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My 91 Beaver Coach Problems
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Robert,
My concerns exactly which I relayed to HJ. We offered a lot of advice centered around checking things electrically, including the batteries individually but Harry had at the time sent the Good Sam’s guy away and was using local talent from nearby diesel shops.
Harry is between a rock and a hard place because it is so easy for mechanics unskilled in working on a Prevost to intimidate a new owner that logic and step by step diagnosis goes out the window and the repair turns into an on the job training exercise at the owner’s expense.
What has hurt the offering of advice is Harry is not feeding us basic voltage information that is necessary to do a step by step analysis. We can’t diagnose everything over the internet or by phone but we can rule out some things quickly so the efforts can be concentrated. Re the DDEC power that is one of the very first things we try to determine and we do it starting at the 12V at the bottom of the equalizer(s) and then go to the three CBs.
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Jon, I think you are interpolating the following based on limited feild data to go on.
1) ddec not getting proper voltage or otherwise not functioning. 2) extended crank time or previous extended crank times that possibly damaged the starter.Inop computer (91 vintage ddecll) would not in and of itself cause the starter not to function. I just want to make sure I understand how this would work. Please Advise. Thanks, Jeff
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Hi guys,
Let me correct some of the information, I did not send the Good Sam’s driver away. The driver came out with the full knowledge it was a 24 volt system and he did in fact jump the coach. When the engine would not turn he checked a couple other things. After which he did not think it was not a battery issue. The next thing he did was push the toggle switch up and then push the button that is used to start the engine from the rear. There was no joy so he took the front off the big grey box above the engine where we both saw that the starter relay was almost black. After taking a wire he jump the relay on it’s left and right side, he determined the relay was shot and believed that it was the starter that blew the relay. And that’s where we are today.
When the above guy left he sent over a diesel mechanic to replace the relay and take off the starter which he did. The starter is now in a shop being rebuilt. It should be done sometime tomorrow or Monday. I’ve already said to my wife, “what do I do if when they finish I turned the key and it still doesn’t start”? My guess is to have them take the batteries out and check each of them.
As I said earlier I called Jim Lane and he talked to the mechanic and Jim seemed to feel the guy had the right idea and what he was doing made sense. Jim wasn’t there and was just trying to help a guy in need, me! But that was better for me than just taking a wing and a prayer knowing nothin from nothin. All I’m trying to do is get my bus running so I can get it up to Clark Power Service!
I don’t for a minute want you guys to think I’m not listening to you but you’ve got to understand I’m new to this and feel I have to depend on they guys here on the ground who genuinely seem to know what they’re doing. The guys down here don’t know Prevost but they do know what they call 318’s, which Jim told me is the cubic inches of the engine, the 24 volt systems and they seem eager and willing to help me as best as they can. They my be wrong in their appraisal of whats wrong, but I have no doubt they are well meaning and want to get me fixed up! I don’t know of anything else I can do and they’re almost certain its not the batteries.
I’m not at all happy this is happening to a coach that I’ve had for just two weeks today! But that’s the way it is and one way or the other I’m going to get this bus of main running and up to Clark Power Services in Knoxville, TN. My hope is when the starter is put back in it cranks right up and life is good. If it doesn’t, I’ll do the batterie check and see what that shows. I guess the worst case is to have it towed somewhere, I have no idea where but somewhere! I hope to look back at this as just part of the learning curve. Either that or break down in tears, and my wife hates it whan I cry! 🙂
Harry
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
Harry,
Thanks for filling in the blanks. It really sounds like you are on the right track! Jeff -
Still waiting for shots of the Beaver!
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Hi Jeff,
If you can tell me how to post the pictures here on the fourm I’ll sure be happy to post them!
Harry
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H.J.,
Ensure your pics are JPEG or anotehr accepted format.
Then click on the icon with the sun & tree and it will ask you to upload them from there …
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
Harry,
If you click the reply button there is a link at the top of the post page (Upload Photo Instructions) Click that and it takes you to a Youtube video explaining how to do it. Start a new thread to post your pics to keep your starter issue thread clean.
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Harry, I hope I misunderstood you when you said “318” is the cubic inch of your engine? The cubic inch displacement of you 8V92 is 736. There are 8 cylinders each displacing 92 cubic inches, 736.
You need to load test your chassis batteries reguardless of what going on with the starter. It is a normal mx procedure, especially on a new to you bus.
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318= horsepower on a 8V71—- You have a ddec 8 V 92. differant technology. What ever you do don’t let them put 24 V to you ddec(ecm) big $$$$ there. sorry to confuse you. Yours is prob 500 hp. I don’t think 318/8V71 was put in a coach after 1982. Go online to Detroit Diesel and you can down load tech manual. Or prevostcar.com and get general elect diagram. Put in your year prob a P (last letter in your serial number) and last 4 digits. Example P-6553. I do hope this helps. you to find your way.
Jeff and Lindsay
91 Marathon XL -
I think he meant they were not familiar with 8v92’s but were with 8v71’s.
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When you say “You have a ddec 8 V 92. differant technology. What ever you do don’t let them put 24 V to you ddec(ecm) big $$$$ there. sorry to confuse you.”OK, now I’m really confused. Where is the ddec and how do I make sure they don’t do anything to it?
Harry
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Or maybe not! Good catch guys.
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Harry,
Your chassis batteries are wired in series/parallel, so you have both 12 and 24 volt leads. DDEC is 12 volt and you’ll have wires from the 12 volt connection going to your computer. You should have a decal inside the curb side engine door that shows the diagram for the chassis batteries. If not, let us know and we’ll post it.
Robert is cautioning you to make sure no one puts 24 volts to your DDEC should the battery cables get unhooked for testing. We’ve seen lots of incorrect chassis battery cable nightmares over the years. I bought a 2000 CC Prevost and discovered the jump/boost lug that should have been 24v positive had the cables wrong and was actually negative ground. If someone would have attempted to jump the bus, It would have looked like 4th of July. Just an example to think about if cables have to come off for battery testing.
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Harry, I’m the king a posting pictures. Pictures are worth 1000 words. It took me awhile to figure out how to do it on my IE and windows 8 computers. The link somebody mentioned is only half right. Here what I have to do.
At the top right of your screen is an icon for TOOLS. Click on it the you’ll see among the choices “compatability View settings”, click on it and remove Prevostcommunity.com, once it’s removed, close that little window, and now you should be able to click on the ADD/EDIT icon and download/post a picture. BUT, now you won’t be able to type but 10 or 20 words before you can only type about 3 letters/min. So click on the TOOL icon at the top right again, then “compatibility view settings” again, then ADD Prevostcommunity.com, close out that window, and now you can type, but you can’t post a picture. So I jump back and forth in order to type or post pictures.
To summarize: to post pictures “remove” PC from your compatibility view settings. To type “add” PC to your compatibility view settings.
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