Help On The Road

[Tom Warner]

So to replace the coolant in a 1982 FC35 that
holds 67 quarts ( 17 gallons)which includes the
chassis circulating hot water heaters would cost
$420 plus taxes just for the coolant? I buy 9
gallons of Fleetguard concentrate at $8 or so a
gallon, dilute it 50% with distilled water at 56
cents a gallon from Walmart, about $75.

Problem is that Evans coolant doe
not meet any major engine manufacturers
(Caterpillar, Detroit Diesel, Cummins) standards.

Tom Warner
Vernon Center,NY
1985 PT 40




At 06:59 PM 8/2/2006, you wrote:

>I think Evans was running about $25 per gallon last time I checked.
>The system has to be completely purged of any H2O before adding Evans.
>
>Another factor at these elevations is the reduced boiling temperature
>due to the altitude. It's hard to get a good cup of tea around here
>because the water doesn't get hot enough before boiling.
>
>Kerry
>
>--- In
>WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com,
>"Eric Johnson"
>wrote:
> >
> > Hello Kerry,
> > I can't speak to how much of the heat buildup was a result of engine
>load vs transmission
> > load but I did observe higher coolant temperatures even when
>transmission was operating
> > normally but the engine was under load and ambient temperatures were
>high (95º-100ºF).
> > Bennie didn't mention transmission cooling as a distinct and
>separate issue, we just talked
> > about overall heat load.
> >
> > Old radiator cap had a pressure rating of 7# and new cap has same
>rating. I discussed the
> > possibility of raising pressure rating of the cap but Cat & Blue
>Bird folks said this wasn't a
> > good idea due to possible failure of other components (like
>radiator) if I did this.
> >
> > I think the fan switch is a good idea no matter the source of the
>heat as it will increase
> > cooling capacity before you get so close to redline on temperature.
>Simple to install and
> > certainly worth a try.
> >
> > Curious about the Evans coolant. Never heard about it. Could be a
>good idea for older
> > cooling systems if it meets requirements of Cat diesels. Cat
>antifreeze isn't cheap either.
> > Costs about $10/gallon.
> >
> > Good idea about the transmission fluid. I'll check it to see if
>it's black.
> >
> > Regards, Eric
> > 84FC35SB
> >
> > --- In
> WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com,
> "davidkerryedwards"
>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > > The road coming into Ouray from the south could make any coach
>boil over.
> > > I was just thinking a few days ago that a manual fan switch would be a
> > > valuable addition to the coach since it could be used to stop the
> > > initial climb from 180 to 195 degrees.
> > > However, I think a lot of the heat produced on those kinds of climbs
> > > comes from the fact that the lock up convertor unlocks and produces a
> > > heck of a lot of heat in lower gears. Did the tech mention that at
> > > all? A separate transmission cooler might be helpful if a person was
> > > to drive in those conditions continually.
> > > Did you put a higher pressure cap on the system?
> > > There is another alternative but it might be prohibitively expensive
> > > given the size and complexity of the Bird cooling system. Evans
> > > Waterless Coolant has a boiling temperature of around 335 degrees.
> > > You can run Evans in an unpressurized system, reducing the possibility
> > > of leaks from high pressure, without worrying about boil overs and
> > > providing cooling over a wider range of temperatures. The stuff is
> > > not cheap however.
> > > Did you check your tranmission fluid to see if it got burnt from the
> > > heat load?
> > >
> > > Kerry
> > > 82 FC 35
> > > Denver
> > >
> > > --- In
> WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com,
> "Eric Johnson"
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > While traveling in Colorado a couple of weeks ago our FC35 had to
> > > tackle some grades we
> > > > hadn't seen in a long time. We experienced some "boil-overs" from
> > > the cooling system
> > > > and lost about 3 gallons of Cat antifreeze solution.
> > > >
> > > > I called the Caterpillar Engine Call Center Hotline I had read about
> > > in the FMCA magazine.
> > > > The line is staffed 24/7 to help Cat powered RV owners. The number
> > > is (877) 777-3126.
> > > > The man on the line was very knowledgeable and helped me locate the
> > > nearest source of
> > > > Cat parts and antifreeze.
> > > >
> > > > I called Bennie Collier at the factory on (800) 992-6337 and
> > > consulted with him on the
> > > > symptoms and got some good advice on a cap replacement plus
> > > suggestion to add a
> > > > cooling fan manual switch I don't currently have. Local NAPA store
> > > didn't have my cap so
> > > > Blue Bird parts (800) 495-7787 overnighted a new cap to me to the
> > > Ouray, CO KOA and
> > > > we had no more problems on return trip to Texas.
> > > >
> > > > I don't know of many 22 year old coaches that enjoy this level of
> > > technical support and I'm
> > > > danged glad I own a Blue Bird. I wanted to share the phone numbers
> > > with others in case
> > > > they don't know about them.
> > > >
> > > > Eric in San Antonio
> > > > 84FC35SB
> > > >
> > >
> >
>
>