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Old 09-30-2019, 08:33 AM   #41
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tmy8ster View Post
Lots of good information here, thanks for the contributions thus far. With that said, I think I know the answer to my question but will ask anyways...

I jumped the gun a little bit buying a bus. I wanted 7 window, tall (interior head space) bus in great condition. I found it and pulled the trigger on a 2009 CE 7.6L DT-466 Maaxforce bus. I was aware of the issues with those engines but it seemed from what I read it was 2012 engines forward.

I bought the bus and had to perform the Regen process twice driving it home 600 miles. I need to unbolt it and have it cleaned properly. My question here is, I REALLY like the bus, it’s perfect for me! But I also don’t want to put 9 months of work in making a Skoolie only to be on the side of the road with my wallet open.

Hard question to answer but are the 2009 Maaxforce engines ok? Or should I run now?
Go ask a Navistar tech for an opinion. Ours are all hashed out here over and over and none of us are Navistar techs.
Some of us (Christopher) are smarter than any Navistar tech, but if you talk to someone who repairs them every day you'll probably get the best insight.
I did just what I'm proposing to you and thats why I went with a Cat this time around lol.

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Old 09-30-2019, 01:06 PM   #42
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The real issue I can see in an "early" EPA choked bus is the electronic spare parts are either not manufactured any longer or are about to become obsolete, barring what dealers might have in inventory on their shelves.

We all know that dealers like to stock the usual and customary common fail parts, but no dealer will stock an over abundant supply so parts will become "unobtanium" sooner rather than later when it comes to 1st gen./early emissions bus engines smog system parts.

I'd try to steer clear of one of those firsties, but good luck on buying a bus that appeals to you...

Unfortunately, the same scenario applies to all modern day computerized vehicles so you just have to live for the day and be prepared to abandon a good vehicle that finds itself needing a critical sensor or other electronic gizmo that is no longer commercially available, when it craps out unexpectedly.
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Old 10-04-2019, 09:10 PM   #43
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I'm curious to see how the newer 6.7 Cummins do on the skoolie market. Compared to Maxxforce/International and CAT they seem to be the safest bet for EPA motors (relatively speaking).

When I first started driving in 2014 my first bus was a 2011 Bluebird All American that had a 6.7 with only EGR. No DEF system. That bus got up to around 150K miles with very little problems other than rust.
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Old 10-05-2019, 08:27 AM   #44
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Cummins seems to have got it more right than others.. for one they are still around.. putting diesel engines in most of the diesel busses out there these days..



CAT and IH gave it up for the school bus market but the 6.7 lives on.. they have far less issues than the IH and CATs did.. im starting to see them show up on the secondary market as lease returns.. still really high price for the average skoolie buyer.. they sell faster (and higher priced) from the dealers than the IH and CAT counterparts..



eventually manmy will hit the magic 10 year mark where they will start aging out from districts and the market will cool-down on prices...



like any emissions diesel they can have issues and are subject to the same things all are.. short runs, long times of sitting, and improper maintenance will damage tthem the same as the others..
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