Over heating -- cause found

[Pete Masterson]

On the way home with my new-to-me 'bird at the end of May, I was
concerned about it running on the "hot" end of the safe zone during a
couple of legs of the trip ... and having significant overheating
problems on the grades outside Salt Lake City coming west on I-80 in
Nevada in 92 degree weather.

Finally got my 'bird into a radiator shop and discovered that 35 to
40 percent of the radiator was completely plugged by a mixture of oil
and dirt -- turning it practically into concrete. This has been a
frequently reported problem with DD 6Vxx and 8Vxx engines (noted for
tossing a bit of oil around) ... but (apparently) the Series 60 isn't
immune either.

What is a particular concern is that inspection of the radiator while
it was in the vehicle did not reveal the blockage. Due to shrouds, AC
evaporator, etc., the view of the area outside the center portion
(where the fan spins) can't be seen (at least I couldn't see it
clearly). The center area (where the fan spins) was open and clear (a
bright light was clearly visible looking through the radiator). The
fan seems to pull the crud out of that area, but there isn't enough
air pressure outside the immediate area of the fan to keep other
portions of the radiator clear.

I suspect that all the pusher models are prone to this problem. I
don't know if it's unique to my model BB or if others have better
access to their radiators -- but the caution is to make cleaning the
radiator and checking to be sure that it isn't clogged with the oil-
dust "cement" as a regular part of annual maintenance.

Since it required pulling the radiator to find the problem, I'm going
ahead and replacing the core with a more modern/effective design
(this is a big bucks project) so I hope to not have further heating
problems for awhile.

Pete Masterson
aeonix1@...
'95 Bluebird Wanderlodge WBDA 42'
El Sobrante, CA






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