Slobber valves

[Scott & Heather]

Pan is less than $10
A ratchet and socket $10
Moving the bus out of the campground to the Walmart nearby that you are buying the tools at and letting coach sit overnight and then draining a cup of oil in the morning to make sure you don't toast a $20,000 engine?....priceless


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[viking1]

Well.

I started the bus and in doing so approx 1/2 a cup of antifreeze dumped out of my collection box. I called a Detroit engine mechanic and determined that spinning a bearing or toasting the engine would make it no good as a core. Core value approx 2500 bucks. Tow from Bishop CA to my house approx 2500 bucks. Hmmm, it seemed to me, the closer I got it to home the more money I save on the tow.

Well I fired her up, slammed my finger in the door twice and drove it home like I stole it. And I just don't get it other then we were extremely lucky. The bus did the 197 mile trip non-stop with out missing a beat. 60-70 MPH and approx 40-45 up the inclines, temp steady at 180-185 and oil psi steady at 45-50 psi, no smoke, no hesitation just purred like a Detroit kitty cat all the way home.

Now what, I got it home. Still coolant coming out of one or both air box drains. Do I pull the motor and do a fresh rebuild? Or do I open her up and try to repair what I have.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Definitely gotta love the Detroit, even sick she got us home.

[Scott Crosby]

I was talking to a guy at a rally who had the same issue like ten years ago.  He just added a bottle of stop leak and it's never come back.  Not saying that's your best solution but he continually monitors it and has never seen any coolant again and saved him a bunch of money.  I was stunned by the story but he said he puts lots of miles on it.  I don't remember his name though.  I wouldn't do it as a long term solution but if it cleared it up and got me home or to an off season when it was better to tear into it, I probably would at least consider it.

[luvrbus]

Roll the sucker out and see what you have to work with,the heads need to come off,you have 2 problems excessive oil and water.  
Head gaskets are 40 bucks ea,the liner seals are 8 bucks a set you may or may not need new liners or pistons but they need to be checked and the oil rings or the wrist pin seals cannot be checked inside the liners so that will cost you a set of rings @ 40 bucks a set and new bearings @ $150.00. I would rebuild the blower or exchange it the rebuild kits are 80 bucks fwiw
I am guessing that engine has been rebuilt and someone screwed it up 92 series are a different animal than the old 71 series they need to be done right and they will last.If you need liners and pistons I have a couple of sets of low hr Detroit liners and pistons I'll make you a super deal on.You are going to need a set of manuals

good luck  

[TomC]

Difference between overhaul and rebuild-Overhaul you only replace what is worn or broken. Rebuild you blindly replace everything with new. Guess which one the Detroit dealer will only do? Good Luck, TomC

[Scott & Heather]

Scott Crosby can attest to how long these motors will run while dying....but eventually they will die somewhere....and most likely not anywhere close to home. But they will bang bang quite a while before finally vomiting metal bits.

[DoubleEagle]

Determining whether there is any antifreeze in the oil or not might help zero in on where the antifreeze leak is. The danger to the bearings is when enough antifreeze gets fed to them instead of oil. Let it sit and see what comes out that drain plug, and consider an oil analysis. Glad you made it back, you drove it properly.

[Iceni John]

This is another instance where a Fumoto oil drain valve is useful  -  you can easily drain out small quantities of oil for analysis, or whatever else ails you, without risk of making a mess or stripping the plug's thread.   I used the Fumoto T-202 valve in my engine, and it can't get caught on anything because the transmission's pan is much lower than the engine's.   Well worth it.

John

[eagle19952]

if you read the instructions...every sample should be drawn thru a tube with the appropriate tool....

while i am not in favor  of scheduled sampling, in this instance i would recommend one.

ps. I worked for a Chevron jobber that sold 1000's of sample kits... the suction supplies were free if you bought enough

[luvrbus]

I use the Cat sampling kits and pull the sample through the dip stick tube about the mid way on the dip stick.I never pull 1 from the plug unless I looking for metal

[eagle19952]

i also look for metal...at every oil change... then i drop the pan i just know you never get a "good' sample from a fugimoto valve or drain fitting... i'd be more confident dipping the bottle in a 7 gallon pan

[jackhanow]

If it is coolant, it would feel like coolant on your fingers. Probably just condensation. even a small amount of coolant is coolant colored. coolant that has been exposed to exhaust gets a particularly odd smell i.e. Blown gasket or crack in the combustion surfaces. Pull the drain plug when it's cold and see if water comes out. But don't drain the oil. Water and Coolant always go to the bottom.

[Iceni John]

Both the tech at ABC Bus who changed my oil the first time (when he installed the Fumoto) and the counterdude at Southern Counties Lubricants (where I buy my Chevron sample kits) told me to drain a sample immediately after shutting down from a one hour run, in other words when the oil is still at full temperature and before anything has had a chance to settle out.   That made sense to me, so that's why I was doing it that way.   However, if you say to draw a sample up the dipstick tube, I'll do so  -  I'm more inclined to believe the collective wisdom here than some dudes who may not know or care much about 2-strokes!   Should samples be taken hot or cold?

John

[Scott & Heather]

John, for an oil sample analysis you'd want warm oil so they can get a homogenized sample. But if you're just at the moment trying to figure out if you have coolant in your oil, you can drain a hot sample into a clear jar and let it sit for a day and watch the coolant separate from the oil, or you could just let the bus sit for a day and then drain a sample and if there's a serious amount of coolant contamination in your oil you'll be draining out coolant. I've done it both ways on friends trucks that had coolant/water contam in their oil. It's not scientific though so if you want an oil analysis then do obtain a warm oil sample.


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[luvrbus]

John,go to the Cat site they have good info on how to take a good sample since they are the ones that pioneered the tests