466E engine questions from a prospective buyer

[Salty Walty]

Hi everyone,

I believe this is the right area of the forum to ask this, but I have a few questions regarding the DT 466E engine and also the best engine that is likely to exist in the size of bus I'm looking for (8-9 window flat-nosed bus). I've done pretty extensive research up to this point and can't quite find the answers I'm looking for.


I'm looking at a 54 passenger 2003 IHC w/ DT 466E and Allison 2000. Bus has around 225K miles and is being sold by a school system. I know the mechanical 466 (along with the Cummins 8.3) is the gold standard, but they seem few and far between. Further, I don't know how likely I'll see either in a bus this size. I posted about the 466E somewhere else and got a little spooked about cavitation. My questions are:

1) How likely is it to see a mechanical DT 466 or Cummins 8.3 in a smaller mid-sized bus (8-9 windows)?

2) How frequently are skoolie owners actually dealing with cavitation due to improper coolant use in the 466Es?

3) I know the 466E comes in a variety of horsepower. Any insight into this year/configuration or would one need to see the more specific engine specs? Any good gut guesses on max speed given the information provided?

4) The mechanical engines seem to go on forever but I don't see as much consensus about the electronic 466Es. Is this too mileage heavy (no hours of use available) if the plan is to do a fair amount of driving?

The person answering emails for the seller isn't the most informed and further isn't able to provide service history via email, so I'm flying a little blind. Pictures and location seem to suggest decent upkeep with minimal road salt.

Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you.

[o1marc]

I think the DT466 is one of the 2 best engines to have, the 8.3 being the other. I hear good things about DT530, but have no experience. Mine is back with an Allison 3060 and I have had it to 90mph in 5th, bet it would do 100. I've not heard the cavitation issue as being prevalent. I think you'd more likely find the 466 in that size bus more often than the 8.3. Mine is one of the lower HP versions and it has enough that I don't crave more horsepower. Mine has 252k and I'm not concerned about the mileage figure at all. Good for another 250k if taken care of. Just make sure your DT466 isn't backed with an Allison AT545.

[EastCoastCB]

0% likely its a mechanical DT. You're correct that the "e" engines aren't quite as good as the old mechanical units.
The "E" is an ok engine. As good as any other engine, better than many. The coolant is a real bastard on them, and if its not maintained 100% it can lead to all sorts of not fun problems. Most schools take good care of stuff. The one that I got my 2003 from did not. I had a failed timing cover set. If that happens its easier/cheaper to replace the engine than it is to fix it.

[Salty Walty]

Thank you for the feedback. 01marc, do you have a mechanical 466 or a 466E? Internet opinion is that the mechanical 466 rivals the Cummins 8.3, and that once the 466 became the 466E it becomes less desirable the newer it is, with 2003 being the last year some people will vouch for them.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Salty Walty

Thank you for the feedback. 01marc, do you have a mechanical 466 or a 466E? Internet opinion is that the mechanical 466 rivals the Cummins 8.3, and that once the 466 became the 466E it becomes less desirable the newer it is, with 2003 being the last year some people will vouch for them.

Mine is an E. As far as less desirable than a non E I think is negligible. There weren't issues with the electronic motors till after 03.