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Old 09-24-2017, 02:24 PM   #1
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Trap door over the engine in a re?

I have tried to google this question but keep getting pointed to battery doors, side engine doors, etc. In a RE school, is there a door right over the engine compartment, leading into the interior, so that some forms of engine repair and maintenance can be done more easily?

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Old 09-24-2017, 02:56 PM   #2
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On my 2002 all American there is a rear panel that can bolt off if you need access. I would say that unless you are removing the engine, it isn't likely I would have to open this panel. I have the 5.9, and can reach just about everything on the engine from the rear door.

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Old 09-24-2017, 03:41 PM   #3
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No, usually not. All of my engine access is from the rear, a very large door. If I try to access it from the inside, the doghouse is large and a very large number of screws hold it down.
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Old 09-24-2017, 04:39 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Njsurf73 View Post
On my 2002 all American there is a rear panel that can bolt off if you need access. I would say that unless you are removing the engine, it isn't likely I would have to open this panel. I have the 5.9, and can reach just about everything on the engine from the rear door.

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I also have the 2002 All American RE. I have the 8.3 Cummins and will leave the access panel accessable. The 8.3 is a bit longer and taller than the 5.9 making the top access more important.
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Old 09-24-2017, 04:44 PM   #5
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In an RE, a trap door from the engine compartment to the inside would be too much of a fire hazard. If a fire started in the engine compartment, it has a much easier time moving into the passenger compartment through the space between the mounting and the trap door.

Or, the trap door costs as much as the bus to make it fire resistant enough to give the driver and occupants time to stop the bus and get out....
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Old 09-24-2017, 04:52 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by MarkyDee View Post
In an RE, a trap door from the engine compartment to the inside would be too much of a fire hazard. If a fire started in the engine compartment, it has a much easier time moving into the passenger compartment through the space between the mounting and the trap door.

Or, the trap door costs as much as the bus to make it fire resistant enough to give the driver and occupants time to stop the bus and get out....
Most RE buses come from the factory with access panels that allow access to the top front (or rear depending on how you are looking at it) of the engine from inside the bus.

It does not appear to have been a problem so far.
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Old 09-24-2017, 04:55 PM   #7
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My rear panel is a heck of a lot more solid than any fe doghouse I have ever seen. It's solid and was a 4 person seat. It has screws holding it in, and it can be removed. As Steve notes, different engine configurations may make it necessary to go in from that angle.

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Old 09-24-2017, 07:22 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by PNW_Steve View Post
Most RE buses come from the factory with access panels that allow access to the top front (or rear depending on how you are looking at it) of the engine from inside the bus.

It does not appear to have been a problem so far.
Well, I stand corrected then. I've not seen an RE with such a hatch, but I probably wouldn't buy such a bus just from that standpoint.
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Old 09-24-2017, 08:25 PM   #9
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yes , we have one in our RE, very handy for some stuff.

Later J
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Old 09-24-2017, 08:36 PM   #10
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Well, I stand corrected then. I've not seen an RE with such a hatch, but I probably wouldn't buy such a bus just from that standpoint.
It isn't like a dog house, it's an access panel. Screwed down. Most are Incorporated into the rear bench seat.

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Old 09-24-2017, 11:07 PM   #11
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I have a hatch under my rear seat that gives me easy access to the rear of the engine where the hydraulic/PS pump and air compressor are. I can also reach the end of the blower and the turbo through there, and with some contortions and a crowfoot wrench I can also reach the transmission temperature gauge's sender through it. Without this hatch they would be inaccessible. (I'm thinking about installing a bypass valve on the blower to gain a few HP, and it will be easy to reach that area through the hatch.) If any RE bus does not have easy access to the back of the engine, you will have a problem when (not if) you need to get back there.

Likewise, if a bus has floor hatches above the engine and transmission (like mid-engine Crowns and Gilligs) or above the fuel tank, leave them accessible! Covering them over is asking for trouble.

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Old 09-25-2017, 07:17 AM   #12
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In my 72 All American there is a hatch... Honestly, doubt you will ever need it... the bus is extremely accessible from the outside the way the corners swing open.. But I still didn't cover it, just in case
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Old 09-30-2017, 12:45 AM   #13
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That's an escape hatch for the hamsters. LoL look into it see what's there or it could be a fresh air intake and the grate/ cover is missing . mine is a 92 TC2000 and air intake is on right top rear of body and has a lift up door on the engine compartment

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Old 09-30-2017, 11:05 AM   #14
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91 AARE has a hatch, I did open it up to get a proper reading on the gauge when I adjusted the valves. If you have a hatch don't build over it without some means of getting it open. It's there for a reason.
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