Thinking about a Bus/RV

On the road! #catpower

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Here's wishing you blue skies, cool coolant and oil Temps, and safe travels.

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It definitely wasn’t super warm, but not frigid either. Denver was a bit over 60, by the time we got to the top I think it was around 40-45? Obviously not warm enough to melt all the snow.
 
Oh @NealRomeoGolf don’t tell anyone at your office but my engine says max altitude 10k ft, and I exceeded that by a bit. Runs fine. :)
 
and you didn't even wave when you went by! hmphffff ...

Oh I was waving plenty at the drivers in Denver who didn’t understand how to act around a 30,000 lb bus…
 
Meh. You know how it is. You put a number on something so you can wriggle out of warranty claims. ;)

Pretty sure my warranty is both expired and voided. :D
 
Pretty sure my warranty is both expired and voided. :D
In all seriousness, these things all come from lawsuits. You get all sorts of people claiming they didn't get the fuel economy or MW out of their stuff when they aren't running it near anything that is standard. So you have to introduce limits.
 
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I would love diesel power. That V-10 in our Winnebago is a thirsty rascal!
 
In all seriousness, these things all come from lawsuits. You get all sorts of people claiming they didn't get the fuel economy or MW out of their stuff when they aren't running it near anything that is standard. So you have to introduce limits.

Oh, I know full well. And I do notice it starting to get less happy in some ways. Biggest one is the EGTs become limiting as to how much power/boost I can run.
 
Oh, I know full well. And I do notice it starting to get less happy in some ways. Biggest one is the EGTs become limiting as to how much power/boost I can run.
I hate to say it... But THAT'S probably the vortex generators, too.

Parasite drag or some other unexplored anomaly caused by the infernal things...

They do so much good... But they also have a dark side often overlooked.

Sigh...
 
How are the naysayers taking it? :)

They’ve gone silent. :)

I hate to say it... But THAT'S probably the vortex generators, too.

Parasite drag or some other unexplored anomaly caused by the infernal things...

They do so much good... But they also have a dark side often overlooked.

Sigh...

No, it’s because the wastegate has to close more to make boost. More exhaust pressure = more EGT. It always did that, this ain’t my first time crossing this pass in this bus. :)
 
They’ve gone silent. :)



No, it’s because the wastegate has to close more to make boost. More exhaust pressure = more EGT. It always did that, this ain’t my first time crossing this pass in this bus. :)
No. Vortex generators. Sorry. Perhaps if you remove ever other one... But, it won't be airworthy after you do this, so no more inverted flight...
 

For those interested, I’ve gone over most of these details on this thread already.
 
There is the guy on YT squawking about the pass not being named Eiesenhower, sign

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I wondered about that. Irritated me, but I am old and iratable these days!!

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Well that ranter would be correct.

Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels are dug though the continental divide below Loveland Pass.
 
John "Bert" Johnson was a legendary engineer, but I didn't know they co-named a tunnel after him. That's pretty cool. Engineers and scientists don't get enough credit.

Also cool on the cooling!
 
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Well that ranter would be correct.

Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels are dug though the continental divide below Loveland Pass.
I did not argue that point, but mearly stated that he was missing the bigger point of the post.

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I did not argue that point, but mearly stated that he was missing the bigger point of the post.

Yeah. Whatever it’s called, climbing that road is a good test of any cooling system.
 
Check out RVing with Andrew Steele on Youtube, very informative.

I've owned a 45' Newmar, did a summer road trips up into Canada when my kids were little, was great. My observations: Pluses: all food onboard, kids disappear in the back while driving, bikes and toys onboard... check, no checking in/out of hotels, no TSA (yea!), no cancelled flights, no schedule just go and end up somewhere interesting. Considerations: Diesel maintenance (I'd steer clear of old 2 cycle diesels). MPG not the greatest, budget accordingly. Traffic, wrestling with an old coach in traffic is a lot of work. Exhaust brake system a must, these things don't stop on a dime so get used to planning ahead and keeping distance (not always possible). If towing a car, you are not backing up (easily) and easy to get trapped in certain lots. Many RV parks don's have spots for 45' coaches. I'd definitely avoid the touristy areas and head to the wilderness. Canada is great for RV-ing. Summed up, it is a wonderful experience but don't cheap out on an old coach, pay now or pay later. There are fantastic 45' rigs in the $150-$200K range, (Newmar / Newell's) well worth the money. Now in retirement stage we've scaled down to a Leisure Vans Wonder RV, easier to park, don't need to tow a car, less tiring to drive, and still has all of the creature comforts (except washer & dryer). Also can leave it stored somewhere in the country and fly to it with my airplane.
 
You could put together a little handbook on fixing RV cooling. No kidding. The original design does seem like an ad-hoc mess. It isn't trivial to get the temps right and in balance, and probably a lot of mechanics without aircraft or engineering experience don't get the downfall of having oil temps too low. In particular, you got the transmission temps right. I'm not sure if I've ever seen an RV that didn't have transmission overheating problems climbing steep hills.
 
You could put together a little handbook on fixing RV cooling. No kidding. The original design does seem like an ad-hoc mess. It isn't trivial to get the temps right and in balance, and probably a lot of mechanics without aircraft or engineering experience don't get the downfall of having oil temps too low. In particular, you got the transmission temps right. I'm not sure if I've ever seen an RV that didn't have transmission overheating problems climbing steep hills.

Is there such a thing as to low of transmission temp? My 2003 Workhorse Chassis, doesn't have a transmission temperature gauge. I added an ODB reader (ScanGauge) and was able to setup the transmission temperature gauge(sump thermistor I think from what I can read about it). shortly after installing it the highest I have ever seen is about 170F. 15 minutes later after descending the other side of the grade I noted the radiator had blew out the side and we were dumping engine coolant.

Radiators are (were) currently out of production and out of stock. workhorseparts.com was very knowledgeable and helpful. The did have a suitable substitute but recommended against using the internal transmission cooler on the substitute radiator (not sure why) and recommended adding a transmission cooler. Opted for the transmission cooler with a fan even though they and my mechanic thought the fan would not be needed, but it was only a bit more to get the one with fan. My Mechanic (the one I located in the small town where the radiator blew out) admitted electrical wasn't really his forte'. That was fine with me and appreciated that over him winging it, I am fine doing the electrical part so told him to just leave the fan disconnected I would hook it up if we needed it or when I had time. After replacing the radiator and installing the additional oil cooler with the fan disconnected we competed our September trip to South Dakota and back to Idaho. What I noticed the Transmission temperature takes up to an Hour get up to 100F and will usually stabilize between about 120 and 140F. I think 150F is about the highest I have seen so far but then this is September weather not July/August.

Brian
2003 Itasca Suncruiser
 
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