I sure didn't know this could happen!

[Steve Cooper]

I guess if you do anything long enough, you'll end up doing it all but I sure didn't know this could happen. A couple of Fridays ago I look out at the coach in the back and see a liquid stain on the ground. Now, "I wonder what that could be" I thought. Go outside and I could smell the diesel on the ground. After the required F-bomb I go to try and figure where it's coming from and when I opened my house battery bay, out pours fuel! I thought it must have been coming from the generator supply side but that's dry and tight. A quick call to Prevost and they reccomended Kingdom coach in Mobile, which is close enough. A call to them and they say bring it over on Monday AM. I collect fuel all weekend with drip pans (less than 2 gallons lost total) and head to Mobile early Monday and leave it with them.
Kingdom was smart enough to know what they didn't know and talked to Prevost and a converter or two and determined it was the supply line to the reserve tank coming off the main fuel tank. To make a long story short, they pulled drained the tanks (and saved the fuel!!!) replaced the line that had a split in it, and put the whole thing back together in a matter of a couple of days. On top of that I though they were very reasonable on the bill. I was expecting probably $2500 bucks but it was about half that.
The best part was that I found a local company that wants to work on Prevosts and is very familiar with them. They operate about 15 seated coaches and really seem to know what they're doing.
If you're in the area and need some help give them a call at 251-660-2923. Scott Grantham owns the company and Gary Wise is the service manager.
I suppose the moral of this story is never be surprised about anything on one of these machines. Murphy's Law obviously has an office at Prevost.

[dalej]

Thanks for the post Steve! You are the second to have this problem this year. I'm just a little nervous about having a 86 bus with a reserve tank.

[dale farley]

Steve, Thanks for the post. I didn't know Kingdom Coach existed, but I may need them some day. I am in Molino.

[Yankee802]

Ouch, so what do I look for and where? Being mine is an '84 with a reserve tank, I'm probably next in line.

Geoff

[Steve Cooper]

Roadrunner: Good to know there are other Prevost folks so close. Kingdom Coach is off I-10 at exit 10 north near Theodore but are moving to a larger shop soon. I understand the new location will be on Hwy. 90 south off 10 in the same general vicinity. Watch this space for news. I had been having GT&T do some service and they were okay, but Kingdom is a Prevost house, where GT&T is mostly MCI. The Kingdom people are looking for more coach work and my luck, at least on this first go round, was positive. I imagine I'll have them look at a few other things after the first of the year and I'll let you know how it goes. You know how hard it is to get decent work done here in Pensacola so it's promising to have another source.
Yankee: I wish I could tell you what to look out for, other than "when the fuel is running on the ground, then you might want to start there first". Honestly, I don't know if there is an easy way because the fuel line connecting the two tanks runs down the central channel and in my case, was behind and between the house battery bay and the generator bay. Not the most accessible location. I don't really know what all went into getting to the hose but I'm sure it was quite a chore. The hose itself was about 1.25" or 1.5" in diameter and looked like a wire reinforced radiator hose. No real pressure but plenty of volume.
I hope you never have to find out.

[merle&louise]

Steve,

How much is Kingdom's hourly rate for service?

[Steve Cooper]

I believe it was $75.00 per hour.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

The framing under the tanks is bolted in, at least on our XL it is.

You raise the bus up drain the tanks and take them out from the bottom, I think. I have looked at this many times and believe it to be the case.

I have a fuel level gauge that needs to be replaced and I either have to pull the holding tank out of the bay behind it to expose the access panel or drop the tank. If ya got the ability to elevate the bus high enough I think that is easier.

[merle&louise]

I believe it was $75.00 per hour.

That is VERY reasonable. I think that my local Chevy dealer's hourly rate is $85/hour!

Looks like you stumbled onto a good service center.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

It is unlikely a fuel leak will develop quickly or be a large flow immediately.

I suspect there was a minor wet or damp spot, and if the bus is driven a lot just the dust and dirt from the road attach to the damp spot making it less noticeable.

Regarding fuel tank leaks however any mechanic should be spring loaded to pay very close attention to any indications of a leak because there is nothing mechanical to create a damp or greasy appearing spot near the fuel tanks. Maybe that's the aviation influence where we are instantly tuned in to blue stains (from fuel leaks), oil spots, or red stains (hydraulic fluid).