[Ted]

Picked my coach up at Jeff’s today. Finally got to see what $22 grand looks like in the back of a coach. Jeff had gone over everything and test drove the coach and all was good, thank god. It drove great home with no coolant loss, no codes or warning lights. Should be good to go!

As to what went wrong? Discussed it for a long time today with Jeff. He examined the parts etc. the liners were not pitted much and there was no real cavitation. In the end he did not feel it was a coolant issue. Several of the people Jeff talked to and the DD shop feel it probably started with a bad casting on the head. Apparently there are several series of heads in the past that have shown a higher incidence of failure.

Thus the chain of failure is thought to be bad casting → eventual gasket failure → pressurization of the cooling system with coolant being pushed behind the liners and out the radiator overflow → sunk liner and pitting and erosion around #6 cylinder. If there is any luck its that the problem was picked up before any true cavitation or coolant contamination of the oil. Of interest is why it was so difficult to easily reproduce the problem. The coolant primarily would spill only when the bus was being driven with high turbo boost. That is only when the engine pressure would be high enough to push through the damaged area and pressurize the cooling system.

That’s about as much as I know and more than I understand! Thanks especially to Jeff Rowe and ETLC, Freightliner of Knoxville, Ken Arnold and everyone on PC who tried to help. Planning on not seeing Jeff Rowe again until the October seminar!

Chris

[Archived]

My name is Brian Stanton.
I am from American Fleet Inc. in Springfield Missouri. We are a Detroit Diesel Specialist with 35 +
years worth of experience in the entertainment and charter bus industry. We want to provide all of you with a source
for your engine and Allison Transmission questions and concerns.

Our remanufactured engines are built from the ground up. No attention to detail is left to question. When we say our engines are remanufactured, that’s
exactly what we mean. A lot of times
when potential Prevost owners are looking to purchase a previously owned Prevost,
there isn’t really a clear answer on what “rebuilt engine” really means when
the seller explains the coach’s past. We
are finding that in most circumstances, its means that an in-frame over haul
has been preformed. We perform that
service as well, but you will know exactly what you are getting from us when
this service is performed.

A true engine
rebuild or a “remanufactured” job is a tremendous amount of additional work and
attention to detail than an in-frame service.
Block Assembly – We only use good
castings that do not need repair, only machining, to be returned to Detroit
diesel specs. Crankshaft – We use
either new or good standard cranks that pass all specifications. WE WILL NEVER GRIND A CRANKSHAFT. Cylinder Heads – We will not pin or weld cylinder heads
that are cracked. These are just a few
of our philosophies that we stand by to ensure our service is nothing but the
best in the industry. But one of the best parts about our work, we
can have you back on the road in 3 to 4 days, whereas anyone else, will be out
several weeks if they have the parts on hand.
If you want to find out how we can offer this, you’ll have to call and
find out!!

Since joining Prevost Community, I have read a few threads that
we only wished we could have read sooner. American Fleet Inc. is a family owned
business that truly cares about each coach and its owners; we are not driven by
the bottom dollar like some dealerships throughout the country. We are a straight forward, honest, hard
working company that is focused on providing a first rate service to all who
need it.

Thanks

Brian Stanton

American Fleet Inc

Sales Manager

Office: 417.865.4420

Cell: 417.234.7334

americanfleetinc.com

[Jerry]

Mr. Stanton,

You should carefully consider having your company featured on PC. Your location makes it very desirable for Detroit or Allison service.

PC has the emergency help bar which has been tested more then once when our members have travel issues. I have been called 3 times in KC for help with mechanical problems.

Knowing who to call as they “will” help makes a big difference then calling places to see “if” they can help.

AL

[tom]

Al,

Thanks for you advise and concern. We are aware that jumping in such a tight
knit community of like minded folks will keep us busy fielding phone calls
throughout the day. But we don’t mind
it.

What makes us want to help coach owners is when we read
posts that end up with someone spending more than they should, and the solution
takes a month or more to complete. If we
can provide engines and transmissions that will eliminate these types of scenarios
then we are thrilled!!

Thanks

Brian Stanton

American Fleet Inc

http://www.americanfleetinc.com

417.865.4420

417.234.7334 Cell

[Georges]

Brian,

I second what AL said…. I am from St. Louis and travel to branson often. This past Memorial day lost a lower hose and ended up spending the night on the side of 65 until the next day.

I’m always looking for quality service providers.