Calling all DDEC2 experts

JohnEd · March 30, 2009, 02:44:25 PM

Sean,

Your suggestion:
Sure. Here's how it happened:

is a real page turner. No wonder you are "jaded" or whatever. I would probably be in prison or in an institution for the "luck" challenged. Good for you that you came out of it in one piece, albeit, much lighter. Did the shop that did the damage remember that it was going to "pick up the cost of repair"?

What was the reason that the "A" frame was not re welded after cutting out the crushed part as a repair? Don't mean to be simplistic and I hope you won't prefix your answer "look stupid"

Didn't seem that they were equipped to effect repair at the shop that damaged it in the first place, as I understood it. Escondido is a nice place in the winter. I know cause I lived in Poway, just south, for many years. God's gift if it weren't for the incredible growth and traffic that it sees today.

Your last generous post concerned camping sites and charges. I have never seen a compiled list off pubs on that subject and yours is now downloaded AND marked. Thank you for taking the time and spending the energy.

John

Sean · March 30, 2009, 04:09:23 PM

OK, before I answer John, which is something of a thread hijack, I will say here that I heard from Jack off-line, and I will be contacting his DDEC ECM guy just as soon as we are back in cell phone range (we're out in the desert now with 0 bars, and will be for a few more days, but, hey, I have Internet, so I'm set).

Quote from: JohnEd on March 30, 2009, 02:44:25 PM
... Did the shop that did the damage remember that it was going to "pick up the cost of repair"?

We have not contacted them yet. I needed the alignment bill from Freightliner as the final piece of the puzzle (along with the bill to replace the A-frame, and the bill for the used A-frame and bushings). Now that I have it all, I am putting it together with a letter and a copy of the letter from the tire shop saying they would reimburse us (we made them put it in writing), and I will mail it off to them on our way west from here.

Quote
What was the reason that the "A" frame was not re welded after cutting out the crushed part as a repair? Don't mean to be simplistic and I hope you won't prefix your answer "look stupid" ... Didn't seem that they were equipped to effect repair at the shop that damaged it in the first place, as I understood it.

They were neither willing nor able to fix it at the shop that did the damage. Cutting and welding has never been my first choice for the repair for several reasons, which you can read in the other thread. Once I had acquired the replacement part, it was a matter of finding a shop willing and able to do the work.

Quote
Your last generous post concerned camping sites and charges. I have never seen a compiled list off pubs on that subject and yours is now downloaded AND marked.

Thanks. If you are referring to the post about our printed camping guides the credit for that one goes to Louise. I did the extensive write-up on "dispersed camping" for free on public lands.

-Sean
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com

Don Fairchild · April 01, 2009, 10:45:34 AM

Sean;

Email timahlf@dnaparts.com I talked to him this morning and told him some of the problems you have had. I think he may be able to help you. He helps me with all my ecm issues

Hope this helps,

Don

Sean · April 01, 2009, 12:55:03 PM

Don,

Well, clearly he doesn't remember it, but I rolled in to D&A a couple years ago, and I talked to Tim about this exact problem directly and in person. He allowed that he could not understand why it would do that, but said he would look into it and perhaps talk to some folks at DD about it. I left him a card.

He has never since called, emailed, or written back. I wrote him off as the sort of person who can't be bothered with a bus nut with a weird Neoplan (many people have fallen into this category over the years). Perhaps now that he has heard from you about it, he'll be more inclined to help me, so I will drop him an email.

D&A was so busy then, they couldn't fit us into the shop schedule, either.

My write-up on that visit is here:
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com/2007/02/bleaky-day-in-king-city.html

Thanks very much for helping out, though, I appreciate it.

-Sean
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com

rgwilliams · April 08, 2009, 11:25:58 AM

Just finished visiting a keen DDEC tech. He doesn't do anything to DDEC2s as they are way before his time, but he remembered hearing about two things peculiar to them.
1- There is a battery that keeps the accumulator portion of the DDEC alive to remember total values as they run on. This is different from the portion that keeps the programming stored. (There is supposed to be a code to identify this low voltage but he said it doesn't always show-code #53). Trip fuel, PID 182, and trip distance, PID 244, are not showing any increase.
Actually, the last statement I've found out is not quite accurate. PID244 shows an increase only when there is zero fuel flow ie when coasting downhill for more than a tenth of a mile!
The battery was supposed to be non-replaceable. I know mine is 19 years old.
2- The PROM responsible for the accumulators inside DDEC2s was never "secured" in the early versions and had a habit of vibrating partially out of its' socket, causing strange readings that were not predictable. This was particularly applicable to engines that were canted with the DDEC mounted vertically, allowing the vibes to shake it out. Apparently DDEC 2 later version and newer are solidly attached. Mine is a "transit package" that is tipped 43 degrees, DDEC perpendicular to the ground.
I'm going to open the box sometime soon and see what I can find. I'll post results.

Rob

JohnEd · April 08, 2009, 12:45:37 PM

Sean,

Did you ever get in touch with Jack's ECM guy? Maybe the guy that Don referred you to just lost your contact info. Maybe???

Hey, I can do a segway into any subject. i think I am part crab in that regard. I hope you will update the original post so your last update to me will speak better to the board. My bad!

Did you ever get any response to your solicitation for a replacement ECM to "try". Easy to imagine that Knuts would be reluctant to part with theirs to be installed in an "unknown" system. EASY! Might have better luck sending yours to a bus with an operating system to have them "try" yours. Were it me I would happily do that as you can't blow out a sensor with an ECM.

That suggestion that you upgrade to a DDEC III with a kit from DD sounded like it had merit. Was the total price under the $2K that you mentioned?

Hope there is "joy in the cockpit".

John

Sean · April 08, 2009, 03:20:16 PM

Quote from: JohnEd on April 08, 2009, 12:45:37 PM
Did you ever get in touch with Jack's ECM guy?

We've just been back in cell phone coverage for a day. It's on my list, but not high priority (I've lived with this issue for years; another few days isn't going to make a difference).

Quote
Maybe the guy that Don referred you to just lost your contact info. Maybe???

Maybe he did, but no excuse now: I emailed him after Don posted that. So far, have not even received an acknowledgment of my message.

Quote
Did you ever get any response to your solicitation for a replacement ECM to "try". ... Might have better luck sending yours to a bus with an operating system to have them "try" yours.

No I did not. "Sending" my ECM anywhere is out of the question -- we drive nearly every day, and we could be called to a disaster any time. We can't have the bus "down" for an indeterminate period with its ECM out. This has to be a drive in, try it, drive back out sort of exchange.

Quote
That suggestion that you upgrade to a DDEC III with a kit from DD sounded like it had merit. Was the total price under the $2K that you mentioned?

Upgrading to DDEC-III is upwards of $4,000, with virtually no benefit (other than maybe fixing this problem).

Quote from: rgwilliams on April 08, 2009, 11:25:58 AM
1- There is a battery that keeps the accumulator portion of the DDEC alive to remember total values as they run on. This is different from the portion that keeps the programming stored. (There is supposed to be a code to identify this low voltage but he said it doesn't always show-code #53). Trip fuel, PID 182, and trip distance, PID 244, are not showing any increase.
Actually, the last statement I've found out is not quite accurate. PID244 shows an increase only when there is zero fuel flow ie when coasting downhill for more than a tenth of a mile!
The battery was supposed to be non-replaceable. I know mine is 19 years old.

OK, now this explanation makes sense to me. However, when I have asked around about this, and researched it on-line, what I have been told is that the memory battery did not come along until DDEC-III, DDEC-II did not have one. That said, it's hard to know whom to believe in this regard. If you discover this to be true for sure, let me know. I am more than happy to take a soldering iron to the board and replace the battery.

Quote
2- The PROM responsible for the accumulators inside DDEC2s was never "secured" in the early versions and had a habit of vibrating partially out of its' socket, causing strange readings that were not predictable. This was particularly applicable to engines that were canted with the DDEC mounted vertically, allowing the vibes to shake it out. Apparently DDEC 2 later version and newer are solidly attached. Mine is a "transit package" that is tipped 43 degrees, DDEC perpendicular to the ground.

This one I knew about. There is actually a little clip for it that came out as a retrofit to fix this issue, and my ECM has been checked for this clip.

-Sean
http://ourodyssey.blogspot.com