I've had this bus three years, but I'm blessed that it came to me with a new engine. So far I haven't had to add oil.
Some have told me to run the engine close to the 'L' mark to keep it from blowing excess oil. The only time I've blown any excess oil is when the oil was changed with the wrong oil. However, with the Rotella straight 40 I never have a problem.
But, I'm looking at my dip stick and it's on 'L'. I have a lot of miles to travel, so I would guess someplace between Florida and Michigan I'll have to add.
From 'L', do I add one quart or one gallon?
Dave
One to two gallons depending on the pan depth.>>>Dan
are you checking it hot or cold? I think warm is best,when my 6v92 was at L I put in 2 quarts bringing it to nearly full, better to leave it a little low then over fill it.>>>> John.
Right now Im checking cold.
There's a huge difference between 1 or 2 gallons and 1 or 2 quarts.
Mine is a 6V92
Dave
If you have the right measurement on the stick it should be 1 gal between the full and low marks that is standard for a MCI with the bus oil pan fwiw check it early in the morning before start up for a accurate reading
I agree check it cold. But however you check it, hot or cold always check it in the same condition.
Fred
Those marks on a Detroit dipstick are for checking at operating temp 2-3 min after shut down. Running at or near add level cold is starving your engine of oil.
Why would an engine blow out oil if it's at the full mark? It only means that the correct level is in the oil pan available to use if you need it. Unless you oil pan is leaking having full oil level will not effect how much oil you leak... Unless you are starving the engine and the oil pump is sucking air with the oil. A starving dog doesn't poop as much so if you only feed the dog once a week you have less dog poop to pick up. Why is this an accepted practice running engines low on oil? The engine is designed to always have oil entering the oil pump. The level is designed to be checked with oil up in the engine and not after it all ran back down to the pan overnight.
Can someone explain this running on low oil level and why it's so accepted as ok?
Interesting question Scott.
I wondered the same things. Usually Detroit builds the engine to do what they expect it to do.
However, the only time I blew oil all over my toad is when I had the wrong oil. (They put in oil for the current Detroit, maybe 60 series or something). The straight 40 doesn't blow. But the advice has always been to run a little low.
More thoughts?
Ok but he he will over fill a 6v92TA by adding oil after only 2 minutes of shutdown and I don't run the engine low DD knows how much oil is needed for their engines if it calls for 6 gal I use 6 gals,my technical bulletin says 20 minutes after shut down Scott fwiw and that is from DD not me
First thing that you do when running heavy equipment is to check the oil and water levels. It may have been sitting for days or weeks or just overnite but you never know if it was vandalized or developed a leak. Never checked them at shutdown unless there was a leak, a noise, or a smell.
Always check oil after it has settled back to the pan. I check mine cold before starting in the morning. I'd rather be at the full mark. Oil plays an important part in cooling the engine. If it leaks out, you've got some fixing to do.
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.tapatalk.com%2Fd%2F14%2F03%2F21%2Fe3eja9et.jpg&hash=20ab8f5f316fcc0f7d0926bfab91127f374932eb)
My GM manual. Operating Temp and three min after shutdown. I didn't make it up.
On mine it's about a 2qt difference warm 3 min after shut down vs cold.
Older engines that are vented to the atmosphere have the same inherent problem (some more than others) in that the crankcase pressure must be separated from the oil that is mixed and frothing during operation. This frothing is difficult to separate mechanically so some oil is dumped overboard with the air,(that's why your vent tube will drip for awhile after shut-down and leave a small puddle) The crankcase is the source of most "frothing" as well as the valve train area, so running the crankcase lower on oil will provide more "airspace" for the separation process to occur, so less oil is "dumped" overboard thru the vent tube.>>>Dan
Dave -
When I first started driving skoolies back in the late 60's, I was taught to always check the oil first thing in the morning before starting the coach.
Later, when I moved over to charters, we followed the same philosophy, but were also taught when on a run where we had to fuel enroute, to check the oil level AFTER fueling the tank, roughly 10-15 min or so after shut down, but before restarting to pull away from the pump island.
I believe that "run it low" comes from folk who's vehicle has the wrong dipstick - without their knowing it. Consequently they overfill the crankcase, the turning crankshaft whips up the overage and then you have the situation Dan described above. "My engine blows oil when full, that's why I run it low." Check yours - the proper full mark should be 1" below the interface between the block and the oil pan. You will need a helper to do this - a youngster is perfect. Have them hold the dipstick at the top alongside the tube while you hold it against the tube and check the markings from below. (The usual air suspension saftey rules apply here!)
Clifford's right - the difference between full & low on the two-stroke's dipstick is one gallon. So after checking your stick's accuracy, try adding two quarts in the morning. Late in the day, say at sunset, check the level again. If necessary, add another quart. Let it sit overnite and check it again the next morning. You may or may not have to add another quart at this point. If you do, then check the level one more time at sunset or so. Obviously, this is w/o running the engine. . . By bringing the level up gradually like this, you avoid the risk of overfilling.
Oh - make sure the coach is level when you check the oil!
One final comment - depending on the oil pan installed on your engine, oil/filter changes can be anywhere from 6-8 gallons, FYI.
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
Always remember that oil expands when it's hot, and after I calculated the amount that it expands I was pretty surprised. My pan holds 8 gallons. If I started it right now, at 32 degrees f or 0 celsius, and warmed it up to operating temperature, 185 degrees f or 85 C, the oil would expand in volume by 6%. That's right at about 2 quarts, more or less, or half the dip stick mark. What I do, and no one else has to do it this way, is measure the oil level dead cold. If it's below half but above low, I call it good to go. On the drive I measure it hot after waiting 20 minutes or so. If it is near or above half full I call it good. If I add, I add a half gallon at a time. If I want an accurate measurement it's first thing in the morning on my home parking pad, which is dead level.
Brian
Well, here's the scoop.... My bus sat still since the first of the year (Arcadia). I checked the dip stick and it was on 'L'. I added 1/2 gallon before starting this morning. After about 200 miles I noticed oil on the back of my bus again, so I checked the dip stick. I'm now about 3/8" above full.
I wish I had left it alone.
Mine did that. It was the dreaded fuel in oil syndrome. Hence my recent fixation with dipsticks and measuring oil levels. It's hard to deal with an engine that's making oil, hope your's is just an anomaly.