How many miles do you boys and girls have on your current buses? Just curious on some of the treads I read about engine hiccups and oil consumption. Year and mileage. I'm always intrigued on how these Detroit's just keep a chugging. Mine is a 1991 8V92TA with 73,000 miles and I have put 22,000 miles on it in the last few years. Hadn't added oil but it's down (halfway) on stick or off full to low mark in the 8000 miles on this oil change. Headed down in a couple weeks to get it serviced. Just curious.
Howdy, MCI MC8 1974 127,000 on trans & inframe engine overhaul last 15-20,000 running 20-50 synthetic in engine & synthetic in trans. Same consumption as you no problems.....Dan
I have a 1993 102 C with 8v92T Silver Bus has little over 800 K engine had a complete rebuild 300 k ago still running like a champ , burns or drips about a 4 litre jug of oil on a 2000 k trip i've been using Smittys Oil SAE 40
Our 73 MC-7 has a lot of miles, 2.7 million on the clock! The 8V92T was put in around 2000 and only has 30,000 miles on it. I can't believe how solid the buses are built, I doubt you would find anything else still on the road with miles like that......other than a OTR truck.
I also have an 8V92T with over 800k that was rebuilt 300k ago. It starts every time on the first revolution.
My MC 9 has a tag date of Dec 1992, when I purchased it from Uncle Sam last December the odometer had 64,xxx on it as did the title. Its got the 6V92 and the body had a slight rub on it and a reason to sell I guess. Not to be upset but I did notice and an interest how accurate things might be with this vehicle it had a hub meter and it didn't get trashed luckily. Well it shows 69,xxx so that's my history here for the start.
With the information from this site and its members as well as others, I hope to do a better conversion and put as many good memorable miles on here as possible.
no more taking people to the big house with this bus
Thanks up to now for all the great information and I hope to contribute some back.
Good Day Everyone
My MC12 has 300,000 on the clock. Many parts indicate a new turbo and an overhaul. Inside the RH engine bay door is marked "#(X) cyl pressure low". Looks like new gaskets abound, ones that should not be so new looking so I am assuming it is from an overhaul but mileage of OH is unknown. Runs like a top. Have not put any serious miles on it since I got it so I can't say what oil/fuel consumption is.
My 1980 MC-5C came out of service on the Navajo Nation in Arizona in 2000, so had 20 years. I figure it has at least 2 million miles. I did a re-power in 2011 with a NOS factory rebuilt ex-NATO military engine, and it has about 4,000 miles on it since.
Brian
Brian, my friend Kevin has the sister of your bus his only had 683,000 miles according to paper work we found from WW Williams in Phoenix when they replaced a head. The 8v71 from his is here at the shop he installed a 740 and 6V92 in 2004 in his fwiw
It's always interesting to hear the history about these coaches. I just wish they could talk. I betcha they would be cussing right along with us at times.
That is very neat, thank you. I wonder if his 8V-71 was A-timed with N65's like mine was. If I hadn't found the NOS 8V-71T I would have probably gone with the 6V-92TA and 740 combo, I really think that all things considered that is the very best option for a MC-5. If you could find a MC-5 cradle for the 6V-71 it would almost be a weekend job! :o
Brian
Oh, If mine could talk it would be furious! It would be like the doctor amputating everything from the arms down, then taking 5 years to rebuild everything.
My 1981 MC9 has 287,000 total miles on it, and it appears to have the original engine. When I got it, it had a tachograph and hub odometer, and they both agreed within a few hundred miles. (I kept the hub odometer.) It was owned by a charter company in Brunswick, Maine, and used to run high school kids back and forth to football games. Later it was sold to a church, who contrary to what you hear about most church buses, took care of it and had some work done to mitigate the rust from being in Maine. I bought it from a pastor and his brother who were going to start a gospel group that never panned out.
The church replaced both radiators, did some brake work, had one of the front air beams welded, and one of the rear air bags plated. I've since taken care of all of the rust, plated and replaced all of the rear bags, and replaced all of the radius rod bushings. I think it's in about as good a shape as a 33 year-old bus can be.