Adventure 2010 continues

[JackConrad]

  What started as a 2-3 week visit in NC ended up being 2 months when I discovered whitewater kayaking. We finally moved on to the Richmond area to visit friends there and then on to Ohio, where we are sitting in Tom & Fran's (White-Eagle) driveway. Coming across the PA turnpike with outside temps of 96-98, I can say our basement air did a great job of keeping the bus cool and the pyrometer certainly helped maintain proper engine temperature. As long as I kept the pyrometer (exhaust gas temperature) at 600 degrees or lower , the water temperature remained stable. When the EGT climber to 700 or higher on the long grades, the water temp would start climbing. By letting off the throttle enough to lower the EGT to 600 (first option) or downshift (second option), we were able to climb the grades with no problems. Downgrades were a breeze using the Jakes, rarely even touched the brakes.
  We will probably go into Michigan around the end of July and spend most of August in Michigan. We hope to attend the Back to The Bricks rally while in Michigan.  We will probably start SLOWLY heading south around the first half of September, spending some time in NC for a final whitewater fix before continuing south.   Jack

[cody]

Jack we're looking forward to meeting up with you at some point while your in michigan, we may possibly have to be in the west branch area to hand the grandkids over to their dad for their return trip to pennsilvania for the upcoming school year, that appears to possibly be around the 22nd of august or so. Still undetermined lol.  West Branch is north of the flint/clio area on I-75. I'm thinking we'd like to drag you and paula north for a bit and show you mosquitos with landing gear and running lights lol.

[Frank @ TX]

Jack,
Good to hear everything is going great.
Seems like your only problem would be getting more kayak time.
That's a good kind of problem.
Frank

[buswarrior]

Excellent report!

Back to the Bricks!!!

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[JackConrad]

Excellent report!
Back to the Bricks!!!
happy coaching!
buswarrior

Are you bringing Lisa and the bus this year?  Jack

[JackConrad]

Jack we're looking forward to meeting up with you at some point while your in michigan, we may possibly have to be in the west branch area to hand the grandkids over to their dad for their return trip to pennsilvania for the upcoming school year, that appears to possibly be around the 22nd of august or so. Still undetermined lol.  West Branch is north of the flint/clio area on I-75. I'm thinking we'd like to drag you and paula north for a bit and show you mosquitos with landing gear and running lights lol.

Hmmm, maybe ya'll can join us at Back To The Bricks.  We are not making plans beyond the rally yet.  We will have to wait until then to decide what we will do next.  If not all the way to L'Anse, maybe Mackinaw or   Jack

[buswarrior]

Solo to Michigan,

However, the coach is intended to be ready for New Year's in sunny Florida!

So much to do, so little time....

I need to retire to get all my stuff done!

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[bevans6]

Hi Jack, I am curious about your exhaust  temps.  Are they in Fahrenheit or Celsius?  Where is the pyro probe?  I'm just thinking that 600 degrees F seems very low for exhaust gas temperatures, but i really have no idea about diesel two stroke exhaust!  I'm more used to seeing manifolds glow red on dyno's, which is up around 650 - 700 C, or 1200 - 1300 F.  So if your temps are Fahrenheit, they are around half what a  loaded gas engine might reach.

I think I will google a bit and see what I find about diesel exhaust temps.

Cheers, and happy you are having a good summer!

Off topic on dynoing engines - I have no idea why I am completely happy to run along at 140 mph with a race engine at 7,000 rpm inches from the back of my head, behind a 1/16th inch thick aluminium firewall, and when I dyno the same engine I hide at the back of the room behind the lexan window and the 10" thick concrete block wall while the dyno guy does the pulls...

Brian

[JackConrad]

Brian,
    Temps are Fahrenheit and the probe is in the exhaust pipe right after the Y fitting where the left & right manifolds converge. This is fairly close to the driver's side but a little further from the passenger side pipe.  I was told several years ago by someone (I don't remember who) that I should never exceed 900-1000 F or I would destroy the pistons. I do not know if that is correct.
     Typically, running 60 MPH on flat land, my EGT is 450-500. Highest I have seen on a short, steep grade is 850.  Jack

[TomC]

I once saw a little sign on a yacht above the pyrometer (exhaust gas temp gauge) that read, "over 1200 degrees costs money."  And that has always been my gauge.  On my first truck, I didn't even have a pyrometer since 2 stroke Detroits flow so much air.  Good Luck, TomC

[usbusin]

Doesn't the maximum safe temperature depend upon where the thermocouple is located? 

My temperature on my 3126b on a flat road (light throttle) at 60-62 mph runs right at 600-650 degrees F.

When I approach 900-950 on a long pull it is time to drop down a gear and she drops to 800 or so.

[Busted Knuckle]

Only truck I ever drove that we really had to "watch" the pyrometer was an '84 Mack CH 600 w a Mack 500 HP V8 in it. That truck was geared way too fast for common sense. But anyone with any sense wouldn't have drove it in top gear in high range! (count me out on the having any sense as I regularly "wound it out" in 9th gear on the main trans and 4 gear or "high range" on the auxiliary trans.)

But with that truck we would keep the "pyro" temps around 600* and if it got to 850-900* it was time to down shift or "back pedal" seriously!

That was a single axle semi wrecker that had a Holmes 600 bed on it.
Man o man that was a hoss of a truck. Bad part was it was a cab over and when wound out you would swear the fenders were flapping. (but it didn't have fenders being a cab over. )
FWIW   BK