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Topic: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!! (Read 3967 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #25
Oh man Rick that really sucks! And after doing all the other work. Hope it works out.
The original owner of my first coach, a 92 Barth, burned up 2 motors and replaced them..
Unfortunately it happens.
Best of Luck with it. Bright side is you'll have a new engine. Keep us posted.
Cheers Ric  8)
Previously:'66 VW Bus"Turtle 1";'65 VW Riviera Camper "Turtle 2";
';'91 VW Syncro Camper"Syn";'92 Barth 30' -"The Big Easy"
Currently: 2000 FT U270 40', #5634 -
"Le Bons Temps"; 2003 CRV
Ric & Leslie
"Laissez les bons temps rouler!"

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #26
Looks like this might be your chance to put a bit more giddy-up in your rig.  Modern Cummins L9 engines are up to 450hp and 1250 lb-ft of torque and only weigh about 300 lbs. more than the C8.3.  According to everything I've read, they use the Allison 3000 series transmission with them as well.  Cummins ISL Engines For Sale | MyLittleSalesman.com

Let's make these lemons into some lemonade.  You might one day look back at your blown engine as the best thing that could have happened as you effortlessly pass everyone in the mountains with your powerful new engine.
Robert
Build # 5304
1998 34' U270 Cummins 6CTA8.3

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #27
Wow sorry about your bad luck with your engine
I doubt it's the lower end. Catastrophic losses of coolant most times are not indicated by the coolant temperature gauge.

but it is only an engine failure as my wife reminded me

I must say, you sure got lucky with that wife
Old Phart Phred, EIEIO
89 GV ored 36' #3405 300 hp cat 3208 ATAAC side radiator, mountain tamer exhaust brake

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #28
When I was on the FD, responding to a "motorcycle down", I heard my paramedic as he was cutting off the rider's leathers:  "Dude, the good news is that you are going to get new leathers!"  Not much consolation, but if you are having to change out the engine, you might consider the option of moving up to ISL, if that is possible.
I can't fault you for not watching the gauges - I always found them difficult to read, presuming they were accurate and gave instant read outs.  I am hoping that my Silver Leaf with its audible alarm and very readable readouts will help me avoid these incidents.
2000 U320 mid entry  #5688
2006 Jeep Liberty


USMCR retired
SDFD retired
FEMA US&R TF8

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #29
Rick- sorry to hear about your problem but really glad you got off the road safe. 

We can always replace stuff, but not people.  Your wife is so right.

Hope you get it back together and we see you down the road............... ^.^d
Ted & Karen
2001 U270 36' - sold after 12 years full timing

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #30
Sorry to hear your misfortune Rick. I hope the recovery/fix will be quick, easy and inexpensive.
It could have happened to the most neurotic (I guilty) person, who does not listen to the radio for more than 10 min at a time but listens and scans for all the gauges and information at all times. Sometimes I think about selling our beloved GV just because how I drive it as if I am a F15 fighter pilot looking to not get hit in air combat dog fight by F-22 Raptor

Former 2003 GV U295 (6230) (2015 - 2025)
Former 94 GV U225 (2013-2016)

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #31
I fly a lot too and scan all the time but with the engine all the way back, even if you scan all the time, it's easy, really easy to miss a gauge reading and when you dump your coolant overboard, you only have a couple minutes at the most.  I've missed three so far all having to do with the hydraulic fans for the radiator. Remote sensors can save your bacon. Saved mine.

All Foretravels have a bunch of extra wires leading from the back to the front up by the driver so you can bring up any oil and water sensors to light up and give an audible alarm. Cheap insurance, especially if you have a mechanical engine without the failsafe ECUs some of us have.

Pierce
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #32
How about a remote camera positioned to are the vitles like belts and hoses.just thinking out loud.?
Andy & Eileen
MONTROSE COLORADO
1992 U300  40' 6V92 TA
2016 4 Runner
1998 Jeep Grand cherokee

1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee) Build # 4135 Skp# 122921

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #33
I have our backup camera on all the time, but, again, my eyes are outside most of the time, so I may or may not see a cloud of steam. When I did have a heat problem a couple of years ago I did see the temp gauge heading up and had time to pull over and shut down before the computer shut me down.

We frequently hear that we have "million-mile" engines. Yes, the over-the-road trucks DO run these engines for a million miles - but they do it in a few years. When we lost our engine last year we had only about 165,000 miles on it, but that was since 1993. That's less than 7,000 miles per year. At that rate it would take more than 142 years to get to a million miles. I don't think I'll live that long.

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #34
I have our backup camera on all the time, but, again, my eyes are outside most of the time, so I may or may not see a cloud of steam. When I did have a heat problem a couple of years ago I did see the temp gauge heading up and had time to pull over and shut down before the computer shut me down.

We frequently hear that we have "million-mile" engines. Yes, the over-the-road trucks DO run these engines for a million miles - but they do it in a few years. When we lost our engine last year we had only about 165,000 miles on it, but that was since 1993. That's less than 7,000 miles per year. At that rate it would take more than 142 years to get to a million miles. I don't think I'll live that long.
Did you drop a new engine in?
Rick Barna
St. Petersburg FL.
1998 U270 36'
Build # 5232
1972 CJ 5 Jeep

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #35
How about a remote camera positioned to are the vitles like belts and hoses.just thinking out loud.?
Good idea. If it get cloudy and hard to see, you've got trouble. :D  With belts, you've got to have a least one spare as the old belt is probably a couple of miles behind and with nothing to compare with...  The camera could also be used along with a couple of mechanical gauges to check fuel pressures in and out of the filters/lift pump. We have one gauge on the primary filter and then on the output of the secondary filter so we can see the actual pressure while under full load.

When our hydraulic fan hose let go and coated everything with oil including the toad, I used a gallon of degreaser and it still took a couple of times to get everything clean.

Pierce
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #36
Rick, sorry to hear about your engine.  I had an air filter failure that "dusted" my engine.  Total in frame rebuild.  The block, the crank, the oil pan and the valve cover were the only parts reused. New everything on and in the engine, new CAC, new compressor even a new ECM.  Painful but we have a 17 year old coach with a 22K mile motor. 

When it is all done you will have a beautiful interior and a new motor.  Time to hit the road.
Roger Engdahl and Susan Green
2001 U320 3610 #5879 (Home2) - 2014 Jeep Cherokee or 2018 F150
Hastings, MN

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #37
Rick, we had an inframe overhaul done last year in January and February. You can do a search on the forum to find out the whole story.

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #38
Looks like this might be your chance to put a bit more giddy-up in your rig.  Modern Cummins L9 engines are up to 450hp and 1250 lb-ft of torque and only weigh about 300 lbs. more than the C8.3.  According to everything I've read, they use the Allison 3000 series transmission with them as well.  Cummins ISL Engines For Sale | MyLittleSalesman.com

Let's make these lemons into some lemonade.  You might one day look back at your blown engine as the best thing that could have happened as you effortlessly pass everyone in the mountains with your powerful new engine.

I spoke with a friend of mine who works for Cummins motor home division, his recommendation was just stay with the original engine, he said that an electrical engine would be a nightmare of rewiring. so I asked about the L- 10, and he said it was too heavy, 300 lbs more, that the transmission would not stand up to it, and the cooling system was too small......Soooo with that said I will stick with the girl that brung me to the dance.
Rick Barna
St. Petersburg FL.
1998 U270 36'
Build # 5232
1972 CJ 5 Jeep

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #39
Rick, we had an inframe overhaul done last year in January and February. You can do a search on the forum to find out the whole story.
What would I look under, I tried in frame overhaul ,and engine rebuild.
Rick Barna
St. Petersburg FL.
1998 U270 36'
Build # 5232
1972 CJ 5 Jeep

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #40
Click on his avatar and go through his posts
Richard & Betty Bark & Keiko our Golden Doodle
2003 U320T 3820 PBDS
Build # 6215
MC # 16926
2016 Chevrolet Colorado 4X4 diesel

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #41
Rick, I am not familiar with your engine, but the in frame was on a Detroit with replaceable liners. You have to wait and find out just what is damaged on the engine to make choices.
1999 40 ft. U-320 wtfe build 5563 Chuck & Lynda's "Rollin' Inn"  2030 watts solar
prev. mh's 71 GMC 5 yrs. 73 Pace Setter 1 yr. 78 Vogue 5 yrs 81 FTX 40ft all electric 18 yrs. 1996 Monaco Signature 3 yrs.
2014 Grand Cherokee Overland
Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die today.  James Dean

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #42
I would put a freeze plug in it. Fill with water and see if it will run. If it dosnt your out 6 bucks for, freeze plug and 20 gallons tap water. Those are tough tough engines. I just think you are jumping to worst case scenero,jmo....good luck with it.
91 GV U300 Unihome 40' Build 3811
6V92TA Detroit

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #43
I agree. Put a freeze plug in it. Hope for the best.
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Lynn & Marilyn Sickel
Tollville, AR
1997  U320  40'
2021 Chevrolet Silverado pickup
Motorcader  17257

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #44
Easier yet,take the 4 bolts off the crankshaft pulley and uncover bigger bolts,from there you can use a 1/2 inch breaker bar and
socket and turn the engine over,you'll know if it's easy to turn or locked up,also while your there take the belt off and turn the water pump.Another check would be to remove the air intake piping and look at/spin the turbo,if the engine cratered something probably got to the turbo and destroyed the fins on the intake.
96 U270 BUILD 4810
85 380SL
Drummonds TN.

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #45
What would I look under, I tried in frame overhaul ,and engine rebuild.
Here you go (David's rebuild):

More coach bucks
1993 U280 SE 40' WTBI, Build: 4359
C8.3 300hp, 6-Speed, Exhaust Brake
960 watts on the roof (6 x 160)
Sorento (or BOLT) on a Kar Kaddy SS
"Nature abhors a vacuum"

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #46
Its easy to enough to drop the pan. From there the rods, mains, and cam/lifters can be inspected. I'm sure Ricks diesel man will look at that first. Butttt if it ran until he noticed a lack of power it likely be toast
Bruce, Linda, and Macy
Zoey RIP 1/20/19
1999 U295 40' build #5400
2017 silver Jeep Wrangler, 1260 watts of solar on top
Moving around the country

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #47
You said you heard a noise and when you got stopped the was a trail of coolant behind you. It might be that the noise you heard was
the frost plug blowing out as it wasn't out too long as you had coolant behind you. If that was the case your engine might be fine.
As someone suggested put a new frost plug in and fill it with water. If you shut your engine off and it didn't sieze it's probably fine.
When you over heat an engine it's the top end that goes not the bottom end. Another thought someone said to turn it over by hand
or use the starter and if it is free it's probably good. I hope I'm right and if it's fine don't forget to put antifreeze back in.
Peter and Frieda Morin
1999 36ft. U320 Foretravel
Build # 5436
1998 Suzuki Sidekick Sport

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #48
You said you heard a noise and when you got stopped the was a trail of coolant behind you. It might be that the noise you heard was
the frost plug blowing out as it wasn't out too long as you had coolant behind you. If that was the case your engine might be fine.
As someone suggested put a new frost plug in and fill it with water. If you shut your engine off and it didn't sieze it's probably fine.
When you over heat an engine it's the top end that goes not the bottom end. Another thought someone said to turn it over by hand
or use the starter and if it is free it's probably good. I hope I'm right and if it's fine don't forget to put antifreeze back in.
Peter and Frieda Morin
1999 36ft. U320 Foretravel
Build # 5436
1998 Suzuki Sidekick Sport

Re: WARNING, WARNING, WARNING!!!

Reply #49
What is the process to install a new freeze plug?  Need to clean out the edges, how to press in, etc?