cooling with cab A/C

[markandrhonda]

I have a class c with diesel sprinter chassis. It seems easy and efficient to just leave engine running and cool with cab A/C instead of firing up generator when stopping on the road for a short nap. Does anyone have an opinion on this?

[kblast523]

I have a friend with a Sprinter chassis class C and he does the same thing you suggest because the living space AC is insufficient to cool the unit in South Texas humidity. The Coleman roof unit has been checked multiple times by several dealers and they all report "it's fine".

[Grumpy]

I personally would use the geny, if nothing else to exercise it.

[Pfflyer]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

I personally would use the geny, if nothing else to exercise it.

X2 plus it is not good to idle modern diesels with DEF systems. It could lead to costly repairs. I find the coach ac cools the whole coach pretty good in the humid Ga heat. I think I get a little better mileage running my diesel generator and the coach ac and turning off the dash ac. As Gumpy said it is good to exercise the generator.

[che57vy]

Is it not running generator about 8/10 gallon hr compared to losing a mile to gallon with dash air?

[Jagiven]

I'm no diesel expert, but around here people start their diesels and let them run all day and sometimes all night too. Mostly contractors, sometimes in the cold winter months when you run them off, you may not get them restarted. Everything I know about them, they are sedigned to turn on and let run.

A few years back I accidentally left my car running for 4 hours at work. I just fueled the car that morning. I topped off that night just to figure out how much fuel I wasted, and figured it was 1/2 gallon.

Truckers leave their trucks running in tests tops all night.

I think it would be worth asking a diesel forum, or a diesel mechanic.

[Grumpy]

Originally Posted by che57vy

Is it not running generator about 8/10 gallon hr compared to losing a mile to gallon with dash air?

Are you saying 8 tenths or 8-10? Most use less than a half gal per hr just running the roof a/c.

[Pfflyer]

Originally Posted by Jagiven

I'm no diesel expert, but around here people start their diesels and let them run all day and sometimes all night too. Mostly contractors, sometimes in the cold winter months when you run them off, you may not get them restarted. Everything I know about them, they are sedigned to turn on and let run.

A few years back I accidentally left my car running for 4 hours at work. I just fueled the car that morning. I topped off that night just to figure out how much fuel I wasted, and figured it was 1/2 gallon.

Truckers leave their trucks running in tests tops all night.

I think it would be worth asking a diesel forum, or a diesel mechanic.

I’m not a diesel expert either but if you look in the Sprinter owners manual it is spelled out there. If you do idle they say it should only be done with a high idle option which Jayco did not order. You can idle them for long periods but your DPF filter will not last as long. Price one at a Mercedes dealer and you will want it to last as long as possible. Most modern long haul big rigs have a generator to run ac or living quarters and truck stops are adding shore power sites. Their generators Could be what you hear at truck stops. I would need to look it up but I think the Onan 3200 diesel generator is 1/4 or 1/2 gallon at 1/2 load. I can go over 60 miles in an hour so do the math. Bonus the generator gets its exercise.

Edit. I have been a member on the Sprinter Forum since 2013 and vistit daily. This has been a topic of several threads and majority agree don’t idle without a high idle option.

[Midnightmoon]

I've turned wrenches in a diesel shop part time for the better part of the last 20 years. Recommending extended idling of a diesel ended when the DPF's appeared in January of 2007. There is not one manufacturer out there currently that I know of that recommends extended idling on a regular basis.

I also own a 2015 Sprinter and I am pretty sure that it also states that if you do need to idle for an extended period of time, that it should be driven at highway speeds for a period of time to allow the system to regenerate. Would I panic if you sit in a traffic jam for an hour or two once in a blue moon.....absolutely not. Would I idle my van all night to keep cool while I was sleeping, no.

Now if we were talking about one of my pre-emissions Cummins trucks, we may be having a different conversation. It still isn't great for them. But it will not have the negative effects that it would on a modern emissions controlled diesel.