[ccjohnson]

Ernie,
I bought some chrome "HYBRID" labels on e-bay. Put one on the back of the coach. get a lot of double takes from folks on the road.

[Erniee]

I bet you do get some looks. I should have thought of that for my previous coaches.

[ccjohnson]

Update: I stopped by while in El Paso yesterday. The engine is shipping out today for overhaul. Should be back in a cpl of weeks. They downloaded DDECII codes. Only 3! 1 at +/-3000 hrs for low coolant level, one at +/-3200 hrs for 23 seconds of overspeed ( may have been going down hill when jake was not functioning). Last was for 9+/- minutes over heating at */- 3700 hrs. This was the "event". Bearing in mind that I only drove it 4 miles the day it happened and that I may have returned the key to "on" position after I got shut down on the side of the road to try & restart, 9 minutes would I don't think, be out of line. In retrospect, I may just have gotten behind the curve on my downshifting. I will have more info as they finish tearing down engine. I am still leaning toward some catastrophic component failure like water pump, head gasket or head crack. Based on DDEC data does not seem to have been a "developing" problem. Will update as more info becomes available.

[Fulltiming]

Keep the updates coming Clint. Overheating is the biggest fear of the Detroit two-stroke club. Temperatures that seem routine to a Series 60 guy will fry a two-stroke. I always watch my VMSpc like a hawk on hills and try to keep it below 205 degrees. I have never seen even the check engine light come on.

Catastrophic failures, such as those you mentioned, are always a possibility on any engine and can take them out with little or no notice.

[ccjohnson]

Based on the hrs I think the first code of low coolant level may have been prior to our ownership. It was +/- 700hrs ago. 700*55mph is 38,500. We have put 36,000 on it since we have had it. Never had a major coolant loss. We did put a new blower on it right after we bought it & also had radiator re-cored a cpl of years ago.

[encantotom]

just to remind everyone, i have a ddec1/2 code reader that will dive down into the same details that clint mentions. a real code reader (dedicated reader, not the vmspc) that will look at all aspects of the ddec, including faults and times etc.

so if anyone is every in town, come by and look at your engine.

tom

[ccjohnson]

Update - After hot tanking block & heads, both look good. Pistons are pretty severely galled to sleeves. Head gaskets seemed to be OK. They suspect a cracked liner to account for water running into crankcase. Still no obvious cause for over heating. Looking like I was not quite attentive enough to gauges. But they didn't look at thermostats & water pump yet.

[Fulltiming]

Blocks and heads looking good is a big step in the right direction. Sounds like new pistons and sleeves are in the cards.

Thanks for the update. Will be interesting to see what additional information they come up with.

[ccjohnson]

Update: reman heads on back order until 14th. So far no explanation for coolant in crankcase. Wichita Falls sees no evidence of running with water in oil. I re-explained that the coolant in oil was a last in chain of the catastrophic failure. Called El Paso, they restated that they drain +/- 5 gal of coolant out of cranckcase but it was not emulsified into the oil. Wichita Falls, "heads not cracked, head gaskets good, no obvious liner cracks". El Paso thinks possibly air compressor failed letting coolant into crankcase. Wichita Falls should check compressor tomorrow. So far thermostats & water pump have looked/tested good.
'

[Richard]

Clint. I only found the crack in a liner after wiping it super clean, applying used oil, and wiping clean again. It is poor man's dye penetrant test.