I am going to buy a 1990 executive on gillig frame can anyone tell me about cat .motor

10.4 liters and uses them all.

Gillig is an intercity bus frame! What are you buying?

The 3208 we see in the Barth coaches are usually 250 or 300 hp. They were produced from about 1975 until late 90's. Factory support is still available but not sure how long. There are many service locations that support them and parts are widely available.
The only ones I have heard of problems were due to injector lines leaking causing oil dilution and bearing damage. Most are trouble free and run a long time.

quote:

Originally posted by Kevin:
Gillig is an intercity bus frame! What are you buying?

i was concerned about the 3208 motor, alot of people are telling me to not buy one, its in a 38 ft motor home

Like any old machinery it is buyer beware. Check things carefully and know what you are getting into. If the engine was well maintained and run regularly it should last longer than you'll need it.
Be sure to get it inspected by someone who knows.

quote:

Originally posted by Mansk:
i was concerned about the 3208 motor, alot of people are telling me to not buy one, its in a 38 ft motor home

You are only hearing one side of the Caterpillar. Search Cat or Caterpillar on Barthmobile.com. I recall a member saying he knew of a 3208 with 900k on it. Mine 3208 has over 130k on it. She runs like a sewing machine.

I have a 3208 300 hp in my Barth they are great engines.the life of the engine is figured on the number of gallons of fuel burned. This is assuming that all filters,good oil,good fuel, coolant, and service done at proper times. and run within the RPM perimeters. The total gal. is approx. 150,to 200 thousand gal. my 300 cat runs 55 mph @ 1900 rpm burning 5 gal an hr. pulling a race car and trailer. You can do the math and see it will run a long time. all diesel fuel in the U.S. is low sulphur fuel. low sulphur fuel helps with long engine life for diesels. Sulphuric acid not not form in the lube oil with the combustion process the way it used to.
Marine use is the hardest on 3208. (they are always running uphill) and at the upper limit of rpm perimeters. If buying a used engine look inside the valve covers they should be clean,if even a slight layer of wax, this is a sign of oil cracking, and has been overheated , or bad oil used. it should start cold almost instantly (as soon as the next piston come up on compression. with the starter. (If it is above 70 degrees F.) one thing to always remember : NEVER, try to Start a diesel with starting fluid.. Use gasoline on a rag held up the air intake if need be. It will still run away until the fumes are gone , but it may not destroy the engine. it still hard on it. hope this info helps, Regards Brian

The Cat 3208 in my experience has been top notch.
And that is in the marine market where they have been run at a higher output level than the motorhome variant.
If cared for they will out live the chassis.

If you take it to a Cat dealer they can do a thorough analysis and make sure all previous updates are installed and they can tell you the history of the engine, as long as a Cat service center did the work. Doing it before you buy will give you peace of mind. My Cat has 140,000 and is powerful and reliable.

quote:

55 mph @ 1900 rpm burning 5 gal an hr. pulling a race car and trailer

Humm seems a bit high, really 11 miles per gallon RV and trailer??

Since I now have L78 Steve’s Barth with the Cat 3208TA I feel compelled to chime in and must say so far so good. It is very quiet, silky smooth and starts instantly. I have only 61,000 miles, but in my 3300 mile trek home last December it never caused a moments trouble and didn’t use any oil, very unusual for a larger diesel. I would recommend this engine.
Randy

The Barth Cat has a spacer ring between the engine and the Allison transmission that is mounted with "wet" bolts accessible only after the transmission is removed. They were not installed with any sealer and may leak. If you see oil on the bottom of the bell housing/engine it requires removal and resealing. Mine had that issue and was fixed 8 years ago and never since have I seen a single drop of oil. With the side radiator and the air flowing to the rear the oil will get blasted onto the engine and manifolds and produce soot in the engine bay. You can live with it or fix it, the oil consumption might be a quart in 1000 miles.

And, my coach has a GRoss Weight of 34,500 lbs and I travel about 62 mph and have never gotten more that 9.1 mpg. More likely it is about 8.2 mpg on an average trip.

quote:

Originally posted by Tom and Julie:
And, my coach has a GRoss Weight of 34,500 lbs and I travel about 62 mph and have never gotten more that 9.1 mpg. More likely it is about 8.2 mpg on an average trip.

That's a better number, and if you were towing a car and trailer, maybe a bit less! Your engine should only last 1.64 million miles.

Kevin only goes like 25 miles per hour, I wonder what he gets in fuel mileage. lol He might also make that 2.2 million mile mark!!