International Problems? Ask me! - Page 6

YankeeDespot · 03-28-2020, 03:45 PM

Here’s one. I have 1988 S1800 dt466 that runs great. I lost 5 gallons of antifreeze removing rear heater. The coolant reservoir says OAT coolant. At my local Advance, they said mine should be pink, but it’s green. Anyway, what antifreeze can I use to refill, or should I drain system and start fresh? Thanks a lot for offering to help.
Doug

EastCoastCB · 03-28-2020, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YankeeDespot

Here’s one. I have 1988 S1800 dt466 that runs great. I lost 5 gallons of antifreeze removing rear heater. The coolant reservoir says OAT coolant. At my local Advance, they said mine should be pink, but it’s green. Anyway, what antifreeze can I use to refill, or should I drain system and start fresh? Thanks a lot for offering to help.
Doug

Green is fine. Just gotta get test strips and make sure its up to snuff.

flavin · 04-05-2020, 08:43 PM

Hello, I just bought a 2003 International with the T444E V8. I'm trying to get the thing road ready but the bus has been sitting for several years. Engine is running smooth with a few fuel filter changes but I'm having an issue with the throttle. I am able to drive the bus at low speed up to say 10-15,000 rpm (gauges are offline currently) and then the accelerator cuts out suddenly. The engine returns to idle but continues to run with no problems. If i turn the engine off and restart I get control of the throttle once again...until I push it past the rev limit. It looks like a sensor to me, just trying to figure out what that might be. I ordered a new TPS and will be putting that in as a first step to see if the old one was faulty..I guess these sensors have an idle validation switch is it possible there is an issue with this? Other things I have been told are possible issues with cam position sensor or ICP. Any thoughts?

Booyah45828 · 04-06-2020, 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flavin

Hello, I just bought a 2003 International with the T444E V8. I'm trying to get the thing road ready but the bus has been sitting for several years. Engine is running smooth with a few fuel filter changes but I'm having an issue with the throttle. I am able to drive the bus at low speed up to say 10-15,000 rpm (gauges are offline currently) and then the accelerator cuts out suddenly. The engine returns to idle but continues to run with no problems. If i turn the engine off and restart I get control of the throttle once again...until I push it past the rev limit. It looks like a sensor to me, just trying to figure out what that might be. I ordered a new TPS and will be putting that in as a first step to see if the old one was faulty..I guess these sensors have an idle validation switch is it possible there is an issue with this? Other things I have been told are possible issues with cam position sensor or ICP. Any thoughts?

If you're having issues like that, there should be fault codes that a person could read from the ecm that would help in diagnosing the issue. That's where I would have started.

flavin · 04-06-2020, 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Booyah45828

If you're having issues like that, there should be fault codes that a person could read from the ecm that would help in diagnosing the issue. That's where I would have started.

Dont have access to diagnostic tool currently. Attempted manual self-diagnostic sequence on the dash but did not receive any information from the instrument panel. As of today I am also getting a transmission light and the engine no longer cranks. Tranny fluid is low, will try topping that off to start.

dragonbus · 04-14-2020, 07:00 PM

Hello there! I'm new here. It's been a dream of mine for awhile to convert a skoolie into a dragon bus and travel around for an educational program I am developing for kids. I've been keeping an eye out for a bus to buy, and I found what seems like a deal about 7 hours from me. A 1991 Bluebird International - it is currently not running because a head gasket is blown. The person selling has the parts. And the bus is already half way redone which is nice - already has a floor, insulation and basic sleeping, cooking set up inside. The owner says before the head gasket went it ran well and that it could drive cross country if the head gasket were fixed and had new fluids. It's currently parked at an rv park. The asking price is low.

Could this be fixed on location? Or would it have to be towed to a local mechanic? And any idea how much that runs? I tried looking it up, could be around $1,000 - 2000? I unfortunately have no mechanic friends to help me do the labor. Any additional information is helpful in my decision to purchase.

Thank you!

BlackJohn · 04-14-2020, 08:56 PM

Get an exact parts list of what the owner says he has or needs. Likely incomplete so find out now.

Post it here along with engine type, bus type etc. Folks here know ballpark figures pretty well and time estimates etc. They will give you the play by play of it. Also a good project to learn some diesel wrenching.
Find out where to tow it too and how much for that also.

How much does he want as is?

John

Booyah45828 · 04-14-2020, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonbus

Hello there! I'm new here. It's been a dream of mine for awhile to convert a skoolie into a dragon bus and travel around for an educational program I am developing for kids. I've been keeping an eye out for a bus to buy, and I found what seems like a deal about 7 hours from me. A 1991 Bluebird International - it is currently not running because a head gasket is blown. The person selling has the parts. And the bus is already half way redone which is nice - already has a floor, insulation and basic sleeping, cooking set up inside. The owner says before the head gasket went it ran well and that it could drive cross country if the head gasket were fixed and had new fluids. It's currently parked at an rv park. The asking price is low.

Could this be fixed on location? Or would it have to be towed to a local mechanic? And any idea how much that runs? I tried looking it up, could be around $1,000 - 2000? I unfortunately have no mechanic friends to help me do the labor. Any additional information is helpful in my decision to purchase.

Thank you!

It's likely fixable on location, so long as the RV park is cool with it.

The biggest issue is that if it isn't a headgasket, are you willing to lose the purchase price if it isn't repairable? Because towing and mechanics aren't cheap. Are you going to try and do the work yourself?

cowlitzcoach · 04-15-2020, 03:09 PM

I would skip it and find something else.

I could see the cost of fixing a non-runner fast exceeding the cost of purchasing a different bus that runs.

NfiniteMile · 05-21-2020, 02:43 AM

I Have A 1984 International S1753 And Im Having Trouble Finding The Proper Engine Oil For My Vehicle. Can So wine Point Me In The Right Direction?

cowlitzcoach · 05-21-2020, 03:54 AM

If all sort of depends upon which engine you have in your S1753.

If it is a diesel any good high detergent heavy duty 15W-40 oil like Chevron Delo 400, Mobil DelVac, Shell Rotella, Texaco Ursa, etc would do really well for you. Just do not use any of the newer formulations that are emissions compliant as the newer formulations do not have the zinc and phosphorous (ZDDP) your older engine requires.

NfiniteMile · 05-21-2020, 03:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowlitzcoach

If all sort of depends upon which engine you have in your S1753.

If it is a diesel any good high detergent heavy duty 15W-40 oil like Chevron Delo 400, Mobil DelVac, Shell Rotella, Texaco Ursa, etc would do really well for you. Just do not use any of the newer formulations that are emissions compliant as the newer formulations do not have the zinc and phosphorous (ZDDP) your older engine requires.

I Have The 420 Cubic Inch 6.9L

Booyah45828 · 05-21-2020, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NfiniteMile

I Have The 420 Cubic Inch 6.9L

Then, like cowlitz said, any high detergent diesel engine rated 15w40 should suffice.

The high detergent and diesel engine rated part is important. For some odd reason, the old idi engines love to push soot into the oil. So a good conventional oil along with frequent changes are recommended. No need to use an expensive synthetic, you should change it long before you'll see a benefit from the better oil.

Also, I assume your changing the filter too, You can use a 7.3 powerstroke filter and gain an extra quart of oil capacity and better filtration. It's a little tighter near the oil pan then the stock filter, but it will still fit.

That's what I use on my 6.9, a napa #1734 oil filter.

cadillackid · 05-21-2020, 09:05 AM

on my diesels I do oil changes every 6000 miles.. i change the filters every 3000.. I use standard 15W40 Rotella T4 oil .. I like keeping fresh filters on the engines...

FijiWiji · 07-09-2020, 01:47 PM

Hey all, bit of a lurker here.

Own a 2004 IC with a DT466E.
Purchased Sept 2019
126k Miles
4.6k Hours (edit)

Problem: Road Draft tube started pouring grey sludge. Checked Dipstick and it was soaking wet with coolant near top and oil was complete sludge.

Background:
Performed oil change and coolant top off the same time about 9 months ago. Drained Oil, replaced the filter, and topped with fresh oil. The coolant was already very low. Topped off with fresh coolant.
Only driven ~75 miles since the change.

Oil Pressure Is normal during idle and mid-high RPM.
Temp gauge shows normal as well. (this may or may not work correctly. Haven't tested yet but most of the time I do see it adjust accordingly)

Called 2 mechanics and they both said Head Gasket and roughly $4-5k to repair.

My Skill: I've never torn down an engine, but I'm quite handy and can read a manual.

What can I do to determine if it is in fact a head gasket or test for other faults?

EastCoastCB · 07-09-2020, 01:59 PM

could be head gasket or liner seals. If the bus REALLY has 46k hours its almost certainly very tired and probably in need of a rebuild. 46k hours is a whole lot. That would be the most I've ever heard of on a school bus.

FijiWiji · 07-09-2020, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

could be head gasket or liner seals. If the bus REALLY has 46k hours its almost certainly very tired and probably in need of a rebuild. 46k hours is a whole lot. That would be the most I've ever heard of on a school bus.

Sorry, Typo, 4.6k hours

cadillackid · 07-09-2020, 04:24 PM

the fact the coolant was already low is the clue here.. it either was already leaking into the oil or the bus had overheated (if it was run with very low coolant).. which in turn can ruin the liner seals.. if there is also oil mixing into the coolant then the oil cooler is a good bet to look at.. if the coolant is clean then you need to drop the pan and pressurize the system.. look for leaks coming from around the outside of the liners (liner seal leak).. or coolant dripping from inside the liners (coolant in the cylinder indicating head gassket / cracked head).

MichaelStuart74 · 08-20-2020, 10:20 AM

Hello kijanakiume,

We've got a 2006 DT466e RE with some mean squeal going on. I have given my local International shop a couple of attempts at solving and they seem to have exhausted their ideas. Originally, the sharpest squeal was from right at the water pump. Upon removal, the water pump seemed smooth, the tiniest of bearing noise, replaced it and all belts. Squeal eliminated, but only for a few hours before it was back to being loud again. All of the bearings in the pulleys make no noise and seem smooth with no play. We replaced a couple of the pulleys and tested the remainder. No change. New tensioner. No change. Spraying a little water onto the underside (backside, non-groove side) of the belt ceases all of the squeal until it dries out (5 seconds later). What's going on here???

Booyah45828 · 08-20-2020, 10:33 AM

kijanakiume hasn't been active on here since 2015. He only posted twice as well, so slim chance he'll get back with you.

If you have a new belt and tensioner and still have belt squeal, one of the the pulleys is not spinning concentric, or is out of alignment. Spraying water is a dead giveaway to that, and the fact that it does it on the smooth side of the belt shows it's likely one of the smooth pulleys that's the problem. Eyeball them all and make sure they are in alignment, if you can't find one that is obviously bad, you can use a laser alignment tool and check it that way.

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