Judi,

I think you can rest easy. At least don't look at this pessimistically.

Over the years I have learned that a lot of the causes for rebuilds are often due to owner error. Our engines and transmissions are built for many years and miles of service, but they are not bullet proof. They require proper care and maintenance and that maintenance is spelled out clearly to anyone that wants to look for it on the Prevost, Detroit or Allison sites.

I have had a lot of owners admit they have never changed their coolant. They think the chemistry is all that needs to be checked, yet I never have seen anywhere listed that you do not have to change coolant every two years. The fastest way to ruin an engine is overheating, and poor coolant maintenance will plug a radiator, or allow the engine to literally beat its cylinders to death from the back side due to improper chemistry.

Ditto with oil changes. Compared to an engine oil is cheap, and the way most of us use our coaches, infrequently, they are in my opinion subject to severe duty.

I am not saying Detroit Diesel and Allison have no responsibility in premature failures. I know that the early Series 60 engines installed in our coaches had a problem with piston failure, and the result was a catastophic engine failure. In my vintage coach the Allison transmission suffered from a poor choice of clutch materials causing early failure of the transmission clutches.

The best thing we can do for our coaches and ourselves is to use the coach frequently, perform the specified maintenance and do as your husband does and monitor the operating pressures and temperatures and keep them in the normal range.