Increased oil 'painting" on back of bus

ccbmster · January 06, 2018, 09:27:03 AM

102A3 with an 8v92TA

Just drove from Michigan down to Folkston. GA (about 1,200 -1,300 miles).

Bus ran like a top.

No problems with power at all.

No problems with oil pressure

No more smoke than usual.

Oil usage may be a bit more than usual, but not really anything alarming....probably wouldn't even have noticed the increased oil usage if not for the increased splatter on the back of the bus.

Not a ton of dripping once the engine is shut down but a more than I like when idling.

Near as I can tell, there is no coolant in the oil.

Does this sound like a blower rebuild is needed? Bad blower bypass O ring?

chessie4905 · January 06, 2018, 10:01:53 AM

I'd look it over real close for a gasket leaking first. No increase in slobber from tubes or accumulation in catch cans? You might want do do an oil sample to be sure you aren't getting fuel in oil. Didn't get it a little hot past year?

Geoff · January 06, 2018, 10:05:56 AM

Probably not the blower, most likely the oil control rings leaking and passing it out the air box drains.

muldoonman · January 06, 2018, 03:23:23 PM

Mine had the same issue. Good oil pressure, no smoke to speak of and a sheen on back of bus. Someone on here told me rings. Nope. They (Stewart Stevenson/San Antone) checked air box drains and oil ran out of the covers. They could see cylinders with drain covers off, good shape. Blowers seals done the deal. Have put about 2500 miles on it since the repair (last summer) and it hasn't use hardly any oil. My motor only has 87,000 miles on it. It blew about a gallon out in 125 miles and when idling would just cover the floor out drain tubes. Hope it's seals (expensive) but not like an overhaul.

Geoff · January 06, 2018, 05:54:41 PM

Muldoonman--

You got lucky. If your blower was the cause of your oil leaks out the air box drains the blower must have lost a bearing to have that much oil out the air box drains. Like I said, the problem is more likely the rings, but I don't know the milage of the engine or can look at it myself so I can only deal with probabilities. Do you have a link to your post where someone advised you that your problem WAS the rings or ...?

--Geoff

Geoff · January 06, 2018, 06:34:45 PM

Muldoonman, I think I remember you. You had a big oil leak out the air box drains and Stewart and Stevenson said it was your blower seals and charged you an arm and a leg to rebuild your blower by ONLY replacing the seals because the bearings were good. That scenario was a rip-off because it was more than likely your blower mounting gasket which seals the oil being pumped into your blower was the cause of the problem. You got ripped off, as I remember. That doesn't happen in my shop.

--Geoff

muldoonman · January 06, 2018, 07:25:06 PM

Quote from: Geoff on January 06, 2018, 06:34:45 PM
Muldoonman, I think I remember you. You had a big oil leak out the air box drains and Stewart and Stevenson said it was your blower seals and charged you an arm and a leg to rebuild your blower by ONLY replacing the seals because the bearings were good. That scenario was a rip-off because it was more than likely your blower mounting gasket which seals the oil being pumped into your blower was the cause of the problem. You got ripped off, as I remember. That doesn't happen in my shop.

--Geoff

Everybody always says rings and mine wasn't that. They did replace bearings, ran rack, new expansion joints on exhaust. At $6000 it was a eye opener. They did give me the estimate before they started and what the hey. You can't take it with you. Figured if I would have went to another shop the crooked sob's would say rings and "You need a overhaul" $20,000 or $30,000 grand. I would have just turned it into a hunting cabin for somebody.

luvrbus · January 07, 2018, 05:57:41 AM

That's not a bad price Glen for all that work since they rebuilt the blower in house most places just exchange the blower since they don't have someone that knows how to rebuild a blower nowdays and the expansion pipe is not cheap either

muldoonman · January 07, 2018, 08:42:36 AM

Quote from: luvrbus on January 07, 2018, 05:57:41 AM
That's not a bad price Glen for all that work since they rebuilt the blower in house most places just exchange the blower since they don't have someone that knows how to rebuild a blower nowdays and the expansion pipe is not cheap either

Yeah Cliff although the price was $6000, I remember years ago when I drag raced that was a drop in the bucket to what we had in the motors for the cars. I almost had that in the Aluminum heads dressed. Seemed reasonable to me. Some cats on here say rings right off the bat on oil puking out the drain tubes. Wasn't on mine at all.

ccbmster · January 07, 2018, 09:44:47 AM

Quote from: chessie4905 on January 06, 2018, 10:01:53 AM
I'd look it over real close for a gasket leaking first. No increase in slobber from tubes or accumulation in catch cans? You might want do do an oil sample to be sure you aren't getting fuel in oil. Didn't get it a little hot past year?

No, the temp has always been just fine.

buswarrior · January 07, 2018, 07:51:48 PM

The coach wears whatever drips underneath on the back.

So? Stop the drips?

Rig up a container for the air box drains, then you can see what's going on, and see if it makes a difference to the back of the coach.

You would be VERY amazed at how little oil can make the back of the coach appear to run in oil down the back...

You will move on to other issues if you only find a small bit of oil in your container and a clean rear.

You can't manage what you can't measure?

happy coaching!
buswarrior

chessie4905 · January 08, 2018, 04:14:12 AM

I second that.