Removing the doghouse 84FC35

[Keith Strehle]

Unfortunately the folks I bought the bird from were not very familiar
with the maintenance schedule. It appears the Bird was maintained on
a regular schedule but was stored outside. It has a very new
appearance on the inside but the outside has suffered a little. Not
much though. It was a "family" bus. Several brothers used the bus
from time to time and none of them were real clear on what had been
done. I had a friend and fellow bird owner, Robert Britton, check it
out for me. I drove it from San Jose to San diego 500+ miles with no
problems.

This mobile mechanic was recommended by a local and well respected RV
shop in Escondido. But I agree and don't plan on letting him do
anything except general maintenance. I like to do as much of the
work as I can. Doghouse removal is one of the things I'll do before
having the valve adjustment done. Same with the hoses and belts.
The air filter is just like yours and shouldn't be a problem.

I plan to turn it into a "proven" coach by putting some miles and
some usage on it.

So tomorrow I'm getting the front tires replaced and then the general
maintenance stuff. Just trying to get a little peace of mind before
driving to Arizona in April.

I guess I'll have to save the coolant change, belts and hoses for
another weekend. I'll get the mobile mechanic to help me out. I'll
do the grunt work.

Then I'll need to get the tranny serviced...

It never ends does it? But it's been a lot of fun so far!

Keith
84FC35


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Eric Johnson"
wrote:
>
> 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
> > > >
> > >
> >
>