A New Member to the Family!

[Chuck Wheeler]

Andy,
I too bought a coach that had not been driven a great deal before I
purchased it. I immediately had a full PM including the transmission done
on it and the changed the belts and power steering hoses myself. The
mechanic doing the work said that it just needed to be driven and to get
some miles on it before I started spending money. For the first few tanks
of diesel I added fuel conditioner/injector cleaner to the fuel. After we
had put about 7000 miles on it I half filled the RACOR with conditioner to
give the pump and injectors a good cleanout. Each two or three thousand
miles I would suck all the transmission fluid out of the filler and replace
it since the converter cannot be drained during service and that is where
the majority of the oil is. As we put on the miles the coach became
noticeably more responsive.

The two items that made the most difference were adjusting the throttle
cable and cooling down the intake air.. The cable had stretched enough that
it was not obtaining wide open position. After reading the posts about
modifications to the intake system I measured the amount of vacuum in the
air cleaner. It was barely measurable but, I discovered that the air was
very hot. Diesels like cool combustion air! I discovered that warm air was
flowing around the radiator into the air intake. I insulated around the
radiator and the temperature dropped close to the ambient temperature. I
don't doubt the results other have seen modifying their air intakes, I just
wonder how much in to reduced restrictions and how much is due to the
induction of cooler air into the intake. I have a NA so the turbo 3208 may
be a different beast. Our coach will now run 60-62 pretty easily and with a
5.29 rear end I don't push it much over that for any period of time. Hills
are a time to enjoy the view!


- Chuck Wheeler -
82 FC 31 SB
Fort Worth, TX

-----Original Message-----
From: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Andy Coleman
Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2006 1:15 AM
To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [WanderlodgeForum] A New Member to the Family!


Hello Everyone,

Proud to say that I've just officially joined the Wanderlodge Family.
I'm now the owner of a 1983 FC-35 with a 225 HP turbo 3208. Bought
it Sunday. Drove it 500 miles from Malta, Ohio to my home in Central NJ.

I wonder what the neighbors think about the new, brown addition to my
backyard!

Bought the bus from a family that did not use it much. Only a few
thousand miles of driving over the past 3.5 years.

The power steering pump leaked fluid all the way home. Had to re-fill
several times.

The worst problem I had, however, was speed. I averaged under 50 MPH
through the 500 mile journey. Some of the Pennsylvania hills on Route
70 & 76 slowed my coach down to 25 MPH in the right lane with the
emergency flashers on. Any upward elevation change, even slight ones,
slowed my coach down into the low 50s. It was the long climbs that
choked it. And the only excess weight in the bus was my girlfriend,
tool box and 100 gallons of gas!

A good friend of mine is a diesel mechanic. He is going to take a
look at the bus for me shortly. I told him about this great forum,
and he recommended that I ask experienced folks like yourself if this
performance is normal, or an indication of a problem.

I realize that they are heavy buses, but are they really that slow?
Even with the turbo? Creeping along in the right lane is dangerous!

My friend and I are going to change the fuel and air filters, adjust
the valve lash, replace the belts. Anybody else have suggestions?
They will be greatly appreciated!

Andy Coleman
Wanderlodge Virgin No More!
83 FC - 35.
Spring Lake Heights, NJ






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