Looking for DD Diesel/Bus mechanic in North Florida/Georgia

TheHeavenlyChillbillies · February 18, 2020, 06:28:04 PM

Hi there.
I have an '84 MCI Mc9. She runs ok but I feel like there might be some e gine power issues. I'd like to bring her somewhere for a once over... 8v71. Any recommendations for bus friendly mechanics in Florida, Georgia, even Alabama? Say 5-6 hour radius of Gainesville.

Thanks.

Dave5Cs · February 18, 2020, 10:30:23 PM

What kind of power issues. Someone here might be able to help or give good advice etc.

blue_goose · February 19, 2020, 04:58:52 AM

You can try Lewis Bus Line in Augusta Ga. If they can't get to it get the phone number for Toe Jo in Augusta.
Jack

Paul S · February 19, 2020, 06:16:30 AM

Make sure all air and fuel filters are clean, this can rob the engine of serious power. I gained 10mph going up hills because of a dirty fuel/water separator. Check all filters first, it will blow your mind how much of a power difference it can make.

TheHeavenlyChillbillies · February 20, 2020, 12:57:42 PM

After a lot of asking around on this forum and other research...the current theory is that the mechanical governor might be getting intermittently stuck. Removing the air filter totally (and temprarily) didn't have an immediate effect. I have the rare Fortune of having 2 totally separate fuel systems (Diesel and vegetable oil) so I can eliminate most fuel related issues up to the pump...which was replaced 20k ago.

Other theories that have been discussed are a leak in the air box which I believe someone on this forum told me would cause smoke...which doesn't seem to be happening. Another thing I have been told, by the original owner, was that due to the vegetable oil I would need to occasionally have 'the injector screens cleaned'. I'm pretty handy but I think getting in to the injectors and/or messing with the governor may be a bit outside of my skill level.

That being said...I'm more than happy to do any kind of recommended tests or procedures to try and diagnose or fix it.

I need to take the bus access the South to California in a month which I'm not to worried about because it's mostly flat. Real issue is on hills.

DoubleEagle · February 20, 2020, 04:37:31 PM

I suspect that your problem has been caused by using vegetable oil. It works, but it leaves deposits. It may end up that you did not save any money after all.

TheHeavenlyChillbillies · February 21, 2020, 03:14:10 PM

Well. I paid $8k for the bus with the veg system already installed and have saved about $20k in Diesel so...

That being said. If it was deposits from vegetable oil...
A) Couldn't the injectors be replaced/cleaned.
B) Would the problem be intermittent? Ie...sometimes the power seems to be fine. It comes and goes...and not gradually. Sometimes I'm doing 50 up hills...sometimes it's 20 up a similar grade. It's all or nothing.

Are injector screens a real thing? And are they easily accessible to inspect?

DoubleEagle · February 21, 2020, 08:01:40 PM

Your fuel filters should be keeping the fluid clean enough for the injectors, I would change them often. I don't know about injector screens, but I doubt they would be finer than the secondary filter. Does your loss of power occur when the temperatures are cooler, and happen less when it is warmer? The last trucking company I worked for forbade us from using bio-diesel because of problems. Using straight cooking oil has got to be more trouble, but if you managed to save a lot of money, and you are not in a hurry, it works out. Are you able to switch from one fuel type to the other while moving? Maybe that way you get up the mountains on diesel, and then switch. Diesel or cooking oil, if the filters are clogged, you lose a lot of power.

Ed Hackenbruch · February 22, 2020, 06:58:13 AM

Saw an ad for Draine's Diesel in Scottsboro Alabama Ph. 256-337-4171. Don't know anything about them, don't know how far they are from you.

chessie4905 · February 22, 2020, 10:07:08 AM

Try at a large marina. Lots of Detroits around yet in larger boats. They should have useful contacts.

freds · February 22, 2020, 01:19:34 PM

I has a vegetable oil/WVO conversion done on my Ford PowerStroke which is now marketed as a conversion kit name VegiStroke.

The basics to running waste vegetable oil is that when you heat it to above 160 degrees it is the same viscosity of diesel at zero.

The design philosophy behind the VegiStroke system is to never run WVO on a cold engine and purge it from the engine before shutdown. Something about the coking tendency to more happen if the engine is cold.

In the design they used check valves and two different pressure regulators. The WVO system was at a higher pressure, so if anything went wrong with the WVO system it would automatically revert to diesel. (Electric fuel pumps were required.)

I did the conversion as an attempt at being a bit green/environmental thing as the truck was my daily driver, shortly after the conversion we moved our office and it was now only three miles away. So the truck didn't have much time that it could run WVO.

It does tend to make the exhaust smell like an overheated french fryer at stop lights(grin).

It produces a bit less horse power, so you put your foot a bit more into the throttle.

I then brought a Tesla, so the truck never makes long trips anymore, just runs to the dump.

The sourcing side was a bit problematic to find reliable sources that are not already being serviced by the biodiesel producers.

I did make a 2400 mile trip once on $22.00 of WVO once...

If you are collecting it you need to heat it first and then run it through a 5 micron filter.

The best oil came from Chinese restaurants, though I never tried to collect while on the road.

DoubleEagle · February 22, 2020, 08:32:58 PM

That is really good information. I have several powerstroke pickups, but I had always heard that the original International V-8 6.9L & 7.3L IDI engines where better at handling cooking oils. Heating and filtering the oil makes sense, but that adds to the cost of using it, and since there is some demand for it, it might not be free anymore. I still wonder if it is a good idea for bigger engines like a Series 60.

blue_goose · February 23, 2020, 06:18:42 AM

Starting about 4 years ago Disney tested some of there buses on biodiesel. For the past 2 years all of the buses over 400 have been on biodiesel. I was told it was made from chicken fat ( don't know if this was correct) but for sure they only use biodiesel.

luvrbus · February 23, 2020, 06:53:39 AM

Todays engines will only support about 20% Bio Fuel,it is highly processed with alcohol not the mom and pop version,These new high pressure fuel systems 20 to 30,000 psi can do more bio fuel than the old 65 psi like on the 2 strokes my ISX Cummins says no more than 20% Bio fuel fwiw

freds · February 23, 2020, 08:05:51 AM

I looked at making biodiesel https://www.utahbiodieselsupply.com/makeyourownfuel.php and you have to do a bunch more steps using methanol plus lye and then you have to separate the waste glycerin out.

So at the time concluded just burn it directly.

I haven't looked into it recently, however do hear that the supply is much tighter out there.

https://www.livesmallridefree.com/blog/the-end-of-wvo-for-us