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ENGINE ACCESS
I recently put up an article about engine access. One of the motivating factors was for six months I was getting a check engine light that did not remain on long, and did not leave a history my Nexiq reader could read. I eventually hooked up my reader in the front and waited for a check engine light to show up.
It eventually did and it indicated a slow response on the #1 injector.
That got me to thinking since my model of Prevost was not the one that repaired itself I knew in the future I was going to have to address the injector issue. So thanks to Jeff and Johnny at East Tennessee Luxury Coach an engine access was made. When the coach was built, like most conversions the Prevost engine access panel was covered. In my case it had the door jambs from the closet pocket door, a sink cabinet, a closet drawer and carpeting on top of it. To get at it took Johnny 6 hours. If I had to have engine work and did not have the modification that is what it would take to get access to provide clearance and room to work on my engine where it goes under the closet.
Obviously that was not acceptable. What I did not know is how important providing easy access was to be.
If it turned out my intermittent one time per trip check engine light was a sign work was required. I have no idea how long I could postpone the repair, but I knew in my future some injector work was going to happen. So when ETLC finished my new easy engine access having engine work was no longer something to be feared.
All of us with XL or XLII coaches with limited access for valve cover removal have to face the fact at some point the valve cover has to be removed and access to the top of the engine is going to be needed. If it can be done to a schedule we have the option of working with a company that is used to pulling the engines on a Prevost so they can work on them. When I considered that option I was faced with at least a $3000 cost, the bulk of which had nothing to do with a tune up or repair, but was to pay for engine removal and reinstallation. But that was not all the cost. I have learned it costs real money to travel andmy direct costs are close to $1.00 per mile. That includes fuel, oil changes, fluid changes, wear and tear on the coach, and time. Additionally I would not be able to spend time in the coach so I would have at least two days of meals and lodging topay for. With American Fleet as an example my round trip would be about 1250 miles, not cheap, even if I only considered fuel.
Or I could bring the coach to ETLC, have them pull what was needed to expose the access panel, then go to the shop that wouild do the repairs, then back to have the cabinetry reinstalled.
No matter the choice it was going to be expensive EVERY time the engine needed work beneath the valve cover. So the cost to have ETLC provide engine access in an easy manner was gong to be about $800 to $1000 based on how my rear closet was configured and what needed to be done.
As it turns out the engine access project was a total success as can be seen in the article: https://www.prevostcommunity.com/article-details.asp?ID=177
Its value was immediately realized when I saved at least the cost of the modification with recent engine work at Prevost. They made it clear if I did not have the modification which gave access in less than a minute, they would have attempted to remove the cabinetry, or as an alternative have one of the local converters remove the cabinetry or as a last resort, pull the engine back. The good news is Prevost was doing my work and they respect conversions, their cost and the need to protect the conversion interiors and cabinetry from damage. They pointed out, correctly engine work is often not done to the coach owner’s schedule and if it is needed when on the road, such as at a truck repair shop there is a risk of damage or the cost of cabinet or engine removal.
So here I am suggesting unless you feel lucky, give serious thought to getting with the folks at ETLC or Tradewinds or your converter to provide easy access to the top of your engine. It is an expense nobody will see. It is not like bling, or a new surround sound system or even an ipad upgrade to your Crestron system. But what it is is an insurance policy. It will shelter you from the cost and coach interior damage if an unqualified shop has to start taking things apart to get to the Prevost access or to shelter you from the cost and issues arising from pulling the engine back to get overhead access.
With what you have saved in fuel cost alone this year due to the pandemic you can spend to make your coach engine easily accessed and serviced. Maybe, just maybe, if enough people do make the modification and tell their converter about the need for such a modification maybe, just maybe the converters will provide a means of accessing the engine in minutes, not hours and hundreds of dollars of cost.
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