| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Admin
Administrator
USA
1662 Posts |
|
|
bwest
Administrator
United States
3820 Posts |
|
|
scot1337
Senior Member
119 Posts |
 Posted - 03/16/2017 : 2:45:06 PM
|
| That's pretty crazy about the oil change intervals. The Blue Bird CNG buses with John Deere engines at the last district I worked for had 25k mile oil change intervals. The oil still looked pretty clean too. |
 |
|
|
International-9.0
Advanced Member
USA
459 Posts |
Posted - 03/16/2017 : 6:08:06 PM
|
Interesting stuff. 5.1L is a pretty small engine, even smaller than a Cummins 5.9. I'm willing to be it's a very smooth running engine with little vibration, but have no idea if that's actually true. While that's a smaller displacement/block size, it looks like they have crammed a ton of accessories up and down both sides. Even sitting in the open (not mounted in a vehicle), NOTHING looks very accessible if you have to changes lines or components. I guess that's how most diesels are now, though.
Propane and natural gas engines seem to run forever and the oil still looks clean. They are two very clean burning fuels with very little pollutants and soot. Fuel storage and availability are the main obstacles to these fuels or everybody would probably want to use them. It is prudent to note that oil might still need to be changed, even if it does not look dark. Moisture and other contaminates that are not visible to the naked eye still build up in the oil over time. Soot is a actually a poor indicator of when oil actually needs to be changed, but it's the easiest thing for people to spot.
Now an interesting anecdote...I know a guy who worked for Caterpillar before. They had a truck come in making bad sounds and found there was little oil in the truck and the oil pressure light was coming on. The oil was like tar and the pressure from one side of the filter to the other was something like 60 psi.
They suggested to the driver that he let them do an oil change. The driver refused and said that it wasn't time to change the oil yet and the company would not allow it. They told him then that nothing was wrong and he should just drive off in it the way it was. He finally decided to let them do it. The oil filter was so heavy the technician could hardly pick it up. They cut it open and it looked like it was full of sand.
They inquired what intervals this particular trucking company was recommending. He responded that they used some sort of oil analysis process and that the interval had been set to 60,000 miles! Can you believe that?
|
|
|
|
bwest
Administrator
United States
3820 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2017 : 05:47:40 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by International-9.0
Now an interesting anecdote...I know a guy who worked for Caterpillar before. They had a truck come in making bad sounds and found there was little oil in the truck and the oil pressure light was coming on. The oil was like tar and the pressure from one side of the filter to the other was something like 60 psi.
They suggested to the driver that he let them do an oil change. The driver refused and said that it wasn't time to change the oil yet and the company would not allow it. They told him then that nothing was wrong and he should just drive off in it the way it was. He finally decided to let them do it. The oil filter was so heavy the technician could hardly pick it up. They cut it open and it looked like it was full of sand.
They inquired what intervals this particular trucking company was recommending. He responded that they used some sort of oil analysis process and that the interval had been set to 60,000 miles! Can you believe that?
All I can say about this is that no one in that company ever had to do any kind of major engine work. If they did they wouldn't be going to 60k on oil changes. I have a hard time with 8k, which I'm doing now with all my engines on synthetic. lol |
Bryan |
|
|
|
International-9.0
Advanced Member
USA
459 Posts |
Posted - 03/17/2017 : 4:49:49 PM
|
| I should note that 45,000 miles sounds hopelessly optimistic. It sounds like a marketing scheme to me. Alot of car companies are recommending insanely high intervals like that and some people have had engine trouble due to that very fact. Looking at the website site, even severe use is still supposed to warrant 35,000 mile changes, but I'd be super weary of all that. I might go 10-15,000 and feel OK about that. I just think that that's a ridiculously long interval. I change my car when it reaches about the 50% or maybe 40% marker on the maintenance indicator. |
|
|
|
BJ Henderson
Advanced Member
USA
280 Posts |
Posted - 03/18/2017 : 06:46:45 AM
|
I would like to see this engine. Like someone else said, it does not seem to be easy to work on. As I have been saying for years about cars, they don't build them to work on, they build them to sell.
It would be nice for them to give us a break sometimes, other than some wiz bang computer update. |
CMTT,CMAT,CMBT |
|
|
|
bluebirdvision
Top Member
USA
1081 Posts |
Posted - 03/19/2017 : 4:32:07 PM
|
| GM was setting their "Oil life monitor" (which actually does not monitor the actual oil in any way) to such an insanely long distance that a lot of customers were blowing engines. Detroit will probably be in the same boat with these intervals. |
Facebook Page: Blue Bird Corporation Fans
https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_212311114614&ap=1
|
|
|
|
International-9.0
Advanced Member
USA
459 Posts |
Posted - 03/25/2017 : 8:57:17 PM
|
Something I didn't notice was that this engine (dd5) is a 4 cylinder? I guess I had just assumed it was a I6. I imagine it's ok when pulling, but I bet it vibrates more at idle speed. I think that's an interesting idea and was wondering why somebody hadn't tried a smaller engine like this in a medium duty application. I think an I5 would be interesting to see. Perhaps a bit smoother at idle.
Looking at pictures of the DD5 in a truck...you'd think there would be plenty of room with a 5.1L 4 banger. It still looks huge and there is little spare room in there from the limited pictures I have seen.
Will definitely be interesting to see how this engine does. Anybody heard anything about the 5.0 Cummins V8s yet? |
|
|
|
Fastback
Top Member
1500 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2017 : 04:54:23 AM
|
quote:
Originally posted by International-9.0
Something I didn't notice was that this engine (dd5) is a 4 cylinder? I guess I had just assumed it was a I6. I imagine it's ok when pulling, but I bet it vibrates more at idle speed. I think that's an interesting idea and was wondering why somebody hadn't tried a smaller engine like this in a medium duty application.
Prior to the 2007 Emission change you could get a Mercedes 904 four cylinder in a Thomas bus, it was 4.25 liters/259 cubic inch. Basically a 906 with two less cylinders. |
Why yes, the ORIGinal CHARGER is a Fastback |
Edited by - Fastback on 03/27/2017 04:55:18 AM |
|
|
|
waverlybus
Senior Member
94 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2017 : 2:00:19 PM
|
quote:
Originally posted by scot1337
That's pretty crazy about the oil change intervals. The Blue Bird CNG buses with John Deere engines at the last district I worked for had 25k mile oil change intervals. The oil still looked pretty clean too.
Before coming to the school district I am at I worked for a large over the road trucking outfit. They have a lot of the dd15's and they ran 60k on oil changes, it was the longest they would let us run them and still keep our extended warranty and we had little to no problems with them. Running those intervals in a bus are a completely different story though. |
Edited by - waverlybus on 03/27/2017 2:01:53 PM |
|
|
|
krmvcs
Advanced Member
362 Posts |
Posted - 03/27/2017 : 2:36:29 PM
|
[quote]Originally posted by International-9.0
Something I didn't notice was that this engine (dd5) is a 4 cylinder? I guess I had just assumed it was a I6. I imagine it's ok when pulling, but I bet it vibrates more at idle speed.
Maybe theyre using balance shafts like the old Series 50.
And did I see the gear train in the back? |
-Ken- |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
New Detroit DD8 Engine Revealed
