New memebr and new owner of a "no contact" XL - Advice appreciated!

[djflash99]

I come seeking the knowledge of the great minds that frequent this forum. I'm picking up my new (to me) Prevost XL this weekend. Purchased sight unseen at an online auction so I have no contact with the previous owner, no maintenance records, and no real world bus ownership experience lol. I know it'll be like drinking from a firehouse for a while. What are some must-look-for things, and must-check-before-driving areas I should know about. The people at Prevost were kind enough to send a pdf owner's manual, but I'm curious to get a take from some boots on the ground. Any and all help is appreciated!
Specs:
1996 XL 45'
737k miles
Series 60, Allison automatic
New tires last year
Fully renovated a couple years ago
Supposedly was a conversion that ran nashville bands for a while, before the PO bought it back in 2014. I did view a video inspection of the coach, and it appears to be in order. Auctioneer and I spoke before closing, and he knows the PO personally, claims he is a stickler for maintenance and kept everything up, but didn't keep any records. He's sure the engine has been redone; there is zero blowby. I did verify this with another bidder that actually viewed the coach. Not sure about the tranny and fluids, though.
So....what do I look for? Thanks in advance!

[BadFitter]

Make sure it airs up and do a brake test before driving it anywhere.

[Joe Camper]

So its either got OTR AC or it has 2 generators, which way is it? Who is the converter?

[Ck2hans]

Joe:
I know you hire out to drive coaches to and from sometimes, would you consider hiring out to assist this new owner getting his coach home? Can't think of a better person to have with you on the first time out with an unknown bus.
Chuck

[Joe Camper]

Call me Chuck. If the logistics work out sure I will. Gill probably has logged more miles but he is probably not as willing to get as greasy as quickly as I.

[Gil_J]

This coach is far higher in mileage than anyone with a factory motorhome conversion would ever see. That's not a bad thing, just a fact.

I don't know where the coach is, but you would benefit from at least a full chassis mechanical inspection. If you pull the logistics off with having Joe go through the chassis you would know exactly what may need replacing now or could be postponed until later.

If you can find your way to a reputable Detroit shop, you should have the engine gone through. The guys at American Fleet in Springfield, MO claim to be the largest rebuild of Series 60 engines and they know buses. They can have the engine and it's cradle out in a half day. At 750K miles, the engine may be approaching time for a rebuild if not already done.

Pull the inactive engine codes. They can tell a lot if they weren't erased. Do a DoT brake test, as already suggested. The house systems can wait until you know the chassis is safe to operate. Most entertainers were simple conversions with easily accessible systems.

If you want to call Joe or I, feel free to call.

[Joe Camper]

Here's what I would do.

The long AND short.


Check the fluids. That would include the differential

Check the tire date code and pressure.

Check the oil in the steer and tag hubs.

Check the belts and pullies by releasing the tension that would include spinning the fan clutch with the belt off.

Check the lights

WITH THE BUS NOT RUNNING AND AIRED UP.

Insert a set of wheel chocks RF tire..

Push the yellow parking brake button down releasing the parking brake walk around the rear of the bus and listen for any leaks repair them before going.

Next with the emergency brakes still released with the bus not running step on and hold the brake pedal and listen. If a leak is audible repair it before going.

And for the rest of u seasoned professional bus motor home owners who never do this I say. Gotta do this with the bus off or u will not catch leaks early on u will never hear them. I recently was reminded of it by my own negligence.

Clean the windows adjust the mirrors add fuel hammer down. Once u get er rollin don't shut it off don't look back. Get er home.

700,000 miles so what. By all means....enjoy the moment. U got yourself a bus.

[JCarrollJr]

The Wintergarden, FL Prevost Service Facility has a big parking lot and the last time I was there, there was a number of seated tour bus trade-ins on the lot for sale. They were from 750K to 1.5 million miles on series 60 Detroits and still going strong. Some were a little dog eared but most of them looked really nice for their age and mileage. Obviously service and preventive maintenance is the ticket to longevity.

[Ck2hans]

Hay Joe:
I was just making a suggestion to the new owner to call you for the ride home, I wasn't the one needing your services although if I ever did need someone you would be the first one I would call
Chuck

[djflash99]

Apologies for the delay in this reply. The forum isn't letting me know when there's activity, so if you know how to fix that please let me know. Thanks for all the tips, both here and from the replies I got on the FB post. I ended up having one of my stagehands fly up and drive the coach down here to Louisiana. He's an experienced driver, and did an inspection prior to the trip. Coach made it down ok, and is currently at the diesel shop getting a good once-over and a full set of new fluids & filters. They're also looking into my punch list of items...fuel and water temp gauge don't work, electric mirrors don't move...things like that. The shop is owned by a guy I've been friends with since high school, so I trust him to shoot me straight on things.
I do have a couple questions (for now, lol) for the great minds here...
1. She airs up really quickly, and the main tank hangs at ~140psi while running. It does seem to "breathe" really frequently, and after the initial release, there is a continual "pfft" sound for about 15 seconds after. Once I kill the engine, after approx 20 mins, the rear bags deflate and she starts sitting pretty low in the back. Front stays aired up just fine. We did a quick air check and there doesn't seem to be a leak in the system. Is there a level adjustment maybe that's telling the system to drop the rear height? The level low does work, but I haven't had a chance to set it and then turn off the coach to see if it hold the level.
2. Is it possible to adjust the tension on the entry door? After I unlock the deadbolt, I have to shove myself up against the door while simultaneously pulling the paddle handle to be able to open the door. It opens easily when using the handle inside the coach; the problem is only when coming in from the outside.
A little history on her, courtesy of the records from Prevost... 1996 XL Entertainer. Originally sold to D&S Classic Coach in AZ, converted by them then put to work hauling guitar slingers. Seems to have been a good conversion. The guy I got it from (that I still haven't been able to talk to) got it in 2014. Last year he did a home-brew renovation of the front half, and left the rear as it was when D&S converted it. I have a lot of head-scratchers with the renovation, so I'm really hoping to be able to finally get a call with him to get some oddities figured out.
TIA for all the knowledge!
-aaron

[Gil_J]

Aaron, it looks like you figured out how to get email notifications of new posts. At least it looks like it in the system.

-- 140psi is TOO high! Prevost says the max pressure should be 130psi or less. This for 90% of the coaches is easy to set at the air compressor mounted compressor.
-- Your air system is probably purging frequently due to a significant leak. You may not have a Prevost aux air gauge, so you won't know how fast air is bleeding down on the Prevost aux side.
-- There's not much that will make the rear squat on both sides at the same time. I think the tag logic on your 96 should be the current logic. If not, as soon as your Prevost aux air drops your tag axle will unload and not carry any weight. TRy this. Dup your tag next time you park and them let the coach try to come back to level. It may take several minutes. Then shut it off and see if the rear squats again.

[djflash99]

Thanks, I'll give the dump/inflate a try when I get back around the coach. My mechanic thinks maybe the governor on the air compressor is going out, which is letting too much pressure in the system. Yet another thing to check lol. Any idea on how to adjust the tension on the entry door?

[Gil_J]

The only adjustment I recall on an XL door is the strike plate. Also check the door gasket for correct fit.