Normal engine water temperature for a D-60, 2000 lxi???

[Pete Masterson]

I have located a heavy equipment radiator shop reasonably close by
and will take the coach in for a thorough going over of the cooling
system. There are no signs that the engine has been seriously
overheated (e.g. no coolant in oil) but it's hard to believe that
this is totally new behavior -- it may simply have run on the warm
side for George, but he didn't think, or know, that it was not
normal. It is possible that it may simply be a new 'glitch' in a
system -- perhaps the thermostats have degraded as they tend to do.
While it ran warm on some days, it behaved as one might hope in
crossing Donner Summit west of Reno -- showing temp of 190-200 all
the way. Outside temps were in the 70s (before noon). On a
subsequent, relatively short trip, up Hwy 101 to the redwoods, with
temps in high 70s, the engine also ran 190-200.

In George's defense, he was very open about the condition of the
coach and even provided me with nearly all of the receipts for
service and repairs made during his two years with the vehicle --
along with Excel spreadsheets of his WL related expenses. I didn't
ask --- and he didn't volunteer --- anything about the cooling
system. We discussed several other issues with the coach -- things
for me to watch... and I appreciate his openness. Since by the time I
was buying the coach, George had no financial interest in the matter,
so he had no incentive to "hype" the condition -- and I don't believe
he did.

Now that I've become aware that the engine does tend to run hot, I've
become rather more aggressive in switching on the fan override --
which may have been a factor to my uncomfortably warm afternoon
crossing Kansas -- as it hadn't occurred to me to 'override' during
that part of the trip (it was my second day on the road, so I was
mostly just trying to figure out all the gauges and switches).

In buying an 11 year old vehicle, I expect to find items that I feel
need attention. The 'to do' list of items is relatively short (so
far) and not unreasonable considering normal wear and tear --- plus
the fact that the coach sat unused for about 6 months. Most of the to
do list items are things I planned for any coach I might have
purchased and are related to modifying it to meet our lifestyle
needs, convenience, and comfort. The other issues: front AC unit
whacked by a branch and the rear AC unit with excessive vibration,
house water pump 'weeping', and cooling system needing attention are
not unexpected nor exceedingly expensive problems to contend with.

For me, this coach has mostly positive attributes and I can deal with
those things that need attention. The reality is that I paid much
less than I expected to spend on a "newer" coach, so my budget for
refurbishing, repair, and upgrades is correspondingly a bit more. My
worst problem is that I don't (yet) have a good place to work on the
coach, so it's rather inconvenient to attend to some of the issues.

For now, we're concentrating on cleaning up 25 years of accumulation
in our home so we can get it on the market. Once that is done, then I
will concentrate on the coach so it will be ready for us to move into
when the house sells.

On Jul 6, 2006, at 12:58 PM, Mike Hohnstein wrote:

> It would be advisable to verify the accuracy of the dash indicator,
> if it proves to be correct, a fresh radiator might be a timely
> investment. I wonder if there is illumination here on the reason
> George left Hmmmm.
> MH

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Pete Masterson
> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2006 2:46 PM
> Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] Normal engine water temperature for
> a D-60, 2000 lxi???
>
> That's about what I'm getting with my '95 Series 60. It seems high to
> me too. I'm going to pull the thermostat and check it ... and
> probably replace it with a new one rated at 180 degrees.
>
> While going west on I-70 in western Kansas (gradual grades climbing
> into Colorado), temps were running 200-210 and a bit higher. Had to
> keep one eye on the road and the other on the temp gauge. Ambient
> temperature was in the 80s at the time.
>
> I had overheating problems in eastern Nevada on the grades climbing
> out of Salt Lake City on I-80. Ambient temperatures were in the high
> 80s or low 90s at the time. I had to pull off repeatedly to let the
> engine cool down... (I got one 'overheated engine' light, but mostly
> it was simply high readings that caused me to pull over.)
>
> In cooler weather, I get 190-200 while running down the road. That
> seems more reasonable.
>
> On Jul 6, 2006, at 12:02 PM, luckyron1 wrote:
>
> > After noting wet hoses beneath the engine block, I had Detroit
> Diesel
> > chase down several leaks. They found several rusty, loose hose
> > clamps, also some leaky gaskets/seals on the oil cooler. It took 3
> > short trips, 2 of them free, but they finally got it right. No more
> > budgeting for coolant. When the engine is idling, the water temp is
> > around 180F. Under load, at 80F temps, it can run up to 235F. When
> > cruising it stays in the area of 200F----210F. It seems high to me.
> > Is this the normal temp range for the D-60? Thanks.
> >
> > Ron & Ruth in MN
> >
> > .
> >
> >
>
> Pete Masterson
> aeonix1@...
> '95 Bluebird Wanderlodge WBDA 4203
> El Sobrante, CA
>
>
>
>> .
>


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