[David]

We are in Lincoln Nebraska. It is fiendishly cold here but inside we are nice and toasty!

Rick…..just sent you an email.

[David]

good question. It’s diesel fuel smell.

Thanks for all the ideas. I’m going to start working through the list.

[David]

we had a diesel smell. Some way something somehow went by the engine oil filters making over an inch long hole in the side of the muffler. It was not possible to see the hole unless the cover under the filters was removed. Had the hole gas welded closed and smell went away.

[David]

You guys are wooseys, I rode my 55 Pan from New York to CA with a broken ankle, broken wrist, no helmet, a biker buddy strapped on my leg, only stopping for gas, cigarettes, beer and hot dogs, then turned around rode back to Key West, then home to NY during a snow storm, no windshield and did it in 5 days.

[David]

TxPrevost, That would be us. Left Branson, had to go to Wis., quick turn around and on our way to Walter D’Andrea in Sanford. Should get coach back end of Dec.

[David]

All the 550 Hp 8v92 DDEC IV used a CAC I never saw one with a aftercooler the 8v92 was the first engine to use the CAC they have been around and used on the 8v92 since 1980 as a option to me the aftercooler inside the block was a joke it is not large enough to do much good but it helps a little

[David]

120 is the number most often mentioned and with a tolerance of +/- 5 PSI we can see variations.

The Haldex air dryer found on a lot of the XLII coaches has an integral governor set to operate within a pressure range of 108 to 123. That is quite consistent with the pressures discussed in the shop manuals for almost all models I have looked at.

This is a VERY touchy subject because most owners are put in the middle of a problem not of their making, unless they are just loading their coaches unreasonably. The Prevost limits were not grabbed out of mid air. The weight limits are what the coach was certified to and the braking system was designed and tested to the standards based on those weight limits. But when a converter puts a coach in the market with excess weight on the axles it is unlikely an owner will make a purchase contingent on being able to load their stuff in the coach and still have the coach within limits. So coaches reach the market and then when they will not do what they are supposed to do someone comes up with the idea of giving them more air.

Even Prevost has advised that from time to time because they know sometimes that is easier than telling the owner to contact his converter, or to unload his stuff from the first bay. I have never seen an air bag that did not say maximum pressure: 100 PSI. So right off the bat limits are exceeded. If someone has the problem my recommendation is just as bad an idea as raising the air pressure, and that is to encourage the front end to rise. Lift the tag axle and insure the aux system pressure is at the max the air system will allow. Generally that will nurse the front end up. That is what a lot of folks have done over the years on heavy front end coaches.

Once an owner has a coach that is fat on the front keeping front end weight to an absolute minimum is important. That’s a tough sell when the owner has just spent serious money to get the coach. This problem is not new and I remember when Bill Campbell, one of the owners of Prevost at the time brought up the topic and told owners to weigh their front ends. That went over like a fart in church and the two converters who we guilty of producing nose heavy coaches at the time apparently expressed their displeasure at the mentioning of the issue. It was never brought up again and around that time Prevost issued a pair of service bulletins one to add a second set of shocks to the front, and the second to replace the original bags with what became known as “Mae Wests”.

Bus owners are not unlike pilots in the respect some pilots think if they can get the doors closed they are good to go, don’t worry about weight and balance. We see the same in a lot of coach owners who think because they have a Prevost they can put any weight they want in the bays or on the hitch and they are good to go. Nope.

[David]

Brian,

You could learn a lot and make a more informed decsion if you could do the following:

1. Travel to Florida and spend a week going to all the major convertors and dealers.

Sanford, http://www.millenniumluxurycoaches.com/

Stuart, http://www.libertycoach.com/sales-service

Clearwater, http://www.parliamentmotorcoach.com/

San Antonio, near Tampa, http://www.parliamentmotorcoach.com/

There are others if you have time.

2. Come to the Rally in Branson and meet everyone and you will get the most information in the shortest period of time and get to see a wide range of coaches. http://prevostcommunity.com/rally.asp

3. You asked about maintenance costs, there are some things you can plan for, others problems just have to be dealt with as they happen. There is a certain amount that depends if you can do some of your own work, or will you have to pay someone to do all the required maintenance. Standerd things like yearly oil and filter changes, grease job, etc can cost $400-$500 if you do it yourself, $800 or more if you pay someone to do it. Just depends on how much work you ask them to do.

Make sure whatever you buy has fresh tires and batteries, that can be a 8 to 10 K expense if you need new tires and batteries after you leave the dealer / seller. Tires are a big safety issue and good batteries are needed for dry camping and prevent a lot of nasty electrical trouble shooting. Audio visual equipment that has already been updated to current versions will also save you time and money.

Hope this helps at least a little.

[David]

I still didn’t see what brand of conversion the coach is. He is almost discribing one of the last 4 Parliament 40′ XL double slide coaches we converted. If it IS a Parliament, behind the breaker panel in the galley or bedroom, there is a 120v relay panel the houses the control relay for the 120v pump.

Sincerely,

Ben Cummings

Parliament Motor Coach

[David]

This is where the 4th bolt is on mine. Difficult to see. It is where my arrow points (top center)

My crude arrow is black and hard to see, like the bolt.

[David]

What Gerald said. I doubt if synthetic would make that much difference. The other thing to check is to see if the brake is dragging. Remember the tech messed with the caliper and if he didn’t know the process to change the hub it’s possible he messed something up when he re-installed the caliper.

[David]

Jon, was this on your current coach? Ever determine what caused the fire?

[David]

Gil I run all 4 cruise airs off of shore and manage the current,if by chance I am dry camping I don’t need to manage the current because Liberty has set up the gen so that any current draw will be covered.

[David]

After physically tracing some of the wiring and looking at the drawing it is pretty much as Ben said. However even though the main shore power breaker is 50 amp, the breakers in the shore load center box that Ben mentioned are 60 amp, that feed the Main and Aux panels. The breakers in the Gen load center panel are 50 for the inverter feed and 60 for the Aux. There are no 30 amp breakers in the Gen load center but there are 2 30 amp breakers in the main panel labeled inverters which does not seem to match up to the drawing. If those are the breakers feeding the inverters when on gen power, then it looks like they would also be doing it when on shore power. I am sure it’s not a case of the Aux panel not being kicked in because those circuits still work, it’s just when I turn on a AC load the remotes and the techlink screen both show a big load on the batteries

I have verified both phases of the shore power at 122 volts, checked the cord amp size and the AC1 grid amps both set at 50. checked the charge rates and the high and low voltage settings for the inverter input, and have a continuous green light on the AC1 in .

It is not shown on the drawing but in bay 2 near the inverters in addition to the disconnects between the inverters and the house batteries, there are inverter 1 and 2 bypass switches labeled Shore/Normal/Generator which I think is to avoid the wire nut scenario that Jon mentioned.

I am leaving for Marathon in Dallas in about a hour but will check back in late this evening to see if anyone has any additional thoughts. Will post their findings once they have it figured out.

Thanks

[David]

You have the same inverters as Diane Byrd, in case she asks.

They are Trace Engineering SW-4024MC2, the inverters that actually parallel with either the generator (AC2 IN) or your shore cord (AC1 IN), but because of the way they operate, the “Set Inverter” menu must have the curser under the “O” in On, otherwise that AC “Leg” will be dead (unless you use the inverter bypass switch located in bay 3 r/s to select “shore” or “gen” to directly power that 120volt leg of breakers).

They actually act as your automatic transfer switch between shore power and generator, and there are no other contactors upstream of them.

The alternator in the cradle on the right side of your engine is for both the house and chassis batteries. It will charge the house batteries regardless of the state of the inverters while the engine is running. If your coach does not have the Prevost “Bus A/C” system, you may have a 140-amp 24v Bosch alternator that charges the chassis batteries, leaving the 270-amp Delco in the engine cradle to charge only the house batteries.

Let me know if you have any further questions about the operation of your coach.

Sincerely,

Ben Cummings

Parliament Motor Coach