Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Topic: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years (Read 3272 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #50 – January 02, 2022, 02:55:56 pm

Quote from: floridarandy – January 02, 2022, 11:45:45 am

Just heard back from Keith Risch at MOT. Here's his input:

" I do know Foretravel had issues with those radiators brand new,they would start leaking before they would leave nacogdoches. I was in service until 2002 and my team was changing at least 2 a week. I think the design was bad and the weight pulling down was a problem .Also if the bottom two rods holding the radiator stable were not adjusted properly,would put a twist in radiator."

Wow. "2 a week". That backs up the statement by Atlas. I'm liking my U225's rear radiator setup much better.

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #51 – January 02, 2022, 04:07:21 pm

Quote from: floridarandy – January 02, 2022, 11:45:45 am

Just heard back from Keith Risch at MOT. Here's his input:

" I do know Foretravel had issues with those radiators brand new,they would start leaking before they would leave nacogdoches. I was in service until 2002 and my team was changing at least 2 a week. I think the design was bad and the weight pulling down was a problem .Also if the bottom two rods holding the radiator stable were not adjusted properly,would put a twist in radiator."

Randy, could you post a few pictures of where the radiator is leaking? Might help with figuring out what needs to be changed.

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #52 – January 02, 2022, 04:44:51 pm

I too agree that Atlas was upfront as they can be sued heavily by FT if that info they sent in earlier post was not true.
Johnh

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #53 – January 02, 2022, 07:14:20 pm

Quote from: craneman – January 02, 2022, 04:07:21 pm

Randy, could you post a few pictures of where the radiator is leaking? Might help with figuring out what needs to be changed.

Haven't been back up to coach since dropping off at Paul. Will be picking it up before the 15th so hope to get pics then. Radiator solution will have to wait until I can get it back up there sometime in March or April (having both knees replaced 1/18!)

What Paul told me by phone was " Leaking where core meets tank front side". More info when I get it.

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #54 – January 02, 2022, 07:27:06 pm

So took some pictures. My coach does not have the cradle as in reply #41. I think I like that and will incorporate something simulate that will mount to bottom mount bolts on hanger. I also included some bottome pictures of the fans and the transmission cooler also hanging off the core of the radiator 65lbs. Not good in my opinion. Notice how the bottom plate is not attached to end of tank or supported in first photos. It is 1/8 inch thick plate and bent up on both sides. Last photo not my coach from reply 41 and marked up to identify proposed cradle
Scott

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #55 – January 02, 2022, 07:36:29 pm

Quote from: floridarandy – January 02, 2022, 11:45:45 am

Just heard back from Keith Risch at MOT.

Just a fyi, Keith no longer works at MOT

Keith

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #56 – January 02, 2022, 08:00:08 pm

Quote from: floridarandy – January 02, 2022, 07:14:20 pm

What Paul told me by phone was " Leaking where core meets tank front side".

That could be a bad end tank gasket. It could also be where the tubes meet the header which may be fixable with resoldering the tube end. Both are fixable without replacement.

Mike

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #57 – January 02, 2022, 08:35:16 pm

Quote from: dsd – January 02, 2022, 07:27:06 pm

So took some pictures. My coach does not have the cradle as in reply #41. I think I like that and will incorporate something simulate that will mount to bottom mount bolts on hanger. I also included some bottome pictures of the fans and the transmission cooler also hanging off the core of the radiator. Not good in my opinion. Notice how the bottom plate is not attached to end of tank or supported in first photos. It is 1'8 inch thick plate and bent up on both sides. Last photo not my coach from reply 41 and marked up to identify proposed cradle
Scott

Scott didn't have time to go to the coach today but looking at your pictures I would say that your rad frame is the same gagged of steel as on my rad frame. but you can see the reinforcement I would say that my cradle makes a strong frame I didn't think once about the strength

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #58 – January 02, 2022, 09:01:30 pm

Rick is this a picture of your radiator viewing from the outside? I don't see the cradle in your recent pictures

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #59 – January 02, 2022, 09:03:11 pm

Scott the fan and the fan guard are bolt to the cradle or frame of rad the cooler is bolted to a plate that is welded to two pipes that goes around the bottom of the engine

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #60 – January 02, 2022, 09:06:23 pm

Quote from: dsd – January 02, 2022, 09:01:30 pm

Rick is this a picture of your radiator viewing from the outside? I don't see the cradle in your recent pictures

The picture is the outside view the air to air or after cooler and then hydraulic cooler and fuel cooler go in front and then the out side grill

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #61 – January 02, 2022, 09:08:30 pm

So that gap identified is open to the ground on my coach. None of the steel identified in red exist on my coach nothing under the tanks front or rear

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #62 – January 02, 2022, 09:15:09 pm

Photo five shows those cooler mounts tubes. Mine is attached to radiator shroud

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #63 – January 03, 2022, 09:50:29 am

Quote from: dsd – January 02, 2022, 09:15:09 pm

Photo five shows those cooler mounts tubes. Mine is attached to radiator shroud

That cooler hanging off the rad Is a lot of weight hanging off the radiator bouncing along the road that would put a lot of twisting on the radiator you can see my radiator has been reinforced and by moving the cooler had to be a big improvement

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #64 – January 03, 2022, 02:03:36 pm

Wondering if the biggest difference is the engines in both coaches? Rick has an 8.3 and the one on Scott's is the M11. Will crawl under ours when the snow melts! Got 6 plus inches last night and it is cold here today! Brrrr!

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #65 – January 03, 2022, 02:31:23 pm

The 2 engines have to be vibrating differently,may be the difference.

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #66 – January 03, 2022, 03:06:45 pm

Quote from: John44 – January 03, 2022, 02:31:23 pm

The 2 engines have to be vibrating differently,may be the difference.

Well I'm just speculating. The transmission cooler (65 lbs)and all the lines hanging off the radiator core is problematic.
The Fans can induce vibration and should be supported better. No triangulation
No radiator core support is problematic.
Only support is the fan shroud
I have core support envy of Ricks setup both for the radiator and the trans cooler. And will resolve as soon as it gets warmer. Desert Rats dont fair well. 24 degrees this morning.
Scott

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #67 – January 03, 2022, 03:11:19 pm

Quote from: Cape Bretoner – January 03, 2022, 09:50:29 am

That cooler hanging off the rad Is a lot of weight hanging off the radiator bouncing along the road that would put a lot of twisting on the radiator you can see my radiator has been reinforced and by moving the cooler had to be a big improvement

Yes making more work for me and adding weight to my FAT coach. Preventive maintenance sure beats waiting for a hook to show up and tow you home

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #68 – January 04, 2022, 09:16:19 am

So after a long conversation with a Paul Yasbeck here's my take...again from a non-mechanical owner.

Yes, up until 2002 the Atlas Radiator supplied to Foretravel's design, hung, unsupported in the coach with everything hanging from the tanks... hydraulic fans and, in the U320, the cooler for the retarder (our U270 has only the fans). The swinging weight supported only by the tank ends caused a multitude of failures. As Keith Risch reported, his team at the factory was replacing 2/week. Paul was at the factory store near Tampa then and reported the same failure rate and replacement.

Then, after 2002, according to Paul, Atlas redesigned the radiator to include a beam along the bottom and side plates connected to the beam to support the core. Yes, hydraulic fans (and cooler on U320) still hang on the core. Since that redesign most of the failures Paul has seen are due to dragging the rear end of the radiator (now lower due to the beam) on the ground as it is the lowest point on the rear of the coach. My leaks are at the front and back where the core meets the tank. He reports a low failure rate on the post-2002 redesign.

I'm picking the coach up this week since I'll be out of commission for a couple of months with replacing both my knees. A new radiator can't be delivered for nearly that long so I'll be thinking about my options. Living with the leak isn't an option since it nearly empties the overflow tank overnight.

Atlas' reply to my email is certainly curious since it appear to address the pre-2002 design. Surprising he would go off on Foretravel after he re-designed the radiator to deal with warranty issues.

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #69 – January 04, 2022, 09:40:10 am

Yikes I'm getting more paranoid' PO damaged the back tank dragging on my coach

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #70 – January 04, 2022, 09:48:39 am

I have scrape marks on the bottom of the pipes going around the bottom of my engine. I have scrape marks on them from rubbing on the ground somewhere they must be lower than the radiator I have no markings on my radiator just noticed it last week when I crawled under

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #71 – January 04, 2022, 10:03:20 am

I am beginning to appreciate the previous owners of our coach.
Someone has installed a really well constructed skid plate weldment under the engine, two very large heavy duty caster wheels under the back end of the chassis frame, and a large fan equipped transmission cooler, along with two large electric fans on the bumper side of our rear engine radiator.

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #72 – January 04, 2022, 10:34:38 am

Could always add rollers on the back, original owner had them put on at the factory and front skid plates. I know a lot of Wanderlodge's have them too.

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #73 – January 04, 2022, 10:47:11 am

With Nitehawk driving those are wheely rollers.

Re: Atlas Radiator dead after 4 years

Reply #74 – January 04, 2022, 10:55:14 am

Quote from: John hobbs – January 04, 2022, 10:34:38 am

Could always add rollers on the back, original owner had them put on at the factory and front skid plates. I know a lot of Wanderlodge's have them too.

I looked at a Alpine that the back cap had been pushed up 2" from using rollers. Owner said it was normal. Not hard pass on purchase. The front looks nice for a rack

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