Guy, I think Tom has refined the polishing of the ALCOA wheels to a fine science. Each wheel used to take about 15-20 minutes, now he can do them in 5-10 minutes using a 3" pneumatic polishing apparatus. The 3" size allows you to get into all the nooks and crannies using very high RPM's. I used it on mine yesterday and got the best results ever in just a few minutes. Unfortunately this pneumatic device requires 15 cfm to run (big industrial compressor)......my pancake compressor only puts out about 3 cfm. Will have to find an electric version.
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Not sure what to do about your shroud......maybe a little black Rustoleum?
Guy's coach has the same shroud as my 93 coach. It should be possible to fabricate a cylindrical extension around the exposed fan tips and attach it in segments to the existing shroud. Even better would be if one of these electrical fan systems is capable of generating the air flow needed. I couldn't find one previously when I was searching, but new electrical systems are constantly being added..
Earlier in this post, Eric shared a link for a commercial add on side draft input fan system for commercial buses. Looks interesting....
2 strokes need a lot more air flow than a 4 stroke. The measurements of the fan on my '87 indicate it is one of the highest capacity fans made.
It would be interesting to see what the flow capacity of the electric fan is vs the power draw.
On our trip to Ohio this past weekend , 1500 miles , I saw elevated engine temps on the 8v92 . On the same trip last year it would start going above 190 on longer grades , so I would back off the throttle until the Pyrometer and boost would go down , then temp would stabilize below 210 mark . If speed dropped to 50 , downshifting to 3rd usually did the trick . I should mention that we tow a 28 ft enclosed trailer , probably 10K # load . As the ambient temp went higher this year it was more difficult to keep the engine temp down , started seeing the needle get to 210 and beyond , but never let it get farther than halfway between 210 and 230 marks . At one point we made a quick pit stop and the trans would not shift into drive from neutral , and this happened a couple of times afterwards . I think the trans temp went so high that there was not enough pressure available for the elec/hyd Stone Bennett shifter , but the trans always shifted and pulled well . The relief valve on the water heater even started leaking , I think because the water had been heated to near boiling . On the return trip the situation became worse , had to pull over a couple of times on grades to avoid extreme engine temps .
The radiator looks dirty in the corners outside the shroud , I'm thinking cleaning the rad will help this . The radiator sight glass shows full and the reserve tank level is where it normally is cold , although it went up some during trip while hot . I haven't pressure tested cap yet . Oil on the dipstick looks good , hasn't risen , should get it analyzed . I don't see any indicators of engine damage , but I am mindful of overheating horror stories I have read . Looking at ordering a Digi Panel , from posts I have read it is a good system and includes trans temp reading . Not sure if the standard 45' harness will work , or if it needs the extension.
I intend to clean the rad , replace at least the upper hoses ( one has a bit of a kink ) and go with fresh coolant . Perhaps the thermostats ? Water pump ?
More as it goes ,
Thanks,
Chris
Cleaning the radiator is the 1st step. Plenty of threads on here about how to do that.
Don’t know how bad the kink is but replacing any hose that restricts flow is a good idea.
May or may not be a water pump issue.
Fresh coolant is a waste of money for this issue, not a bad idea to have fresh coolant, but it will not cool any better.
Doesn’t sound like a thermostat problem at all to me.
Do have the oil analyzed, looking for coolant.
If cleaning the radiator does not improve this, then I would suspect the internals of the radiator core are fouled with mineral deposits. It’s not what you want to hear, but you probably need a new radiator or have your’s recored.
The temp gauges are notoriously inaccurate, but if you were running your two stroke at 210 or above, you dodged a bullet in not cracking a head or blowing some o rings.
Chris
Had the same problems pulling my 30 foot ATC stacker with the 8v92 in our 90 42 foot
Ended up rebuilding the radiator, putting in a 170 degree thermostat, and then putting in a full size tranny radiator after the engine radiator
Still have to pay attention pulling the Butte pass in Montana but it works
like richard said the gauges are highly inaccurate. i dont think you were at 210-230. you would have toasted the engine at that.
in my 8v92 when i had it i panicked at anything over 204.
tom
We have nearly the same rig as far as drive train and load.We pull a 26 ft enclosed trailer, and live in our Newell full time. Same high temp issues. The advice given about 35 year old analog temp guages and sending units is so true. The prior owner on our coach had to have a complete rebuild done due to temp problems. He installed a Digi Panel, and it seems to be fairly accurate when I compare to infra red readings on the engine block water outlet. Also gives an audible alarm if you begin to "run on the edge " of high temp, low oil pressure, or high trans temp.The Infra red guns are cheap now, 30 $ and give piece of mind. We had our radiator steam cleaned last summer after a very scary boil over on Baker grade just out of Las Vegas. They did not do a good job, totally missing the corners of the radiator, where you will find the most grease in between the fins. We now use a Radiator Genie hand wand ( on Amazon), and Dawn soap and lots and lots of rinsing after to clean our radiator every 90 days. So far we have been able to keep our temps down, by doing these things and trying to keep our rpm up in the 1800 to 2000 range on long hills, and some short ones on hot days.
I believe Clarke Hockwald on this forum has a lot of experience with these issues, as he is around the 60 thousand mile mark of full timing with a classic Detroit 2 cycle, and pulling a trailer. He has been our mentor on this.
Good luck on this, no one need a 25 thousand dollar repair bill . That is what the Detroit Diesel repair receipt says on this coach when we bought it from the prior owner.
Remember, 10 mins pulled over to cool down engine is a LOT quicker & cheaper than a tow bill, & re-build for engine. Ours was close to 25K ball park. I got the Silverleaf vmspc for peace of mind. Love it.