Towing Capability with A 40' Coach???

[Mr4btTahoe]

You'll be fine with what ever bus you choose as far as towing goes then... but keep in mind most buses don't come with factory installed hitches. Be prepared for that if you are planning on making a 1 time trip.

[DesertMax]

M1031A1, Yes.. your post helps immensely! Regarding the CAT 3208 10.6L powerhouse.. Well, I am totally excited! Being that I am the quintessential Tim (The Tool Man) Tayler "More Power" type of guy, that motor sounds like me and pretty sure I'll go looking for one in my new Thomas where ever it may be waiting for me right now..
Since I am just getting started, of course I want a good solid drive train and the most power and reliability I can get. My program is actually simple right now.. Find a good bus, get it insured and a tow system in place and then locate a flat bed trailer and tow my truck home to Oregon. I am thinking Uhaul may have a trailer strong enough to do this in the interim... I will update as I find buses here is southern Arizona.. Thanks again to all for all the great responses..

[M1031A1]

DM,

Here's a pic (or three) of my Thomas MVP 40' with our enclosed car carrier I got from Georgia (paid $5500 including two spare tires for the trailer brand new). I'm getting ready to do some more work on her. I'll keep you posted on my thread as well. I'm changing out the monster trailer weight balance bracket and putting in the more traditional ball-hitch that will raise the ball about 1&1/2 inches for better balance. Also note the formerly white trailer now has a coating of unburned black diesel on the nose. I'm going to put a downward facing tailpipe on the end to reduce the trailer getting so full of soot.

Hope these pics help. BTW, I got HF at auction from Wasco, CA for $2K.

M

[Drop out]

I want to like the 3208 because it is easy to find a bus with one of them now but when I think about 10 years from now, it might be hard to find a 3208 powered bus or engine to swap in if you have a failure.

An I6 with cylinder liners would probably be easier to fix if you drop a valve or get a scored cylinder and I would look for the latest model mechanical version I could find because parts should be available longer.

I know a 3208 might keep going for 50 years if you treat it nice but I don't want to get bit on year 15 and be faced with a choice of re-power or start over.

[M1031A1]

Originally Posted by Drop out

I want to like the 3208 because it is easy to find a bus with one of them now but when I think about 10 years from now, it might be hard to find a 3208 powered bus or engine to swap in if you have a failure.

An I6 with cylinder liners would probably be easier to fix if you drop a valve or get a scored cylinder and I would look for the latest model mechanical version I could find because parts should be available longer.

I know a 3208 might keep going for 50 years if you treat it nice but I don't want to get bit on year 15 and be faced with a choice of re-power or start over.

The 3208 Cats are a tough engine. Change oil, add your Prolong treatment to the engine, add Marvel Mystery Oil and Lucas to the fuel to lubricate the upper end, and you're good to go for a lifetime. I added a Pyrometer just to be sure to stay within specs when climbing hills and such. There should never be a need to touch this engine for any major work. Now just to repair the radiator and replace the O-ring at the water pump and I'm good....

Hope this insight helps.

M

[DesertMax]

Mr4, yes I will check around to see what the receiver installation will run.. Thanks

[Gdog 5651]

Although a wet sleeve engine is somewhat easier to repair in case of a sleeve crack or puncture a dry sleeve (overbore and liner) is also possible on a non removable sleeve engine although my experience has been with a 3208 if it drops a valve a cracked bore is the least of your problems maint maint maint and more maintenance is the key to keeping a kittykat purring.Please also note that busses in my neck of the woods are fairly plentiful I bought a cummins not a cat less,easier& less expensive maintenance overall, more service facilities.

[Twigg]

The problem with overheating any of the wet-liner engines is the damage caused to the liner seals.

You might not destroy them immediately, even with a few over-heating episodes, but they do get degraded. Who knows if they will then go 400k miles, or finally go in the next 10k. You know you took something off their life (probably), but you have no way of knowing just how much.

Ironically, and despite the spares cost, the parent bore engines tolerate over-heating much better.

[Tango]

One more wet liner consideration...

Make sure to use the right type of coolant/anti-freeze. The wrong type is known to cause cavitation issues that can eat through a cylinder.

I'll let someone else chime in here as I only read this info somewhere online.

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by Tango

One more wet liner consideration...

Make sure to use the right type of coolant/anti-freeze. The wrong type is known to cause cavitation issues that can eat through a cylinder.

I'll let someone else chime in here as I only read this info somewhere online.

SCA- test it regularly with fresh strips. Supplemental Coolant Additives (SCA)

[DesertMax]

Hey Rusty, I own a Powerstroke and had never heard of this product or test capability.
I have done all the service myself in the first 100K or so and then Ford Dealerships took it over and religiously on schedule. My truck just rolled over 180K and is running extremely strong. Should I be worried and if so where can I get a bottle of the strips etc???

[DesertMax]

Wondering if this may be a good way to go. I guess I'll go take a look at them..
1988-1993 Blue Bird All American FE – 84 Passenger – Canyon State Bus Sales

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by DesertMax

Hey Rusty, I own a Powerstroke and had never heard of this product or test capability.
I have done all the service myself in the first 100K or so and then Ford Dealerships took it over and religiously on schedule. My truck just rolled over 180K and is running extremely strong. Should I be worried and if so where can I get a bottle of the strips etc???

what year powerstroke? ELC coolants that dont require SCA's were used in the 99.5 and up 7.3's and all Powerstrokes after..

-Christopher

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by DesertMax

Hey Rusty, I own a Powerstroke and had never heard of this product or test capability.
I have done all the service myself in the first 100K or so and then Ford Dealerships took it over and religiously on schedule. My truck just rolled over 180K and is running extremely strong. Should I be worried and if so where can I get a bottle of the strips etc???

It depends on if you use ELC coolant, it has the additive in it.

here is beter authority

[miscrms]

If you are concerned about towing, another option to look at might be the Cummins 8.3L. My understanding is most school buses have the 550 ftlb version, a little less than the Cat's low 600s, but there also seem to be buses that were spec'd with the 800 ftlb version. My '97 BB AARE seems to have that version, spec'd at 300hp / 275hp governed, but when they replaced the fuel system / injection pump a while back it seems they bumped it up to 2600rpm from 2400rpm. Probably closer to the full 300hp now. It's empty and not towing anything, and haven't tried any real mountain grades yet, but it's impressive how quickly it will accelerate to freeway speed up an inclined onramp. I've actually yet to find a reason to floor it. I think the International DT530 also comes in an 800ftlb version, but not sure if that's common/available on school buses or more of an RV thing.

I posted some links here to look up BB build info, Cummins engine info and Allison transmission info that might be helpful. As I recall I had do a web search for the CPL# to find the specs for that version. The BB tool seems like it won't find much on one's older than mine, but if you have an image of the build plate that should have the engine and transmission serial numbers you need. Not sure how far back their databases go.
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f33/bl...als-19271.html

We bought ours from AAA Bus, but I've generally heard good things about both local dealers. Both seem to advertise on craigslist (handy as AAA doesn't have prices on their website) and should be open to haggling. The lack of rust on our AZ bus (from Cottonwood originally) was a huge plus in my book. I'd go and visit both in person, it's fun to see so many different buses all in one place. I found it very helpful to get a better idea of what we really wanted, even if you don't end up buying one from them.

Good luck,

Rob

[Robin97396]

Originally Posted by Rusty

It depends on if you use ELC coolant, it has the additive in it

Speaking of coolant, am I screwing up by using regular old prestone in my '97 5.9?

[Rusty]

Originally Posted by Robin97396

Speaking of coolant, am I screwing up by using regular old prestone in my '97 5.9?

I never use old coolant- I buy the new stuff.

Actually, I am pretty lazy, so I buy the ELC coolant -red. Cheapest place I found is the local CAT dealer and bonus- parts counter chick is a hottie.

[cadillackid]

what coolant to use depends on your engine... you can put a synthetic poly-organic coolant like amsoil in any engine.. but for instamce Navistar stated that you never use a standard ELC (usually red) coolant in any 7.3 before the 99.5 year updates.. in those you are supposed to use regular green coolant and monitor the SCA..

cummins probably also has guidelines as to model and year and the proper coolant to use. there shou;d be a guide somewhere.. and usually the break points are by engine serial number..

the biggest issues seem to come from newer engines with smaller coolant passages, oil cooler, and EGR coolers where the standard+SCA coolant comes apart and sediment forms in those passages.. and on older engines caviatation is an issue if you dont put SCA's in the coolant at all..

again id follow the charts for you engine..
-Christopher

[Robin97396]

Thanks Chris.

I read up on the Dodge Cummins sight for my specific year ('97). They say green, but some use red for the extended years of service. And apparently definitely don't use the pink coolant in these older engines. Color coded?

I'm going green. Not WVO. Just coolant.

[cadillackid]

if you go green then I believe you need to charhe it with SCA in the cummins..and TEST it periodically

-Christopher