Best engine to run ragged

[SolomonEagle]

I know that this title is going to make some people squirm, I am curious though, for those who will admit it, what engine/drivetrain you have just flat out abused and has kept on running for you? In an ideal world, and as I exercise my adult skills, I keep my bus in top working order and replace parts before they leave me stranded. Many people immersed in bus culture just don't have that option. For many a fellow skoolie, our vehicles driven with crossed fingers and are operating on a wing and a prayer. I can say that in years past, I have abused the hell out of the 5.9 Cummins 12v in my Dodge trucks. They get worked hard and often I don't have the needed.money to keep them maintained properly. The have been run with leaking water pumps/low coolant/ way dirty oil for a long time and have never let me down. Now, do I expect those engines to last a million miles?..hell no. They get the job done time and time again though And have never let me down. Please don't judge me lol

[banman]

As an acft mechanic I just can't relate...

You did specify engine though so this (at least) implies you don't treat brakes and suspension with the same laissez-faire...

[SolomonEagle]

I have also seen some tough old v8 gas engines. My neighbor has a bus with a Brazilian 6.6 in it. Every few years I go up and start it for her so she can move it around her property. This thing still has all the fluids in it that we're there when we picked it up a decade ago..always starts and runs like a top. Though I love international dt's I feel that with there wet sleeve design they wouldn't put up with overheating or old coolant very well I imagine.2¢

[SolomonEagle]

Originally Posted by banman

As an acft mechanic I just can't relate...

You did specify engine though so this (at least) implies you don't treat brakes and suspension with the same laissez-faire...

As an aircraft mechanic I fully expect you to be my biggest critic lol. Reality is that many people operate on sub standard mechanical maintenance due to extreemly limited budgets and, though I don't generally recommend anyone drive any vehicle like this and fully support gaining mechanical knowledge for said projects, many people don't have much a choice.. maybe I just see.it more because I live out west. There are many colors to the skoolie rainbow and I'm enjoying bringing light to some often unasked questions;)

[cadillackid]

im going to say that the 6BT mechanical cummins 5.9 is a pretty durable engine.. but really all diesels are subject to being easily damaged from even one over-heat condition...



good ole fashioned Gasoline engines stand up to some pretty good abuse.. we dont find many of those in this boasrd obviouslty as 98% are diesels..


diesels - if you take flat out running out of oil or Overheating oiut of the equation then many of your mechanical units will stand up to some pretty harsh conditions.. Detroits took pretty good beatings being used in many heavy dump trucks and run hard.. CATs were used in off-road tractors and equipment and we know those conditions are tough ...



your electronic engines just arent going to do that.. and at least 75% of the people here are running an electronic engine of some sort... HEUI and common rail injectors / pumps dont like dirty oil, poor fuel filters and the like..



unkept coolant on any of the older Pre Extended-life-coolant diesels is an issue due to cavitation..





what im tryign to say is that if you are going to run rough-shot with your diesel bus then expect it to Break... it cost money to travel the country.. thats just a fact...


if maintaining the bus isnt your style. then I would seriously rethink.. and maybe a pickup with camper or an Older Van / step van with good ole ford and chevy small block gas engines is the direction to take... THOSE engines could take much more abuse than most any of the diesels that new skoolies are likely to buy..

-Christopher

[SolomonEagle]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

im going to say that the 6BT mechanical cummins 5.9 is a pretty durable engine.. but really all diesels are subject to being easily damaged from even one over-heat condition...



good ole fashioned Gasoline engines stand up to some pretty good abuse.. we dont find many of those in this boasrd obviouslty as 98% are diesels..


diesels - if you take flat out running out of oil or Overheating oiut of the equation then many of your mechanical units will stand up to some pretty harsh conditions.. Detroits took pretty good beatings being used in many heavy dump trucks and run hard.. CATs were used in off-road tractors and equipment and we know those conditions are tough ...



your electronic engines just arent going to do that.. and at least 75% of the people here are running an electronic engine of some sort... HEUI and common rail injectors / pumps dont like dirty oil, poor fuel filters and the like..



unkept coolant on any of the older Pre Extended-life-coolant diesels is an issue due to cavitation..





what im tryign to say is that if you are going to run rough-shot with your diesel bus then expect it to Break... it cost money to travel the country.. thats just a fact...


if maintaining the bus isnt your style. then I would seriously rethink.. and maybe a pickup with camper or an Older Van / step van with good ole ford and chevy small block gas engines is the direction to take... THOSE engines could take much more abuse than most any of the diesels that new skoolies are likely to buy..

-Christopher

I agree! What's keeping me off the road currently is the cost of re shoeing the bus! Tires are pretty damn expensive and it takes some heavy tools to do the job. Pickups and van buses are a lot cheaper to maintain in that respect.

[SolomonEagle]

I think it's fair to say that any wet sleeve engine is going to be more susceptible to overheating and neglect than a parent bore engine.the vital seals between the sleeves and the block I believe are a weak point in this regard. Replacing a head gasket and water pump is usually a lot easier than replacing/rebuilding an engine..though the ability to rebuild inframe is pretty sweet. Also let it be noted that, assuming you can get to it, the 12v water pump is a 2 bolt flange and one of the easiest to replace I have ever encountered.

[banman]

Originally Posted by SolomonEagle

As an aircraft mechanic I fully expect you to be my biggest critic lol. Reality is that many people operate on sub standard mechanical maintenance due to extreemly limited budgets and, though I don't generally recommend anyone drive any vehicle like this and fully support gaining mechanical knowledge for said projects, many people don't have much a choice.. maybe I just see.it more because I live out west. There are many colors to the skoolie rainbow and I'm enjoying bringing light to some often unasked questions;)

You're welcome.

I've used more than my fair share of duct tape and bailing wire (100 mile n' hour tape and safety wire too!) to get something home but...

The cost of a tow truck for a big bus and the likely hood of doing greater damage for "pushin' it" just isn't good economics to me anymore...

On the other, other hand -- I will probably get a transmission oil sample sent to a lab before I change the several gallons of fluid currently there. If the lab says it's good -- I'll keep it even though I suspect it's been in there since 2014 or more... (of course the lab test will also give me a clue about wear metal in my oil & thus how the tranny's been treated over the years...)

[Ronnie]

Mine get lots of maintenance and synthetic oil, but I do run all out, often pulling heavy loads, so foot on the floor. Never had any trouble out of a 5.9 cummins, and International gas engines, 304 and 345. The 392 well not so good in the early years, best to run away from them unless you have an improved cooling one, which I think was in 1974 and after.

The old 2 cycle detroits really should be run hard, keep the rpms up and let um scream.

[Mekanic]

I have a 1989 F-SUPERDUTY (F-450) with the old 7.3 IDI diesel. It was bought in 94 with 05K on odo (105K?,....205K?) It is a rollback towtruck. I honestly do not know the miles on it now. 500K?? it has had a remaned injection pump once... and water pump once ,...other than that nothing.

The old 7.3 IDIs Are just like a Timex watch.

[Johnny Mullet]

As far as a beat diesel goes the 7.3L IDI or Powerstroke is a win. I seen many of these still running even after the truck rotted away and was driven to the junkyard. Many went from road or commercial use and ended up plow or farm trucks as they finished their life span.

[Brad_SwiftFur]

At risk of going off course, I think the one engine that I abused more than anything and it never failed to get me home was an old '73 Dodge D100 pickup with a slant-6 in it. It was no powerhouse by any means, and I hauled railroad ties with it for a few years (overloaded) but it always got me where I was going and back home afterwards.

[EastCoastCB]

IHC 345 was one of the toughest engines I've ever had in anything. My mechanical DT466 was a beast as far as the buses I've had.

[cadillackid]

to me all the gasoline IH engines (except the early 392) were designed to be run hard.. however at low RPMs.. esp the 392.. you can run em foot to the floor but just dont rev them high....

[vintageracer]

The "Best Engine To Run Ragged" was in the bus you just SOLD!

[wrenchtech]

A lot of people rag on the caterpillar C7 and love the Cummins 5.9, but I have noticed that the C7 has a B50 life expectancy of 500k miles while the 5.9 is at 325k miles.

[SolomonEagle]

Originally Posted by wrenchtech

A lot of people rag on the caterpillar C7 and love the Cummins 5.9, but I have noticed that the C7 has a B50 life expectancy of 500k miles while the 5.9 is at 325k miles.

I think the general question is "which will run longer assuming you (almost) never change the oil?"

[cadillackid]

id vote that any common rail or HEUI engine is NOT the one to neglect changing the oil on..



remember B50 life isnt REAL data its what a manufacturer predicted the life expectancy to be...


-Christopher

[wrenchtech]

Good points from two of the smartest guys on this forum. Which reminds me, I should send in some oil and coolant samples for testing On my recently acquired C7 powered bus.

[banman]

Originally Posted by wrenchtech

Good points from two of the smartest guys on this forum. Which reminds me, I should send in some oil and coolant samples for testing On my recently acquired C7 powered bus.

Yes. I plan to send in an engine & trans oil sample when I get to being able to actually drive 30 min down the road and stir it all up.

Get a base line of how worn things are prior to my changing the oil. It will be a long time (years?)before I get enough miles to usefully test new oil.