Thank you all for sharing your knowledge. We bought Dorothy in April and have had a blast in her. We are farmers in Ponder Tx, and Dorothy has been a wonderful break for us, giving us something else to work on and upgrade besides taking care of livestock and planting and harvesting. Today we were just checking things over getting ready for another adventure and I noticed sprayers in front of the radiator. I don't think they are factory installed are they? I know that some would install them to add extra cooling when going over passes to keep the engine cool.
If they are factory installed, how does one operate them and where is the full or reservoir?
You are correct, it is NOT factory installed.
If you do use it, make sure to only use distilled water or you will have mineral buildup on the fins.
If everything is working as designed, you shouldn't need it.
Brett, I have no direct answer to the sprayers. But, you might be able to follow the hose from the sprayers to the supply bottle. then examine the bottle for what allows the fluid out to the sprayers. All the best sorting it out.
In your picture, I do not see your rear A/C unit. Did I miss it?
You might consider adding the year and model of your coach in your profile. It helps folks know which coach you are asking a question about without adding a picture each time.
Welcome to the forum
As noted above, most likely a mod done by previous owner. You will need to do some sleuthing to figure out how it works...if indeed it does still work. The basic system, besides the obvious spray bar, would also require a water source, some means of pressurizing the water (a pump) and some means of controlling the operation of the spray (manual switch in driver compartment?) Up to you to locate those components.
The thread linked below may be of some help:
sprayer for rear radiator (https://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=28364)
I have to take issue with that. Foretravel went to the side radiator with a single fan in '92 with the introduction of the 102" coach. It overheated in many cases so the next year, they went with two fans. Better but still no banana. With a firmware update, the horsepower also went from 300 to 350. The poorly designed fan system eats up another 60 hp or so on grades, just when you need the cooling, the engine has to work even harder. For those living east of the Rockies, hot and getting hotter each year, means potential overheating problems on the long steep grades here in the west, especially at high altitudes where the air is less dense and the entire cooling system is less efficient in the less dense air as well as the 4 cycle diesels running higher EGTs up at altitude.
In Fall, Winter or Spring, we can charge up from Death Valley to 395 only dropping a gear or two for a moment in the steepest parts but in summer, I have to turn the heater and fan on and crawl up in first gear at partial throttle. Since we live in the Sierras, I can forecast what the temp gauge is going to read on almost any grade when I see the ambient temp and plan ahead for the grade.
Yes, sprayers will help and as Brett recommends, distilled water should be used or a buildup of calcium will quickly coat the fins. Turning on the heater with the fan on high plus dropping a gear or two to keep the coolant circulating efficiently will also help.
The heating problem extends to many Foretravels. Even owners with the small engines have installed additional radiator(s) up front. Plenty of room up there and where the radiators should have been originally.
I'm afraid the U.S. motorhome builders got the side radiator from GM and the sidewinder engine installation. But the fan was directly driven off the nose of the engine with a thermo coupling. Euro, Japanese, Mexican and SA buses have usuallyplaced the radiator at the rear in a position where a simple fan could be belt driven avoiding the complex, expensive and power/mileage robing hydraulic design.
One member added an additional alternator and installed electric fans to cool his coach. According to his review, it works well.
Attached photo shows how the radiator and fan should have been done and all this on a 96 inch coach where space is more limited. And with a wide 6V-92TA or 8V-71 Detroit 2 cycle. Thousands of these buses have operated in a country with higher mountains and higher temperatures than here in the U.S. Note how easy it is to get at everything for maintenance and the simple belt system for the alternator and radiator. KISS !!!!!
Check where your engine air intake is compared to the air intake on the Dina at the top of the bus on the passenger's side.
Pierce
Pearce,
Understand what you are saying.
But, by 1994 model, wasn't the fan system upgraded to the two fan with less overheat issues?
Late 1993, '94', 95' all had the double fan, exactly like ours. Better, but still a 3 season coach with no driving modifications but come summer and hot temps, it's off the thermostat as soon as it sees a hill. You just have to be aware and modify your driving style in summer if you drive in the west.
My 4107 with it's side radiator never moved the temp gauge no matter what elevation or what the ambient was or if I had a toad. No transmission cooler either to load the cooling system.
I remember Ken H's single fan coach having heating problems at Q in '14.
Pierce