A new Bluebird owner's tale of the first shakedown trip

[Greg Young]

Hi! Introducing ourselves, once again, this time as owners..

This will be a somewhat long post, so you have been warned. And if you decide
to reply, best to trim to annoy the digest readers and dial up users a little
less.

We are Greg and Barbara Young, about to be empty nesters and selling our home in
Escondido near San Diego. We decided to buy a Bluebird to be our new home for a
little while, after doing much research on RV's & bus conversions. We talked
extensively to a few Bluebird owners, including a couple whose birds were on the
market. We finally decided on Dan & Cindy Sunderland's '86 PT-40, heretofore
known as "Happy Camper," and picked it up last Thursday. We bought it from them
because it was meticulously maintained, had the feature set we were looking for,
and they were only 10 miles from our home and we could rely on them for
information. Dan & Cindy spent a half day with us going over the bus and its
operation, and I videotaped every minute...

So we decided to take a shakedown cruise to Arizona to see some friends, do some
business, and determine what we would need to do to the bus to make it ours and
make it work for our first big trip: We have a 3 week trip planned at the end of
August that will take us to an alkali dry lake for a week of dry camping in
60MPH winds at 105 degrees with 40,000 artists and musicians (Burning Man), then
across country to Pennsylvania to a volleyball tournament, and back to San Diego
via Colorado visiting some hot springs. The only things we knew we needed to
do were replace the fuel filter and Racor filter, fix the driver A/C, and get
the front tires replaced. Those tasks could wait until after we got back,
right? I thought, "this is a short trip, the bus has been well maintained,
let's just go." So we threw a few things in, my little household tool kit
(definitely not suitable for a big diesel engine) and took off.

Then the fuel flow problem started.

First breakdown was on I-17 near Phoenix at 6pm Sunday. It had been driving
fine for about half an hour, but stalled shortly after getting on the interstate
in the middle of an Arizona monsoon. Got it off the road, but barely - about 1
foot from the traffic flow, and right at the exit for the state penitentiary.
18 wheelers whizzing by at 70 MPH and a prison make great neighbors. I had the
replacement fuel filters, but no way to get diesel into the filter and Racor
unit to prime them, so no way to get started. Called a tow truck. Called
three,and had three visit. None of them could move us. Finally gave up at 3am
and went to sleep to the gentle rocking of the passing trucks. Cop came and
woke me up at 4am. Got one hour of sleep. At 7:30am found a diesel mechanic who
got the filter elements in, the engine primed, bypassed the apparently sick
Racor filter, and we drove it to his shop Monday morning. He (supposedly)
rebuilt the Racor unit which
he thought was sucking air. Got on the road, and everything seemed fine. Made
it to our destination, pulled into a camp site, and got some overdue sleep.

Next morning the bus started, lurched forward 5 feet and died. Same malady - no
fuel. Got another diesel mechanic to come by - wizened old guy named Andy of
A&A Diesel in Mohave Valley, AZ. Great to work with, and got us going again -
appeared the check valve ball in the Racor was stuck. But he also thought the
return fuel line from the injectors might be siphoning off, and he expected it
to be dead the next morning. We went on our way, and decided to stop at Calico
Ghost Town near Barstow on the way home. Got to the KOA there without incident,
and caught up a little more on sleep.

Next morning the bus started and ran fine. I thought Andy had gotten us
completely fixed. But as we got into Riverside that evening and were stuck in
the endless stop and go traffic in I-215, the bus stalled. I got it up an
offramp, and had just enough air to slide it back off the roadway before the
brake set, else CHP would have had us towed. This time no amount of priming the
filters would work - there was just no fuel coming into the secondary filter
from the fuel pump, which we now think was the problem all along. So, yet
another mechanic (4 hours at $147/hr) hooked us up with a little 12V pump
sucking from our 300 gal tank and pushing a dribble of fuel into the Detroit
8V92. Drove it to Valley Detroit Diesel in Mira Loma where it sits today, and
will for a few days until they can get to it, at whatever astronomical rate they
charge. The good thing is that we feel pretty confident when it comes out of
there we'll know it's working well. I
only wish I could be there to watch the diagnosis and repair - I need to learn
as much as I can about this beast so that I can better maintain it and minimize
our maintenance costs. But alas, the shop is 80 miles from our house.

A discouraging and harrowing tale of a first experience you say? Enough to make
us regret the decision? No, not at all! We love our Bluebird! And we really
believe that Dan & Cindy had no idea that there was an issue - we drove it with
them ourselves, and it had been regularly driven and loved.

Greg Young
'86 PT-40
(yet to be renamed...)

[Pete Masterson]

Despite the discouraging beginning to your BB, welcome to the fold. A
couple of thoughts -- the Racor filters are usually pretty reliable,
but they will block up pretty fast if there's algae or water or other
problems with the fuel. You may want to check the quality of the fuel
and be sure to drain any debris out the petcock on the bottom of the
fuel tank.

Next, you'll need to learn how to replace the filter element.
Especially if you've used an algaecide the filter will clog in a very
short time. (It helps to carry a 1 or 2 gallon container with diesel
in it.)

Note -- always keep the fuel tank as full as possible when the
vehicle is sitting in storage. It reduces the air space in the top of
the tank and discourages the condensation that allows water to
accumulate in the fuel. Of course, it's always possible to get a
"bad" load of fuel. I try to always fill up at an active truck stop
-- I'm a little leery of the local station selling diesel to a
handful of customers each week -- and doesn't have a big fuel filter
on the dispenser.

You should have a fuel/filter vacuum gauge (mine's on a panel above
the driver's head.) While not the easiest gauge to check, if you're
getting fuel feed problems, take a quick look to see if you're into
the red zone.

Of course, in the random chances of life, the problem might truly be
a bad Racor or other fuel delivery problem unrelated to the filter.
And it beats having to replace the radiator core, as I did....

===============================================
Pete Masterson, Author of
Book Design and Production: A Guide for Authors and Publishers
Aeonix1@...
Aeonix Publishing Group http://www.aeonix.com
===============================================


On Jul 27, 2007, at 10:01 AM, Greg Young wrote:
<snip>
>
> A discouraging and harrowing tale of a first experience you say?
> Enough to make us regret the decision? No, not at all! We love
> our Bluebird! And we really believe that Dan & Cindy had no idea
> that there was an issue - we drove it with them ourselves, and it
> had been regularly driven and loved.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Terry Neal]

You have the right mind set to own a Blue Bird Greg. They are still
machines & they can be fixed to do our bidding. Enjoy the Bird, it will
give back to you many times over.

Terry Neal
Bozeman, MT
82PT40 6V92TA
74FC34 6V53T



Greg Young wrote:

> Hi! Introducing ourselves, once again, this time as owners..
>
> This will be a somewhat long post, so you have been warned. And if you
> decide to reply, best to trim to annoy the digest readers and dial up
> users a little less.
>
> We are Greg and Barbara Young, about to be empty nesters and selling
> our home in Escondido near San Diego. We decided to buy a Bluebird to
> be our new home for a little while, after doing much research on RV's
> & bus conversions. We talked extensively to a few Bluebird owners,
> including a couple whose birds were on the market. We finally decided
> on Dan & Cindy Sunderland's '86 PT-40, heretofore known as "Happy
> Camper," and picked it up last Thursday. We bought it from them
> because it was meticulously maintained, had the feature set we were
> looking for, and they were only 10 miles from our home and we could
> rely on them for information. Dan & Cindy spent a half day with us
> going over the bus and its operation, and I videotaped every minute...
>
> So we decided to take a shakedown cruise to Arizona to see some
> friends, do some business, and determine what we would need to do to
> the bus to make it ours and make it work for our first big trip: We
> have a 3 week trip planned at the end of August that will take us to
> an alkali dry lake for a week of dry camping in 60MPH winds at 105
> degrees with 40,000 artists and musicians (Burning Man), then across
> country to Pennsylvania to a volleyball tournament, and back to San
> Diego via Colorado visiting some hot springs. The only things we knew
> we needed to do were replace the fuel filter and Racor filter, fix the
> driver A/C, and get the front tires replaced. Those tasks could wait
> until after we got back, right? I thought, "this is a short trip, the
> bus has been well maintained, let's just go." So we threw a few things
> in, my little household tool kit (definitely not suitable for a big
> diesel engine) and took off.
>
> Then the fuel flow problem started.
>
> First breakdown was on I-17 near Phoenix at 6pm Sunday. It had been
> driving fine for about half an hour, but stalled shortly after getting
> on the interstate in the middle of an Arizona monsoon. Got it off the
> road, but barely - about 1 foot from the traffic flow, and right at
> the exit for the state penitentiary. 18 wheelers whizzing by at 70 MPH
> and a prison make great neighbors. I had the replacement fuel filters,
> but no way to get diesel into the filter and Racor unit to prime them,
> so no way to get started. Called a tow truck. Called three,and had
> three visit. None of them could move us. Finally gave up at 3am and
> went to sleep to the gentle rocking of the passing trucks. Cop came
> and woke me up at 4am. Got one hour of sleep. At 7:30am found a diesel
> mechanic who got the filter elements in, the engine primed, bypassed
> the apparently sick Racor filter, and we drove it to his shop Monday
> morning. He (supposedly) rebuilt the Racor unit which
> he thought was sucking air. Got on the road, and everything seemed
> fine. Made it to our destination, pulled into a camp site, and got
> some overdue sleep.
>
> Next morning the bus started, lurched forward 5 feet and died. Same
> malady - no fuel. Got another diesel mechanic to come by - wizened old
> guy named Andy of A&A Diesel in Mohave Valley, AZ. Great to work with,
> and got us going again - appeared the check valve ball in the Racor
> was stuck. But he also thought the return fuel line from the injectors
> might be siphoning off, and he expected it to be dead the next
> morning. We went on our way, and decided to stop at Calico Ghost Town
> near Barstow on the way home. Got to the KOA there without incident,
> and caught up a little more on sleep.
>
> Next morning the bus started and ran fine. I thought Andy had gotten
> us completely fixed. But as we got into Riverside that evening and
> were stuck in the endless stop and go traffic in I-215, the bus
> stalled. I got it up an offramp, and had just enough air to slide it
> back off the roadway before the brake set, else CHP would have had us
> towed. This time no amount of priming the filters would work - there
> was just no fuel coming into the secondary filter from the fuel pump,
> which we now think was the problem all along. So, yet another mechanic
> (4 hours at $147/hr) hooked us up with a little 12V pump sucking from
> our 300 gal tank and pushing a dribble of fuel into the Detroit 8V92.
> Drove it to Valley Detroit Diesel in Mira Loma where it sits today,
> and will for a few days until they can get to it, at whatever
> astronomical rate they charge. The good thing is that we feel pretty
> confident when it comes out of there we'll know it's working well. I
> only wish I could be there to watch the diagnosis and repair - I need
> to learn as much as I can about this beast so that I can better
> maintain it and minimize our maintenance costs. But alas, the shop is
> 80 miles from our house.
>
> A discouraging and harrowing tale of a first experience you say?
> Enough to make us regret the decision? No, not at all! We love our
> Bluebird! And we really believe that Dan & Cindy had no idea that
> there was an issue - we drove it with them ourselves, and it had been
> regularly driven and loved.
>
> Greg Young
> '86 PT-40
> (yet to be renamed...)
>
>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[ac7880]

My first Bird, a 83 FC35 broke down on the maiden voyage home from CA
to TX (I lived in TX then). I did a bunch of preventitive
maintainance and never broke down again. The fellow who bought it
from me has never broken down.

My new bird, a 94 BB BMC broke down on the maiden trip home from TX
to NM. Again, I did I a bunch of preventitive maintainance and never
broke down again.

If you have a good set of receipts in your blue box, and a full set
of documentation in your Blue Box, you can determine what
maintainance you should do before the next trip. If those front
tires are over 6-7 years old, I would take no further trips before
replacing them. Double check what ply tires you need, there should
be some tire links in the files or links section of the this site.
If not, we can provide them.

You may also consider a road side assistance plan from Good Sam or
others for at least the first year.

Welcome to the Bird Family. You will have a great time traveling in
your coach.
Dan
94 BB BMC 37' NM



--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, Greg Young
wrote:
>
> Hi! Introducing ourselves, once again, this time as owners..
>
> This will be a somewhat long post, so you have been warned. And
if .....

clip


> So we decided to take a shakedown cruise to Arizona to see some
friends, do some business, and determine what we would need to do to
the bus to make it ours ......

clip >
> Greg Young
> '86 PT-40
> (yet to be renamed...)
>

[Jon]

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, Greg Young
wrote:
>
> Hi! Introducing ourselves, once again, this time as owners..
>
> This will be a somewhat long post, so you have been warned. And if
you decide to reply, best to trim to annoy the digest readers and
dial up users a little less.
>
> We are Greg and Barbara Young, about to be empty nesters and
selling our home in Escondido near San Diego. We decided to buy a
Bluebird to be our new home for a little while, after doing much
research on RV's & bus conversions. We talked extensively to a few
Bluebird owners, including a couple whose birds were on the market.
We finally decided on Dan & Cindy Sunderland's '86 PT-40, heretofore
known as "Happy Camper," and picked it up last Thursday. We bought
it from them because it was meticulously maintained, had the feature
set we were looking for, and they were only 10 miles from our home
and we could rely on them for information. Dan & Cindy spent a half
day with us going over the bus and its operation, and I videotaped
every minute...
>
> So we decided to take a shakedown cruise to Arizona to see some
friends, do some business, and determine what we would need to do to
the bus to make it ours and make it work for our first big trip: We
have a 3 week trip planned at the end of August that will take us to
an alkali dry lake for a week of dry camping in 60MPH winds at 105
degrees with 40,000 artists and musicians (Burning Man), then across
country to Pennsylvania to a volleyball tournament, and back to San
Diego via Colorado visiting some hot springs. The only things we
knew we needed to do were replace the fuel filter and Racor filter,
fix the driver A/C, and get the front tires replaced. Those tasks
could wait until after we got back, right? I thought, "this is a
short trip, the bus has been well maintained, let's just go." So we
threw a few things in, my little household tool kit (definitely not
suitable for a big diesel engine) and took off.
>
> Then the fuel flow problem started.
>
> First breakdown was on I-17 near Phoenix at 6pm Sunday. It had
been driving fine for about half an hour, but stalled shortly after
getting on the interstate in the middle of an Arizona monsoon. Got
it off the road, but barely - about 1 foot from the traffic flow, and
right at the exit for the state penitentiary. 18 wheelers whizzing
by at 70 MPH and a prison make great neighbors. I had the
replacement fuel filters, but no way to get diesel into the filter
and Racor unit to prime them, so no way to get started. Called a tow
truck. Called three,and had three visit. None of them could move
us. Finally gave up at 3am and went to sleep to the gentle rocking
of the passing trucks. Cop came and woke me up at 4am. Got one hour
of sleep. At 7:30am found a diesel mechanic who got the filter
elements in, the engine primed, bypassed the apparently sick Racor
filter, and we drove it to his shop Monday morning. He (supposedly)
rebuilt the Racor unit which
> he thought was sucking air. Got on the road, and everything
seemed fine. Made it to our destination, pulled into a camp site,
and got some overdue sleep.
>
> Next morning the bus started, lurched forward 5 feet and died.
Same malady - no fuel. Got another diesel mechanic to come by -
wizened old guy named Andy of A&A Diesel in Mohave Valley, AZ. Great
to work with, and got us going again - appeared the check valve ball
in the Racor was stuck. But he also thought the return fuel line
from the injectors might be siphoning off, and he expected it to be
dead the next morning. We went on our way, and decided to stop at
Calico Ghost Town near Barstow on the way home. Got to the KOA there
without incident, and caught up a little more on sleep.
>
> Next morning the bus started and ran fine. I thought Andy had
gotten us completely fixed. But as we got into Riverside that
evening and were stuck in the endless stop and go traffic in I-215,
the bus stalled. I got it up an offramp, and had just enough air to
slide it back off the roadway before the brake set, else CHP would
have had us towed. This time no amount of priming the filters would
work - there was just no fuel coming into the secondary filter from
the fuel pump, which we now think was the problem all along. So, yet
another mechanic (4 hours at $147/hr) hooked us up with a little 12V
pump sucking from our 300 gal tank and pushing a dribble of fuel into
the Detroit 8V92. Drove it to Valley Detroit Diesel in Mira Loma
where it sits today, and will for a few days until they can get to
it, at whatever astronomical rate they charge. The good thing is
that we feel pretty confident when it comes out of there we'll know
it's working well. I
> only wish I could be there to watch the diagnosis and repair - I
need to learn as much as I can about this beast so that I can better
maintain it and minimize our maintenance costs. But alas, the shop
is 80 miles from our house.
>
> A discouraging and harrowing tale of a first experience you say?
Enough to make us regret the decision? No, not at all! We love our
Bluebird! And we really believe that Dan & Cindy had no idea that
there was an issue - we drove it with them ourselves, and it had been
regularly driven and loved.
>
> Greg Young
> '86 PT-40
> (yet to be renamed...)

Well thanks god you made it home! I always carry my VISA card with
me in case of problems. So far my old trusty Rebel Bird has never
given me any problems. Now that I said that I hope that Pandora box
doesn't appear and find myself like you stranded along an
interstate. But like one of the fellows here said befor it a machine
and machines will run fine if given enough preventative maintenance.
Hope your rig runs fine from now on and its true it a big learning
curve operation when you buy one of these heavy duty rigs. Jon

Jon
Bremerton Washington
RebelBird with a cool deck on the back!
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y4/1942...yparty016.
jpg
>

[Dan and Cindy Sunderland]

HI Greg

I have beeen following you first trip to AZ. Much to my amazement, I can't
beleive this fuel
problem.

I have been driving this bird for 8 years every month and no fuel problems ever.
I just
rebuilt the Racor 1000 a couple of years ago just as a pre-caution. As both
filters were 2
years old, I thought they needed changing just because it had been 2 years, but
only 4 K
miles. I have been using Stanadyne additive to the fuel for the last 3 years as
it was
suggested by a boater friend. This should have negated any algae or other
problems.

I am truly sorry for this situation and do not understand what could cause this.
I will
follow the Mira Loma fix to see what they find. I wonder if some bad fuel in AZ
could have
been the problem. I forgot to ask you when we spoke whether you added more fuel
at the
border coming home.

SIncerely
Dan Sunderland
San Marcos
05 450 LXi



--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, Greg Young wrote:
>
> Hi! Introducing ourselves, once again, this time as owners..
>
> This will be a somewhat long post, so you have been warned. And if you decide
to
reply, best to trim to annoy the digest readers and dial up users a little less.
>
> We are Greg and Barbara Young, about to be empty nesters and selling our home
in
Escondido near San Diego. We decided to buy a Bluebird to be our new home for a
little
while, after doing much research on RV's & bus conversions. We talked
extensively to a
few Bluebird owners, including a couple whose birds were on the market. We
finally
decided on Dan & Cindy Sunderland's '86 PT-40, heretofore known as "Happy
Camper,"
and picked it up last Thursday. We bought it from them because it was
meticulously
maintained, had the feature set we were looking for, and they were only 10 miles
from our
home and we could rely on them for information. Dan & Cindy spent a half day
with us
going over the bus and its operation, and I videotaped every minute...
>
> So we decided to take a shakedown cruise to Arizona to see some friends, do
some
business, and determine what we would need to do to the bus to make it ours and
make it
work for our first big trip: We have a 3 week trip planned at the end of August
that will
take us to an alkali dry lake for a week of dry camping in 60MPH winds at 105
degrees
with 40,000 artists and musicians (Burning Man), then across country to
Pennsylvania to a
volleyball tournament, and back to San Diego via Colorado visiting some hot
springs. The
only things we knew we needed to do were replace the fuel filter and Racor
filter, fix the
driver A/C, and get the front tires replaced. Those tasks could wait until
after we got
back, right? I thought, "this is a short trip, the bus has been well
maintained, let's just go."
So we threw a few things in, my little household tool kit (definitely not
suitable for a big
diesel engine) and took off.
>
> Then the fuel flow problem started.
>
> First breakdown was on I-17 near Phoenix at 6pm Sunday. It had been driving
fine for
about half an hour, but stalled shortly after getting on the interstate in the
middle of an
Arizona monsoon. Got it off the road, but barely - about 1 foot from the
traffic flow, and
right at the exit for the state penitentiary. 18 wheelers whizzing by at 70 MPH
and a
prison make great neighbors. I had the replacement fuel filters, but no way to
get diesel
into the filter and Racor unit to prime them, so no way to get started. Called
a tow truck.
Called three,and had three visit. None of them could move us. Finally gave up
at 3am and
went to sleep to the gentle rocking of the passing trucks. Cop came and woke me
up at
4am. Got one hour of sleep. At 7:30am found a diesel mechanic who got the
filter
elements in, the engine primed, bypassed the apparently sick Racor filter, and
we drove it
to his shop Monday morning. He (supposedly) rebuilt the Racor unit which
> he thought was sucking air. Got on the road, and everything seemed fine.
Made it to
our destination, pulled into a camp site, and got some overdue sleep.
>
> Next morning the bus started, lurched forward 5 feet and died. Same malady -
no fuel.
Got another diesel mechanic to come by - wizened old guy named Andy of A&A
Diesel in
Mohave Valley, AZ. Great to work with, and got us going again - appeared the
check valve
ball in the Racor was stuck. But he also thought the return fuel line from the
injectors
might be siphoning off, and he expected it to be dead the next morning. We went
on our
way, and decided to stop at Calico Ghost Town near Barstow on the way home. Got
to the
KOA there without incident, and caught up a little more on sleep.
>
> Next morning the bus started and ran fine. I thought Andy had gotten us
completely
fixed. But as we got into Riverside that evening and were stuck in the endless
stop and go
traffic in I-215, the bus stalled. I got it up an offramp, and had just enough
air to slide it
back off the roadway before the brake set, else CHP would have had us towed.
This time
no amount of priming the filters would work - there was just no fuel coming into
the
secondary filter from the fuel pump, which we now think was the problem all
along. So,
yet another mechanic (4 hours at $147/hr) hooked us up with a little 12V pump
sucking
from our 300 gal tank and pushing a dribble of fuel into the Detroit 8V92.
Drove it to
Valley Detroit Diesel in Mira Loma where it sits today, and will for a few days
until they can
get to it, at whatever astronomical rate they charge. The good thing is that we
feel pretty
confident when it comes out of there we'll know it's working well. I
> only wish I could be there to watch the diagnosis and repair - I need to
learn as much
as I can about this beast so that I can better maintain it and minimize our
maintenance
costs. But alas, the shop is 80 miles from our house.
>
> A discouraging and harrowing tale of a first experience you say? Enough to
make us
regret the decision? No, not at all! We love our Bluebird! And we really
believe that Dan &
Cindy had no idea that there was an issue - we drove it with them ourselves, and
it had
been regularly driven and loved.
>
> Greg Young
> '86 PT-40
> (yet to be renamed...)
>

[Curt Sprenger]

Greg,

My buddy Rod worked for the local transit authority for 30+ years. I
mentioned to him the problem with your coach. He suggested I pass this
on to you...

If fuel was added to the tank, and the fuel problem went away, only to
show up again after burning some fuel, it could be the fuel tank pick
up tube. If this is the problem and the fuel pick up tube is 1/2", Rod
suggested installing a 3/8" tube inside of the 1/2" tube. A 3/8" tube
should feed a hungry 8V92 just fine. Rod did this several times at the
transit authority while maintaining hundreds of buses.

Depending on issues with your coach, Rod is retired, a great mechanic,
and a good source for fixing lots of things. He is willing to do some
maintenance/fixing to stay somewhat busy...just can't let it interfere
with our neighborhood daily meetings...coffee in the am...beer in the
pm...Ha!

I removed the previous posts to keep the document length to a minimum.

Curt Sprenger
1987 PT38 8V92 "MacAttack Racing"
Anaheim Hills, CA

[Greg Young]

Hi Curt - That's a good hint. It's in with Valley Detroit Diesel right now,
whom we expect to get to the root of the problem. And since I've been looking
at biodiesel, replacing those lines with non-rubber would be good anyway.
However, we didn't encounter the problem when we were lowest on fuel upon
entering AZ, and the third time it happened we still had 3//4 tank.

Will keep the forum posted on progress, and thank you for your help!
Greg


----- Original Message ----
From: Curt Sprenger
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, July 29, 2007 8:44:21 PM
Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: A new Bluebird owner's tale of the first
shakedown trip

Greg,

My buddy Rod worked for the local transit authority for 30+ years. I
mentioned to him the problem with your coach. He suggested I pass this
on to you...

If fuel was added to the tank, and the fuel problem went away, only to
show up again after burning some fuel, it could be the fuel tank pick
up tube. If this is the problem and the fuel pick up tube is 1/2", Rod
suggested installing a 3/8" tube inside of the 1/2" tube. A 3/8" tube
should feed a hungry 8V92 just fine. Rod did this several times at the
transit authority while maintaining hundreds of buses.

Depending on issues with your coach, Rod is retired, a great mechanic,
and a good source for fixing lots of things. He is willing to do some
maintenance/ fixing to stay somewhat busy...just can't let it interfere
with our neighborhood daily meetings...coffee in the am...beer in the
pm...Ha!

I removed the previous posts to keep the document length to a minimum.

Curt Sprenger
1987 PT38 8V92 "MacAttack Racing"
Anaheim Hills, CA

[Greg Young]

Hey Dan - Appreciate your support as the seller here... We got to the AZ border
with about 1/8 tank registerting on the fuel guage, put 100 gal in at Flying J
in Ehrenburg, drove on into Phoenix, then into Bullhead City via Kingman, where
we filled up full, putting in about 160 gal, again at a Flying J. ($2.89/gal
vs. $3.29+ in CA, and VERY busy pumps). From there homeward. So can't
specifically say if one batch was bad, or if that's a problem at all, given that
we mixed in another load of fuel. Filters didn't look particularly dirty, and
they were replaced on the night of the first failure. The last mechanic in
Riverside was pretty sure it was the fuel pump.

Greg

----- Original Message ----
From: Dan and Cindy Sunderland <86bluebird@...>
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, July 29, 2007 8:05:40 PM
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] Re: A new Bluebird owner's tale of the first
shakedown trip

HI Greg

I have beeen following you first trip to AZ. Much to my amazement, I can't
beleive this fuel
problem.

I have been driving this bird for 8 years every month and no fuel problems ever.
I just
rebuilt the Racor 1000 a couple of years ago just as a pre-caution. As both
filters were 2
years old, I thought they needed changing just because it had been 2 years, but
only 4 K
miles. I have been using Stanadyne additive to the fuel for the last 3 years as
it was
suggested by a boater friend. This should have negated any algae or other
problems.

I am truly sorry for this situation and do not understand what could cause this.
I will
follow the Mira Loma fix to see what they find. I wonder if some bad fuel in AZ
could have
been the problem. I forgot to ask you when we spoke whether you added more fuel
at the
border coming home.

SIncerely
Dan Sunderland
San Marcos
05 450 LXi

[davidkerryedwards]

If you run into a situation like this, and are stalled in a bad location, a one
gallon container
filled with diesel and two hoses fed into it, one for suction and one for return
connected to
the fuel lines close to the engine should allow the engine to run long enough to
get to a
better location to do more troubleshooting.
I run my Mercedes diesels this way fairly often when I'm running diesel Purge
thru them.

Kerry
82 FC 35
Denver