[Bill]

Totally agree with Jon & Bill. On our trip out to AZ from the Nashville, TN area last week we saved roughly $1200 in fuel by using the program. That means a couple of nice dinners for us in Tucson. And, being somewhat frugal (Karen might say “tight” ), I’d sure rather have the bucks saved, especially since it’s hugely more convenient (and safer) than not using the program. Pull up, swipe the card, fuel, & hit the road. No wandering around, or leaving the coach to make multiple trips to the fuel counter. About as simple and painless as it gets.

Reminds me that I still owe Rudy & Carolyn a dinner at the establishment of their choosing the next time we have the opportunity to see each other since he was instrumental in bringing the program to PC’s attention, and saving all PC program participants some pretty appreciable coin. Thanks again, Rudy!!

[Bill]

Very likely the original 24 volt single-stage boat anchor charger that was original to your coach was fastened to the roof of the engine battery bay too.

If you don’t have slides, you shouldn’t need the auxiliary air compressor on. If you have air leaks (and almost all of us do) it will cycle on and off all the time.

[Bill]

Here’s what we do and the success we’ve had doing it this way. Different strokes for different folks.

Our bus lives at our TX home with us, 50′ away. When we get home from a trip we don’t plug into our 50 amp shore power. We empty the frig/freezer/ice maker. We turn off both inverter/chargers and all switches in the electrical cabinet, and turn off the water pump.

A day our two before a trip, the bus gets plugged into shore power, the 2 inexpensive portable chargers(see below) are disconnected, the bus inverter/chargers are turned on, the frig/freezer/ice maker are turned on, and the water pump is turned on.

For battery care we do the following:

I own a lot of batteries. It pays to take care of them properly. One of the worst things you can do to the batteries in the bus is nothing. Another bad thing is over charging.

We bought our bus almost 7 yrs ago with the 4 NAPA commercial #7234 mx free lead acid chassis batteries that are in it today. And I don’t know how long they were in there before we bought the bus? I rotate a cheap $5 harbor freight 12v trickle charger back and forth between the 2 easiest to get to outer most batteries every week or two. All 4 chassis batteries are connected to each other, so when one gets charged, they all get charged to some degree. A little Lifeline Concord 12v battery in my airplane lasted 12 yrs with one of these cheap chargers hooked up to it 24/7/365.

When we bought our bus it already had a built in Marinco Guest dual 24v/12v smart charger installed for the chassis batteries. If I’m ever on the road parked somewhere for a week or more, I will turn it on for a few hours once a week.

Our bus when new from Liberty was built for three 12v 8D house batteries. Previous owner had at some point in time installed three Deka brand 4D batteries. I replaced them almost 4 yrs ago with 3 Lifeline 8D. When the bus is at home I have an OLD $10 Craftsman manual 2 amp dumb charger hooked up to the post on the battery isolator that allows it to charge both the house batts and the gen bat. It keeps a 13.1 float charge on both banks. The gen battery is a cheap Autozone group 27 Duralast wet cell that I installed immediately after we bought the bus almost 7 yrs ago. It is still going strong and has never needed any water added.

When we’re parked away from home(usually at a race track) we use the inverter/chargers to keep the house and gen batts charged. Of course the charger portion of the inverter/charger get their power from either shore or generator.

When driving, our bus has 2 engine driven alternators, a 12v for the house and gen batts, and a 24v for the chassis batts. Voltage regulators on both are set to operate at about 14v and 28v which is a good compromise between too high and too low. There is an alternator on my gen too. I have it disconnected because the non-adjustable voltage regulator in it is set to high, 14.9v, and would shorten the gen battery life. The gen battery gets charged by the house batts thru a battery isolator anyway.

We installed a PulseTech PP-12-L on the house bank to prevent sulfation.

Seems to be working OK for us so far?

[Bill]

Al is correct in noting work can be done to an extent from inside the bedroom over the engine, or as an alternative, pulling the engine.

The extent of the required work will influence the manner in which the engine will be accessed. Both approaches have risks, and those risks are influenced by the floor plan of the coach, how it was converted especially in the area around the engine access panel, and how the coach can be protected.

Working with the engine in place on a coach with a north south bed, access beneath the bed and on an 8V92 is a no brainer. In fact on an 8V92 there is almost nothing that requires access from the removeable panel.

With a Series 60, an east west bed, cabinetry over the engine access panel and an XL or XLII just to remove the valve cover a whole lot of cabinetry has to be disassembled, or the engine needs to be pulled back.

So the risks are damage to cabinetry and possible grease on interior surfaces like carpeting or fabrics that cannot be cleaned. Pulling an engine has its associated risks such as damaged electrical cables on the converter portion, as well as the potential to end up with systems not working like mis-installed Webasto hoses.

[Bill]

After owning 7 Prevosts …. time for a change ?

[Bill]

Hello,

Do we as private RV Prevost owners required to stop at weigh / Inspection stations?

Thanks

David Thomas

1998 Featherlight XL

[Bill]

Ok, I got lucky. I opened up the channel or trough from the top and took my mirror and flashlight and much to my surprise the channel was completely empty. I could see some minor water stains along the floor in the channel but that was it. Then I thought maybe the water was running down the outer wall from the outside runner lights because the wires for the lights exit the bus on top of the leak stains I could see. No rain here of recent but I did get a wash not long ago. The runner lights were dry with good seals to them so all was good there. Next I started rechecking the two water lines coming from the kitchen running on top of the channel and underneath a big bundle of wires but no leaks there either. I’m not sure why but I checked the sewer discharge line just for the fun of it and under one of the fittings I spotted the smallest and slowest drip known to man. I would have never seen it if not for the fact that the drip was just about ready to fall. Then I started rechecking everything that I had recently done all around the toilet and while I was checking the main water line coming into the flush valve voilà or is that vodka… on the water line to the flush valve there was a very small shimmer coming from underneath the hose clamps. I was lucky to even see it. I know I checked those hose clamps before and all was good but maybe I cranked down too hard on them when I was tightening and they eventually started to seep. So I fixed both leaks and I think I’m good to go now. It’s nice to know what’s on and in that channel. I’ll keep checking back on all these water lines and connections from time to time just because well ya never know. It was a frustrating leak search but satisfying because I was able to figure it all out. I stopped drinking a long time ago but after all this… just writing the word vodka has got me thinking!

Fred

[Bill]

Jon,

Thank you for your comments. Your comment about over tightening the sensor is a concern. I might be guilty of that deed.

Tom and I exchanged emails and telephone calls on Thursday. Because the dealer purchased the PressurePro System he recommended that I talk with PressurePro. Talked with PressurePro customer service and they requested the two defective sensors be returned and will send me replacements when they are available. The customer service representative was very helpful.

Reese

2007 Marathon XLII #1025

[Bill]

Late to this thread, but Ive got a guy that builds these headlights for less than $700. Projectors in a factory housing, bi-xenon or LED. This is my bus.

[Bill]

It would help me immensely to know where you spent $30,000 on your chassis. An itemized breakdown would be great.

The seated coach I’m looking at has mid 300K miles on it. New tires (365s), new rebuilt engine and transmission in 2018. Coach batteries are so so. Paint and exterior are good. Everything works on it. It has OTR air and it works. It has new windshields.

It has been serviced regularly. Was last in service a year ago. Was in a tour fleet that didn’t get used in winter. Owner selling because COVID19 killed his business. Owner appears to be knowledgeable and honest about things and kept his fleet in good shape. This bus would be shuttling tourists right now if not for COVID19.

The plan is to put 2 slideouts in it and build it almost exactly like Featherlite’s Angel Fire 0310 design over the next few years. http://www.featherlitecoaches.com/inventory/featherlite-coaches-0310/ http://www.featherlitecoaches.com/2021-featherlite-coaches-0310-angel-fire/

I’ve owned large 5th wheel trailers since the late 90s. I’ve very familiar with RV systems. I’m a very good mechanic, fabricator and home renovator. I’m a good SS and aluminum welder.

I plan to zero out the chassis and prep it for conversion by doing the following:

– replace the coach batteries

– rebuild the brakes

– check air bags

– rebuild the IFS bushings and steering components

– possibly swap in a locking differential carrier. It doesn’t have a locker.

– replace the driver seat, clean up/modernize the cockpit a bit

– put in 2 driver side slides

– double check the radiator.

– update the engine cradle for a 20K hitch.

– detail the engine compartment.

At that point I have a decently prepped empty shell ready for conversion. I reno’d a high end house 5 years ago to rave reviews. I don’t see building out the shell to be much different.

I’ve been looking at Prevosts for a while now. I’m familiar with S60s, so I’m not afraid of them. The biggest scare most owners get with these coaches is the transmission failing, maybe due to overuse of the retarder ?

The MCI chassis seems to have a lot more problems – rusting out air beams, cracking rear sub frame, electrical gremlins on newer coaches, etc. I’m not seeing any of that in the H3 Prevost coaches. And the Prevost chassis is designed for slides, unlike the MCI.

I’m not interested in a SS coach. And I want an S60, not a 71 or 92 Series engine.

These coaches haven’t changed much in design the last 20+ years. Same basic engine, transmission, cooling system, frame, suspension, etc. Not because Prevost has been dropping the ball, but because they’ve withstood the test of time.

Parts seem to be readily available and reasonably priced. I don’t see any OMG, here is a $10K catastrophe that we need to deal with on these coaches, aside from the transmission.

A pre 2004 bus is simpler because it has no EGR to deal with. Fuel economy with the 12.7 will be as good as it gets for these buses.

I can buy a lower mileage (150K) conversion, but most of that era don’t have slides and they are listed in the $150-$190K range. It doesn’t make sense to me to pay that kind of money for a low mileage coach and then rip it apart to get what I want. And 2006 seated coaches sell for about $200K and have similar or higher miles (300-400K) with the original engine and transmission.

I wouldn’t blink an eye at buying a highway tractor with 350K and converting it to pull a large 5th wheel. I’m not sure why I am supposed to be afraid of a 1998 Prevost with mid 300K.

I’m not worried about resale value. I’ll build it like I want and keep it through my retirement. I’m really looking forward to ditching my diesel pickup truck !

It’s not going to be an over the top build. But it will be functional and homey, which is what we want.

[Bill]

1995 with Front disc and 12.7 Series 60 XL

[Bill]

Sounds like a bearing failure which I’m told is the most common problem.

Since our buses don’t have any ram air effect thru the CAC/Radiator, our fan clutches get worked hard. 100k miles would be a stretch. 50k miles is probably average. The newer the buses are, the harder the fan clutch works.

My normal post trip checklist now includes grabbing the fan to see if it feels ok.

Mine is relatively light weight bus, 41k Lbs + whatever I pull, and recently at 92k miles the low speed coil failed which left me with OFF and HIGH speed only. No big deal.

Also annually I’m gonna check the ohms of both the high and low speed coils. High is 10-17 ohms, and low is 30-36 ohms.

[Bill]

The CAC on EGR coaches is along side of the radiator. On pre-EGR it was stacked with the radiator.

[Bill]

“MAINTAIN THY AIRSPEED OR THE EARTH WILL ARISE AND SMITE THEE”

[Bill]

It is the engine emergency by pass switch.

If you get a code that shuts your engine down, you can press and hold the switch down to keep the engine running long enough to get off the road.