Home again! It was a short day, and hopefully, that will be the last time I turn the key on the Pete until April!
A few thoughts crossed my mind after I left this morning.
Every Friday, the last thing I do is put on my coveralls and crawl under the truck with a grease gun. I can’t count how many issues I’ve caught while doing this—things that could have caused significant problems down the line. Having someone else handle this, even a skilled mechanic, wouldn’t yield the same results.
Learn to lube your bus yourself and do it regularly. You’ll be surprised at the issues you can identify while you’re underneath it.
We use full synthetic lubricants across the board, except for engine oil, paired with corresponding Lucas products. I change the rear end and transmission fluids every two years. All of our original drivetrain components are still intact (except the transmission, but more on that later). If you could see the rough terrain and challenges I put that truck through, you’d understand why I take pride in it. We even have the original drive axles, which is a badge of honor in my business. Frequent failures of this nature are common, and I’m nearing that million-mile mark. Another original component still going strong is the king pins; they’re still tight, rating an 8 out of 10. Grease is essential!
Many people claim that all oil is the same, but I disagree. We have a Cat engine, and when I first used Rotella, it consumed a gallon every 3,000 miles. I switched to Cat oil, which improved things slightly, but it wasn’t until Debbie’s brother started using Delvac (recommended by a DD mechanic for his 60 series consumption issue) that I really saw the difference. Now, I go 10,000 miles between changes, and it’s barely down a gallon. This oil is fantastic! Lucas products also help maintain an additional 5 pounds of oil pressure throughout the cycle.
When we first bought the bus, running the A/C at idle in gear would trigger the low oil warning light and buzzer (we have an 8V92TA). It even stalled on me once, which is quite the hassle; if it dies in gear, you have to manually shift it back to neutral to restart. That usually means crawling under the rear of the bus, wherever that may be. Switching to Lucas 40-weight oil resolved that issue.
If you ever face a drivetrain failure, avoid the rebuilt or exchange route. Instead, take your case and components and have them rebuilt. A while back, our motor developed a significant leak that required removing the transmission for repairs. At the time, with 600,000 miles on the clock, I opted for a rebuilt transmission, but the one I gave them was in better shape than what I received back.
Besides that leak repair, the motor was only opened up once at 550,000 miles for a valve and Jake adjustment. It used to be standard practice to change rod and main bearings at 300,000 miles, but Cat mechanics found zero wear in so many motors at that point that they now recommend just taking oil samples during changes to monitor wear.
It’s the simplest things that ultimately save you the most money, and I know all of us here are more than capable of handling them.
As for running my parts into the ground like I do with the Pete—my dad used to say, “Do as I say, not as I do!”
.
