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Oil Test results
Greetings,
I am in the process of purchasing a used Marathon Coach as part of the conditions of the sale I requested a oil and trans fluid test and recieved the results this evening. The trans checked out perfect but the iron and copper levels are “slightly” high in the engine oil according the the results of the testing company. Last oil change was in 2010 and the tester also indicated that “lube oil cooler” might be a contributing factor.
I am also going to have a full dyno done at a DD dealer.
How concerned should I be about the above results?
Bill
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9 Replies
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Bill,
What year is the Marathon, 8V92 or Series 60?
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Copper is not something to worry about with 2 year old oil that comes from the additives,iron maybe a problem but II question the oil cooler theroy, the air compressor is a good source of iron on a low mileage engine
Change the oil before the dyno you also need to pull samples on the cooling system and differental,hard to believe no one changed the oil in 2 years even if not used let us know what engine the 60 series of the 90’s can have a few problems if all the updates were not done
good luck
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If the coach has not had a lot of continous use the iron could well be rust on the cylinder liners. Doesn’t take much to skew the oil sample results.
Not sure how I would view that. It could be an expensive problem, hence a deal breaker, or it could be something of little significance.
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Tom it’s an 07 with a Series 60. I spoke with the guy that did the report directly and he said based on what I told 2 years since last change and the fact that it was a series 60 that he didn’t think there was any huge reason to be concerned… he fulled up the full report and mentioned a bunch of other stuff that was positve about the results for a series 60… he suggested that I get oil test every poil change to stay on top of it…
Bill
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Jon,
That is what tester told me… he said that it was at 87 and DD spec is under 150…. my understanding coach was sitting for a period of time in FL…
Bill
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Bill, The concerns I would have is the impact of age and reduced use on the coach. A regularly used coach that is properly maintained tends to have maintenance needs, but they are usually taken care of in a regular fashion. An underused coach adds issues not usually found on other coaches. All the mating parts sit in one spot and rubber parts age and little critters create nests and homes and if there are leaks mold starts to grow and …….
So I can envision some potential issues with valves, problems with tires that rely on use to activate the anti aging compounds, possible battery problems, etc. Obviously money can cure all ills so a good inspection, much more in depth than a normal pre-purchase inspection, and a price that reflects what it might cost to deal with hidden needed repairs. An underloved coach can be a good buy, or a deep hole in which you shovel money.
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He?# Jon, my coach is way over loved and I have been shoveling money for 6 years, when does it stop????????:-)
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A 07 can be a 12.7 or 14L which is it ?
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Clifford, for a motorhome my guess is it is a 14 L. But that is only a guess.
Buddy, It never stops, but if you shovel money into the hole fast enough, you catch glimpses of the top of the pile on occasion and you can slow down shoveling for a while.
On my 97, within the first year I went through it eventually doing every drop of fluid, every filter, every belt, every Norgren, air bag and brake chamber. I don’t have the logs now but I think I wore out a few Bic pens logging what I did. The good news was that by zeroing out everything I stopped the serious flow of money for a while, but because the various maintenance tasks had different lives it staggered future expenses so I never got hit again with so much being done in such a short period. And the 97 was in great shape, had been used regularly and had no age related issues I had to address. The previous owner had taken care of it.
My coach projects and maintenance are typically an ongoing process so the flow of money into the pit is steady but tolerable. I’ll bet the 07 is due for tires, batteries, plus a full service plus whatever shows up from limited use. But if the price is right (and there is a lot of room in an 07) it could be a good deal. Where something like this becomes a problem is a 20 year old coach in a similar situation where the cost to bring it back to good reliable condition may be equal to the value of the coach.
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