the squeal stopped

Oil pressure drop during warm up is normal, your numbers are in line withwhat I see on mine. I now use Kendell semi synthetic diesel oil which carries about 5 psi higher accross the range.

As always GREAT ADVICE MWrench! I have not changed alternators but I will tackle the tensioner next.

The alternator was rebuilt in 2009 and the batteries are fairly new as well so I think that I can eliminate them. I keep the battery contacts clean & sealed but not the connections on the other end so that might help if they were cleaned.

Thanks again for the advice. Hope all is well.

Carl

Carl, the stethescope idea is good but may be unnesscary.... I have had good luck using any long steel bar (1/2" drive extensions, long screwdriver etc.)... If you listen to the other end of that steel bar (while it is touching the accessory) you will hear it loud and clear if the bearing in an accessory is failing, even if it is the tensioner.... Good Luck and I hope its just a belt....

Also, are there any cats missing in the neighborhood...................?

Missing cat????? Look under tires.....

Does it do this no matter what the engine temps are? Does your fan clutch work off of air psi or is it a viscous style?

quote:

Originally posted by Moonbeam-Express:
Also, are there any cats missing in the neighborhood...................?

Wow, that brings back some memories.

I came back from a road call on a very cold winter night - several hours later I left again. After starting up my service truck I heard this awful screech - it was nothing like I had ever heard before - so I revved it up a little to see if it was in cadence with the engine RPMs. I figured the alternator was slipping and the belts would grab when I throttled it back.

It wasn't belts - it just didn't sound right, so I shut the truck off. Then I heard a bunch of thuds - It sounded like someone had just hit the perfect rack on a pool table and all were now sinking into pockets. I had no idea what was making that type of noise with the engine off.

After I opened the hood - All that was left was part of a tail and chunks of fur. It was stuck between my Flex-Fan and the radiator. That poor animal must have crawled up there for heat on that frigid night.

If you don't know what a Flex-Fan is - imagine that the cutting blades from your sink's garbage disposal is now mounted to your engine where the fan used to be. Yep, they're that sharp - ask anyone who was put one in.

I never found out what happened to that animal - was it a cat - fox - squirrel? I have no way of knowing. Since then I've found out that this is actually a normal occurrence.

5.9 Cummins pushers don't have any type of fan disengagement system, full on always.