Genset Radiator Rusted Out!
We've had another cold snap which prompted me to again turn on the generator autostart on Evangeline so I could keep the bay heaters running until it gets warmer. When I do this, I go out and check on the bus daily. On Thursday morning, when I went to check on the bus, there was a huge puddle of green liquid (presumably coolant) on the concrete between the third and fourth bay. The generator was not running. I went inside the bus, turned on the lights and noticed that they were dim. I went to the electrical panel to manually start the generator. There was not enough "juice" to start it. I paralleled the house & chassis batteries to get it cranked. The genset cranked up, ran for a minute and then shut down again. As I exited the coach, Vita told me that, when I started the generator, a big "gush of green stuff" came out the bottom of the bay onto the ground. I called my local RV/bus guy at Apalachee RV and described what was going on. He said that it sounded like I may have a busted hose and to bring it to him Friday morning for a full diagnosis.
Friday morning, i drove Evangeline the 60 miles to Apalachee in Auburn, GA where we discovered that the radiator core had rusted through and finally "let go." I guess I can't be too disappointed or surprised as it's the original genset radiator and has been in service for about 14 years. I was offered the option of having the current radiator "recored", but opted to just replace with a new one because the cost savings was just a few hundred bucks and there is no telling how long the recored radiator will last.
Anyway - the new radiator is ordered and expected to arrive early next week. With any luck, we'll be back in business well before our next trip commitment (to visit an old friend/colleague in South Carolina) the weekend of March 5-7.
Fingers (and toes) crossed!
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