By TRT Road Service
A mobile mechanic can settle one thing at the roadside: which fault the truck is actually reporting. Reading the codes on site tells you which part of the EGR system is complaining. It does not settle the engine family’s history in court and agency records. Navistar’s own diagnostic bulletin starts with the codes too, and it warns against swapping parts when no valve fault is present. Read the codes first, then decide.
Why do MaxxForce owners still ask about EGR?
MaxxForce is the engine line International built. Navistar’s bulletin on file with NHTSA names the 11, 13 and 15 liter engines. In March 2010, International announced EPA approval for its 2010 MaxxForce 13 Advanced EGR engines.
Those engines cleaned up their exhaust with EGR, which sends some exhaust gas back through the engine. Later, the company changed course. Navistar’s 2018 annual report to the SEC refers to the “transition from our Advanced Exhaust Gas Recirculation” technology to SCR.
The SEC gives the timeline from the other side. In July 2012, Navistar withdrew an EPA application and began work on an engine using SCR technology.
What do the records say about EGR failures?
Two public records matter to a driver. Neither is a rumor.
Navistar’s own EGR valve bulletin
Navistar filed a service bulletin with NHTSA, titled Big Bore EGR Valve Diagnostics. It covers all 2010 and newer MaxxForce 11, 13 and 15 engines. It names the three most likely fault codes: SPN 27 FMI 4, SPN 27 FMI 7 and SPN 2659 FMI 20.
The bulletin is about the EGR valve and its codes. It is not a guide to every EGR problem.
The SEC’s account of the engine program
The SEC charged Navistar over how it described its EPA approval efforts. Navistar settled without admitting or denying the SEC’s findings. This record is about company statements, not about how your engine runs.
If no EGR valve faults are present, do not replace the EGR valve. Source
Navistar’s bulletin covers MaxxForce 11, 13 and 15 engines, 2010 and newer. Source
What can a roadside repair settle?
A roadside visit settles what the engine reports today. It does not settle the engine family’s history. Keep the two apart.
What a mobile visit can settle
TRT reads fault codes on site with a JPRO Professional scan tool, at the breakdown location. The code points to the part in trouble. Navistar’s bulletin shows why that matters: it says to diagnose SPN 27 FMI 4 first when both valve codes are present.
The bulletin goes further for one code. When SPN 27 FMI 7 shows without SPN 27 FMI 4, its steps include checking the engine calibration level and running an EGR actuator test. They also include looking at the valve for a broken shaft or butterfly plate. That look means removing exhaust manifold bellows tubes and the valve.
What a mobile visit cannot settle
- Your truck’s repair history. For SPN 27 FMI 4, the bulletin asks whether the truck was built before July 1, 2012 and whether an updated pigtail went in earlier. Only your records answer that. Bring them.
- Whether it is safe to keep driving. Neither Navistar’s bulletin nor the SEC record says when a MaxxForce can keep rolling. The codes on your dash and the engine’s response decide, and a mechanic should read them.
TRT reads fault codes on site with JPRO Professional, at the breakdown location.
What should you check, and what should you leave alone?
Check three things before you call.
- Write down every dash lamp and message you see.
- Note when it started and what the truck was doing.
- Pull out your service records and find the truck’s build date.
Leave two things alone. Do not clear codes before someone has read them. And do not replace the EGR valve on a guess. Navistar’s bulletin says: if no EGR valve faults are present, do not replace the EGR valve.
On the SPN 27 FMI 7 path, the bulletin says to retest SPN 27 FMI 7 and SPN 2659 FMI 20 after a valve repair. Ask for a retest after any repair.
When should you call a mobile diesel mechanic?
Call when a lamp stays on, the truck derates or the engine will not hold power. Also call when a code keeps coming back after someone cleared it. TRT works on EGR, turbochargers, and DPF and DEF systems on heavy-duty diesel engines, MaxxForce among them. The heavy-duty diagnostics page explains how fault-code diagnosis works on the road.
TRT is mobile only. The mechanics come to you on I-40 between Seligman and Barstow, or on AZ-95 between Searchlight and Parker. There is no shop drop-off. TRT is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the owner, Tennessee, handles most jobs personally.
TRT is mobile only: the mechanics come to you. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the questions people ask before they call or book.
Does the EGR valve bulletin cover the MaxxForce 15?
Yes for the valve. Navistar’s bulletin covers MaxxForce 11, 13 and 15.
Can a roadside code read tell me why my truck lost power?
It tells you which fault the engine has logged. That narrows the cause. The bulletin says not to replace the valve when no valve faults are present, so the code decides the next step.
Do you come to me, or do I tow to a shop?
TRT is mobile only. The mechanics come to your breakdown location in the towns and corridors above.
Call TRT Road Service
A MaxxForce warning at the roadside costs you time. Give the mechanic the codes, the build date and your repair records, and the work starts from facts, not guesses. Call TRT Road Service at (928) 577-1496, or send the details through the contact page.
TRT Road Service
