Stuck in Modesto

qayqayt · February 12, 2014, 11:08:49 AM

We are stranded in Modesto, CA and are looking for advice and assistance. Last Saturday we left Sacramento heading south to Bakersfield. To make a long story short, I found coolant in the oil. We managed to drive the coach to a small diesel shop here in Modesto. They removed the head on one side of the engine and want $12,000 for a rebuild. Our bus has the 8V71 Detroit Diesel engine with a V730 automatic transmission.

I went to Mello Truck here in town on the advice of the local bus company and they have a used engine they can put in for about $10,000.

I don't know yet how much the current work is going to cost us and the shop owner has been patient and very accommodating. There is not much point in having him re-assemble the head because I can't drive the bus without getting it fixed. We live in Vancouver, Canada and it will cost $6,000 to tow the bus home.

I have a friend back home who got a used 8V71 engine purchased and installed for $4,000. Does that sound reasonable here and can an 8V71 be found anywhere in this part of California? I considered getting the bus towed up to Williams CA where I hear there is a DD guru, but he's not answering his phone at any hour and so far not returning my calls. Besides I don't think the cost to tow the bus that far would be feasible.

We can't stay in our coach while this is going on so time is also a factor. Luckily we tow a car and we're mobile. Before I send it to scrap, any ideas?

Bryan
GMC PD-4108

Mex-Busnut · February 12, 2014, 11:15:36 AM

So sorry to hear of your bad situation. Wish I could help some how!

Ed Hackenbruch · February 12, 2014, 11:22:51 AM

Bryan, any used engine is gonna be a crap shoot....will it last a thousand miles? a hundred thousand?. If you can afford it, your best bet would be to rebuild it, then you know for sure what you have. Maybe Don Fairchild in Bakersfield will be able to help you out with info and choices. Good luck.

lostagain · February 12, 2014, 11:24:32 AM

Call RJ in Fresno, five five nine two six zero four one zero six. He will know where to send you. Also try Don Fairchild in Bakersfield, CCTSKIT.COM, 661-391-4520. His cell: six six one three O one four six four eight.

Good luck.

JC

luvrbus · February 12, 2014, 12:50:11 PM

Did you spin a bearing on crank if not just repair the engine it is a common practice to repair just one cylinder find out why they want to rebuild the engine besides the money

You are in the wrong state looking for a used 8v71 I don't how the guy selling a used 71 series is going to handle that deal with CARB the take out engines have to be certified by CARB

If you can get to Hillsboro OR if Don cannot help the best 2 stroke shop on the west coast is located there Hillsboro Diesel fwiw 12,000 is not bad for out of frame rebuild but a little steep for a in frame job,decision time for you is the bus worth 12 to 15 grand for a engine

Sunchaser Art · February 12, 2014, 07:55:50 PM

We're a bit south in Riverside County CA, but $12K sounds very good for a complete rebuild. I'm guessing you would be looking at close to $17-20K to pull the engine &trans, rebuild the engine (completely), and re-install. If it was my choice, I'd go with a complete rebuild (with good quality parts) over a used motor.

If you're heading south and you need anything, or just want to kick-and-scream, give a call at (951) 243-4469.

Art

hatchhome · February 12, 2014, 09:15:16 PM

Sorry to hear of your troubles Art. I'm having a hard time understanding why the cost is so high to either rebuild or to put in a used motor. I have found several running used motors near me on Craigslist for less then 1500. A rebuild kit is 1500 on ebay. Now I know labor is involved and I don't have the tools 2 do the job but. $10,000 in labor? With the deals on gm buses right now u would be better off scrapping any bus then repair and buy a different one. (not advocating scrapping buses) What am I missing?

Timkar · February 12, 2014, 09:25:40 PM

Had water in oil before on an 8V71, changed head gasket, changed oil, timed injectors, etc and was good to go....Need more info before I would do a rebuild. How much coolant are we talking about?
Trying to figure out why they removed head before pressure testing it.....

luvrbus · February 13, 2014, 03:13:16 AM

His bus if original probably has the old style 71 dry cylinder engine if so it would take a lot of soul searching for me to rebuild it at any price

If he didn't spin a bearing and for 12 grand sounds like it did not spin a bearing like Tim repair the sucker and go down the road to home

Hatchhome those $1500 engine kits( some are junk) are only the beginning I can remember when Stewart and Stevenson their standard price was 100 bucks a cylinder with labor to overhaul any 2 stroke engine times have changed try 2000 bucks + now for each cylinder

I feel for this guy but he is to far away for me to offer any help I wish him luck there is a 4107 fairly clean for sale on the BNO that needs a engine for 2500 or best offer fwiw

Gary W · February 13, 2014, 08:46:57 AM

Bryan

Sorry to hear about your break down, why can't you stay in your coach while repairs are made? We stayed in a repair shop in Hemet Ca while they repaired our coach, they just locked the gates at night and we stayed in the coach . Good luck.

Gary

TomC · February 13, 2014, 10:17:28 AM

As said before, buying a used engine is a crap shoot-will probably have much problems down the road. If you're going to keep the bus for at least 5 years, have it rebuilt. It sounds like a lot of money, but really is not. Bus converters choose to use commercial buses that have heavy duty drive trains that take much abuse and just keep running (which means $$$$ when they break). Now the engine needs some attention. A good rebuild can be the last time the engine needs serious attention.

When I bought my bus, the engine had been rebuild 64,000miles ago-the bus company put new speedos in when the bus was rebuilt. But-it was a down and dirty rebuild that did not have the cylinder liners sized properly. I ended up boring the cylinder block out .010, using oversize cylinder liners, but able to reuse the pistons. Replace one head-and that was $11,000 14 years ago. The rebuild was so good, I was able to turbo the engine without any piston change. Now have 30,000 miles on the engine and it runs like a top. Rebuild your engine-you'll be the most pleased about it. Good Luck, TomC

B_K · February 13, 2014, 10:50:14 AM

Try giving Don a call before making a decision. I just got off the phone w/him and he said he was puzzled why they had a head off it before pressure testing the cooling system first!

He can give you some ideas and he also knows where there are some 6V92 DDEC II or III's w/V730 transmissions are on RTS cradles that would make for a excellent upgrade swap if you wanted to go that way instead of putting $ into the 8V71!

JC aka Lostagain posted both his #'s above. (I use the cell # as I hardly ever catch him at the shop!)

BK

qayqayt · February 13, 2014, 05:39:54 PM

Thanks guys for all the suggestions. Back on Saturday I called RJ Long and he suggested that I call the local charter bus company and see if they do outside work, or if they can recommend a shop. The problem was that it was Saturday and nobody was open. We stopped at a rad shop and that's where I pulled the dip stick and found the coolant in the oil. Earlier that morning as I was doing my pre-trip inspection, the oil looked fine but the coolant was down. I added coolant and we headed south. As we were getting to Modesto, the temperature was starting to creep up, so I pulled over. The engine never overheated.

Now that I've talked to my Detroit Diesel mentor back home and read all the feedback on this board, I called Storer Coachways and talked to the maintenance manager. He recommended Mello Truck Service. They agreed that the head should have never been removed until other tests were done. They advised that I shouldn't even let the original shop to re-assemble anything, so I got it towed over there today. I don't want to bad mouth the original guy, he tried to help and did a lot of research for us. He was just not a Detroit Diesel guy.

So the bus is now sitting at Mello Truck Service. Neither shop liked the idea of us staying in the bus so we're sharing a hotel room with our Australian Shepherd.

We'll have a better idea on Friday (tomorrow) but we're heading into a long weekend, so we might not get a resolution until Tuesday.

We considered many options, but I'm sure that most of you understand the economics. I knew getting into this that the bus would be a money pit. You guys gave me some faint hope that the engine may not be as damaged as we thought and the problem could be a number of other things. I think it's well worth paying to have the engine re-assembled and properly diagnosed.

If I wasn't so far away from home, I'd have more options.

Thanks again for the input. We'll see how it goes.

Bryan
Vancouver BC

B_K · February 13, 2014, 11:39:55 PM

Good luck and keep "The Don" in mind! He's not that far South of you and he's pretty smart when it comes to Detroits and has a lot of parts!

BK

Dave5Cs · February 14, 2014, 06:37:34 AM

Valley power systems up in west Sacramento had I don t know if it is still there but an 8v-71n a GM bus they had just rebuilt. It was 1year or so ago. It was in a conversion that someone didn't t pay for and they were trying to get 5k for the bus just to recover their money on the rebuilt motor cost. I have an MCI and could not use it with the T drive. Might give them a call see if it is still there.

Dave5Cs from Galaxy S III