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Old 04-17-2017, 06:55 PM   #141
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ha!! changing oil in driveway that was me!!! 2 days ago....

I go with the 6000 mile oil drain also.. with filter changes every 2000 on Redbyrd and 3000 on DEV.. (DEV has 2 filters..)...

the filters are so easy to get to on these busses its a 5 minute job to do...

I am going to get some HotShotSecret also.. since the oil is fresh it seems like a good time to put some in. simncde i overfilled I'll have to drain some out... or I'll be way over-full.. LOL..
-Christopher

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Old 04-17-2017, 08:24 PM   #142
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I put in about 4 gallons, plus a quart...
Then I waited fifteen mins and filled it with another quart and a half. PERFECT, and on the first try, even!
Went with my trusty, CHEAP 5 gallon jug of Rural King heavy duty diesel oil. Its CJ-4 rated, so its perfectly suited for my engines. 15w40 in 5 gallon pails are on sale for $24.95! So- with filter and oil the whole oil change cost me a whopping $54 total!
I've got a partial gallon jug of rotella for top-offs. I've also got a big jug of some fancy 5w40 amsoil super special synthetic I may try out sometime.
I'll add that HotShot's stuff this week, since the oil and filter are fresh. Supposed to go heavy on it for the first treatment, then use less on subsequent oil changes.
Took Roxy to Chipotle for a quick easy dinner since we were both exhausted. The kids that work there always ask how our bus projects are going! Seems everyone smiles when you show up in a bus.
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Old 04-17-2017, 08:30 PM   #143
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whenb i talked to the AMSoil guy on the phone last weekl... we talked about that very 5w40 oil... the big thing talked aboiut in using it on old engines is it is a high detergent oil... doing its job it will clean your engine... including any dirt that might be keeping seals from leaking... something to keep in mind...

-Christopher
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Old 04-17-2017, 08:43 PM   #144
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
whenb i talked to the AMSoil guy on the phone last weekl... we talked about that very 5w40 oil... the big thing talked aboiut in using it on old engines is it is a high detergent oil... doing its job it will clean your engine... including any dirt that might be keeping seals from leaking... something to keep in mind...

-Christopher
I've never had any of the problems others have reported when running synthetics. Even 0W-grades. Of course, not in diesels.
That oil cleaner is probably just as likely to do what you're saying. I'm still gonna take the chance and try it since Sojourner has had such great success with it.
I got a REALLY crazy good deal on that Amsoil or I'd have left it. I'm not big on thin oils, I mean- I live in FL I can usually run heavier oil than most of you. I may just use it for top offs once the rotella is gone.
Beginning of the summer is a great time to get some fresh new oil in it, and for $25 a bucket, its cheap insurance.
I'd like to flush the cooling system and run a higher percentage of distilled h20 and some Water Wetter. I'll even spring for a new coolant filter. But I'm still thinking on that, as I'm tempted to pull and possibly replace my rad and may as well do my water pump if I do.
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Old 04-18-2017, 12:18 AM   #145
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If it's good enough to power the interwebz, It's good enough for a bus.
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Old 04-18-2017, 06:53 AM   #146
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
I've never had any of the problems others have reported when running synthetics. Even 0W-grades. Of course, not in diesels.
That oil cleaner is probably just as likely to do what you're saying. I'm still gonna take the chance and try it since Sojourner has had such great success with it.
I got a REALLY crazy good deal on that Amsoil or I'd have left it. I'm not big on thin oils, I mean- I live in FL I can usually run heavier oil than most of you. I may just use it for top offs once the rotella is gone.
Beginning of the summer is a great time to get some fresh new oil in it, and for $25 a bucket, its cheap insurance.
I'd like to flush the cooling system and run a higher percentage of distilled h20 and some Water Wetter. I'll even spring for a new coolant filter. But I'm still thinking on that, as I'm tempted to pull and possibly replace my rad and may as well do my water pump if I do.
my water pump impeller was perfect, but i did have some jiggle in the bearing so im glad i took it out and changed it.. it was only a matter of time before it would Leak.. and then id kicked myself for not doing it.

the oil pump is really easy to get to when the Rad is off.. mine showed some wear so was glad i did it too..

even up here in the mid-north of Ohio 15W40 seemed fine, I started both the DEV (not plugged in and no glow plugs on a DT-360) when it was near 0 out, the DEV took a few secxonds to fire.. if I plugged it in it kicks like its 80 out..

Red started like it was a warm day with just one glow plug cycle.. so I didnt worry about synthetic..

pulling the rad isnt bad at all to do... I wrestled with the shroud and turbo cooler only because I had to pull thenm separately.. i dont have the body strength to lift them together... if I had a secxond set of hands and disconnected the round cross rods that hold the core support i couldve yanked things together very quickly.
Removing the Bonnet was a must and made it EASY to get to everything. 4 cotter pins for the springs and 2 hinge pins.. 2 of us lifted that right off.. it weighs maybe 100-120 pounds..

unfortunately your engine is below the serial number to run standard ELC coolant.. you CAN run the stuff im running which is a poly-organic AMSoil coolant.. its a synthetic of some sort.. I still run a coolant filter, but one thats a non-chemical.. its rated as a 600,000 mile coolant.. but my standard green coolant still tested good with the strips and looked clean and green so i probably didnt Need to change it to the expensive stuff..

im sure the Hotshot will find any seal leaks I may have.. though many people have told me that have 7.3's my minor little leak is no big deal.. and that since there is oil in the valley its likely something seeping around the HPOP and not the rear main.. im not super worried about it...
-Christopher
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Old 04-18-2017, 07:00 AM   #147
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
my water pump impeller was perfect, but i did have some jiggle in the bearing so im glad i took it out and changed it.. it was only a matter of time before it would Leak.. and then id kicked myself for not doing it.

the oil pump is really easy to get to when the Rad is off.. mine showed some wear so was glad i did it too..

even up here in the mid-north of Ohio 15W40 seemed fine, I started both the DEV (not plugged in and no glow plugs on a DT-360) when it was near 0 out, the DEV took a few secxonds to fire.. if I plugged it in it kicks like its 80 out..

Red started like it was a warm day with just one glow plug cycle.. so I didnt worry about synthetic..

pulling the rad isnt bad at all to do... I wrestled with the shroud and turbo cooler only because I had to pull thenm separately.. i dont have the body strength to lift them together... if I had a secxond set of hands and disconnected the round cross rods that hold the core support i couldve yanked things together very quickly.
Removing the Bonnet was a must and made it EASY to get to everything. 4 cotter pins for the springs and 2 hinge pins.. 2 of us lifted that right off.. it weighs maybe 100-120 pounds..

unfortunately your engine is below the serial number to run standard ELC coolant.. you CAN run the stuff im running which is a poly-organic AMSoil coolant.. its a synthetic of some sort.. I still run a coolant filter, but one thats a non-chemical.. its rated as a 600,000 mile coolant.. but my standard green coolant still tested good with the strips and looked clean and green so i probably didnt Need to change it to the expensive stuff..

im sure the Hotshot will find any seal leaks I may have.. though many people have told me that have 7.3's my minor little leak is no big deal.. and that since there is oil in the valley its likely something seeping around the HPOP and not the rear main.. im not super worried about it...
-Christopher
Will definitely do the Melling 208 pump upgrade like you did!

And my 444 leaks a little in the same way/place as yours it sounds. Its not gushing, so I'm not worried. I lost a quart in all the time I've owned it. My old 466 is WAY leakier.
I won't be using any expensive coolant. Just whatever's cheap and on sale that meets the requirements. I'm gonna look into all that.
The stuff in it now is a pinkish orange-ish color. Looks clean.
Should I be running the green stuff?
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Old 04-18-2017, 07:38 AM   #148
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Quote:
Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
Will definitely do the Melling 208 pump upgrade like you did!

And my 444 leaks a little in the same way/place as yours it sounds. Its not gushing, so I'm not worried. I lost a quart in all the time I've owned it. My old 466 is WAY leakier.
I won't be using any expensive coolant. Just whatever's cheap and on sale that meets the requirements. I'm gonna look into all that.
The stuff in it now is a pinkish orange-ish color. Looks clean.
Should I be running the green stuff?
its hard to tell what they have in there unless someone affixed a label to it..

I run a Pink stuff in my DEV thats called Fleet-charge, its a Pre-charged SCA coolant but doesnt maintain itself.. so i use a precharged Coolant filter which time releases the additive into the coolant.. a good indicator of what you may have would be t osee if you can grab a number off of your coolant filter.. if you have an ELC coolant in there it should be a 'non chemical' filter, if its a pre-charged coolant then the filter should reference back to one that is a 'chemical' release filter..

Navistar CLAIMS that any engine built before 02/99 should not get ELC coolant due to supposed incompatibility with the injector cups (or something like that).. ENGINE serial numbers less than 940,xxx i think...

I have no idea how true it is.. it could be CYA...

its hard to figure out what someone else put in an engine if its not green as there are dozens of brands of various coolants..

the Plain green stuff with proper additives is an easy bet however only rated at 15,000 miles between changes.. but its cheap and easy.. green stuff, additive till it tests good then a chemical coolant filter and forget about it for 15k miles..

it just so happened that a video got produced literally the day I was trying to decide what coolants to get last week..



-Christopher
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Old 04-18-2017, 05:49 PM   #149
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First time using the lift in the real world, today. SHaun's dishwasher took a crap, so we went and got him a new one. Man, they build appliances like GARBAGE these days!
Lift sure was handy.

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Old 04-18-2017, 07:18 PM   #150
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First time using the lift in the real world, today. SHaun's dishwasher took a crap, so we went and got him a new one. Man, they build appliances like GARBAGE these days!
Lift sure was handy.


How much room do the lifts take up inside Charlie? ... never been in a skoolie with one.

Could of used one the other day to take my empties back.
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Old 04-18-2017, 07:42 PM   #151
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Doesn't take up much room at all it folds itself up rather nicely.
not my bus but similar setup-
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Old 04-18-2017, 07:46 PM   #152
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Next up on the maintenance list- greasing the chassis. Got a hf air powered grease gun!
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Old 04-18-2017, 08:12 PM   #153
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that rocks!!! show up at the sotre and hoist the DW into the bus!!.. thats a Big thumbs up in the 'Daily driver Bus' category!!!
-Christopher
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Old 04-18-2017, 10:29 PM   #154
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Hmm... I just found out we have $50 in starbucks gift cards that have been accumulating. We may have to jump on this bus at starbucks trend.

#starbus
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Old 04-18-2017, 10:34 PM   #155
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So it turns out that International offered the 3406 in their s-series chassis. And when I was looking at parts online yesterday I noticed something odd- They list the Cat 3406 as an engine option for my 1998 3800.
Maybe its not as crazy as I thought!?
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Old 04-18-2017, 11:25 PM   #156
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going to need stronger front springs ;)
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Old 04-18-2017, 11:36 PM   #157
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going to need stronger front springs ;)
Yeah that's a given.
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Old 04-22-2017, 12:20 AM   #158
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I think the 3800 is just a renamed S-1800 when they changed the nose.

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Old 04-22-2017, 07:17 AM   #159
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I think the 3800 is just a renamed S-1800 when they changed the nose.

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pretty much. Stout chassis.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intern..._(bus_chassis)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intern...ester_S-Series
pretty cool, all the different engines that went into these things!
Quote:
Powertrain[edit]
Model[f] Displacement Type[g] Power Torque
V-345 345 cu in (5.7 l) G V8 197 hp (147 kW) 309 lb·ft (419 N·m)
V-392 392 cu in (6.4 l) G V8 236 hp (176 kW)
MV-404 404 cu in (6.6 l) G V8 210 hp (160 kW) 336 lb·ft (456 N·m)
MV-446 446 cu in (7.3 l) G V8 235 hp (175 kW)
D-190 549 cu in (9.0 l) D V8 190 hp (140 kW) 340 lb·ft (460 N·m)
IDI-420 420 cu in (6.9 l) D V8 170 hp (130 kW)
IDI-444 440 cu in (7.2 l) D V8 190 hp (140 kW) 388 lb·ft (526 N·m)
Cat 3208 636 cu in (10.4 l) D V8 210 hp (160 kW)
Cat 3406 893 cu in (14.6 l) D I6 380 hp (280 kW)
Cum NTC-350 855 cu in (14.0 l) D I6 350 hp (260 kW)
Cum M11 659 cu in (10.8 l) D I6 500 hp (370 kW) 1,550 lb·ft (2,100 N·m)
DD 6-71 426 cu in (7.0 l) D I6 230 hp (170 kW)
DD 6V-92 552 cu in (9.0 l) D V6 335 hp (250 kW)
DD 8V-92 736 cu in (12.1 l) D V8 400 hp (300 kW)
That 3406 shorty isn't such a wild idea after all!
If 3208's were put into so many FE school buses a 3406 shouldn't be too bad, weight-wise. the six is gonna be longer, of course. But I'm thinking CE with a cutout and custom doghouse like FE buses or Thomas Vistas would take care of that.
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Old 04-22-2017, 10:40 PM   #160
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Chris, John- the wipers worked amazingly tonight. we put new blades on it after Chris came over and fixed it. We also went crazy with Rain-x on the windshield and driver window. Sure worked GREAT!
Temp gauge stayed at 180-210 on the way there. Slightly under 180 the entire ride back except one radical hill we pulled up doing 60.
I love driving it!
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