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Old 10-14-2019, 07:54 PM   #1
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Savannah GA
Posts: 756
Year: 2003
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000
Engine: Cummins 5.9 24v
Rated Cap: 54 passenger
(Would you rather) a DT466 with an oil leak or..

a cleaner, newer, CAT 3126?

I looked at both today. The DT 466 was in a 1995 Genesis FE 35ft bus.The bus needs someone to love her. Nothing was seriously wrong, but on top of all the little things there was oil all over the place under the bus. The owner is 1000 miles away now, says maybe it was from a bad oil change, but he didn't know. We drove it around but the spedometer didn't work and we didn't get going too fast. It seemed sluggish.

I liked the guy, but don't trust oil leaks. Although, the seal in my van leaks like crazy (a 98 Ford) and it should only be a few hundred to fix it. So maybe it's not so bad?

But because I kind of soured on the Genesis, I drove an extra 60 miles or so to a school district with a bus up for auction.
This one is a 99 Chevy CV200. Had to spend time looking that up because they list it as a Blue Bird. It has the 3126 in it with an unknown transmission.

I liked the bus, I had planned on a dognose, but driving the FE earlier was really pleasant. And so much (unneeded) room in the bus! I didn't drive it because they were trying to go home for the day, but everything felt cleaner and a little nicer and I was impressed.

Now I got home and freak out about people not liking Cat engines. I really don't want to spend more money on repairs just because it's proprietary. And it's not so much y'all freaking out here, but trying to understand what I am in for with the HEUI system. The mechanic said they did maintenance every 7000 miles. Which I guess is less than recommended.

I don't know. I'm not in a real hurry for the bus so I'll probably get neither. But I'm ready to buy one and get to the planning stage. I appreciate opinions.

They were the same price btw, although I suppose the Genesis I could talk him down.

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Old 10-14-2019, 07:59 PM   #2
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Dawsonville, Ga.
Posts: 10,482
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Genesis
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/3060
Rated Cap: 77
If I had an a opportunity to clean the oil offf the engine and determine where the leak was coming from, it may be an easy fix, or a major seal replacement. That would tell me if the DT were worth saving. Never drove a Cat, so won't advise on it.
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Old 10-14-2019, 08:02 PM   #3
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
I'm a fan of the 3126.
I kept my shorty because it has a clean low mile 3126 and it runs amazingly well. Its smooth and quiet and gets decent mpg's although I don't really keep track of fuel economy much. They're probably the best medium duty Cat engine and there are millions of them out there.
If its been well cared for and doesn't have too many hours it should last a long while.
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Old 10-14-2019, 08:41 PM   #4
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Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Savannah GA
Posts: 756
Year: 2003
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000
Engine: Cummins 5.9 24v
Rated Cap: 54 passenger
Quote:
Originally Posted by o1marc View Post
If I had an a opportunity to clean the oil off the engine and determine where the leak was coming from, it may be an easy fix, or a major seal replacement. That would tell me if the DT were worth saving. Never drove a Cat, so won't advise on it.
Agreed. I can go back and spend more time on it. I think others are asking about it, but that's fine if he sells it. Which just reminds me that I'm not attached to it like I thought I was.

20 of the 22 windows were spray painted black (someone made it a prison detail bus. But it's still half painted yellow. It's weird). And 20 of the windows wouldn't open without a screwdriver because all the plastic pull clips were broken. It's missing the S in Genesis on the grill.
Here I am talking myself out of it lol. I think by Saturday I might drive up again with some rags and dig, if it's not sold. FYI there is oil EVERYWHERE. From the radiator to the transmission.
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Old 10-14-2019, 08:44 PM   #5
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Savannah GA
Posts: 756
Year: 2003
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000
Engine: Cummins 5.9 24v
Rated Cap: 54 passenger
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
I'm a fan of the 3126.
I kept my shorty because it has a clean low mile 3126 and it runs amazingly well. Its smooth and quiet and gets decent mpg's although I don't really keep track of fuel economy much. They're probably the best medium duty Cat engine and there are millions of them out there.
If its been well cared for and doesn't have too many hours it should last a long while.
I was already scouring your posts (you're quite active here, how do you have time for so many conversions?) and knew what your answer would be. I appreciate your feedback. I did a member search for the 3126 and there are so many members with this engine. And I think 4 people with more than 4 posts. Not sure if that's a sign of the engine or the person but I suspect the latter.

Between you and 01Marc I need a tie breaker lol.
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Old 10-14-2019, 08:50 PM   #6
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Dawsonville, Ga.
Posts: 10,482
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Genesis
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/3060
Rated Cap: 77
Quote:
Originally Posted by JDSquared View Post
Agreed. I can go back and spend more time on it. I think others are asking about it, but that's fine if he sells it. Which just reminds me that I'm not attached to it like I thought I was.

20 of the 22 windows were spray painted black (someone made it a prison detail bus. But it's still half painted yellow. It's weird). And 20 of the windows wouldn't open without a screwdriver because all the plastic pull clips were broken. It's missing the S in Genesis on the grill.
Here I am talking myself out of it lol. I think by Saturday I might drive up again with some rags and dig, if it's not sold. FYI there is oil EVERYWHERE. From the radiator to the transmission.
I'd use all the crappy windows as a bargaining tool to lower the price, then delete them anyways during the build.
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Old 10-16-2019, 11:12 AM   #7
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: West Ohio
Posts: 3,673
Year: 1984
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 1753
Engine: 6.9 International
Rated Cap: 65
What's the cost for both buses? What's your intended goal for the bus? What's the mileage on both busses? Tire condition? There's more to it then one engine vs another.

An oil leak could be something as simple as a double gasket on the filter, clean it up and see where it's coming from before you condemn it.

The 3126 is an alright engine. A lot of the issues with heui engines comes down to maintenance or lack there of. Cat wants a 3126/3116 serviced every 6 months or 6000 miles. At 7000 mile OCI's They went too far on them IMHO. Even if they used a synthetic that's still too much. School bus service is considered severe duty by most oem's, which requires more frequent maintenance. Using Rotella, we would do a max OCI of 12 months / 5000 miles on any heui engine. I wouldn't stray far from that guideline regardless of the oil use tbh. HEUI engines need clean oil to last, period.
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