T-300 Owners!

[Trucker Matt]

Having trouble with your heater control valve? E-mail me at [email protected] . I just fired a letter off to Kenworth on this subject becauseI am tired of this aggravating problem. I am planning to convince them to fix it for real and I need other owners to back me up.
Please e-mail me with info on how many times you've had to replace the valve and/or what you've had to do to remedy the problem.
Thank you,
Matt

 

[Weave]

I'm laughing with you Leaking heater control valves are extremely common- Had one on every truck I have driven except for my current one...yet. Get used to it about every 2 years, it's a $50.00 thing. This may sound silly but a bit of petroleum jelly pushed in around the seal helps it move. Also if you cycle the heater a bit in the summer too helps. Make sure the control cable feeds into it straight. Sounds like sex education, it's kind of the same concept. I can reasonably say it's not specifically a KW problem.
-Weave-

 

[Trucker Matt]

True, it is not specifically a KW problem... I had the same problem in an FL70, but I haven't had this problem in any of the big trucks I have driven. I kind of think that a heater control valve ought to last longer than a couple months, don't you?
I'm on my fourth valve in 2 years - the last one lasted less than three months. Cycling the heater causes it to fail almost immediately. After the most recent install we put it on the coldest setting and left it alone using the fan setting to control cab temperature. Even then it had to be run on high speed for several minutes before it gained control and started puffing out cool (not cold) air, then my better half accidently moved the temp lever when cleaning and that was it - no more cool air.
Apparently, and this is from speaking to a Kenworth rep, long life antifreeze is corroding the valve and nothing short of different materials in a new valve will correct the problem. Why don't they use the same valve that they use on the T-600, T-800 and W-900? Same cab, you'd think they could. And, yes, I know I can install a shut-off valve or simply use a pair of vise grips to pinch off the incoming hot water, but I think the problem is a but more serious than that and Kenworth needs to come up with a real solution.

 

[davekc]

not sure what year yours is but i have a 99. Our 300 has not had any problems so far. There is another guy on here I think wild bill has the same truck. Don't know if he has had any problems either. Use to have fl70 and had all kinds of a/c related problems. One suggestion is try another dealer. We were using frieghtliner in houston and what a bunch of morons.

 

[Trucker Matt]

Dave, I appreciate your reply. I'll see if Wild Bill has had the same problem. In speaking with my salesman, he says it has only been an issue for about three years. Maybe a different type of antifreeze or a different valve was used on your truck. Anyways, I'm glad you haven't had any problems. The dealership doesn't matter either, I've had it worked on in NV, NM, NY and MO, it fails just the same.
Boy, I sure can empathize with your FL-70 problems. The one we drove was set up nice, but quality wise it was a joke. I'll tell you one thing, as you are probably aware, despite my problems with this particular issue - Kenworth shops are consistently a cut above Freightliner when it comes to courteous and quality repair service.

 

[Weave]

Wow, didn't realize they were failing that quickly. I would definitely try a valve off one of the bigger trucks if the cable will fit, or even modify it to work if not. I only replaced one heater valve on my FL70 in the 3 years I had it.
-Weave-

 

[Wild Bill]

We had the problem last year. A screw fell out and Mike fixed it. He said it was an easy fix. Just undo the screws on the face of the controls and it can be accessed easy. But to be honest I had more problems with the heater controls on Freightliners than I have had with the KW.