Broke down in Indiana

[B and C]

From what I can tell from the signature line is it is a detroit diesel. I think those were 2 stroke engines. Years of manufacture 1974 to 1978

 

[highdesertranger]

Yeah those are pretty easy rebuilds. they can be resleeved super easy. On most vehicles this can be done without removing the engine. Highdesertranger

 

[Katt]

What did they say was exactly wrong with the engine?  What failed and why? What type of engine?  Year?  I would be hesitant to take one person word on it.  Did they offer to take it off your hands?  LOL  Highdesertranger

We were having intermittent oil pressure issues and got an oil change at a TA. Made it another 500 miles after that, and drove through Chicago. Or should I say, bounced through Chicago. Chicago roads are absolutely the worst I've ever seen. I thought the rig was going to shake apart. Anyway, we noticed it dropped some oil when we stopped for a few hours to visit with family there, and I had never seen it drop that much before, by far. So I kept an eye on the oil. We made it to Dwight IN before I stopped because I was exhausted. Got up the next morning and it had dropped a lot more oil. So I checked it and it seemed to be OK. The TA mechanic had overfilled it, which is also something I attributed to the oil drop. They also had put multiweight oil in it, which is not recommended, but straight SAE is really hard to find and they didn't have it, but they did have a 15w40 that was CF-2 rated. 

I noted that the oil pressure seemed squirrely when we left Dwight, so I kept an eye on it and was actually pulling off to check the temperature and oil level when the bus just lost power and died. Temp was 250 and I found the dipstick had blown out of the holder and the surge tank cap had blown off and oil was everywhere. 

Engine wouldn't even turn over, so I figured we were screwed right there. We called a tow, and by the time he got there, I tried to start it one last time just for giggles, and it started. I started it one more time after that, but only let it run for a few seconds before shutting it off. 

That's where we're at. If we do revive this engine, the first thing that's going to change is I'm installing a temperature gauge in the cab. Had I had one already, I would have pulled over long before I did if I had seen the temp climbing. I have a lot of regrets here and feel I made a series of bad decisions that contributed to this, and now I'm paying the price.

 

[Katt]

Oh also... It's a Detroit 8V71. No turbo.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Oh those old motors sounded so good back in the day....

But one of the issues with those old motors is they don't run too good on the new ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel)...

O-rings, seals, piston rings, valve seats, injector pumps, water pump seals, oil pumps, fuel lines, etc etc etc are not formulated to be compatible. Sooner or later, this can catch up with an old diesel being pushed hard...and running on the new fuels. Not to mention you may have pumped in some biodiesel here and there....oops.

Just sayin, be sure that you have any mechanic explain this to you before you proceed.

It may be a simple matter of changing some seals and o-rings...or it might be a lot worse.

A few decades back I was stranded...climbing a hill, pushing the motor hard, when it just died and I managed to get the entire 80,000 pound rig to the side of the road. Long story short: An O-ring that was not compatible with the first wave of government mandated LSD (Low Sulfur Diesel) dried out, shrunk, receded, and was leaking fuel all over the motor instead of sending fuel into the motor.

A rig valued at more than $100,000, a load of cargo valued at around $50,000, stopped dead on the side of the road, plus a $2500 towing bill, all because of a 25 cent o-ring that failed.

Do some research, is all I'm sayin.

 

[Katt]

Oh my, yes. I love the sound as well. It just kinda roars down the road like it's not afraid of anything. Not too keen on what we're doing to the environment, but I think for as often as we move and with solar and wind power added, our carbon footprint is less than what it was in our S&B.

I wanted and fell in love with this bus partially because it reminded me of one of the most pleasant memories of my childhood. My Mom used to take me to the downtown Buffalo library by bus regularly for years when I was a wee one. After a 45 minute bus ride on an old GMC very similar in looks and sound to my Metropolitan, we would browse and read books for hours. Those were the days before my parents went off the deep end religiously, and the love of reading I developed as a result of all those bus rides gave me the tools I needed for pretty much everything I've done in my life.

 

[Katt]

Just sayin, be sure that you have any mechanic explain this to you before you proceed.

It may be a simple matter of changing some seals and o-rings...or it might be a lot worse.

A few decades back I was stranded...climbing a hill, pushing the motor hard, when it just died and I managed to get the entire 80,000 pound rig to the side of the road. Long story short: An O-ring that was not compatible with the first wave of government mandated LSD (Low Sulfur Diesel) dried out, shrunk, receded, and was leaking fuel all over the motor instead of sending fuel into the motor.

A rig valued at more than $100,000, a load of cargo valued at around $50,000, stopped dead on the side of the road, plus a $2500 towing bill, all because of a 25 cent o-ring that failed.

Do some research, is all I'm sayin.

Amazing what a tiny little part can do or cause to fail.

The dealership where we bought it didn't tell me a whole lot. I have done a lot of research and I have the original service and parts manuals. But there is a lot that the internet won't tell you or is conflicting, such as what kind of oil to use, because a lot of stuff that was available in 1977 is no longer a thing. I tried to get a mechanic in Buffalo to look it over before we left town, but the only one who had experience with vintage diesels balked and backed out when he found out we lived in it. So I've been taking my chances and riding on the knowledge I've been able to glean, which obviously is not nearly enough.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Here is some information to churn thru....the older diesel motors sometimes need some additives with the new ULSD fuels....if you have not been adding anything to the very dry ULSD and running it and/or biodiesel, then....well....your motor has not been happy for awhile...and it finally let you know.

Good luck with this.

https://www.smokstak.com/forum/threads/modern-ulsd-diesel-bad-for-old-diesels.170070/

 

[WanderingRose]

What a mess, and so sorry that your great adventure has started out like this.

On the upside, this catastrophic breakdown didn’t occur out in the desert or on a remote lake somewhere.

Some days I tell myself are a test, to see how much I can handle, and so far, I have survived everything.

Good luck.

 

[JeanInaBox]

I’m just glad it didn’t happen further west to you. Weather looks horrible in some places. Watch out for purchasing used rigs up north. Check underneath for major rust. When I was looking, prices and condition were better in the south.... I’m hoping your rig can be revived and you’ll be in your way again soon.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[justanothermaroon]

I wanted and fell in love with this bus partially because it reminded me of one of the most pleasant memories of my childhood. My Mom used to take me to the downtown Buffalo library by bus regularly for years when I was a wee one. 

I worked there while in high school. Loved roaming the 2 floors of books between the 2 floors open to the public.

 

[Katt]

I worked there while in high school. Loved roaming the 2 floors of books between the 2 floors open to the public.

That's awesome! I've been in one of those two hidden floors many years ago. Cool job.

 

[bullfrog]

There is a site on YouTube "Bus Grease Monkey" that is owned by an individual that helps old bus owners keep and get their buses back on the road, in fact i think he drove across country last year to rebuild one for his channel, you might try contacting him for an opinion and help,

 

[Camper]

Parts are expensive, but not $30K... probably less than $5K.

 

[Katt]

It's the labor that's expensive.

 

[Camper]

We just had a transmission rebuilt in a charter bus and it was $13k total. Lots of profit for the repair shop on these big rigs too.

 

[highdesertranger]

It's expensive because they don't want to work on it. This is common among mechanics, when they don't want to work on something they give you an outrageous quote. Just saying. Highdesertranger

 

[Katt]

Well, if that's the case, we seem to be running into this problem everywhere, like when I tried to get a mechanic to look it over before we left Buffalo. So that in mind, I'm thinking a big vintage bus may not be the best HoW for us. We've already downsized considerably anyway. 40' of rig just seems way too big the longer we do this.

 

[Katt]

We just had a transmission rebuilt in a charter bus and it was $13k total. Lots of profit for the repair shop on these big rigs too.

It's definitely not cheap. The shop where our bus is charges $200 an hour. They take care of the local school districts and highway department rigs, as well as trucks and buses passing through on I-55.

 

[MotorVation]

Bullfrog already mentioned this guy. Couldn't hurt a bit to give him a shout.

Here's a link to the Bus Grease Monkey's website.

https://busgreasemonkey.com/discussion/1775/traveling-vintage-bus-repair-and-maintainence

I've watched a few of his videos and have seen him bring back vintage buses from the grave