cut my losses and buy another bus?

[Sailnorth]

bought a Florida bus:
2005 IC CE-300, 6 windows-23 ft long. engine DT466E AND ALLISON 2000.--232k miles.
Invested already $2500

here is my dilema: the engine had a funny noise, i thought it was an injector, took the cover off and found a bigger issue quite common on these engines, two bended pushrods....ouch. I figure the cost to repair, remove head and all

Options:

1. rebuild existing engine- will run me app. $3-5 k... (rebuild engine) will bring peace of mind
2. buy used engine and do a swap---$3-5 k ...cross fingers the engine is good....risky
3. scrap current bus and find another one
i would appreciate your feedback

 

[Placeholder Bus Name]

I feel your pain and we're in a similar conundrum with out bus. The price to repair what is need far exceeds what it would cost to just,... buy a better bus.

It's sucks, but we're heavily leaning toward buying another bus and just cutting our losses. Or biggest hurdle is what do we do with the current bus.


There's always a better bus out there...

 

[BeNimble]

If you buy another bus, there is nothing to say it won't go bad too.
$3k seems real cheap to rebuild the engine, is that just fixing it, and you remove it?

 

[ewo1]

bought a Florida bus:
2005 IC CE-300, 6 windows-23 ft long. engine DT466E AND ALLISON 2000.--232k miles.
Invested already $2500

here is my dilema: the engine had a funny noise, i thought it was an injector, took the cover off and found a bigger issue quite common on these engines, two bended pushrods....ouch. I figure the cost to repair, remove head and all

Options:

1. rebuild existing engine- will run me app. $3-5 k... (rebuild engine) will bring peace of mind
2. buy used engine and do a swap---$3-5 k ...cross fingers the engine is good....risky
3. scrap current bus and find another one
i would appreciate your feedback

If you have some basic wrenching skills and a place to do the work, I would go ahead and rebuild the engine!

You can do the repairs low budget, just replace the two bent rods OR do a full in-frame re-build.

The other side of that coin, money...

If you sell your bus the way it is, what can you get... $1,000 maybe ???
leave you with a negative $1,500.

Buy another bus and hope it is all good... $2,500 ish maybe ??

that means your into it for about $4,000 and you don't really know how good that other motor will be.

So your into it for $2,500 and a rebuild might cost $,3000 (ish) that gets you to around $5,500 invested with a fresh motor to boot!

Selling the old bus and buying another bus, your gonna be into it for around $4,000 (ish).

So if you look at it from just the numbers perspective, you'll spend about $1,000 more keeping your bus with a fresh engine than buying another bus with an unknown engine where you will have to hope and pray for the best!

I am over simplifying this yes indeed but sometimes we humans make things too difficult for our own good.
:marshmallow:

 

[Sailnorth]

you guys make a lot of sense.
ewo's numbers and logic are pretty convincing.

A big thank you from Hialeah-Florida!

 

[Danjo-SKO]

How’s the body, is it rust free? If you have some mechanical skills, I’d hitch up my britches and rebuild it myself.

 

[cadillackid]

itds a DT466E.. one of the beauties of a DT466 based enginbe is that its inframe-able.. chances are the lifter bore will be fine..



if you have a place to work on it, in frame it.. now then you will have a known quantity. and engine with fresh bearings.. NEW LIFTERS! new pushrods, new pistoms, new rings.. send the head out to a shop to have it's valves checked and worked..



you can also use the opportunity to fix up anything else too.. new belts.. check the idlers, the air compressor, the A/C (if equipped) compressors, the radiator, turbo pipe boots, turbo, etc.. all can be inspected..



the result is a real runner ready to trek the country...



*NOW* if your plan for a bus is just to park it and be a stationary tiny home 99% of the time or an occasional RV trip to the lake and back 100 miles a few times a year then it makes most since to scrap it and get another one...


most people are building these to trek and explore many miles and terrains..
-Christopher

 

[Dixon M]

I am in sort of the same situation but with a box truck on a freightliner chassis with a cummins I was so deep into the truck money wise I decided to pulled the motor and am in the process of rebuilding it. Thankfully I am an outboard mechanic by trade and I have worked on busses and over the road trucks in the late 90s up in Alaska so I had some idea of what I was getting into.
I also looked for used motors but all of them had over 200,000 miles on them and there is no guarantee it would work and I was not willing to gamble multiple engine swaps and cash for that so I am rebuilding it and upgrading as much as my wallet will allow me to. I wish you well with your decision.

 

[Sehnsucht-SKO]

With 230k miles I think you were bound to end up rebuilding the engine sooner rather than later anyhow so I'd look at it as at least you're getting that out of the way at the outset and it's one less thing to worry about down the road. I think I'd feel much worse if I spent a year or two building my interior only to blow the engine first time out and be stranded as well as underfunded to obtain the necessary repairs. At least at this point you're only asking about $1k cost comparison whereas in the previous scenario you're at risk of losing your entire investment both time and money. Just my perspective on it

 

[ewo1]

you guys make a lot of sense.
ewo's numbers and logic are pretty convincing.

A big thank you from Hialeah-Florida!

YO HIALEAH ----I'm in Cutler Bay!

 

[Peterjk]

I would agree with the general consensus, just rebuild the motor. You will probably have to do it anyway later. I recently purchased a Thomas C7 for 7k. Ive already spent 7 k on engine preventative maintenance work, and I haven't taken delivery of the bus yet. Im a gear head, so i know the value of maintaining an engine, I've never ever broken down as a result. So, my opinion, is, if you like your bus, then love your engine, rebuild it. My C7 would cost about 6k if I had to, and Id do it if I had a similar requirement. Hope this helps.

 

[rjheaton@aol.com]

Rebuild it, then you have a reliable engine

 

[DJKAS]

If the rest of the bus is in good condition, rebuild it. Your next one might have a bad transmission or thousands of dollars in brakes and tires. When you buy anything used you take a chance, and buses can hide a lot of stuff. So, rebuild and you know you have good engine, build your bus and enjoy. You will have peace of mind for years to come.

 

[vintageracer]

Just remember you did not "Invest" $2500 you SPENT $2500!

Sell it for what you can git, take you lumps, pay your stupid tax and go buy a better bus with what you have learned from this failed expenditure.

 

[joeblack5]

Not sure why two pushrods are bent. ..over speeding..floating valves? If the valves are working why not straighten the rods and give it a try.. Do a compression check and see where you are.
Johan

 

[Sp6saz]

Do what works for you. You know your abilities and situation better than anyone.

 

[peteg59]

Replace the pushrods then evaluate what you've got? Maybe you'll dodge the proverbial bullet and have a decent running bus afterward?

Long term it would be wise to do as others suggest, and rebuild the engine if you're planning on using it much.

Think about it, you'd be into it for somewhere between $6~7K total including the initial cost moneywise with a fresh engine.
Not many busses out there with a freshly rebuilt engine in that price range.

Good luck on your decision...

 

[RossRollingHomes]

bought a Florida bus:
2005 IC CE-300, 6 windows-23 ft long. engine DT466E AND ALLISON 2000.--232k miles.
Invested already $2500

here is my dilema: the engine had a funny noise, i thought it was an injector, took the cover off and found a bigger issue quite common on these engines, two bended pushrods....ouch. I figure the cost to repair, remove head and all

Options:

1. rebuild existing engine- will run me app. $3-5 k... (rebuild engine) will bring peace of mind
2. buy used engine and do a swap---$3-5 k ...cross fingers the engine is good....risky
3. scrap current bus and find another one
i would appreciate your feedback

For me the most important thing is to build off a solid platform. Number one would be rust free. Number two no frame or body damage and number three would be well maintained mechanical systems. I buy my busses recently retired from school districts. I know they’ve been looked after and certified right up until the end. I pay a premium because it’s worth it to me to have a rust free bus. Too much time, money and work goes into this to not have it solid to begin with. I’ve read of folks paying less but then spending more in the end. If you are looking for a bus as I have described I can help. I don’t make any money or commission. I have a great working relationship with an authorized dealer nearby and can put you in touch.

 

[ericj-SKO]

dt-466

not sure if you're still working on this...but...

what the other guy meant to say is....the dt-466 is THE ONLY engine that you do not have to remove, to overhaul! (in frame repair)
the cylinders are called "wet cylinders" and can be removed without removing the engine as well. (if needbe)

you may want to just buy a cheap rusty bus, pull the motor for parts, if you need other items. (parts aren't cheap either)

 

[Rock-N-Ruth]

bought a Florida bus:
2005 IC CE-300, 6 windows-23 ft long. engine DT466E AND ALLISON 2000.--232k miles.
Invested already $2500

here is my dilema: the engine had a funny noise, i thought it was an injector, took the cover off and found a bigger issue quite common on these engines, two bended pushrods....ouch. I figure the cost to repair, remove head and all

Options:

1. rebuild existing engine- will run me app. $3-5 k... (rebuild engine) will bring peace of mind
2. buy used engine and do a swap---$3-5 k ...cross fingers the engine is good....risky
3. scrap current bus and find another one
i would appreciate your feedback

Bent pushrod should not require an engine rebuild. You should not even have to remove the head. Get a second opinion regarding the repair cost. Even if you have to replace a couple of collapsed lifters as well as the push rods you should not be anywhere near 3 grand. This is work anyone who can identify a socket wrench can do with a service manual in hand.