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Coolant Maintenance
From time to time we have discussed the various maintenance events our Prevost chassis requires. There have been several discussions about changing coolant yet I haven’t seen any reports of why it is important. This post was made on the Bus Conversion Magazine forum regarding a coach that had problems on I-95. The following post speaks for itself.
diagnosis is in…
My friend purchased this coach last winter. It’s a 98′ Vantare’ H3-45 with 50,000 miles on it.
It spent most of it’s life in a garage and looks like brand new. Even the paint job looks like new!
Well, Detroit mechanic said the coolant has never been changed!! The wet sleeves around the
cylinders are corroded and one cylinder was eaten through with rust causing coolant to enter
the combustion chamber which also built up psi in the crank case blowing oil out everywhere.
Inframe rebuild is already underway.. They gave him a est. around 12 to 15 K for job. He has
already spent over 3K getting it towed 100 miles, and a flight home for his family as well a incidentals.
I feel bad for him however, this is all part of our hobby….
Detroit recommends replacing your coolant every 2 years!
Nick-
The chemistry in the coolant maintains the nitriding on the cylinder liners and prevents porosity that occurs if the chemistry in the coolant is not maintained.
You can read the whole thread here: http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=26892.msg295696#new
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8 Replies
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I should add to the above post that changing coolant is a real PITA. So if it is changed it is important to use only coolants that meet the Detroit (or Volvo on newer coaches) spec because it is the coolant recipe that is protecting the engine.
And do not, I repeat DO NOT assume because it is a certain color it meets the specification. I like to save money, but with rare exception I have spent the big bucks to buy the Detroit Diesel Power Cool or for extended life coolant have bought Caterpillar brand EC-1 coolant so I am sure the coolant is correct.
Do not let a parts guy at a diesel parts store such as Fleetpride or Truck Pro sell you coolant because it is green or red or whatever color. It must say clearly the specification it meets and that must be specific to your engine.
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That is a killer Jon for 250 bucks worth of coolant would have prevented,if that engine is that rusted I bet he dosen’t get out for less than 20 grand by the time they find bad center bores that need to be redone Do your maintanice it saves big bucks in the long run
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I think I saw it at a Detroit shop one time a cylinder liner from an engine that had not had coolant changes. You could see pin holes of light where the liner had failed. That got my attention.
You are right Clifford, that whole issue would never have happened if the coach had the coolant changes. With coolant in the oil I bet the engine is toast.
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Hi Jon,
Thanks for this post, but if your in the market for a coach, how would you have detected this? Since the coach looked that new and was garaged? Even if the owner changed it the day he bought do you think the damage was already done?
Paul
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The answer is to see a complete maintenance history…….that is backed up with receipts.
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Test strip the coolant, that won’t tell all the history but will tell you what it’s like right then!!!!!
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Yes, use test strips (50 for $18 at Napa) and cut the coolant filter open and spread out the element just like you would for an oil filter. If you have OTR, also check the Parker stainless steel coolant filter in the main heat exchanger bay. In 30 minutes you’ll have a very good idea how well the coolant system was maintained.
Gerald
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There is no substitute for detailed maintenance records for a coach being considered.
I know I sound like a broken record when I say that but if an owner is serious about maintenance he has to keep some form of log books or maintenance history because our coaches have too many required maintenance events for anyone to keep track of solely by memory. Even if an owner thinks driving it to Prevost once a year for their service is sufficient, the reality is that is not even close. I will eat those words if any owner who relies solely on any service provider can show us that their long term service provider meets the required maintenance schedule for their coach. That includes timely oil and filter changes, air dryer and air system maintenance, lubes, coolant change, Transynd and filter change, differential and wheel hub fluid checking and changes, etc. Then add in generator service, plus keeping up with the preventive maintenance on brakes, suspension, etc. I am almost certain not a single service provider, including Prevost tracks your coach’s service history and sits down with the records to map out what is required at the next service event, and sees to it that all the little details are addressed. From feedback on various forums it appears they do what is asked, nothing more, sometimes less, and only address other issues if the need is slapping them in the face.
So we as owners have to have some means by which we track needed maintenance and some of the easiest maintenance events to track never get done in a timely fashion because they are expensive, or time consuming or we just don’t think about them.
Our coaches ain’t our father’s Oldsmobile and nothing in our maintenance schedules ever coincides once all service event times or miles begin. So when buying a coach the best any of us can hope for is detailed records so we know what is due, what has been done, and if anything has been overlooked.
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