8V92s anybody?

[adamdegraff]

I have a friend who is considering buying a Prevost, but only busses with an 8V92 are in her current price range. What are the differences between the 8V ad the Series 60? Fuel economy, power, reliability? Are they still million mile engines? Any info would be most appreciated.

Thanks,

Adam

[BrianE]

Adam, The 8V92 is an excellent engine and it will last a long, long time. There is a host of information already posted on the site that will tell you all you need to know and then some. Suggest you do a search: 8V92.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

It is nowhere near a million mile without having to even pull a valve cover if you get a good one like the 60 series engine

IMO if properly maintained you can get it to be almost virtually leak free and consume very little oil for up to 250000. Way longer than any of us will probably own the same bus.

I have one and was very sceptical about it at first but now have confidence and like it. I too am probably priced out of the market for a 60 series so what is the alternative, plastic?

I would not rule it a deal breaker.

Look at truck he is on his 3rd coach and has gone from a 60 to an 8-V.

Tell him to come on in the water is fine

[Jon Wehrenberg]

The 8V92 will cost more to run. As far as I am concerned for almost everybody that owns buses the mileage of about 5.5 to 6.0 MPG compared to about 7.0 to 8.0 for the Series 60 is the difference in terms of ownership.

The bus was literally built around the 8V92 and because of that all service work can be done without disassembling the bus interior in the bedroom. The 8V92 has had a reputation for leaking or dripping oil, but with a little effort all leaks or drips can be stopped and the engine will be clean and dry.

The 8V92 is very sensitive to correct coolant maintenance. If proper maintenance has been deferred it is not unusual to need a radiator replacement. The only ongoing issues mechanically is the tendency for the exhaust system from the heads up to the turbocharger to need work. Problems range from failed exhaust manifold gaskets, to cracked exhaust manifolds, to broken turbocharger inlet tubes. None are difficult to repair, but can get a little pricey.

Nothing sounds as nice as an 8V92.

[dreamchasers]

I second the comment on the 8V92 sounding great. I do love that sound.

Hector

[tdelorme]

My 8V92 was clean and dry when I bought the coach. Just a little effort has kept it that way. The computer showed 5.5 MPG for the life of the engine and that's about what we get now. Like Jon said, 8V's are subject to exhaust manifold and turbo tube issues. Any 8V in the 200,000 mile range has either had replacement turbo tubes installed or soon will. I had an exhaust manifold leak on one side a few months back and had both sides replaced. I was quoted $1800 for the leaking side fix by Stewart & Stevenson. I paid $500 for both sides fixed to a Detroit Diesel guy working after hours. The leaking turbo tube I replaced myself but the part alone was $450. These are great old engines if properly maintained. A computer read before purchase should reveal any past problems. If the computer has been reset at some point in the engines history, I would walk away.

[jkbriggs]

I have an 8V92, rebuilt in 01' or 18k miles ago (by previous owner). All-around maintenance appears to have been pretty good (I have extensive records/logs from prior owner). But I would like to verify current status of coolant. What is the best way to go about?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

There are test strips available form Detroit Diesel available to test the coolant.

But on a coach with OTR, on the driver's side in the AC condensing unit bay there is a sediment bowl where the engine coolant enters the bay (to mix heat from the coolant with air conditioned air to regulate the temps) and that sediment bowl can be romoved. If it has an accumulation of slime and sediment the system at the least needs to be flushed and coolant replaced.

That is like the canary in the mine, and is usually an indicator the tubes in the radiator are getting occlusion.

Changing coolant and flushing the system are both lousy jobs but unless extended life coolant (which meets EC-1 spec) is used it needs to be done every couple of years.

( I think that is the right coolant spec. Correct it if I guessed wrong.)

[BrianE]

A bit more on Extended Life Coolant (ELC). According to the coolant seminar we had at Spearfish, there are coolants on the market that claim to be ELC coolants but do not comply with the Caterpillar EC-1 specs. Buyer beware. Make sure the coolant is EC-1 to assure long life protection in our Detroit engines. These coolants typically last for a minimum of 600,000 miles and Chevron claims up to a 1,000,000 mile life with one extender additive. http://www.chevrondelo.com/en/produc...ze/default.asp

If you change to ELC it is important to make sure that ELC coolant is added when topping up your system. As recently as last spring Prevost service centers did not routinely stock ELC coolants.

[truk4u]

And thanks to Brian I have the ELC in my Liberty, but don't forget to assure they give you blank filter cartridges without the SCA time release.