Another Bubble Popped

[Scott & Heather]

Is that photo his bus Cliff? Or did Amercian Fleet post that photo of their shop?


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[pabusnut]

Scott,

How did you get that picture of Clifford's first bus?  You know he had to lay miles of track for his first outing!

[Detroitenginespecialist]

That bus was in our shop for one of our Detroit reman engines.  We aren't just working on private coaches, there is a huge market out there of charter bus companies that only make money if the bus is moving.  Who by the way LOVE our 3-4 day reman engine build turn time.

As we continue to reach more and more people, we hear all to often of people having no choice but to go to a truck shop to get their buses worked on.  But sometimes,on occasion, the workmanship and quality will suffer because truck shops are about moving trucks in and out of their shop quickly.  I get why they do that. 

But the consequence of that philosophy could hurt a bus owner down the road.  In addition, buses are general seen as a pain to work on, your bus will be the last thing a truck mechanic wants to work on.  American Fleet WANTS to work only on buses.  So when you approach a bus with a attitude like this, everyone wins.  Last week we had a customer come in who spent a considerable amount of money on his "turbo issues" with a couple different truck shops and the problem still was not fixed.  Two sensors later, he was back on the road and was bummed that he could have gotten to us sooner.   

I just want to communicate that you don't have to be stuck going to a truck shop to get a reman engine for your bus.  The truck companies aren't stupid.  They know that you have no other choice but to come to them.  But if you purchase a reman Detroit from us, then you are taking the critical part (the build) out of their hands and then letting them handle the removal/install.

Some of our biggest customers, are truck shops.  They see the value in having a reputable company like American Fleet build engines for them to sell to their customers. If they don't have to locate all the parts and then wait to have them arrive, and then start piecing it all back together with usually the night crew (scary), who wouldn't want the luxury of having someone else deal with all that.  Especially since we want that business anyway.  Again, who wouldn't want to have someone else do the hard part (the build) and then the engine shows up on your door step.  Put a little bit of mark up on it since you only filled out some paperwork to actually get that engine, and then install it in a day.

Seems like a win/win to me. 

[luvrbus]

Does American build all the 60 series to the original serial number spec like standard or premium or all the engines built to the premium spec ?.

FWIW I have friend on this board that has a 8v71 in a Eagle bus American installed.It set for about 7 years without being used and was running perfect now it's blowing white smoke the engine probably has less than 15,000 miles total.

I think it dropped a valve or broke a liner and will let you know when I get into it later next month  any warranty left

[Detroitenginespecialist]

We build it back to your engine serial number. 

On your friends bus that has sat for 7 years, and going off of what info you posted, it probably would be an injector / bad fuel issue.   I can't imagine fuel that has sat in a tank for 7 years would be good to run through any engine.  Just saying....  No one will warranty a engine for that amount of time.  The best warranty from Detroit is only 5 years and if you read the fine print you'll see what they really cover within the five years.

[luvrbus]

We filled it with new fuel the warranty comment was just a joke the engine is 10 years old, the engine was perfect it started smoking about 900 miles into the journey from AZ to TX

[Scott & Heather]

Two comments.........American Fleet has had nothing but praise from Prevost owners who have used their services. I understand the distance might be an issue but if the logistics allow I will use them before almost anyone else on my Detroit.

From what I can tell in the photo of the coach it looks like a 10 or 11 year old Liberty conversion. Perhaps Cliff can verify this. My point is in that length of time something as simple as failing to service the coolant will trash a perfectly good engine. Absent from the discussion is the engine service history. But even with perfect maintenance bad stuff sometimes happens.

Just was clarifying to Jon that the photo is NOT the broken down bus in question. Right?


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[luvrbus]

No Jon it was not a maintenance problem Williams has serviced the bus ever since new,the oil was changed every 6000 miles and the antifreeze was changed ever 2 years he just had the B500 serviced.

I spoke with him last night and here is the scoop the variable geometry Holset turbo turn loose and went through engine destroying the engine it's going to higher the estimate he said.He told me a code 39 flashed which is a EGR code and it was over with then.

I was joking with him last night and told him a Cummins made turbo on Detroit what do expect he just laughed and said he would hit the high ways to pickup aluminum cans today to pay for the repairs   

I would hate to be the first couple of people needing heart surgery in Phoenix their bill maybe a little on the high side           

[Jon]

EGR engines are going to be a problem. Too many moving parts, too much soot in the engine, poor economy, etc.

[Iceni John]

No Jon it was not a maintenance problem Williams has serviced the bus ever since new,the oil was changed every 6000 miles and the antifreeze was changed ever 2 years he just had the B500 serviced.

I spoke with him last night and here is the scoop the variable geometry Holset turbo turn loose and went through engine destroying the engine it's going to higher the estimate he said.He told me a code 39 flashed which is a EGR code and it was over with then.

I was joking with him last night and told him a Cummins made turbo on Detroit what do expect he just laughed and said he would hit the high ways to pickup aluminum cans today to pay for the repairs    

I would hate to be the first couple of people needing heart surgery in Phoenix their bill maybe a little on the high side          

But was were the reasons for his other previous failures on non-EGR engines?

John

[lostagain]

Many highway tractors are in the classifieds with "deleted" EGR and cat converters and particulate filters. I don't know where the software comes from, but it is obviously out there on the black market. I did that to my 6 L Powerstroke. Not only you're not recirculating the soot that causes problems, but the extra exhaust to the turbo significantly increases power. You'd fit right in with the coal rolling pickups and VW Jettas...

JC


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[luvrbus]

John he had a 8v92 in a 1993 Prevost the alt took the engine out with 140,000 miles his 1998 Prevost with the series 60 gave him no problems before that a 6V92 in a Blue Bird crashed at 130,000 miles dropping a valve so he has a attitude about a 2 stroke

[Scott & Heather]

So I have to ask a silly question. At what point can we take the Ram dualie Cummins and stick it in our bus? The new truck is rated for 30,000 lbs tow rating


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[lostagain]

The one ton diesel pickup engines are not really a heavy duty engine. Aren't they a throw away engine? How rebuildable are they? I don't know if I would want to be pushing 30000 lbs with one 12 hours a day, every day. My experience with the 6 L and the 6.7 L Powerstrokes pulling a loaded goose neck horse trailer (GVW about 25000 lbs) is that it is almost beyond their capability. They struggle, you're down shifting up the hills. You wish you had something bigger to do it, like a class 8 highway tractor with a heavy duty engine. Sure some people soup them up, but that reduces their longevity. They are a great engine for occasionally pulling heavy loads, but a heavy duty engine such as what is fitted in highway buses and class 8 tractors is preferable IMO.

JC

[Scott & Heather]

Makes sense.


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