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Frodnew's 1989, Model 15, 6v92, 102" wide

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beltguy
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FMCA #: F246286
Bus Model: 1985 Eagle 10 with Series 60 and Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission (SOLD)
Location: Evergreen, CO
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Re: Frodnew's 1989, Model 15, 6v92, 102" wide

Post by beltguy »

Eric, congratulations on getting the bus home. By far your best picture is the one with Maria smiling in the Driver's seat. It is always good to have the better half on board.

Obviously you will want to change the power feed to the ACs. They require larger gauge wire than you will find in an extension cord.

Sealing the ACs should include replacing the gasket between the AC and the roof. Water seems to find its way into the joint between the AC and the roof. The job is pretty easy. There are just four bolts hold the AC and they are easy to get from the inside the coach by removing the inside cover. The OEM gasket is foam like material. If you cant find one, I think you can find rubber gasket at a box store that has an adhesive back.

Be really careful when you are on the roof. Several folks have found out the hard way that accidents happen.

You have a long journey ahead of you, but if you stick with it, the end result will give you a ton of joy.

Jim
Jim Shepherd
Evergreen, CO
'85 Eagle 10 with Series 60 & Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission SOLD
2005 Dodge 2500 with 5.9 Cummins and 6 speed manual 2022 Sunset 28 foot trailer
Bus Project pages: http://beltguy.com/Bus_Project/busproject.htm
Blog: https://beltguy.com/Travelogue/
Email: eaglesinternational.email at gmail.com   NOTE this email box is only for general correspondence related to the forum and not technical advice.  Technical questions will not receive a response.
frodnew
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 8:55 pm
Bus Model: 1989 Model 15, Silver Eagle, 40'

Re: Frodnew's 1989, Model 15, 6v92, 102" wide

Post by frodnew »

Thank you Jim!

Heading over there now to the yard. Sun is in/out. Manager of yard is a nice guy and am hoping that he'll also have some advice on where his RV peeps go for supplies. The bus's new home is in Green Cove Springs so picking up supplies will not be close by but actually on the way there. Jacksonville is a big/little town sprawled out inconveniently but we'll find what we need.
P.S. Maria adds so much light to the project doesn't she? Worth it? You bet!

Thanks for your reply and I'll have updates soon!

Eric
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DoubleEagle
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Bus Model: 1975 Model 05 Eagle
1982 Model 10 Eagle
1984 Model 10 Eagle
1994 Model 15-45 Eagle
Location: Dayton, Ohio

Re: Frodnew's 1989, Model 15, 6v92, 102" wide

Post by DoubleEagle »

Congratulations on getting it back okay, that must be a big relief. Did they change the transmission fluid? How did your oil mileage workout for the trip? Jim covered the resealing of the A/C, and if you going to use these after or during your conversion, it would be best to completely reseal them. It does not sound like they were permanently wired, which would require taking the ceiling panels down to bury the wires and protect them. The ideal oil you should seek out is Mobil Delvac 1240, which is a low ash CF-2 rated oil. There are oils from Shell and Chevron as well that are available, but the Mobil 1240 suits your engine the best. Do not use 15-40 oils no matter what the sales people say, and don't use Tractor Supply or Walmart straight 40 weight unless it is rated CF-2, low ash.
Walter
Dayton, Ohio
1975 Silvereagle Model 05, 8V71, 4 speed Spicer
1982 Eagle Model 10, 6V92, 5 speed Spicer
1984 Eagle Model 10, 6V92 w/Jacobs, Allison HT740
1994 Eagle Model 15-45, Series 60 w/Jacobs, Allison HT746
frodnew
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 8:55 pm
Bus Model: 1989 Model 15, Silver Eagle, 40'

Re: Frodnew's 1989, Model 15, 6v92, 102" wide

Post by frodnew »

Maria and I had a long day getting "intimate" with the bus. I have pics that I'll upload and am starting to understand you guys better. There's work to be done! She's a beaut of a bus and those that we shared her with were all as excited as we are. Based on what I know so far:
1. She got about 7.5mpg from NC to Jax
2. Drives beautifully. Straight, no slack in the wheel. Brakes are good! Power is good!
3. Old school turn signals. I feel stupid when I forget to turn them off. Ugh!
4. Went on the roof and saw reasons on why there are leaks. Will post pics.
5. Some gauges work, others don't. Will detail this with pics.
6. Checked oil. Interestingly, it's black. I know that since she was serviced, she's only been driven roughly 600 miles or less. '
7. Filters are all clean and new.
8. Tranny fluid/filters are new. Shifts very well.
9. Vinyl floor will need to come out along with all of the insides to bare those bones down for a real inspection.
10. Bathroom plywood floor is shot, toilet is empty, no smells.

Driving her for the first time today was a real joy and oh, how it felt so good to look out those big windows! The lot she's stored in is along the St. John's River and we had a beautiful day in the 70's, sunny, no wind so the view was spectacular as if we were on vacation. If we can get the roof taken care of and put a temporary sub floor in for the time being, we'll load her up with our camp gear and boondock to just have some one on one time for our floor planning.

I appreciate the feedback as always and I'm good on you guys telling me more and more. The oil info is exactly what I needed to hear. I was hoping for a straight forward answer to this question. Something you guys might be able to fill me in on is how long the oil change can go and why you think the oil is black all of a sudden. If it's like a car, then there's no way to put on filters without dumping the oil. It is a DD so maybe they just get dirty quickly? I want to be extra careful on the oil, oil changes, filters and anything else that I should be aware of. I want to also learn how to change it myself and have been looking on YouTube but nobody wants to video this. Maybe you guys have a check list somewhere?

Let me get these pics downloaded off the phone and I'll upload them in the next post. Thank you for your feedback and especially have a wonderful Happy New Year!!

Eric
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DoubleEagle
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Bus Model: 1975 Model 05 Eagle
1982 Model 10 Eagle
1984 Model 10 Eagle
1994 Model 15-45 Eagle
Location: Dayton, Ohio

Re: Frodnew's 1989, Model 15, 6v92, 102" wide

Post by DoubleEagle »

Wow, it's in the seventies, you must be in paradise. I'm in the upper thirties. Well, your fuel mileage is right on normal, the oil will turn black quickly because of all the carbon in the diesel engine, that's normal. If you changed your oil super frequently it might get dark more slowly, but that would cost you. Trucks change their oil every 20,000 to 25,000 miles (depending on company policies, and oil analysis). Time takes a toll on oil as well as mileage, and whether the engine gets up to full operating temperature frequently. How often you change is up to you, I would think 6,000 to 12,000 miles would be above average, but having an oil analysis done would be prudent to catch any bearing problems that might be brewing. You do not know the specific history of that engine (beyond any details that the computer system can reveal), so change more often, and analyze. The oil filter should be a spin-on, and that can be changed without draining the oil pan (applies to most cars as well), if you choose to. You did not mention whether the chassis was greased along with the oil changes, that is important too. You've been up on the roof, but don't forget to spend a lot of time underneath gazing at all the things that require your attention. When you are parked on level pavement, measure the distance from the top inside wheel body trim to the ground, that will reveal the status of your suspension adjustment. ;)
Walter
Dayton, Ohio
1975 Silvereagle Model 05, 8V71, 4 speed Spicer
1982 Eagle Model 10, 6V92, 5 speed Spicer
1984 Eagle Model 10, 6V92 w/Jacobs, Allison HT740
1994 Eagle Model 15-45, Series 60 w/Jacobs, Allison HT746
frodnew
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 8:55 pm
Bus Model: 1989 Model 15, Silver Eagle, 40'

Re: Frodnew's 1989, Model 15, 6v92, 102" wide

Post by frodnew »

Real quick. I looked over the receipts of work done. Oil change is not specific on oil type but did say "change oil, filter and grease". Fuel filters, air filter, changed. Looks like exhaust gaskets were replaced due to some leaks. Brakes adjusted. 24 qts of oil needed. Where and/or how do I get an analysis. I'll do this as often as I need to prevent this engine from having issues. As it is, my car no matter gets her oil changed every 3,000 but I also use the simplest oil change. I tried to do the fancy stuff but she didn't like it. Black Betty is just a simple car with simple needs. I'm hoping the bus is, too.

Based on what I experienced and see, the roof is my most important fix right now. I was super careful to stick to the rivet areas while taking pics and walking softly. The emergency exit door wasn't even closed. Leak issue #1 starting in the back. Plastic is so brittle that opening/closing it caused pieces to fall off. I'll look into ordering one off Amazon unless there's a better source. Pics show the door actually being held together with band-aids; light could be seen thru the cracks. Pics posted.
Other issues were along seams, around the A/C's and I'm guessing a few holes that were plugged up poorly and painted over. I'm assuming that roof was originally the same color as the bus but someone rolled this white layer of protection over it to reflect heat as well as seal but it hasn't been done in quite a long time. If only the bus could talk!! Pics posted.
A few folks in the RV yard were admiring the bus and offered suggestions to first, plug up any holes with plastic and duct tape. Since I'm not going to be driving her anywhere yet, it would provide some relief inside so it can dry out. The trip down was absolutely soaking wet so when I drove her the other day, water was still in the upper ceiling and lights. When I took off, water just poured out. When I braked, water would come out thru the seams in other ways so the local drive was good, seams, holes, what could be holes and most large cracks were sealed. I know it's not permanent by any means, just a quick patch job till I can do some intel on how to repair an Eagle roof the right way. Some suggestions from these guys were to scrape it all. Others said to scrape and use certain wheels on the end of a drill like a steel brush. Another guy said that I could drive it down the street where there is an RV company that seals the whole roof but said they would probably charge a fortune.
The best advice was to ask you guys and if it came down to doing manual labor and was done right, that he had about 4-5 gallons of something called Dicor that he would give me. I guess a guy had an RV, used what he needed and gave it to the lot manager. Manager saw my dilemma and offered this advice and product. What do you guys suggest. The white material that's painted on is quiet thick, almost like someone dumped the paint over and just mopped in on. I'm hoping the pics are good enough to tell.

As far as the A/C's go, the back one supposedly works and the front doesn't. Since no generator is on the bus, I have no way (yet) to test either but I can tell you that the cords to them are not extension cords but rather the heavy duty type for A/C's. The ends have been altered to accept what looked to be a 30amp plug. The lot manager said the same. Each A/C had their own plug. Both A/C's were old, too. The plastic looked like it, the knobs gone and honestly, I didn't even try to do anything with them yet. The lot manager said he knows an older gentleman who has a great track record on repairing RV A/C's; a straight shooter. I'll get his info and go from there for suggestions. Personally, I think I'm going to change them out anyway if I need to re-do the ceiling. They don't even match and I don't want to deal with old, brittle plastic, no knobbed, non-working A/C units anyway. Pics added in another reply.

I measured the bus out, pretending the back bathroom was not there. Dimensions are 7' wide on ground floor level but there's about a 6" rise and it jumps to 8' wide. Length from upper back wall to where the bars are behind the driver's seat is 30'. The height is 6'4". Goal is to get rid of that bathroom. It doesn't work anyway and the floor is rotted. No smell, just dark and not working.

Ideas? Suggestions? Always accepted and appreciated!
Attachments
View looking backward
View looking backward
IMG_6291.JPG (105.02 KiB) Viewed 1769 times
frodnew
Posts: 63
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 8:55 pm
Bus Model: 1989 Model 15, Silver Eagle, 40'

Re: Frodnew's 1989, Model 15, 6v92, 102" wide

Post by frodnew »

Sorry, meant to add these pics as well of the roof condition.
Attachments
Front top edge of bus
Front top edge of bus
IMG_6323.JPG (138.74 KiB) Viewed 1769 times
In front of front AC
In front of front AC
IMG_6321.JPG (135.88 KiB) Viewed 1769 times
Shadows create more lines
Shadows create more lines
IMG_6314.JPG (124.23 KiB) Viewed 1769 times
Tree limb patch?
Tree limb patch?
IMG_6313.JPG (164.43 KiB) Viewed 1769 times
Front AC roof area
Front AC roof area
IMG_6312.JPG (119.01 KiB) Viewed 1769 times
Overall Roof Condition. Seams are moldy.
Overall Roof Condition. Seams are moldy.
IMG_6305.JPG (113.73 KiB) Viewed 1769 times
Emergency Hatch
Emergency Hatch
IMG_6299.JPG (129.43 KiB) Viewed 1769 times
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beltguy
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Re: Frodnew's 1989, Model 15, 6v92, 102" wide

Post by beltguy »

Wow, that roof will need some work.

It looks to me like someone used something like Kool Seal https://www.koolseal.com/. I used that on my bus and it worked well for many years. I am getting some leaking now, so I probably need to re-coat.

You really have two choices. First is to try to patch what you have. That would involve scraping the bad areas and applying something like Kool Seal. The second option is to take the roof down to bare metal (and fiberglass on the caps). That would be a tough job, but the best way to check the roof structure.

If you take it down to bare surface, I am not sure what to recommend. I would be tempted to have it sprayed with truck bed liner by a professional.

There are folks who will seal a roof with a rubber covering. Many OEM RVs use that approach. I have not heard of any Eagle owners doing that.

Jim
Jim Shepherd
Evergreen, CO
'85 Eagle 10 with Series 60 & Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission SOLD
2005 Dodge 2500 with 5.9 Cummins and 6 speed manual 2022 Sunset 28 foot trailer
Bus Project pages: http://beltguy.com/Bus_Project/busproject.htm
Blog: https://beltguy.com/Travelogue/
Email: eaglesinternational.email at gmail.com   NOTE this email box is only for general correspondence related to the forum and not technical advice.  Technical questions will not receive a response.
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beltguy
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Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 4:39 am
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Location: Evergreen, CO
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Re: Frodnew's 1989, Model 15, 6v92, 102" wide

Post by beltguy »

In one of your posts, you mention that they adjusted the brakes. If they really did adjust the brakes, that scares me a bit.

Your bus should have automatic slack adjusters. If they are working, you should not have to make any adjustments. That does not mean that brake adjustment should not be checked frequently. Automatic slack adjusters can go bad and need to be replaced.

My guess is they checked the brake adjustment and that is good. If they had to make an adjustment, that is bad.

Jim
Jim Shepherd
Evergreen, CO
'85 Eagle 10 with Series 60 & Eaton AutoShift 10 speed transmission SOLD
2005 Dodge 2500 with 5.9 Cummins and 6 speed manual 2022 Sunset 28 foot trailer
Bus Project pages: http://beltguy.com/Bus_Project/busproject.htm
Blog: https://beltguy.com/Travelogue/
Email: eaglesinternational.email at gmail.com   NOTE this email box is only for general correspondence related to the forum and not technical advice.  Technical questions will not receive a response.
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DoubleEagle
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Joined: Wed Feb 14, 2018 9:26 pm
Bus Model: 1975 Model 05 Eagle
1982 Model 10 Eagle
1984 Model 10 Eagle
1994 Model 15-45 Eagle
Location: Dayton, Ohio

Re: Frodnew's 1989, Model 15, 6v92, 102" wide

Post by DoubleEagle »

Oh, yes, that roof is a mess, and a fine example of what not to coat a Eagle roof with. The Kool whatever it is, is way too thick trying to cover up missing or loose rivets, and seam leaks. It should all be striped to bare metal, repair any missing or loose rivets, primed with epoxy primer, and primed and painted with urethane enamel. That will last for decades. The rest of the coach will need it at some point too. It looks like it was painted with non-urethane paint and then clear coated, but the clear coat is peeling off the upper areas. If you rub the exposed color coat with a rag with lacquer thinner on it, and some color comes off, then the paint was not urethane, but acrylic enamel with clear coat over it. Somebody tried to save money when they painted it last time. I have the same problem with my 1984. Coating the roof with RV products is not a good solution because the coatings are not as smooth as good enamel, and will retain more dirt and soot, and be hard to clean.

I would grill them about what grade and brand of oil was used, they could have easily used 15-40 because they figured you would not know the difference, or even just changed the filter. That receipt sounds too vague. To get an oil analysis sample you either need to have a kit with a suction device to draw it up a plastic tube down the dipstick tube, or to drain some oil out the oil pan plug, and then take a sample after it has run a little bit. Either way, the engine needs to be warmed up so the oil is mixed and hotter to get a good sample. I assume they charged you for the service work, I hope you got your money's worth, but be wary. An oil analysis can indicate what grade oil is in there (and whether it was changed), and check all the grease fittings to see if they have fresh grease hanging on them (or are they dry and rusty). There are 24 grease fittings on the front steering linkage and suspension alone, many more in the rear, on the engine and transmission. The chances of some stranger who does not own the bus getting them all, is slim. :shock:
Walter
Dayton, Ohio
1975 Silvereagle Model 05, 8V71, 4 speed Spicer
1982 Eagle Model 10, 6V92, 5 speed Spicer
1984 Eagle Model 10, 6V92 w/Jacobs, Allison HT740
1994 Eagle Model 15-45, Series 60 w/Jacobs, Allison HT746
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