Engine maintenance

[rbeecher]

Sometime in the last couple of weeks there was a post regarding top end engine maintenance, someone mentioned they had records indicating it had been done to their coach but then discovered the access door in the back of the coach had never been removed!

I have not been able to find the thread or posts, can someone direct me?

Thanks,

Richard Beecher

[Kevin Erion]

Richard, That would be me, I recommend very strongly that at 100,000 miles the valves and jakes if you are lucky enough to have be adjusted and looked at.
Kevin

[Jon Wehrenberg]

According to the Detroit Diesel maintenance schedule there should be a valve lash adjustment every 60,000 miles.

That's what it says. DD technicians have also said to me that if it is running good and getting good mileage do not mess with it.

I don't know what is correct.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

I would tend to agree with DD.

A similar circumstance.
Cat used to suggest new rod and maid bearings every 300000 but when I asked about it they told me " We have taken too many apart to find 0 wear, take oil samples at oil changes and don't worry about it. Current mialage 900000+

I ran my 3406 to 550000 before I took it in to adjust valves and jake. Also had the "updated injecters" put in at the time. Accept for a VERY SLITE difference in the smoothness at idle I could not tell any difference in preformance or mialage

Jon, put the first load on since Dec.22 and put the coveralls on at the end of the day to grease, found a lower king pin cap with 2 of 3 bolts, the heads, snapped off. I'm on the way out the door to put a new set in.

Went and had it washed yesterday. That only happens about once a year. Mabye I'll take a picture or 2.

Once again the coveralls and grease gun pay off. She still has never failed to get me back to the barn under her own power

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Joe,

I'll bet you and Debbie a dinner when you come down to TN you will agree with the following statement.

I find frequent routine maintenance greatly contributes to long service life, but equally important is that during that regular maintenance it gives you an opportunity to inspect and identify and correct any problems that might be found. You talked about sheared bolts in the kingpin cap. I have found nails in tires and broken hose clamps, the beginnings of minor leaks, and have heard air leaks, all of which would not have been detected until I was either under the coach, or they went from minor problems to serious problems.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

We must have went to different schools togeather

[bill&jody]

i had a valve adjust done at the middletown, ct, DD last fall. there wasn't anything pointing to a need for it other than the poor mileage (read, yardage) - i guess i just thought 25 degrees diff in pyrometers was normal. the mileage then was about 127k.

in the process, the tech found that two of the jake controllers, one on each side, had disconnected wires - just broke or fell off. now i have much improved engine braking and a noticable diff in git-up-n-go. just for comparison sake, the cost was about 550. seems like a lot, but then.........

altho the prev owner had a stack of jacksonville prevost maint receipts, i couldn't find one spec'ly pointing to top end, so i just did it. i think i'm glad i did.

wmm

[rbeecher]

That's interesting Bill.

I just had a call from DD and they confirmed a similar finding on my Jake which I run on the low position when I have the trailer along. I had thought a couple of weeks ago that it wasn't doing as much and they found the connection has an issue which is being taken care of today.

I asked them to check it after reading your message yesterday, they had already found the problem by the time I called.

Richard Beecher
96 Vogue XL 40
07 Suburban