Removing the doghouse 84FC35

[Eric Johnson]

Keith,
If your air cleaner filter is mounted on the top of the engine like mine is,
there is
absolutely no reason to remove the doghouse to change it. It's a large, square,
metal box
that sits right on top of the turbo intake. I recently changed mine out in
20-30 minutes.

Bear in mind, there are various skill levels out there when it comes to
mechanical help.
This guy may be able to "check" belts and hoses but I wouldn't let him near the
3208
engine internals (I'm talking valve adjustments, etc) unless he is a trained,
experienced,
diesel mechanic. Many of the really qualified people don't like to mess with
motorhomes
and things like doghouse removal, so you will need to talk to other Bird owners
in your
area or conduct your own search to find someone that CAN do it and WANTS to do
it at
some reasonable cost. Hint...your local Caterpillar shop may do the job, on
their terms,
but you will pay very dearly. My first valve adjustment/injector change cost
$2,400 done
by Cat. This was after they estimated the cost at $800. They blamed it all on
the time it
took to remove and replace the doghouse.

There is no way to check condition, replace belts and retension your belts
without
removing the radiator. Same goes for hoses. There are quite a number of hoses
you can't
even really see from above or below the engine. I open up the front or our
coach at least
annually to look things over. Check the file I posted in the files section
under "3208 Belts
FC" if you want more data on belts and tensioning.

Changing oil/filters, air filter belts and hoses is a good place to start. Do
you know the
original owner so you can find out when and what maintenance items he has done
recently? There is a real laundry list of other items, as I'm sure you're
aware, of other
things to look at. I can send you a maintenance spreadsheet I use to keep track
of stuff on
our coach if you're interested.

Finding an 84FC with only 36,000 miles is quite a find. If it was stored and
maintained
well you are in luck. Low mileage is great from a cosmetic wear standpoint but
these units
do best from a mechanical standpoint when they are used regularly.

Regards, Eric in San Antonio
84FC35SBWL2
--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Keith Strehle"
wrote:
>
> I just bought the Bird and I'm trying to catch up on some of the more
> immediate maintenance issues. Oil/filter change, fuel filter, air
> filter, check belts and hoses, lube the chasis, etc. The guy said he
> can do most of this in three hours. However, as it turns out, this
> Bird has 36,000 miles so it seems like a good time to adjust the
> valves.
>
> But one thing at a time... I don't have a swing radiator. I'm just
> wondering if he can get at the air filter without removing the dog
> house. And is there any access to check/adjust the belts from the
> bottom?
>
> Keith
> 84FC35
>
> --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Eric Johnson"
> wrote:
> >
> > Keith,
> > You won't need to remove the doghouse to check the belts, hoses and
> air filter but you
> > will need to open up the front of the coach which is much easier
> than removing the
> > doghouse. If you have a swing radiator, it will be a pretty short
> job to get to the front of
> > the engine. If you don't have a swing radiator (I don't) you will
> need to drain the radiator
> > and remove it. Takes about an hour when you're used to doing it.
> >
> > Removing the doghouse is required when you need to get into the top
> of the engine to
> > adjust valves, replace injectors, etc. I posted a Wanderlodge
> procedure for this in the Files
> > section of this forum. I just had an experienced BB mechanic pull
> the doghouse to do
> > some engine work. Took him 2 hours to get it out and 2 hours to
> put it back in. It's heavy
> > and cumbersome to work with in a fairly tight area. Avoid this
> unless it's time to adjust
> > valves (every 40,000 miles per Caterpillar).
> >
> > Regards, Eric in San Antonio
> > 84FC35SBWL2
> >
> > --- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Keith Strehle"
> wrote:
> > >
> > > I recently saw a post on removing the doghouse. I'm having some
> > > maintenance done tomorrow by a mobile mechanic and thought it
> would be
> > > a good idea to be familiar with doghouse removal. He says he will
> check
> > > all the belts , hoses, and air filter, etc. I think it
> says "dynapak"
> > > on the filter housing and I'm certain I'll need to remove the
> doghouse
> > > to get at the belts, etc.
> > >
> > > Your help is appreciated, Keith
> > >
> > > 84FC35
> > >
> >
>