Rick
Forum Replies Created
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My Liberty came with a brass bracket! Couldn’t resist…
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Thanks BoaterAl, Our pyro gauge is ok. What we need is the probe that screws into the manifold. ,it has a yellow and red wires to transmit manifold temps at the dash gauge.
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The Temp Coat product looks very interesting. I wonder how flexible it is to stand up to an occassional walk across the roof. It also looks like it must be sprayed on. It sure would be easier to applied if it could be rolled.
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Everything mechanical has the potential to fail. That applies to the Precost shell as much as it does the drive train or suspension. All we can do as owners or buyers is to try to tip the scales in favor of longevity.
Absent a warranty, engine, transmission and, perhaps to a perhaps lesser degree, suspension repairs can get expensive real fast. In my opinion, a bus with a well documented history of quality maintenance backed up with receipts helps tip the scales in favor of a mechanical failure later rather than sooner. I would expect that such a bus would command somewhat of a premium compared to another which has either a poor or unknown maintenance history.
I believe that the same applies to the delamination problem. A coach that has had the Prevost factory rivet repair, in my opinion, helps tip the odds in favor of longevity of the skin. It certainly provides at least some degree of peace of mind. I agree with Tom that the rivet repair process adds to the value of a bus under consideration for purchase.
The good news is that it doesn’t take an expert inspection to determine if that repair has been performed as, although subtle, it should be readily apparent to even the inexperienced buyer.
That being said, if I were in the market for an XLII, I would not necessarily limit my search to only those having had the rivet repair.
But I would look far and wide to find one….and spend a whole lot less for one without it.
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I replaced all fuel lines hoses and thermostat I put about 50 hours a week on gen works great power tech
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Greg,
You do not know what you do not know. I am not being a smart aleck. There are so many things an owner knows it will blow your mind. As a non-owner you cannot begin to understand all of the clues that are available to you in evaluating a coach that can point out areas of concern. I would strongly suggest that at the very least you get a nearby Vantare expert or owner to participate in the inspection with you.
Start with an understanding of the market price for the coach you are looking at and assume those prices reflect coaches with everything working but normal wear and tear. The start with the big stuff. Age of tires, age of batteries, condition of AC units based on the temperature differential between return and supply air temps, leakdown rate of air systems, and clues as to the level of maintenance. If there is no proof of maintenance assume you have to do a 100% (expensive) maintenance event that includes engine, chassis, transmission, coolant, etc. Place a value for all the items not right and that need repair and subtract those costs from the purchase price. Compare that to what the market seems to value the coach.
It really doesn’t matter how much is wrong with a coach as long as the price reflects what it takes to make it right. But as a new owner it is very difficult to deal with a coach with a lot of stuff wrong because you are already overwhelmed trying to learn the coach. Your previous RV experience is not going to offer much help.
If you can get past the review of the big issues, then begin the detailed inspection / training process. That can literally take a couple of days and you need that to evaluate things that take time to show up such as if the coach leans, if the air systems leak down, and if all the devices and systems work.
The cynic in me suggests you try not to put too much faith in what a selling dealer tells you is “normal” or “that is how they all work” unless the dealer can prove a considerable level of expertise with the conversion. I have owned coaches for 23 years and I am not qualified to offer detailed help on anything other than my Liberty and then it will be limited to my experience. I could not help other than in general terms on other conversions since each converter has their own way of designing the systems. This is especially true of Vantare who has a unique electrical system. Contact them for some insight.
Good luck.
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Nope CI -4 is for on the highway engines with the EGR I rembember the letter came out in 2006, some series 60 had the wrong oil cap saying CH-4 if you ever get a chance to see a 60 series EGR torn down for a rebuild they are nasty.at the number 6 cylinder the only bearing on the crankshaft on a series 60 that will ever show wear will be # 6
If you want to by pass the EGR all it takes is programing change from the1200/2000 rpm for the operating range for the EGR to something in the 3000 rpm range which they never would see one of the members here knows how to do it
We just done one Sat to improve the fuel mileage on a 14L legal or not I don’t know but we will find out when emission testing come around in AZ next year but right now we are going to enjoy the extra mile per gal of fuel
good luck
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Don’t worry about it, I found a tube this morning locally for 8 bucks. Tell Trina thanks…
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Both the Thomas and the Viair compressors come with a check valve in the air line.
Regarding noise, I mounted the new compressor on a piece of 1/2 inch plastic cutting board so I could reuse the original mounting holes and rubber isolation in the steering compartment floor. This provides double vibration isolation. Overall the acoustic noise is about the same, maybe slightly less.
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Loc’s very brief appearance was cut short because of the “SEQUESTER” going on with our government. He was only allowed 12 hours stay.
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Ace,
This is solely by memory. My 8V92 ran 180 plus or minus a few degrees either way that was the cycling of the radiator shutters and / or the themostat. This was an 87 DDEC I so it preceded the clutched fan.
If I hit a long steep hill and locked it wide open in 4th (it wouldn’t maintain speed in 5th) by the top, on the hottest day, pulling a toad I was at 190 to 195. Shutters and thermostats were open because the temps exceeded their normal operating range.
It was geared low so top speed was 69-72 depending on if I was going level or downhill or into a strong headwind or not. I think the low gearing which kept the revs up also helped cooling because the engine was not lugging.
An opinion:
But compared to my 4 stroke Series 60 it seemed like the 8V92 demanded good coolant maintenance otherwise the radiator would plug. No matter how hard I worked to keep up with coolant changes and conditioning filters the radiator seemd to last about 10 years and need to be rodded or recored. The Series 60 never gave me any issues with radiator plugging. I know it was happening because after about 8 years from a new radiator core the temps would be “normal” about 5 to 10 degrees hotter, and instead od 195 on a hill it was 210 at which point the radiator would get pulled and recored. I thought it was related to the 2 stroke and that caused the plugging I never experienced with the S-60. I used an off brand coolant once, but all other times over my 15 years owning that coach I used Power Cool.
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Gil, Don’t do it. You may in fact be able to get the room, but the risk of damage to your dash is significant.
A window is out in 5 minutes, and back in in 20 and there is plenty of room going through the windshield with minimal risk of damage because it is a straight shot into the living room. Coming up the steps you experience a very difficult time holding, lifting and positioning the refrigerator so you can get it into the living room.
No matter how you do it, the passenger seat needs to be out, and any furniture on the passenger side should be out also just to minimize risk of damage and to make handling easy.
I’ve done this twice. Each way. I will never try it through the door again.
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30 lb containers of R-12 are easily found were I live and run 200 bucks.
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Whine, whine, whine……….
OK, so it is hot and you want OTR. If you want to keep the sun from beating in the coach while running the OTR, raise the bottom of the shades about 2″.
Or do like I do. Put out the awning. Other drivers tend to move over. Most of the time anyway.
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This is directed to Glen and possibly Steve, but may be of interest to all.
I have replaced or participated in the replacement of air bags and Norgren valves on about 10 coaches. In almost every case I had to tweak the installation to find a leak that went undetected when I did the final check.
It may not seem like a big deal because each air bag only has one fitting. But those fittings can have other fittings so just at each air bag alone there may be several potential locations for leaks. If the Norgrens are being replaced the number of potential leaks increases significantly. One coach owned by friends leaned over two mornings in a row, and in each case it was an air bag. The crimp between the top plate and the rubber “bellows” was deficient. The amazing part is my friend was able to find it. She lucked out in that the air bag was oriented the right way so she could see the bubbles when she squirted it with soapy water.
I have had brand new Norgrens leak and I learned to bench test them before installation. I made a rig out of parts from Home Depot to insure the valve was bubble tight before I even installed it.
My point is simple. If our coaches are leveled to ride height the ride height valves will only allow enough air to level the coach. The smallest drop in pressure after the key is turned off will begin the leaning of the coach. So I check for leans from ride height position because they will appear there quicker than any other way. If I took my coach to anyone for repairs I would wait three days minimum before picking it up and would direct them to park it outside. I would call every morning to ask if was leaning. If it was I would ask them to fix it on their dime. It is bad enough to pay someone to renew the suspension. It gets worse when you pay for them to repair what should have been done correctly. I am not saying it is easy, I am saying getting the fittings leak free, especially old ones and ESPECIALLY push on fittings is difficult.
As to how to safely support the coach I use these, with the hydraulic part all the way down and the screw adjusted up to the uderside of the chassis support point with the suspension fully raised.
I also use jack stands, but whatever you use just make sure it is under the chassis support points.