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Old 02-18-2016, 03:06 AM   #1
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DT360 overheating and black liquid

I recently purchased a 1988 S1800 with a DT360. It started right up and seemed to drive fine at the seller's house. Set out to drive it home and after about twenty minutes on the interstate, it began to lose acceleration. A headache and whole lot of knowledge & cash later, I changed and cleaned the fuel filters. It drove great for about an hour, but with very limited speed. (I know very little about automotive engines, let alone diesel. Learning!) Then I began to notice a distinct smell and white steam rolling out from the hood and into the cab. Popped the hood and steam is blowing out like a tea kettle from top and a pipe pointed at the ground. Does this sound like simply overheating? What should I do? I've heard flush the radiator and need to get the oil and filters changed. Maxed out thermostat after 20 min drivetime, limited speeds & rpm not exceeding 25k. There is also a black liquid that has been spattered all on the underside of the body. Black slick blow back even got on the (my) car following me home. Please point me in the right direction, I want to learn about this beast's heart and fix/learn as much as I can myself.

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Old 02-18-2016, 10:25 AM   #2
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Year: 1995
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: 3800
Engine: DT408, AT545
Rated Cap: 23 500 gvw
There's your problem. You drove it at 25,000 rpm. That would kill any motor. Sorry, couldn't resist.

My first guess would be a head gasket.
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Old 02-18-2016, 02:07 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by crazycal View Post
There's your problem. You drove it at 25,000 rpm. That would kill any motor. Sorry, couldn't resist.

My first guess would be a head gasket.
As in, one of them may be blown? Where should I start/look? What should I do to check this out if I can't get it to a shop/want to try fixing myself?
Thanks crazycal!
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Old 02-18-2016, 03:05 PM   #4
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Year: 1995
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Chassis: 3800
Engine: DT408, AT545
Rated Cap: 23 500 gvw
Check for water in oil. Check for oil in coolant. I just reread your post.
Quote:
Popped the hood and steam is blowing out like a tea kettle from top and a pipe pointed at the ground .
That's not good. That's a vent from your crankcase. I'm sorry but I think my first guess is correct. I wouldn't drive the bus until fixed.
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Old 02-18-2016, 07:06 PM   #5
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Does the DT360 have cylinder O rings like the 466? you may have blown one, but also sounds like a head gasket.
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Old 02-19-2016, 10:07 AM   #6
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You have to figure out where the steam is actually coming from. Take some pictures pointing out what you saw. Sounds like steam was leaking past the radiator cap up top, and the crankcase vent. If that's the case, you probably won't have the skills to fix it.

I think all dt series engines have wet liners with o rings than can fail, so gb is right and that is a very real possibility. Or It could be a head gasket, or you could have not had enough coolant in it to begin with and overheated the engine, or a plugged radiator, or any of a thousand things that could cause it to run hot and blow oil everywhere. You have a lot of homework to do if you want to diagnose this yourself.
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