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Old 11-12-2007, 11:36 AM   #1
fulltiming
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Default Use It or Lose It

My 8V92 has about 141,000 miles on it. When I bought it 2 years ago, it had been sitting most of the time for the previous 3 years.

As I was driving from Tucson to El Paso, I noticed the oil pressure gauge on my VMSpc was jumping more than usual and then started to drop slowly from about 58 psi to 52 psi to 48 psi. At this time I was about 30 miles west of Las Cruses, NM. I exited at the next opportunity and discovered the passenger side of the car I tow and the passenger side of the rear of the coach covered in oil. I opened up the engine bay and found oil inside the passenger side of the engine compartment and no oil showing on the dipstick. I pumped in the two gallons of oil remaining in the reservoir and that brought the oil level up above the add mark. I fired up the engine and the oil pressure was acting naturally. I checked the internet and found that the closest Detroit Diesel service center was in El Paso. I drove slower to Anthony, TX where I exited again and found the oil level below the add mark again. I had an extra 2 gallon container of 40 wt diesel oil in the bay. I poured the additional 2 gallons of oil into the reservoir and pumped it into the engine. This brought the oil level on the dipstick 1/2 way between the add and the full mark so I drove on to El Paso. I knew the oil was only leaking out under pressure and was coming from the rear of the engine near the transmission but couldn't really get a good eye on the exact location.

Early the next morning I checked the dipstick and the oil level was still above the Add mark so I drove the 2 miles to Stewart & Stevenson Detroit Diesel. Since I had no appointment I spent most of the day waiting to find out how bad the problem was. The diagnosis was a blown gasket between the head and the blower. I was told that they could get to it two days later and that it would take about a day and a half.

Since there is no under bed access to the engine compartment getting the turbo out was a bigger challenge for them. They had to cut out the exhaust, remove the turbo and then the blower to get to the failed gasket. In the process of getting the turbo out, the oil line to the turbo broke so a new oil line was ordered. With the turbo off, there were signs that the seal in the turbo was starting to leak although it had not become unusable. Since it was already off, I decided to put a Reliablt turbo on to save the labor cost of having to remove the turbo later. I also asked them to adjust the valves. While adjusting the valves, the mechanic found that the wire to the Jake brake for the left rear two cylinders was broken so he repaired that.

Stewart & Stevenson worked all day Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Monday. On Tuesday morning the job was complete and I was back on the road again with a new (factory rebuilt) turbocharger, a new gasket between the head and the blower, a new turbo oil line, the valves adjusted and a broken jake brake repaired.

I asked Stewart & Stevenson why that gasket would blow out at 141,000 miles and their answer was "lack of use". They said they repair a lot of motorhomes that sit for months or years without being used, allowing the seals and gaskets to dry out. Then under the heavy use of climbing hills, the dried out gaskets and seals begin to fail under pressure.

The moral of this experience is to use your Newell. It is much better for you coach to be driven than to sit in the garage or storage area. Avoid a premature engine failure through doing what a Newell likes the best: being driven. The recommendation was every few weeks, at a minimum, take a minimum of a 20 minute drive to warm up the engine and transmission and your drive train will last longer.
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Michael and Georgia Day
1992 Newell 43.5' #281
8V92 DDEC-2, HT740
PT Cruiser GT with Remco Transmission Pump
https://newellowner.com/newell-photos/
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Old 11-12-2007, 02:14 PM   #2
Richard and Rhonda
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Mike,

I am sorry to hear of your misadventure here in Tejas, but I'm glad the end result was OK.

I have heard exactly the same explanations regarding the 8V92 engines. Because of the many, many passages required in the cylinder block and head due to the two cycle design, there are many areas that have to be sealed to keep air, oil, and water separate. Yes the O rings the separate those passages do dry out without freguent use causing issues like the one you had.

You are to be commended for being an alert driver. Others might not have noticed the fluctuating oil pressure until the oil light comes on. At that point it is probably too late. Your attention to the gauges probably saved you from a major engine rebuild.
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