engine/ gen exhaust out of the roof??

[turbobrat930]

`So, Here I am being a newbee again.... A picture that I saw of an Eagle that was all primer gray got me thinking... Is there a way in a MCI bus to route the engine/ gen exhaust out of the top left corner of the rear cap? I think this would aid in keeping some of the exhaust soot off of a toad, and keeping the gen exhaust up and out of the sides or ground level of the bus when camping/ using the awning. I also like the looks of the exhaust coming out of the rear corner of the cap with a nice chrome tip.

If I do go with this MCI-9 that I am looking at, I will replace the front and rear caps with updated ones from RM. There should be ample room in the top of the cap... but while looking at the radiator and squirrel fan setup, I don't see where it could be done. Anyone out there thought of this before? Would going with a new, updated rear cap give me more room around the radiators, etc to run the exhaust pipe up? I could still keep the muffler down below

Or am I just thinking of stuff that falls under the old addage... if its not broke, don't fix it??

I just think that it would look unique as well as hitting on the above mentioned problems...

Brad

[TomC]

On my AMGeneral transit, the exhaust exits the roof at the top left.  I can see my exhaust through my left rear view mirror-helpful to keep black smoke down and to watch the health of the engine.  Highly recommend it.  Then when you start on a cold morning, your neighbors at the campground will appreciate you more.  Good Luck, TomC

[FloridaCliff]

Brad,

Good stuff to be thinking about ahead of time.

Both are projects that can be accomplished,and are excellent ideas for the reasons already stated.

I am still thinking of putting the generator exhaust through the roof, but incorporating what will cover/disguise/hide the interior run is still evading me.  That's why thinking and planning this ahead of time is so valuable.

"Maybe just call it a heated stripper pole, nah!"

Brad wrote: Or am I just thinking of stuff that falls under the old addage... if its not broke, don't fix it??

Don't stop that, that's half the fun of owning these things!  Doing it different and your own way!

Cliff



   

[scanzel]

I thought of the same thing for the generator but my gen will be in the first bay behind my driver seat and coming up through the interior I would have to box it in and super insulate it some how to prevent a fire and excess heat. Also you cannot make super long runs on gen exhaust. My Onan gen manual says to keep the exhaust no more than five feet. 

[blue_goose]

Think about the problem if you have an exhaust leak.  I have seen a couple of  Blue Birds that have had fires in the rear because of exhaust leaks.  Also everytime you start there is a puff of soot that comes out of the generator and engine.  This will get on your coach and your next door coach.  I think they look good and are used on some coaches.
Jack

[zubzub]

I think I saw someone had an mci (?) where the pipes come out the top rear of the engine bay and then up the back end of the bus.  Looks kinda cool was done when they added a turbo (turbos?) and it was easier getting the smoke out that way.

[turbobrat930]

zubzub, I saw that picture as well... kinda looked like semi exhaust stacks coming straight out of the rear of the engine cover. I really didn't like that. I just wanted everything to be hidden and then have a nice curved chrome tip popping out of the left rear corner of the cap. I could make a metal channel inside of the cap along the rounded corner. That way it shields the rest of the interior of the cap from heat, and possible exhaust leaks. I just dont see any room though. Looking up there where I want to do it, There is the left radiator and squirrel fan there that are in the way. Was thinking that a newer style RM cap would have more room than that of the stock cap.

[turbobrat930]

Here is the picture I was referring to. This is the way I would like mine to look like.

[CAROLINABOY]

what comes out of the exhaust is it heavier or lighter than air??

[JackConrad]

what comes out of the exhaust is it heavier or lighter than air??

      Hot air rises.  Because the exhaust gas is hotter than the ambient air, it will rise until it reaches a point where it is the same temperature as the ambient air. I am not sure about the vapor densities of the individual gases the make up the exhaust.  Solids such as carbon is heavier than air and will fall .
      Running a vertical stack like the one in the photo is a lot more difficult on an MCI because of the radiator locations.  Jack

[turbobrat930]

what comes out of the exhaust is it heavier or lighter than air??

           Running a vertical stack like the one in the photo is a lot more difficult on an MCI because of the radiator locations.  Jack

And there in lies my question... Anyone with a MCI bus that has a different rear cap on it care to respond. Is there enough room to make this work? Is there enough room the way that the radiator is situated right now? Since I am not familiar yet with how things are situated back there, I dont personally know if there is room. Hopefully there is...

[Ed Hackenbruch]

If i remember right, a couple of years ago at one of the BUS'N USA rallies there was a 5A that had the exhaust running up thru the roof.  Anybody else remember that?  I think it was white with green trim and was called BlackJack.

[RJ]

Brad -

If you want to run the exhaust up thru the roof on an MCI, you need to buy either an "E" or "J" model, with the low side-mounted radiator like the ones pictured below.  Or buy a Prevost or Eagle. . .

There's not enough room in the squirrel cage compartment on the high-radiator mount models, and very little extra room between the expanded metal radiator opening and the radiators themselves.  Plus, on the driver's side, you've also got the engine air intake plenum to contend with.

One other thing, that hasn't been mentioned yet, and is actually quite important when behind the wheel, and that's being able to monitor the exhaust while hill-climbing.  With a low mounted exhaust like OEM, as you climb the hill, you can see when the engine starts blowing black smoke, prompting you for a downshift.  One heck of a lot harder to see a roof mount blowin' smoke, unless you add an additional mirror just for that purpose.

BTW, that coach that's got the roof exhaust that you posted looks like a Model 01 Eagle.  Oh, and the reason most transit buses have roof exhausts are to keep complaints from the public at a minimum in urban areas. . .

As for the genset exhaust, lots of folk simply have removable extensions that hang on the rain drip rail while parked - KISS principle. . .

FWIW & HTH. . .

[Songman]

I'm not going to run the exhaust through of the Eagle but I am planning on putting an air intake up there to get a good supply of fresh air. And since my generator will be in a compartment beside the engine, I plan to run the gen exhaust through the regular engine exhaust out the back of the bus. Should make it quieter and also keep it away from other bus nuts when parked.

[boogiethecat]

Running the genset exhaust thru the regular engine exhaust pipe isn't recommended by a lot of folks.  I've been told that soot and moisture in the genset exhaust will get into your bus motor thru open exhaust valves - even further back if both an intake and an exhaust valve are open, and mess up your engine.  And the opposite will happen when your'e driving and the gene is off.