Vent: Just had a fleet truck come in with oil pan full of coolant from a bad EGR cooler install

This 2015 Freightliner Cascadia came in last Wednesday with a milky oil sample from the last service. The shop before me put a cheap aftermarket EGR cooler in about 6 months ago and didn't torque the coolant line clamps down right. It leaked slowly for months until the cooler cracked from the stress. Now the whole oil system is contaminated and the guy is looking at a $4,000 rebuild. I keep seeing these trucks come in with the same problem from guys skipping the proper alignment steps on the EGR cooler bracket. Am I the only one who takes the extra 20 minutes to check the torque specs and bracket fitment on these trucks?

2 comments

2 Comments

rileynguyen2d ago

That EGR cooler bracket alignment is one of those things that looks like it doesn't matter until suddenly it really does. My buddy tried to save time on his personal pickup by just eyeballing the bracket and letting the hoses find their own spot. A few months later he had a puddle of something nasty under the truck every morning and the check engine light was a permanent fixture. Ended up costing him a Saturday and a case of beer to get it sorted out at my place, which is somehow worse than just paying a shop. People always think they can skip the boring steps until the truck decides otherwise.

hayden7202d ago

rileynguyen nailed it with "looks like it doesn't matter until suddenly it really does." I had a buddy who did the same thing on his old Chevy, figured the bracket was just a hunk of metal that could go wherever. Six months later he's on the side of the highway with coolant spraying everywhere and the truck running rough. He swore he'd never skip the boring steps again after that Saturday wrestling with it in my garage. It's one of those lessons you only learn the hard way I guess.