Dodge 250 Diesel and soot inside the cabin

[vegangirl57]

Hi everyone,
I posted a this question on another thread, but thought it might be good to put it here also.

We bought a new 2011 25' FB flying cloud. We have a tremendous amount of diesel soot inside the entire cabin, from the floor to ceiling, inside cabinets and out.
It is so bad that it has permanently become impregnated into the white plastic of the fantastic fans, and the white covers of the white sterilite containers. the soot is inside the cabinets and on the walls.

When we travel we have only the fridge running, and everything is closed and shut down.

I have spent more hours scrubbing down the trailer than enjoying it. this is the first "toy" my husband and I have ever had and we now don't want to take it out. I have scrubbed everything down when we have parked somewhere only to have the soot all over again after towing .

We have taken the trailer out only once after purchasing it.
When we bought the trailer , we found that it was leaking carbon monoxide into the cabin. The hot water heater was the culprit. The AS techs could not find a "smoking gun", but put a lot of sealant around the heater.
A few months later was the first time we took the trailer out. We thought the soot problem would be solved when they sealed the Hot H2O heater because we figured the soot was using the same pathway as the monoxide. Wrong.

Any suggestion? Also, the Dodge gets 16.8 mpg and we have it maintained regularly. We don't have a lot of soot coming out during running of the engine and we don't stomp on the accelerator. there is soot near the tailpipe. But, isn't the trailer supposed to be sealed against this? After all, it is meant to be towed.

[tpi]

Out of curiosity is it very black and sooty in the water heater cabinet?

What I find so unusual about your problem I've towed and forgot to close vents etc. and have never seen soot like you describe. For it to permeate the cabinets etc you would have had visible smoke in the trailer. Or very long term exposure to another problem like a rich water heater venting to the inside (etc).

[lazer]

Perhaps there are areas of weatherstripping leaking. Try closing all windows and spray the gasketed areas with a water hose, varying the spray pressure and angle. It could be you have several points of leakage. Also check the roof vents. Somewhere there is a leak.

[HowieE]

Your truck engine needs to be set up. It is over fueling. Unless someone has put a chip in the truck before you got it to increase the HP it is grossly out of adjustment.

Unless you can find a Dodge dealer that understands diesels, which is highly unlikely, I would look up a Cummings or Mercedes shop depending on your engine or a diesel performance shop for the work.

You should only see smoke from that engine under the steepest of hills with a 10,000 plus load behind it and even then only if you are in too high a gear.

If an automatic is the trans down shifting under load. to keep the rpms around 2,000 while pulling the load?

[vegangirl57]

No, it isn't very black and sooty in the H2O heater cabinet.
We will recheck all vents.
I am not a mechanic, so how do I know what to ask/explain so that I find someone who really knows diesels? It is a 2005, 2500.
Does anyone know of a reputable Cummins shop in the Albuquerque area?
Also, there are no mods (chips) on the truck. We bought it new.
Our one trip out with it was over 4000 miles.
Thank you all so much!

[Mike Leary]

The MODS might want to lump her double threads into one; it's confusing enough without the multiple.

[Gene]

Vegan,

It sounds like 2 problems: the truck is not burning (actually exploding) the fuel properly, thus soot, and secondly, the soot is being sucked into the trailer. You might find an addition to the tailpipe on the Dodge that directs exhaust more away from the trailer as an initial fix.

When you drive the truck, are there black clouds behind you? Accelerating or slowing or down shifting? When was the last time the truck was serviced? Are the filters clean, injectors good? I know you say it is maintained properly, but maybe it isn't and you need to take it to a different shop.

There are ways for outside air to get inside the trailer—for example, the soil stacks (the vents) for the black and grey water systems. If there is no water in the P traps below the drains, air (and soot) could be getting into the vents and then getting into the trailer. Does the utility door next to the water heater seal well? Is the furnace properly sealed? Do you have the bathroom and shower vents (the ones with the little fans in them) closed? The area around the refrigerator could be leaking air also. How about the stove vent—is it closed? Are the front windows properly closed?—you might not see it because of the rock guards outside.

Wherever the soot is getting in, there should be more at the place(s) where it gets in. I would think you could trace soot tracks back to a source, but maybe that would be too easy. You could bring the truck and trailer together, start up the truck and watch for soot and where it is getting in—let the truck idle, punch the pedal, let it slow down, anything to simulate actual conditions with one person watching the tail pipe and where soot is going and one inside looking for it coming in. Otherwise you have to ride in the truck bed and watch for something or go to a state where it's legal to ride in a trailer.

Gene

Gene

[SoCalStreamr]

Diesel Smoke Stack Kit. 'nuff said.
(Although it sounds like there is a major air-fuel-ratio issue in your truck that you should correct, it appears to be running RICH!)

[lazer]

Here's another possible way of tracking trailer leakage. Untill moving into Architecture/Design/CAD I have worked in the HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning) for 26 years as operator, owner & project management.
There is a simple proceedure for leak testing an air duct system that can be performed by an HVAC technician. It's a non-toxic smoke test. This test is also required for LEED points and Green construction. You can either pay extra for a service tech to come to the trailer or tow it to their shop. You'll then pay only for the test. Call around the area to find out who does this.
A firm I did project management in Durango, CO did these test all the time.

L.

[barts]

I'd be very surprised if the sootproblem is from the tow vehicle.... is there a chance the refrigerator is causing the soot?

Try towing the trailer w/ the propane OFF and see if it reoccurs.

- Bart

[Mike Leary]

This thread still exists without the op STILL not finding out the problem?

[lazer]

Did you locate the problem?

[JFScheck]

Originally Posted by vegangirl57

No, it isn't very black and sooty in the H2O heater cabinet.

My water heater cabinet is CLEAN as is my fridge access where the amonia is "cooked"... Could this be your perp?