[Archived]

Gordon,

I lived in Alaska for 4 years, and also got my P.E. there, so I am familiar with the temperatures you mentioned. Some points:

If the coach actually gets exposed to -35 Celsius, the coolant may be marginal–you may need to go with a 60/40 mix instead of the standard 50/50.

Is there a way you can get some heat in the barn, like with a propane heater when the temperatures get extreme? Any increase in temperature will benefit the coach.

[Archived]

Hi Elite: You said “Yes you are going to run into the lack of people to service your unit”.

You mean in Canada right? Because there is no shortage of “people to service your unit” in these United States! You also hear people say “Oh you’ll have a lot of trouble finding someone who knows the 8V92 Detroit Diesel”? That’s a crock of all crocks… Can you find more people who service the series 60, of course you can? But my heavens, you can go to almost any small town and find a number of mechanics who have worded on the 8V92s all their lives!

Sorry, sometimes we folks with other coaches have to speak out!

Good luck on your search Gordon, 40 or 45 you’re looking at the right product and you’ve come to the right place!

Harry

[Greg]

Thread drift but Harry don’t come to Central Texas. These guys just look at it and marvel. One heavy mechanic asked me if I had to mix the oil with the diesel. Stewart Stevenson in San Antone is the place i trust mine too and they only have one man left, and an old one , that’s worked there 30 years. . It’s only a couple hours away. Now down around the Gulf Coast there are a lot of the old guys that know them as the shrimp boats still run some.. These are , sad to say, a dying breed unless you work on them yourself.

[Archived]

Hey Gordon,

Good to hear that you found the coach that works for you and obviously you got though the import process in to Canada. If you could find a heated facility to store the coach in the winter would be peace of mind that’s the only way to insure nothing freezes on your coach. Especially the first year of owning it and cold temps are here already.

And for you Harry I was referring to people up here in Alberta Canada that are not familiar with the conversion on the coaches. I know lots of mechanics up here that know everything about Detroit Diesel and Allison transmission not a problem!!!

[Reagan]

Getting good quality coach service is a serious issue no matter where a person lives. Do not minimize the problem because it is real and is going to get worse.

Some versions of DDEC are not supported. Some Detroit dealers have no mechanics familiar with the 2 stroke engines. Some converters cannot supply parts for older coaches. Some devices in older coaches are not available if they break and replacements might not fit in the available space.

I don’t want to sound pessimistic but keep in mind some of our members have coaches approaching 30 years old and not only mechanics, but replacement parts are getting scarce. The XLII has been around for 18 to 19 years. Owners have to face the reality and make sure they have people they can rely on to service their coach and the conversion.

A second reality is a very good way to get really in trouble is to allow conventional RV service folks to work on our conversions. Those who we trust and will rely on should have extensive Prevost and conversion specific knowledge.

[Jay]

checked both Detroit and generator antifreeze for strength today, both are at – 45 c, so nothing more needed, the Detroit has had a recent radiator replacement so obviously antifreeze done at the same time.this coach was registered in Missoula MT so it has already seen some cooler temps. the main thing here in Alberta is to keep indoors out of the wind, the already cold temperatures with the wind chill is what does the damage, storage next year will not be an issue as we are progressing with quotes and start dates for a stand alone heated Bus Barn.

Electrician coming next week to upgrade the existing 30 amp plug in to 50 Amp, so should be able to maintain all required services, thats heaters in both the bays and the interior, i can select either 2 110 volt heaters or the infloor heat option, either i think will keep the interior well above 0 deg.

Going for inspection later this week so will have all air tanks drained to ensure no moisture present.

Spent a long time today looking and checking the water systems, the pumps and hot water heaters are on the N/s of the coach the Hot and cold water manifolds are directly opposite on the off side of the coach, with the hot water heaters drained and bypassed, the approx distance across the coach is now 8.5 to 9 feet, so when pumping antifreeze through both the hot and cold manifolds the furthest forward distance to the kitchen sink is approx 4 feet from manifold, towards the rear of the coach is the shower unit this is almost directly above the manifolds, so i am now not surprised that 2.5 US gallons will in fact fill the water lines. This however brings me back to my earlier question and lack of understanding as to previous posts have indicated owners using up to 13 US gallons to winterize, where has all the pink stuff gone ?

i have today poured approx another 2 gallons down all drains to flush P traps, removed and drained fresh water tank filter, rinsed dishwasher and washing machine, cycled water through the insta hot lines, any further use of antifreeze is only going into the grey or black tank.

The Webasto system is connected into the main engine cooling system and is therefore protected by the antifreeze as previously checked, i guess the proof of all of this will be apparant next year when filling with water for thef first trip out in 2019 !

[Art]

The Crawford’s wintered in Indio at Desert Shores only recently in the last 5-6 years.