ill have to make a few posts, the first will be of the outside of the rig, but I did some rust patrol today and will need the skinny on what to do with what I found, it to me doesnt look too bad but im a newbee at this so, give it to me strait guys,
i few more
2 more, I have to go pic up my son from school but when I come back ill post the other pics
Quote from: reelnative on March 11, 2010, 11:19:28 AM
I did some rust patrol today and will need the skinny on what to do with what I found, it to me doesnt look too bad but im a newbee at this so, give it to me strait guys,
Depends on where the rust is and how bad it is. More Details? Jack
PS: Sweet lookin' coach
Reelnative,
Can you gives us some info on it like:
What motor and transmission? How many miles? Any documentation
Looks great. It will be a fun project.
Kevin
HI rick its got 8v71n 34,000mi on a rebuild did 4 yrs ago, it has a 740 trans, and the a/c was changed over to 134a about 2yrs ago, 375,000 on the odo, those pics before were the nice ones now ill post some of the other ones.
the first pic is were it felt kinds raised up like there is rust under the vinal right were the window piller meets the dash, the rest of the dash feels good.
the sec pic is the first bay the only rust I could find was light surface rust on the latch, im sure some ospho and a repaint will fix that.
the first pic is the drivers area no rust and all the buttons and switches work, no jake brake tho.
the sec pic is the cabin no leaks and the floor is nice and solid, all the lights work, everything back there works
first pic is the center bay its about the same as the first with only surface rust on the lach.
the rear bay has a bit of rust behind the lach were the metal with the holes comes down, it looks like I could grind that off and ospho and repaint ?
the first pic is the front area of the pass side of the drive axle, all weel wells look like they have a fiberglass cover inside thats covered with undercoating, unless the tire rubbed then some of the coating is gone.
sec pic is the drivers side frnt axle area, only sone surface rust were the undercoating has come off.
I think that last pic was of the back weel well not the front.
first pic os of the bay from other side.
sec pic center bay from driver side
Looks like a nice straight bus, pretty clean ;D The dash does not look bad. I have some pictures of an MCI dash that looks bad, lol not mine though, Its a GMC they don't rust, :D ;D
Your bays look nice too!
Bryan
first pic is front bay from drivers side.
sec pic is of the 871
From what I see it looks a nice bus. If there is rust, it will be behind the walls above the stainless belt line, and behind the front skin under the windshields, from what I have been able to gather. But what you can see looks very good, IMHO.
Brian
that is a pic thru the drivers side acc on drivers side, the old girl deff has degreeser and some new green paint in her future.
sec pic is acces door open under drivers window.
Thanks bevans6 but im saving the best for last hahaha.
first pic is the fuse panal it still looks like new thank god.
sec pic is of the steering box looks like I have a leak or somthing looses here, its a bit wet
I agree it looks good. One place I didn't see a picture of was the radiator blower compartment. How does it look in there?
Bob
another pic of steering box.
sec pic is above steering box
thanks wildbob the blower and rad look good and the lovers work, ill take a pic of it and add it tomm.
first pic is under steering box.
sec pic is behind steering box
now for the worst part of the bus that I could find inside the spare tire area
more of the spare tire well and the front area, I dont know waht I was takin pic of so you guys tell me if its not bad bad or real bad, and also were elese to check
Quote from: reelnative on March 11, 2010, 01:36:35 PM
now for the worst part of the bus that I could find inside the spare tire area
I'm still looking for the bad part, let alone the worst part! ;)
;D BK ;D
Quote from: reelnative on March 11, 2010, 01:40:20 PM
more of the spare tire well and the front area, I dont know waht I was takin pic of so you guys tell me if its not bad bad or real bad, and also were elese to check
OK so maybe there is some bad, but definetely not as bad as some we have seen!
;D BK ;D
hahahaha thanks busted im getting to the rusty part now.
this pic I just pointed the camera up inside the spare tire well, so im not really sure were it is im thinking the front frame area on the pass side.
sec pic is the newer or rebuilt 134a a/c pump
well thats about all I could find on her guys,
how would you rate the old girl from 1 to 100 and were should I start first, I just had 4 sst screws put into my shoulder a few months back and the doc says I have to wait a few more months before I can start lifting cars and fat wemen, but I really have to get my hands on somthin.
the bus drives really good down the road, but it has the hyd assist steering should I try to see whats leaking on the steering box or just rip it out and go with the new style.
abd about that rust by the window piller in the front should I attack that or do other things first.
When people say "rust on a bus", they pretty much mean structural frame elements that you can remove with one hand, panels you can poke your finger through, suspension mounts waving in the breeze. What I've seen so far is a power wash, some of that rust converter of your choice, maybe some chipping at the worst bits, and some paint.
Along with the rust converter spray I use, I have had excellent results from zinc-rich cold galvanizing paint. It works a treat at preventing rust from reforming. It is not a very nice looking paint, I use it under the covers of things, on chassis, inside that spare tire compartment, and so on.
Truth be told, your bus looks about identical to mine underneath, and I am very happy with mine!
edit - you do have what looks like soft floor boards in the last pictures.
Brian
Score! Looks close to perfect. Now the fun begins.
Mike
thanks guys for the words of support, I have one last pic of behind the tire well, also on my first pic were its a vew from over the bus what is that little bump on the roof over the driver, is that were they had a gps or somthing.
Thanks Jack, Kwood, Bryanhes and loose nut for the kind words, im really happy that I bought her now, im gonna have to dig in and make it like new again
what would you pros say this bus is worth in its condition with the newer rebuilt v871n, and the a/c changed over to 134a, the tires are all in great shape also
Quote from: reelnative on March 11, 2010, 02:43:39 PM
what would you pros say this bus is worth in its condition with the newer rebuilt v871n, and the a/c changed over to 134a, the tires are all in great shape also
Worth is a relative word. Depends on what someone will or did pay for it (and who yer relative$ are ;)), but I'd say from the pics it is on the higher end of the scale for a like shell.
One place we'd like to see pics of is the radiator/blower gear box area above the engine compartment. But I really don't expect to see surprises there either!
;D BK ;D
im heading out with the camera now be back in a few mins
here are the pics of the blower housing area,
I herd somewere that if your fans are sucking enought air thru your rads that the suction would hold your baseball cap to the grates when the bus was running, mine did that and then some, also when I drove it home my temp stayed around 160 165deg, that was a 50mi trip to my home from were it was sitting for 2yrs, the prev owner did start it up and drive it around a church parking lot about 1 time a month.
I just checked the seal around the fan door and they still bent and were plyable and the door shut very tightly
2 more
Quote from: reelnative on March 11, 2010, 03:46:40 PM
here are the pics of the blower housing area,
I herd somewere that if your fans are sucking enought air thru your rads that the suction would hold your baseball cap to the grates when the bus was running, mine did that and then some, also when I drove it home my temp stayed around 160 165deg, that was a 50mi trip to my home from were it was sitting for 2yrs, the prev owner did start it up and drive it around a church parking lot about 1 time a month.
I just checked the seal around the fan door and they still bent and were plyable and the door shut very tightly
OK all your pics REALLY looked good, even the one in the spare tire compartment with the minor rotted plywood flooring and minor rust issue!
Now this top picture here really tells the story! If you look at the brackets that hold the surge tank up there is NO RUST! This area is typically the worst and rustiest area you'll find because people selling a bus don't usually think to "dr" this area up as they sometimes do other areas! (not that anyone selling a bus would EVER do that! ;))
I can assure you that this bus is in great shape! Rust wise from the great pics you have taken and posted!
;D BK ;D
Now the gear box does show evidence of having had a leaky seal or more likely someone thought the filler plug with the little tab for a chain was a dipstick and way overfilled it!
(I have seen it numerous times!)
Look for a small sight glass in the lower left of the gearbox that when clean you can see what looks like folded foil.
Congratulations on a SUPERB /findbuy!
;D BK ;D
Thanks for the good word busted, now maby my wife will quit smacking me in the back of the head with her frying pan for buying a bus, one thing tho I will never be able to devulge what I really did pay for it because if I did you guys would burn me at the steak on the first get together we met at.
well I guess now the fun part starts, O one last thing the church I bought it from did have it dot cert last yr
Yep, I was expecting to see some rotten steel in the blower compartment. Don't see any. I'm with BK...looks like you done good.
Bob
Reel,
I would say $1 million, ;D lol
I always say it is worth whatever you are willing to pay and what the seller will take. In this economy you never know what kind of deal you will come across. If you are happy with what you paid thats all that matters ;D
With regard to the rust on the structure I would think you could scab weld a piece of flat steel across where the rust is for rigidity. (I dont know that you could cut it out, someone with knowledge of the MCI could let you know). After of course you treat the rust with POR 15 or whatever you prefer. Then seal it with a good paint.
HTH,
Bryan
I think me and mr ospho, and the cold gav spray are gonna become good friends
seriously. I think you have a good chassis, now you need to focus on the air systems and such, but at least one hurdle is past. good job!
Brian
hey Brian when you say air system what do you mean, the air pump pumps to 125psi from 0 it takes about 3min to get there, it has an alarm that stays on until it hits 90psi, i tested the brakes and it didnt even loose 1psi when brakes applied for a min, the pump comes on at 90psi when running and pumps the system back up to 125 in about 45sec, all of the air bags look very good, and the pump for the a/c has been changed over to 134a and blows cold, is there anything I missed about the air system or do I need to change out the system that is in place, it seemed to ride very smooth on its 50mi trip home
I was thinking that my first thing would be to start taking out the 40million seats that are in there and then check out the wiring in the bus.
were does someone get the parts to do the skinning over the windows, or is there places that do that for you, ive seen some really cool looking mci s with that done to them in here
Reel - Fortunately for you - you have no idea what is RUSTY in busworld - you can sleep well - whether through skill or luck you've ended up with a keeper - look back through the archives and you'll see how bad it can be - Welcome and good luck (not necessary since you seem to already have it) - FWIW
I recommend that you take an air brake course, to learn all about the air systems, but to be honest what you said is most of a normal daily pre-trip check, and it passed with flying colours. The proper check for compressor recovery is fan the brakes down to 80 psi, engine running at 900 rpm or high idle, and time how long it takes to get from 85 psi to 100 psi. the proper check for air loss is 10 lbs in 10 minutes, bus off, and 3 psi in one minute, full brake application, engine off. Have a mechanic check the brake slack adjusters and show you how to do it, you need to check that regularly as well.
Like everyone else, I think you have a winner.
Brian
hahahaha thanks Brian, yea I have owned 4 dump trucks and other hvy eqp, I have a class a cdl with air brake ind, the air system on this bus is a tad bit diff then my dump trucks, but the run up on them is the same, on my trucks the alarm goes off and the park break can be taken off at 60psi, on the bus the alarm runs up to 90psi and it wont let me take the park break off till it hits 90 also
Man do I feel like a spoiler... Although I agree that your bus looks fairly healthy I saw some area that need attention.
So, I'm not the bad guy but rather the guy who is answering your questions (don't kill the messenger!)
The first thing is you have no scroll seals (or squirrel cage seals to some)on your bus at all. You will have to call mohawk or luke at us coach and get that taken care of soon. I'll try to get you the part #.
Second, your gearbox for the cooling fans is leaking alot!!! probably could use a rebuild. Pressure wash it check the level in the sight glass fill it and see how many miles it takes to leak out of the sight glass. It should take a fairly long time. Your's may leak that much fairly quickly by the looks of it.
It looks to me like you have the bigger stock pulley on your gearbox, most folks here have switched to the smaller diameter pulley for better cooling. You should post pics of your radiators and try starting the bus and driving it to full operating temp and then either using your hand or an IR gun (With the motor OFF) to check for cool spots.
Third, you have a pretty leaky motor. The valve cover gaskets are leaking and you will need to pull the generator (not a job for a guy with heart conditions that thing is heavy) and you may want to replace the gasket and after fixing the gasket I would recommend getting a generator support bracket that bolts on the generator and keeps it from bouncing itself into another leak.
Just a thought regarding the oil leaks:
Are you running straight 40 wt in your motor?
It will leak less with that oil than with the 15/40. Yours seems pretty leaky from the pics.
Okay, sorry to be the bad guy but those were the areas of concern I got from the pics.
Rick
Thanks for the info rick, were are or do the scrool seals go or are supp to be located.
yea that gearbox is incrusted with funk, I was going to scrape it off and degreese it and see if and were it was leaking from.
same with the motor I was going to degreese it and then find the leaks and attack them.
as for a gen I dont think I have one in there I might be wrong tho, if you could piont it out to me in one of the pics that sure would help me out, as for any heavy lifting, well I can bench press 400lbs but I wont be doing anything like that for a few more months I just got 4 sst screws put into my shoulder so im kinda on injured res for the nexy few months
I ask this a bit sheepishly.... I don't know how to add an arrow to a picture. Does anybody here wanna walk me through that or better yet if you know how to do it point out his generator and where the scroll seals are supposed to go.
In the unlikely event that someone here doesn't step up here's my best explanation:
The object of the game when cooling these beasts is to get as much air as possible going through the radiators. With those big squirrel cage fans spinning they create quite a vacuum. So, air is gonna want to go in through the door, under the bottom of the radiator and over the top of it as well and around the sides and last but not least in between the scroll ( that's the name for the big housing around the squirrel fan) and the edges of the squirrel fan itself. So, on both side of each of the scrolls there are bolts there that are currently attached to nothing on your bus, they are supposed to be attached to pieces of steel or aluminum that supoort a round fairly hefty seal that keeps air from being sucked directly into the squirrel cage fans thereby making more air go through your radiators.
The generator is visible in the top left hand corner of the picture you sent of the motor. It's has what appear to be vanes that are in the casting and it is round and sticks straight out of the back of your motor and extends over your transmission.
Thanks
rick
Reelnative,
you can see a little bit of one of the 4 scroll seals in the far right on this picture
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi646.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fuu182%2Fdinkus%2FTennesseeandStPaul152.jpg&hash=92b42c5806931460df201371c46a880cb8ed8eaf)
Rick
its been raining here all day today were at 8in in one day so I havent been able to get to the bus to try and fig out what you are trying to tell me im missing, I do know that when the bus is running you can take a baseball cap and the suction thru the outside grate will hold the cap there, I did it, is it supp to suck even harder thru the rads then that, thru those grates the only way for air to go is thru the rads
I can see that gen now didnt know it was there
All you ever want/need to know about rebuilding the blowers
http://www.gumpydog.com/Bus/MC9_WIP/Mechanical/Radiators_And_Blowers/radiators_and_blowers.htm (http://www.gumpydog.com/Bus/MC9_WIP/Mechanical/Radiators_And_Blowers/radiators_and_blowers.htm)
On each side of each blower is a tapered cone looking assembly that Rick is refering to as a scroll. In your pics they are entirely missing. Also you may have great suction on the outside of the bus as far as air travel but make sure That is going through the radiators. Generally the seals are bad around the radiators and the air can bypass them. Many of us have gotten creative with sealing the rads up with Great Stuff and foam. I used pipe insulation to make mine seal. Just stuff to learn.
when I brought the bus home the temp stayed in the 160 to 165 range,about a 50mile trip, and that was driving from 35 to 65mph and some stop and go traffic also, I even had to sit for a few min while they let the traffic go from a baseball staduim, im going to go out tommorrow and look that area over real good and take some more pics, is over heating a real problem with these busses, also what is the proper temp for them to run?
I have been biting my lip since you mentioned that the temp stayed at 165. The 2 Stroke produces way more heat than a 4 stroke...whatever that might be worth. The 2 also gets to making enormous amt of heat as the engine wears so you see all sorts of heat solution fixes around like WATER sprayers in the radiator area, REDUCED PULLEY size on the box to up the speed of the squirrel and dramatically up sizing the radiators for thousands of dollars not to mention the outside air scoops that actually reduce the total square inches of the opening to the radiators and lots of louvers in the engine compartment to exhaust hot air and sometimes a electric fan helping. Do these Puppies have heat issues......cough, gasp, snort. Was that a joke? ??? ::) ;D ;D ;D
Your engine is running too cold if your gauge is accurate. MCI used to install "air stats" to stop the air thru the radiators till they were warm ad the squirrel also had a stat/flap that prevented the squirrel from pulling air when the engine was cold and that expedited warm up and helped get the temp to 180 in the winter with a fresh engine I am sure. You need one of those temp guns that HF sells for cheap. You find bad tires, bad wheel bearings, exhaust leaks, cold spots in the rad etc etc. You need one. Gauges are often poorly calibrated so get the temps verified. You have two banks ad an engine shutdown in each bank and that needs verified and tested. Why don't you need a temp gauge for EACH head??? Inquiring minds and all that.
You are making a mistake with the scrapper on the gear box. Get a high pressure water gun rated for 8K pounds. The 10 K and up will lift paint so be careful. After washing with 8K you don't need to degrease before painting. hats an exaggeration but I am sure you follow.
Your bus is in the kind of shape that Knuts dream of. The whole thing screams "Go For It" to me.
And finally ITS A FRIGGEN CHUCH BUS?
That needed to be said.
Good Luck or should I say continued good fortune, and welcome
John
How much can you reverse press? I do 300 but I am pushing 69. I can do barely 300 on a press
Thanks for the good words John, That 165 was on the dash temp while I was driving, it has a temp in the rear that I will ck, there are lovers on the outside of the rad that have a servo connected to them and I did think I saw them close and them open back up, from the other posts they told me I was missing a flap or shroud that goes between the fan and the rad, and im not joking about the hat sticking to the outside grill of the rad, that was the first test I did to the bus, I read somewere that if it didnt do that it would have overheat problems, as for my lifting well im just a few months out from maj shoulder operation, I got 4 sst screws put in there and some bone taken out to fix a tore rotator cuff I got in a car wreck, as of now im working out or rehab as the doc calls it with funki rubber bands and 10lb bar bells, but im sure ill be back to normal in another 6mo or so, they had to fix a maniscus tear in my knee and take out half of my knee cap and that was a cake walk compared to this shoulder thing, im 44 now but allways felt much younger then I was but for the past few months ive been feeling every bit of 44.
I think this bus conversion will be just the thing to keep my mind off of all the doc visits and rehab.
when you say reverse press do you mean lat pull my best in the day when I played for u of l,( I really shouldnt say I played for them I was more like a tackling dummy) was about 650 to 670, before the accedent prob around 450 to 500, I was a comm fisherman for the last few years and the type of fishing we do down here I had to squat from 200 to 400lbs about 30 to 50 times a day to get the fish and net into the boat so that kept me in ok shape.
Speaking of heat on a 2 stroke. My 8V 71 really never gets above about 150-160 or so when its cold outside 50 degree or lower. If its in the 70's it will run at about 165. Not until its in the 80's will it run at about 180. Is that not ok?
Do I need to make a rad cover for colder weather to get the temp up?
Bryan
Congrats ReelN,
That bus is so sharp it looks like an MC9 ,
sorry if it's already been brought up, but I believe it I believe it is a 9 :)
yea it kinda looks like it now that everyone has brought that up even the front side window and side plackard looks like it.
here are a couple of pics of the fans holding my hat on the outer grate
Looks to me to be an 8 with a "9 cap" on it!
One dead give away is the rear windows on each side! (a 9 has all the windows same size and shape.)
Also what does the VIN tag say it is?
;D BK ;D
Never mind I went back and read your first post and see it is a 1976 model which tells us it is DEFINITELY an "8"
"9"s were built in '76! ;)
;D BK ;D
Good looking MC! 8.
Although I have always liked the original 8 cap, I feel it gives the front of the bus more style
John
Bryan.
Speaking of heat on a 2 stroke. My 8V 71 really never gets above about 150-160 or so when its cold outside 50 degree or lower. If its in the 70's it will run at about 165. Not until its in the 80's will it run at about 180. Is that not ok?
Do I need to make a rad cover for colder weather to get the temp up?
I don't understand why the likes of Dallas or Clifford, et all experts, aren't commenting on this issue. My info since I was a teenager was that it is important that an engine reaches operating temp as quickly as possible. Cars have manifold heat risers and thermostats and D's have radiator shutter stats, fan clutches and fan stats to get the temp up quickly and keep it up in cold weather. Lots of cars had thermo air intake plumbing re directors to allow the air intake to be drawn from across the exhaust manifold. My understanding is that the block and everything else in the engine expands and contracts with temp and that the engine clearances are designed into the engine at a temp of 180 for the old stuff and 200 for the new generation of smog engines. With clearances down to .5 thousandths and a block that expands 10 and a crank of dissimilar steel and all the rest I intuit their concern and rational for material out lay in that area. My answer is an emphatic YES to your question of needing a temp riser system. You may not see a nickels worth of difference if your temp is too low but I think you are experiencing accelerated engine wear or where...as the case may be..
Please note that I am the guy that, till yesterday, thought a DDEC 2 stroke used a common rail system. Sure would like to gets the experts take on this topic as so very many are dealing with the temp issue going one way or the other.
Thanks,
John
Basically heat risers and heated intakes etc had more to do with gas powered engines and keeping the carb happy in it's intended range. On race type engines the cooler the intake the better and therefore no chokes etc. With the advent of fuel injection it was no longer necessary. Remember when we put 210 thermostats in for winter driving and then replace them with 180's for summer driving? Basically that was just to keep the insides warmer!!! Passing emmissions is what led to hotter thermostats now days but has nothing to do with engine wear. As far as engine wear on diesels I doubt a 20 or 30 degree temperature really makes any difference unless it's the difference between 220 and 250. If the ole girl wants to run at 160 I just put my foot into it. It'll get to 180 soon enough!
CS,
I don't disagree with anything you said. Additionally, I was told that running on choke washed the cylinder walls and promoted wear. I think that bringing the iron up to op temp and design clearance is buried in their motivation. We have all the same concerns for the D as the gassers and the basic diff is the carb so deleting it didn't change the game all that much. Running rich also tends to cool an engine, all other things being constant, so getting it on to a leaner mix is productive on that count.
As I recall, the race/high perf engines were even more cantankerous when cold. My question was "why do you keep blipping the throttle?" and my Bud told me that it warmed the engine and oil up way faster.
I can easily stand corrected, though.
John
John, I thought the same thing, that 150 to 160 was running cold. As always, make sure your readings are correct first before tearing into things. Where are the experts?
I need to pick up an IR gun. I know that in the summer on a 95 degree day it sits right at 180-185 at 75mph. On the trip down to Dallas and Cats for the shindig last weekend it stayed at about 165-170 and temps outside were in the low 70's. It seemed to run great. No problems at all. I need to get the IR gun on it when the temp is about 60 outside and run it down the highway until the temp gets steady on the guage then check it again.
I asked this because I have read in a couple different posts about harm if temps are to low.
Bryan
My guess is that Reel's dash temp gauge is reading low. It needs to be compared to the engine room mechanical one.
MC-9s first went into production in 1979. Bus company I worked for at the time got the first one off the production line. See the photo below.
Late model MC-8s with the "square windows" still had the "D" window and slanted first & last windows. All others were square, plus the "passenger blinder" above the third baggage bay was removed.
I'm guessing that a PO of Reel's coach did some updating with MC-9 components. Note in the photo below of the first 9 that the trim around the billboard area at the top right behind the door has a slant to it. This only lasted on the '79 models, was later squared off. Reel's coach has the later style trim, which is why I think it's an updated MC-8.
If Reel will post the serial # and the Unit #, more sleuthing will determine more info.
Reel -
A suggestion - go into your profile and edit it to include your city & state at a minimum. That will help us help you even better, as we're scattered all over and have many recommendations for local places to assist, not to mention fellow busnuts that may be nearby!
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
hi rj ill change my profile,
my vec id number is s12198 on the plaqe behind the driver seat it says it was built in 1976 ive looked and cant find my number on any of the sites were they say they have all the busses that were made and can tell you were they were delivered to as first owners if you can find out that would be great, im waiting for more records on the bus and would like to know were it org went to when it was new I do know that it at one time was owned by holts coach lines then owned by christian acadamy in apopka fla, they were the ones who had the motor rebuilt, then sold it to the church daycare that I bought it from.
hey guys I just took this info right out of the mc9 operators manual.
most efficent engine temperature range is 170 to 195 deg f, if possable avoid going to full throttle until engine coolant temp reaches 140deg f
so I guess if your runnin at 155 or 165 your in the ok range but a tad bit hotter is more efficent, and that info came right out of the manual.
so from the mc-9 operators manual 140 to 195 deg is the safe full throttle operating range
Back up one step, reelnative.
How do you know what the temp of the engine is?
Dashboard gauges in buses are not to be trusted, and need to be compared to something that can be.
Even the mechanical gauges down the back are old and tired.
Best tool to buy for a busnut is an infrared thermometer gun.
Everything mechanical will show an irregular temperature on its way to failure.
Once you get the hang of it, it is an even better tool than your hammer, and you will find all manner of things to check with it.
the engine experts probably stopped reading the thread, it has wandered all over. Start a new one with just this topic on running cool, if the engine is indeed running cool. Go out and make it prove to you it is running cool.
happy coaching!
buswarrior
Buswarrior,
With the temp gun which engine area is the best to check? Around the thermostat area? What other area's are good to shoot, that will give us a idea at what temp the engine is running?
Thanks
John
Wouldn't the sending unit area be the best since it is where the sender is? Maybe a coolant hose would give you more exact? I guess while we are at it we could check both exhaust manifolds to see how close both sides are running.
I did pick up a decent IR gun in a kit from Craftsman. They have it on sale for $89 if you are a Craftsman Club members: http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_03482004000P (http://www.craftsman.com/shc/s/p_10155_12602_03482004000P)
I thought it was a good deal.
Bryan
The IR gun is worth it's weight in gold. You can do a walkaround and check so many things while rolling down the road. I even use it to make sure the beer is still cold, when the wife is getting hot,and when the wife is getting cold. Actually checking the wife is just making sure it still works. I can usually tell without the IR gun. ;D
For live in the moment, your assistance can shoot down through the floor access in the back and aim it close at the coolant pipe heading forward to the Defroster, (open the valve)
It is loud and dusty, according to my daughter who was doing this long before her driver's license.
By the time you pull over and run back there, the temps have changed, so don't waste your time trying to grab anything hotter than your idle temp.
Shooting the pipe above and below the thermostats yields interesting results during warm up.
Seeing the temp heading into the engine after the rads is good for scratching your head.
happy coaching!
buswarrior