Utilizing the replies to this thread, Vita and I went to the bus yesterday determined to get to the bottom of the "Low Coolant Alert" and check engine/stop engine lights. The very first thing we did was locate the sight glass and check it visually. No coolant was visible in the sight glass! We fashioned a make shift "dip stick" and lowered it into the surge tank just to see if there was any coolant at all in the tank. There was a small amount at the bottom of the tank, but it was obviously almost dry. We pulled the Prevost Maintenance Manual in the bus and read up on what we needed to buy to fill the cooling system. Luckily, there was an O'Reilly Auto Parts store right up the street. We went and bought a case (6 gallons) of PEAK Long Life 50/50 Prediluted Antifreeze & Coolant and a funnel. Back to the bus and began refilling the surge tank. It took about 4 1/2 gallons! The good news is that the bus started right up, no alerts - no check engine/stop engine lights!

Lesson learned - I must do a much better and more thorough job of my pre-trip inspections consistently! I've been guilty of giving the pre-trip routine a "lick and a promise" more often than not, just checking what happens to be on my mind at the moment.

I need to construct an organized pre-trip checklist for my bus immediately and commit to using it consistently! If anyone has such a checklist that they are willing to share to get me started, it would be most appreciated!