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Just noticed water under the bus!
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That’s exactly what I needed to know Jim. Now I can call around to see who has it and if not, have them order it.
Do you know off hand how many gallons the system holds? I’m sure I lost 2 to 3 gallons.
Harry
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Our previous coach Beaver #34 had manual transfer switch, too. Same floor plan as Harry’s, which in 2009 Harry’s Coach was owned by Jack and Thelma Jones in Texas. Some of you may recall 2009 POG rally at Twin Fountains RV Park in OKC. Ours was the last Beaver Coach.
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One other thought… When you guys travel do you have antifreeze and oil on hand?
Harry
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I have to disagree with one point Jim made.
Anti-freeze colors no longer mean a damn thing. Use engine coolant or anti freeze that meets the spec for your engine. Period. Do not use the anti freeze unless it says it meets the spec on the container. The color may have meant something at one time but now coolant manufacturers are using “designer” colors to identify their brand or because the color looks sexy.
If you use a coolant that does not meet the required specification you put the engine at risk. Also, if you are using extended life coolant (they are acceptable for most Detroit Diesel engines as long as they meet the spec.) and you add coolant that is not the OAT (extended life technology) the coolant life drops from a 6 year to a 2 year time span. Read up on coolants and avoid reading comments on forums because a lot of those comments are old wives tales, such as calling for the use of a specific color.
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Harry,
Check out Fleetcharge from Napa. It meets the Detroit specs for 8v92.
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I’ve been trying to find, without success, the amount of antifreeze in the 8V92 system? I’m sure I lost at least 3 gallons and am curious how many gallons are actually in the radiator/system?
I know my manuals will tell me but they’re in the bus and I’m at home. I also tried to find it on the Prevost website but no joy.
Harry
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You can spend a lots of time trying to find 30 or 40 # oil. Go to amazon and buy it, it will be shipped to your door.
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Here’s what I got from Prevost.
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That is NOT correct. That is not the first time I have seen answers from a Prevost manager or technician that was ill advised.
Extended life coolant is a product originally developed by Caterpillar and they wrote the industry specification for it EC-1.
Eventually all engine manufacturers either included EC-1 spec extended life coolant in their list of acceptable products or they developed their own spec. The product is what is know as OAT coolant or extended life Organic Acid Technology.
There is an abundance of articles and information that is correct regarding this coolant technology. I am not going to repeat them here except to urge anyone looking for coolant information to educate themselves on what is acceptable for their particular engine and what option s are available to them. OAT technology does not require additives during the life of the coolant and in fact adding SCAs (Supplemental Coolant Additives) brings the extended life product down to a two year life product.
Again, repeating a color as a descriptor of coolant is WRONG.
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Would losing 3 gallons of antifreeze keep the engine from running?
After changing out the leaking hose I started the engine to make sure the new hose wasn’t leaking. I turned on the coach batteries and started the engine. I then pressed the RPM button and the RPM’s didn’t increase and 20 seconds later the engine shut off. I didn’t try to restart the engine not knowing if I had to add back antifreeze first or what?
Three things are different from other times I’ve started the engine. 1. I just replaced the hose and lost 3 gallons (I think) of antifreeze. 2. The coach battery slow charger was plugged into AC and 3. The bus was plugged into 50 amp shore power.
Or did I lose a lot more antifreeze than I thought and the engine shut down for lack of fluid?
Harry
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Harry: The engine likely shut down because the coolant was TOO LOW. Why would you start the engine suspecting you had lost a significant amount of coolant during the hose replacement? This isn’t a car or light truck.
If Brian Stanton from American Fleet monitors the PC Forum, he might jump in and answer your questions related to the engine.
Did Jeff Rowe put fresh coolant in your coach while you had it at ETLC shortly after you bought it? If so, look on your invoice. That should show much much coolant he put in and what it was.
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Hi Dick, I started it because I didn’t think I lost so much coolant that it would put the engine at risk. And as I said, to make sure my replacement hose didn’t leak. So that’s my answers to your question of “why would you”?
But where the “why would you” would apply is if I tried to start it again! I’m dumb, not stupid. At least allow me that dream! <
Harry
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Prior to engine start everyone should take the minute or two needed to verify the belts are in place and fluid levels are correct. As Harry pointed out the coolant level sensor was doing its job and it shut down the engine. But this should wave a lot of red flags and Harry’s experience should be instructional.
Harry and others now know the bus has sensors to protect itself against some problems. But there is a bigger lesson here. Harry has been starting and driving his coach as we know from posts. He knows he had a leak. What is unknown until now is how big was the leak. The answer is the leak was big.
Any loss of fluids is a signal something is wrong and it needs a repair before the coach is ready for use. Obviously part of the repair has to be to restore fluid levels.
Had the coolant level sensor not worked correctly there is a possibility the engine could have been damaged which makes a pre-start inspection not only a good idea, but necessary.
Here is a good paper regarding coolants.
http://www.baldwinfilter.com/literature/english/10%20TSB%27s/05-2R1.pdf
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That’s an interest article Jon, thanks for posting it. Anyone with an engine and transmission knows you need to pay attention and react accordingly. In this day and age of changes it’s good to keep up.
Here is the antifreeze I purchased earlier today. It’s full strength and the guy at NAPA said I should mix it with distilled water which is something I’d not have thought of. Plus he saved me money this way and by buying a case of six.
I also enjoyed that NAPA discount. Jon and Tom thanks for working that out for us. It helps cut down on the exorbitant dues.
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Harry, where is the Detroit spec for the coolant listed? That looks like automotive coolant and unless the Detroit spec is on the label it is not suitable for your engine.
Your engine has a very important specification for coolant and if it is not on a label on your coolant surge tank or a label in the engine area it is listed somewhere on the Detroit Diesel web site for 8V92 engines.
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