Detroit Diesel DD15

[THE ROOKIE]

I have been driving a 2009 Columbia with the new DD15 engine in it for the past 3 months and I have to say that this engine is very impressive.For starters this motor is so quiet going down the road or sitting at a stop light that sometimes I think it is not even running.The engine brake is very strong and also amazingly quiet.I run from south Ga to Ca 2 times a month and the torque this engine has while going up the mtns is very good and I also average about 6.8 mpg.The only downside is that this truck will not idle longer than 5 minutes.I have been to 3 Freightliner dealerships and 1 DD dealership and they cannot override the idle shutdown.According to the execs at DD the mainframe computer has to be removed and re-programed to meet CA emissions standards and a sticker with a special identification number has to be issued and placed on the engine in order to idle.Thankfully I have an Alliance apu so idling is no big deal,but if all these engines are like this one then I see a potential problem on the horizon for those who buy this engine and have no plans to purchase an apu.

[Jumbo]

I like turtles.

[PhuzzyGnu]

Can you not bump up the idle with the cruise?

-p.

[THE ROOKIE]

yes you can bump the idle rpms up but it still shuts off after 5 minutes

[Double L]

yes you can bump the idle rpms up but it still shuts off after 5 minutes

Thats odd, normally when you bump the idle up it should override the 5 minute shut down. :?

[PhuzzyGnu]

My guess is since it has an Alliance (Freightliner) APU it is hard-programmed against idling.

I would bet that you can idle non-APU DD15 engines all you want.

-p.

[Double L]

Yeah if your a tanker company you don't need that APU cause you may need the engine to help unload the product from your truck and with it shutting down every 5 minutes regardless if you have it at high idle or not is not a good idea. Plus there are times where you need the engine to run for longer than 5 minutes such as a pm or something like that. I'd hate to sit in the truck having the RPM's up when I could be doing a walk around while it's building air pressure on high idle.

[CanadianFTE]

I have been driving a 2009 Columbia with the new DD15 engine in it for the past 3 months and I have to say that this engine is very impressive.For starters this motor is so quiet going down the road or sitting at a stop light that sometimes I think it is not even running.The engine brake is very strong and also amazingly quiet.I run from south Ga to Ca 2 times a month and the torque this engine has while going up the mtns is very good and I also average about 6.8 mpg.The only downside is that this truck will not idle longer than 5 minutes.I have been to 3 Freightliner dealerships and 1 DD dealership and they cannot override the idle shutdown.According to the execs at DD the mainframe computer has to be removed and re-programed to meet CA emissions standards and a sticker with a special identification number has to be issued and placed on the engine in order to idle.Thankfully I have an Alliance apu so idling is no big deal,but if all these engines are like this one then I see a potential problem on the horizon for those who buy this engine and have no plans to purchase an apu.

I am thinking about getting a Cascadia with a DD15 anybody else have any comments on this engine? Good or bad I would like to here. Thanks!

[catalinaflyer]

I'm running a 2008 Columbia with that engine. When it gets ready to shut down the check engine (orange) light will begin to flash before it shuts down. All I haveto do is step on the clutch and that will override it. Not sure about the programing, my guess would be that the '09 may have more strick emisions regulations on it.

[INKTOXICATED]

Thats annoying that it wont idle for longer then 5 minutes. We have a truck that wont idle either, he has to keep reving the engine to keep it going. They wont fix it either. Either way rollin in a smooth 09 must be the life

[THE ROOKIE]

Well finally after submitting the paperwork to the govt we finally got the idle set. We recieved a waiver that we took to Detroit Diesel and they reprogrammed the computer and now the engine will idle. They placed a shiny sticker on the side of the hood that says certified clean idle and has a picture of California on it.

[THE ROOKIE]

My guess is since it has an Alliance (Freightliner) APU it is hard-programmed against idling.

I would bet that you can idle non-APU DD15 engines all you want.

-p.

The engine would not idle the day we bought the truck and before we had plans to install the apu.

[chris1]

New trucks have to meet California specs(5 minute idle) If it's sold /delivered to another state it can be re-programed. If the truck was ordered for CA you need a "waiver" to have it re-set.