Fun while it lasted!

[Rick Morgan]

Took Miss Kitty out for the first time. Just a short trip to work the bugs out, and boy, did I find some bugs!
She ran great on the interstate for 50 miles, cruising along at 70 without a problem. But when we hit the winding road to Tannehill State Park she got hot! Temp ran up to 220/230 degrees, but cooled back down to around 200 when we got out of traffic. We made to the park & set up on Thursday, and everything worked fine until late Friday night when we noticed the inside light getting dim. The cotton-picking power converter had quit! And to top it off somehow it drained the cranking batteries, too!
I called home & my kids brought me all the battery chargers they could find, so with 4 chargers going all night Saturday night we decided to stay another day. Left the park this morning headed home and within 10 miles the hot engine light came on, and by the time I got to a place to get off the road the temp was up to 230. We let her cool a while, added 4 gallons of coolant & took off again. Everything went fine until just before we got off the interstate, when the temp got up to about 200 again. I should have stopped then, but decided to go a little farther. BIG mistake! Shortly after getting off the interstate the temp started climbing again, and before I could get off the highway the temp hit 240 degrees. We stopped at a plant nursery & waited until she cooled down, then borrowed a garden hose to refill the radiator. When I cranked it up the engine now has a dead miss. I've either blown a head gasket or burned a piston. So much for my camping adventures! Anybody want to rent a small apartment in my driveway?

[Daycruiser]

Originally Posted by Rick Morgan

Took Miss Kitty out for the first time. Just a short trip to work the bugs out, and boy, did I find some bugs!
She ran great on the interstate for 50 miles, cruising along at 70 without a problem. But when we hit the winding road to Tannehill State Park she got hot! Temp ran up to 220/230 degrees, but cooled back down to around 200 when we got out of traffic. We made to the park & set up on Thursday, and everything worked fine until late Friday night when we noticed the inside light getting dim. The cotton-picking power converter had quit! And to top it off somehow it drained the cranking batteries, too!
I called home & my kids brought me all the battery chargers they could find, so with 4 chargers going all night Saturday night we decided to stay another day. Left the park this morning headed home and within 10 miles the hot engine light came on, and by the time I got to a place to get off the road the temp was up to 230. We let her cool a while, added 4 gallons of coolant & took off again. Everything went fine until just before we got off the interstate, when the temp got up to about 200 again. I should have stopped then, but decided to go a little farther. BIG mistake! Shortly after getting off the interstate the temp started climbing again, and before I could get off the highway the temp hit 240 degrees. We stopped at a plant nursery & waited until she cooled down, then borrowed a garden hose to refill the radiator. When I cranked it up the engine now has a dead miss. I've either blown a head gasket or burned a piston. So much for my camping adventures! Anybody want to rent a small apartment in my driveway?

Sounds like you've got yourself an engine project. Where was all the coolant/water going that you had to add so much? Almost sounds like you had a pretty big cooling system issue from the onset.

[csuder99]

Need more info, from the profile pic I'd guess CAT diesel pusher ? These engines are fairly robust but maybe it didn't survive the repeated overheating. If it does fine at freeway speeds but overheats at slower speeds makes me think an issue with the fan(s).

[TwoGrizz]

Rick;
I know the feeling! Have faith, take a deep breath and prey.
Steve

[Rick Morgan]

I don't know where all the water went! My wife was following me & saw nothing. We found a SMALL leak at the top radiator hose, but nothing to lose that much coolant! The hydraulic fan runs slow at idle but I'm not sure about higher speeds. The way it first acted made me think fan failure. I've talked to my old partner at the bus shop who is a Cat specialist, and he's told me how to check it. So tomorrow I guess I crawl up in Miss Kitty's behind & see what went wrong besides my stupidity!

[Rick Morgan]

Originally Posted by csuder99

Need more info, from the profile pic I'd guess CAT diesel pusher ? These engines are fairly robust but maybe it didn't survive the repeated overheating. If it does fine at freeway speeds but overheats at slower speeds makes me think an issue with the fan(s).

Yes, sir, 3208 DP, and I think the same thing. My son drove it to Talladega a few weeks ago & said the temp ran 190/195, but it was a lot cooler outside than it is now.

[deandec]

Coolant can escape through the overflow tank if there is an air bubble in the cooling system.

My Cummins requires the air to be bled after adding coolant.

[Curtis in TX]

This is the main reason I never leave home without plenty of water in the big tank. Usually about a half tank or more. (80 gallons) You never know when you are going to have an emergency and need it for an upset radiator. Either yours or somebody elses.
Played this game before.

Fan clutch decided it was done on that climb west out of Denver. We got within a 1/2 mile of the summit when the engine finally melted to a stop. We had stopped 5 times for cool downs on the climb.

The sad part was once the tow truck hooked us up, he had to go over the summit to turn around to take us to the dealer to get it fixed.

We unhooked the Rock Crawler and went to Moab without the Big Bus and slept on the ground, while the dealer fixed the engine. Even sadder part was I could have fixed it cheap had I had it home in my shop.

It did run good home from the dealership to home.

[Rick Morgan]

Originally Posted by Curtis in TX

This is the main reason I never leave home without plenty of water in the big tank. Usually about a half tank or more. (80 gallons) You never know when you are going to have an emergency and need it for an upset radiator. Either yours or somebody elses.
Played this game before.

Fan clutch decided it was done on that climb west out of Denver. We got within a 1/2 mile of the summit when the engine finally melted to a stop. We had stopped 5 times for cool downs on the climb.

The sad part was once the tow truck hooked us up, he had to go over the summit to turn around to take us to the dealer to get it fixed.

We unhooked the Rock Crawler and went to Moab without the Big Bus and slept on the ground, while the dealer fixed the engine. Even sadder part was I could have fixed it cheap had I had it home in my shop.

It did run good home from the dealership to home.

Curtis, I had water in the tank, but I had never tried the outside faucets until we were on the campground hose, and they wouldn't work. Clogged up. And where my filler cap is at is nearly impossible to fill from a jug. AFTER I got home, while hooking up the shoreline, since the pump was on I tried the faucet. It blew a wad of dirt dauber mud out & ran fine! If I had thought about fixing those before we left I could have used my hose & saved myself a major headache!

[F76Marion]

Rick,

Yes, a 3208 is a robust engine, but my BIL was the aftermarket engineer for a major name for many years. When he read your situation over my shoulder, he suggested that you clear the engine away enough to pull all of the cylinder head bolts. The over heat may have stretched them. If, they can all be pulled back to full torque (he said tension, but he is a dweeb and an engineer) then it will probably be just fine.

Best of luck.

Frank

[Rick Morgan]

Originally Posted by F76Marion

Rick,

Yes, a 3208 is a robust engine, but my BIL was the aftermarket engineer for a major name for many years. When he read your situation over my shoulder, he suggested that you clear the engine away enough to pull all of the cylinder head bolts. The over heat may have stretched them. If, they can all be pulled back to full torque (he said tension, but he is a dweeb and an engineer) then it will probably be just fine.

Best of luck.

Frank

I'm a retired bus mechanic, but with ZERO Cat experience! Tomorrow I'm going to crack the injector lines to find which cylinder is missing, and I'll check the torque on the head bolts before I tear it down. Thank your BIL for the tip!

[Curtis in TX]

Originally Posted by Rick Morgan

Curtis, I had water in the tank, but I had never tried the outside faucets until we were on the campground hose, and they wouldn't work. Clogged up. And where my filler cap is at is nearly impossible to fill from a jug. AFTER I got home, while hooking up the shoreline, since the pump was on I tried the faucet. It blew a wad of dirt dauber mud out & ran fine! If I had thought about fixing those before we left I could have used my hose & saved myself a major headache!

That reminds me I have an old Isuzu Trooper I'm about to part out and I need to grab it's Window washer spray nozzles and tiny 12 volt intermittent water pump from it so I can build a mister water spray for my radiator. Just in case.

I have every intention of crossing the desert and making that climb up through the Eisenhower Tunnel again.

I hate mud dobbers.

Sounds like your Cat may have 9 lives after all.

[Brob]

Wondering what you found out about the engine; have you gotten it squared away yet?

[Rick Morgan]

Originally Posted by Brob

Wondering what you found out about the engine; have you gotten it squared away yet?

No, sir. Got caught up in farm work & have been to busy to play with it. Two more hayfields to bale & maybe I can get a break to work on it.