8.2 L Detroit Diesel blown head gasket

[Nomadicfitness6]

Hey everyone,

So I was hoping for some advice on what to do in my current situation. I just drove my 1989 Thomas international from Virginia to Colorado Springs to start a job with wounded warrior project and my head gasket blew about 50 miles from Colorado Springs. A bit about my bus:

1989 Thomas international (GMC Chasis)
8.2 L Detroit Diesel
Not sure of the transmission but I’ll find out soon.

The mechanic recommended a new engine and I’ve been doing some reading in Skoolie and thedieselgarage and plan on calling area mechanics, bus service centers (school systems as well) and auto salvage yards.

From what I’ve read this happens often with the 8.2 L. Should i replace it completely with another 8.2 L? Go with at CAT 3208 or a DT466, I’ve seen some people mention? Or is there a way to repair the engine in its current state?

Was hoping maybe someone had a lead on a replacement part or engine in the Colorado Springs or Denver area.

Kevin Ives

 

[bluebird90]

First off, Please post pictures upright. Second, If the engine doesn't have many miles it may be worth doing a head job on it. If its high miles you may be better off replacing it or going to a different engine. Depends on how much time and money you have. These 8.2 dd engines have a strange following. Either you love it or hate it. I,m not fond of them and would lean towards a dt466 .

 

[Brad_SwiftFur]

I'm not a fan of the Cat 3208 engine. From what I've read, it was not well suited for school bus use; it was better suited for uses where it remained at operational temperature for long periods (12 hour shifts), not frequent start-up/shut-downs.

If the engine isn't otherwise in bad shape, it may behoove you to repair it. A swap (with a different style of engine) will be horribly expensive and time consuming. Installing a DT466 engine is very likely to require cutting of the firewall, as it is considerably longer than the 8.2. The transmission supports (if any) and driveshaft will need to be moved/shortened, respectively, and any wires/shifter may need to be lengthened. At what point does it become more feasible to simply buy a running bus with a DT466 already in it?

 

[cadillackid]

unbless the head is damaged or the engine was otherwise malfunctioning, id pull the head, replace the gaskets, do a valve job and be on the way. swapping t oa different engine is going to be custom.. and come with it the usual bugs of custom work to be performed, as well as the high cost of a non-native swap..

-Christopher

 

[meyermobile]

You might research a cummins v12.

I saw on another post someone with a similar situation. I've got a C60 Bus 8.2 DD also, so I'm preparing myself for the worst as I plan to travel from PA to KS this week...

My understanding is that this engine would give you lots of room to work with and would bolt to the A545? transmission. The V12 is the 5.9 Diesel 6cyl.

Keep us posted what you do.

-Lewis

 

[Whatthefak]

unbless the head is damaged or the engine was otherwise malfunctioning, id pull the head, replace the gaskets, do a valve job and be on the way. swapping t oa different engine is going to be custom.. and come with it the usual bugs of custom work to be performed, as well as the high cost of a non-native swap..

-Christopher

I'm with him!

I'm no bus mechanic but I'm pretty sure a different kind of engine won't be plug and play. Besides the fun of rewiring it may involve some coolant rerouting. A rebuild will probably be quicker and cheaper.

 

[meyermobile]

It seems you have the exact year and model as I do. This question is off-topic, but what size tank do you have? My gauge doesn’t work, so I keep Filling up about every 300 miles because my fuel tank goes below a quarter, Which I’m sure is wrong. Thanks.