Detroit 8V92 smoking pretty good...or is it bad?

[MacRuler]

Good day folks. Brand new to the forum, and BCM...but not new to buses. Grew up going on family trips in a 1957 MCI Courier 96. Father passed the bus down to me, as I seem to be the only of his 6 kids that has kept the "bus" bug. There is a little too much rust on the frame of this bus for my liking... (And my wife's). So, I am looking to get a newer coach, and transfer over much of the infrastructure  from the '57 to a new, longer bus. I am currently looking at 2 coaches, and I am torn between the two. I am hoping this forum can fill me with all your wisdom and opinions...

Coach one - 1982 MCI MC9, 6V92, Automatic - Not sure what the tranny is, but it appears stock. Bus is generally clean, but I have not really had a chance to drive it. Up and down a gravel road once...about 200M. (Thats metres, I'm Canadian...)

Coach Two - 1988 Prevost, 8V92, 6 speed manual. (5 with overdrive) - The Prevost has some rust issues in the bays that I am aware of, and will check out in detail. Father is a welder...Seals missing from the sides of the bay doors.. (Not sure why, but they are gone, thus the rusting problems inside.)

I am feeling more inclined towards the Prevost, many due to the flat floor, motor, and the tranny. My main issue is, and now we get to the title of this post, the motor smokes pretty badly. The bus has sat for about 14 months, and the seller figures a couple oil changes, and 1000KM on the highway should clear it right up.  This seems a little too "simple" to me. The old 4V71 in the Courier 96 is pretty clean, and hardly smokes at all. The 8V71 in my brothers MC5 smokes a bit, but nowhere near as bad as this 92. Any thoughts or suggestions. My head is telling me the MCI is the way to go...but for whatever reason, my heart is telling me the Prevost. I have been around Detroits for several years, and big trucks, so I know that diesels are going to smoke, especially when you get into the throttle some.

Any insights is appreciated.

[Zippymoe]

Bought my 61 GM 4106 a year ago. 8v71. When I first had it it was a sight to be seen. Left a layer of smoke so thick traffic had to stop and wait for it to disappear after I pulled out of the lot. One oil change later and the only time it smokes is if I'm lugging it. The seller's saying an oil change will help it...try talking him in to proving it.

[steve wardwell]

my bus will smoke for the first 1000 feet after that no more 8/71T

[robertglines1]

what color smoke? use oil? How old fuel? Oil pressure?idle &hot

[zubzub]

Since you live in Canada maybe you know this  but still, watch out for the rust on a Prevost....it can be pretty impressive my experience with them is they rust hard and fast.  Are the 82 MCI  the ones with lots of stainless?  I like the idea of the 6 speed too, but he rust is always a deal breaker.  Been there done that, thought I knew what i was doing did it again...and again, life in Maontreal I guess.

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Would you be interested in another 96?  JC  who goes by Lostagain on this board, has a 1957  96 that he might be thinking of selling. It's a nice bus and he just put a turbo in it last winter. Only reason for selling is that he came across a good deal on a nice 5C and could not pass it up.  He is right next door to you in BC.

[lostagain]

MacRuler, send me an email. See it in my profile. I am in Invermere BC. Have a '57 Courier 96 in good shape.

JC

[MacRuler]

Hey Lostagain, yeah I have seen your Courier on Kijiji actually. It does look very nice. Good job. My courier is pretty rough right now. I will post a picture of it in it's current state. My wife really likes the "retro" look of it as a matter of fact. I am just very leary of the rust along the entrance of all 6 bay doors. The tire chains were sitting in the rear bay for a long while, and eventually rusted right through the floor. lol   Motor actually runs beautifully as it most likely only has about 30,000 KM on a rebuild.

So, thanks to everyone else who have replied so far. In short:

My guess the fuel is 14-18 months old. The fuel in the Courier 96 is 5 years old, and it ran pretty clean. The color of the smoke changed depending in the load to the engine. Full throttle, it blew grey, but if I was in the wrong gear, putting a load on the engine, it blue real black. (Normal I would think...). I really want to get the Prevost out on the open road, and see what happens once it is on the highway. It had passed a CVI 6 months before it was taken out of service by the coach company.

The MCI does seem to have a bunch of stainless. The bays are very clean, and really no sign of rust at all. I am just very leery of the automatic, as the bus made runs through the mountains from Calgary to Vancouver. On the other hand, the Prevost made runs out to the Oil Sands in Northern Alberta. Bottom line, both coaches are at very similar prices, which is pretty low considering what a guy would be getting. I feel the rust can be repaired on the Prevost.

Here is my Courier 96 - (Pretty rough right now...), plus a shot of the worst of the rust in the bay of the Prevost.

[lostagain]

That 96 looks like an old Brewster bus with the sky-views and the red paint. Is it?

My feeling about the Prevost, judging from the picture, is that it is very rusty, and I would stay away from it. Just imagine the rust below the windows, under the windshield, around the bulkheads, the engine craddle...

Take an other look at the MC9. In the '80s, MCIs were more solid than Prevosts.

JC

[MacRuler]

Yup, you know your Couriers. It was an old Brewster. The scenic windows are both a blessing and a curse. If you look at the image, the front scenic window is broken due to a tree blowing down onto the bus. 

OK, thanks for the feedback on the Prevost. I will look harder at the MCI.

I am such a busnut! How do I know? 'Cause my wife is sick and tired of hearing about "The Bus"... When we go on our first trip, and she realizes we don't have to stop for fuel, or potty breaks, or lunch... she'll change her tune...

I can hear my dads old John Denver 8-track right now... But I digress. (Yes, I am old enough to know what an 8-Track is, but young enough to know that I prefer my iPod...)

RM

[robertglines1]

looks like your in a harsh climate for buses..the MCI guys have a area to ck around engine cradle,if the MCI has been run in same conditions I would ck it..BK had issues there and is a high dollar fix..looks like the prevost has been abused and not kept up for someone to let it get in that shape...Bob