Eagle 8V71 Can You Run With Tailgate Up To Help With Heat?

[busboy]

We have been travelling and I got the idea that maybe if we were going to be traveling in an area where we would heat-up the engine, I thought about leaving the tailgate up to get more air flow.  I thought I had seen something a while back on the other board but could not locate it.  What does everyone think?  Will it help with the heat?
Happy Trails,
Brent
Eagle 10
8V71, Allison 740, Wrico Kubota plumbed into bus radiator!

[DrivingMissLazy]

I used to do that and it seemed to help some. on my Eagle 10 with 8V92. I really do not remember how much. I also later modified the tailgate by putting longer spacers that held the louvers about 2 inches apart. That also seemed to help. I ended up installing a mister system that totally resolved my problems.
Richard

We have been travelling and I got the idea that maybe if we were going to be traveling in an area where we would heat-up the engine, I thought about leaving the tailgate up to get more air flow.  I thought I had seen something a while back on the other board but could not locate it.  What does everyone think?  Will it help with the heat?
Happy Trails,
Brent
Eagle 10
8V71, Allison 740, Wrico Kubota plumbed into bus radiator!

[larryh]

Busboy

In responce to your question , The last school I went to this question came up and the DD instructor said it could disrupt the air flow through the radiator. I would highly reccommend you check the across the bus flap behind the drivers be checked to be sure it is intact. Also make sure all flaps seals etc around Radiator are there and good condition to force air through radiator and not around it. I would highly reccoment you get a radiator for the gen separate from eng.

Some more louvers in tailgate after air has went through rad will help all of this is taken in to account your rad clean and turning correct RPM the drives do go bad and fail to turn at right RPM to suck air through radiator good luck.

Larry Higuera

[DrivingMissLazy]

You know something Larry, My Eagle did not have the mudflap directly behind the rear wheels!  Maybe one of my problems was that it had been removed.

If Catskinner is reading this,  that is something that should be checked on that bus.
Richard

Busboy

In responce to your question , The last school I went to this question came up and the DD instructor said it could disrupt the air flow through the radiator. I would highly reccommend you check the across the bus flap behind the drivers be checked to be sure it is intact. Also make sure all flaps seals etc around Radiator are there and good condition to force air through radiator and not around it. I would highly reccoment you get a radiator for the gen separate from eng.

Some more louvers in tailgate after air has went through rad will help all of this is taken in to account your rad clean and turning correct RPM the drives do go bad and fail to turn at right RPM to suck air through radiator good luck.

Larry Higuera

[larryh]

The flap behind the drivers that basically drags the ground is there to help create a vacuum around engine to help make sure that air through radiator and not around it air going around radiator does not cool engine  check your service manuals they usually got tore when pulling the engine and cradle out.

Larry Higuera

[David Anderson]

You know ?  I'm sitting here thinking about Larry's comment and I don't have any mud flaps aft my drives on my Eagle 10.  I have them aft the bogies but not the drives.  I never thought about that making a difference, so I have no experience with it.

I tried a few experiments with the door propped open with different lengths of 2x4's to all the way up and I really had no difference in coolant temps with my limited experiments.  I have a mister to get me to the top of the passes that works well.  My toughest experience was on U.S. 50 in Nevada last summer.  400 miles of 108 degree temps.  The only way I got through that was to unload heat into the coach with the Webasto system and my driver's defroster and heater.  That unloaded about 60-70k btu's.  Fortunately, my AC could overcome that heat dump.

After that trip I reworked my fan shroud and moved  it closer to the engine  1.5" to get the fan blades farther into the shroud.  I rebaffled the shroud and sealed every possible air leak I could find.  I also insulated (heat wrapped) my exhaust pipes with that stuff race cars use.  I took it out in 105 temps in Texas last September and held 180 on the 6v92.  However, that is at sea level.  In the thin air of the mountains is a different test.  I'm going to Colorado in 2 weeks, so I will put it to a real test again.  I hope it works.   

David

[Busted]

The GMC's came with the air dam to vacum air from the engine compartment. Eagles never had this setup.

[edvanland]

I don't have a Eagle but on my MCI 7 with a 8V92 and Allison 740 auto it makes a big difference.  I live in Arizona and when climbing long grades on the way to Lake Powell or any where else I will stop and open the read doors and the temp will drop about 15 degrees.  Yes all the seals are tight, new larger radiators with baffles, smaller pulley and misters.  Those 8V92 put out a lot of heat.  Next I want to put in a extra trans cooler. 
Works for me.
ED
MCI 7

[DrivingMissLazy]

Yea, but I wonder if it would help and Eagle just never thought of it?
Richard

The GMC's came with the air dam to vacum air from the engine compartment. Eagles never had this setup.

[busboy]

Well, I ran down 136 out of Northern Missouri to the middle of Nebraska yesterday, temp 95 degrees with the tailgate up...can't tell if it helped.  I had to pull over 1 time when the HI Temp light came on.  I did notice gaps around the sides of the radiator.  I'm in the middle of nowwhere and I'll have to see what I can do with this hardware store I found in Alma, NE.  We are heading from here to Yellowstone in the next week, any suggestions on the best route which will minimize the long grades?  I'm still planning on putting misters on, but I'm not in a place long enough to get the head sent to me and I can't seem to find the heads locally anywhere.
Hey, any busnuts in Nebraska on our way to Wyoming?
Happy Trails,
Brent

[DrivingMissLazy]

What kind of coach do you have?

Mister heads should be available at any hardware store. Drip sprinkling system in garden.
Richard

Well, I ran down 136 out of Northern Missouri to the middle of Nebraska yesterday, temp 95 degrees with the tailgate up...can't tell if it helped.  I had to pull over 1 time when the HI Temp light came on.  I did notice gaps around the sides of the radiator.  I'm in the middle of nowwhere and I'll have to see what I can do with this hardware store I found in Alma, NE.  We are heading from here to Yellowstone in the next week, any suggestions on the best route which will minimize the long grades?  I'm still planning on putting misters on, but I'm not in a place long enough to get the head sent to me and I can't seem to find the heads locally anywhere.
Hey, any busnuts in Nebraska on our way to Wyoming?
Happy Trails,
Brent

[RJ]

GMC did a lot of things the others never did or thought of. . . until the bean counters took over top management and they found they could make more money building pick-ups in the Pontiac T&C factory.  That and Greyhound's purchase of MCI. . . 

Yea, but I wonder if it would help and Eagle just never thought of it?
Richard

The GMC's came with the air dam to vacum air from the engine compartment. Eagles never had this setup.

[Busted]

The Good Mountain Climber always wins!
Where's John Vickers when you need him???

[Burgermeister]

Keep in mind, the airflow in the engine compartment can be intended to cool certain accessories and opening the door, specifically with MCI's (with their downdraft exhaust out of the radiator compartment) and probably with the other designs.

You might get better radiator cooling but, at the same time,  cook an alternator or something else!  (Don't know, would have to test, but it's worth the mention!)

Just for the sake of accuracy,  the use of the term vacuum isn't the best choice of word or term.  It would better describe the benefit of a full-width mud flap as generating a low pressure area aft of the driving wheels.

Putting a flap between the bogies and the drive axle could be a smart move.  Especially depending on under-bus structure. A bulkhead in between the two rear axles would really improve the flap's performance.  After the drivers, you have all sorts of things, including drive shaft, tranny, etc.,  that might interfere with a good seal.

Onward and Upward

[busboy]

We did about 60 miles today from Republican City, NE to Minden, NE to see the Pioneer village.
I went to the hardware store and bought some aluminum stove pipe and fashioned it to cover the gaps on the side of the radiator.  I think it helped some.  I'll be in Kearney in a couple of days...maybe I can find some mist heads.  I will need them as we get into Wyoming.  Thanks guys for the help.
Happy Trails,
Brent