Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 08-20-2015, 11:54 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 15
winter what do I do?

Ok im a newbie bus owner, just got the big yellow bird, this will be my first winter. My bus runs currently and id like to keep it that way

Winter is real cold here, northern colorado. I have a dt466 automatic has crappy heat and may have an overheating issue.

So what, should i do to love my bus through the winter? I may need to move it once to the dmv but rest of winter it will sit.

Thank you so much for any advice.

farmerSmurf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-20-2015, 11:57 AM   #2
Bus Geek
 
bansil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MNT CITY TN
Posts: 5,158
make sure block heater works, and it has one
__________________
Our build La Tortuga
Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
George S. Patton
bansil is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-20-2015, 12:02 PM   #3
Bus Crazy
 
opus's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Montana
Posts: 1,626
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: All-American R/E
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Find out why you have crappy heat and/or overheating issues.
opus is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-20-2015, 12:04 PM   #4
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Posts: 1,796
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: B3800 Short bus
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 36
Quote:
Originally Posted by farmerSmurf View Post
dt466 automatic has crappy heat and may have an overheating issue.
eh?? Maybe it has no coolant?

I've never heard of someone say that a bus heater is crappy. They are beastly furnaces. The main heater in my bus is rated at 80,000 BTU. Perhaps the heater valves aren't all open. There is usually one down by the driver's left foot as well as a couple in the engine bay. They are typical valves that you would see in household plumbing. Make sure they are all open.
__________________
My build page: Armageddon - The Smell of Airborne Rust
jazty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-20-2015, 02:06 PM   #5
Bus Crazy
 
M1031A1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Dowdy Lakes, Colorado
Posts: 1,444
Year: 1989
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Saf-T-Liner ER
Engine: 3208 CAT/MT643 tranny
Rated Cap: 87
Run the engine every two or three weeks to keep the oil from coagulating severely. Add some Prolong to the oil before winter. Running the engine with Prolong will coat the parts and make winter starting MUCH easier for the engine and starter. Good luck!
__________________
Firearms stand next in importance to the Constitution itself. They are the American people’s liberty teeth and keystone under independence. — George Washington
M1031A1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-20-2015, 03:28 PM   #6
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Posts: 1,796
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: B3800 Short bus
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 36
http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f13/qu...-bus-9796.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=site...t+winterizing+

Check out these links. This has been discussed to death on the forums.
__________________
My build page: Armageddon - The Smell of Airborne Rust
jazty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-20-2015, 09:15 PM   #7
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 15
Thanks for all the info and links.

To answer some questions, I say may have an overheating problem because the temp guage always reads high at about 230 but I cant be sure that's accurate or even a problem. It drove from Texas just fine.

the heater does in fact blow hot I say it sucks though because driving late night through cold area about froze me out, could be poor insulation in drivers area of pusher bus idk.
farmerSmurf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-20-2015, 09:39 PM   #8
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Posts: 1,796
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: B3800 Short bus
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 36
Quote:
Originally Posted by farmerSmurf View Post
the heater does in fact blow hot I say it sucks though because driving late night through cold area about froze me out, could be poor insulation in drivers area of pusher bus idk.
I would still guess that it isn't working to its full potential if you were driving in the summer and it wasn't putting out enough heat to keep you unbearable hot... Even in the dead of our Ontario winter (WAY colder than Colorado) the heater in my bus warms my legs up too much on high. I'd still double check that all the valves are fully open and that the heater core isn't clogged.
It's also possible that the overheating is related to the poor performance of the heater. Perhaps the water pump isn't working well.
__________________
My build page: Armageddon - The Smell of Airborne Rust
jazty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2015, 02:05 AM   #9
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Stony Plain Alberta Canada
Posts: 2,937
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: 190hp 5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
Check the flow of your booster pump.

Rear Engine buses use a 12 volt booster pump to get the hot engine coolent through the restriction of the heater system. If it's not pushing enough flow, you wont feel enough heat from the heaters, even with your engine at operating temp.


Nat
__________________
"Don't argue with stupid people. They will just drag you down to their level, and beat you up with experience."

Patently waiting for the apocalypses to level the playing field in this physiological game of life commonly known as Civilization
nat_ster is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:51 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.