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8V92 Coach Purchase and Maintenance Prospects
03-26-2019, 16:07 (This post was last modified: 03-26-2019 16:09 by fasteddie313.)
Post: #1
8V92 Coach Purchase and Maintenance Prospects
Yep, I'm that guy that thinks he wants to/can someday purchase and DIY maintain an old "affordable" Prevost. Ha ha what a sucker, right?
How ignorant am I, or how ignorant am I not? What really is within the bounds of reality?

Lets just say that I am confident in my abilities to come to an understanding of and work on almost any mechanical device, it is what I do, but I have no experience of working on a Prevost bus..

I have been doing some research on Prevost RVs focusing on the models with the silver 8V92, mostly forums, but their doesn't seem to be a wealth of DIY information on these at all.
Everyone just says something like "It is well worth the money to have the Prevost service center do it", which I would not argue with, and "You need a $20k budget for repairs on a new purchase".

Well, if you need to budget $50k to buy and $20k for repairs, it is what it is, but is that the whole truth?

Isn't most of the air system the same as any old truck made up of mostly standard parts? Are the airbags proprietary? The valves? The chambers?
Shouldn't the 8V92 drivetrain be common and relatively easy to maintain?

What is so especially complex about these, or is it just that the owners are mostly white collar and don't do that sort of thing?

What are the chances of actually having to rebuild an 8V92 if you do your best to buy a good one that isn't close to the end of it's service life?

I don't see much of anything about transmission work other than standard service..
Do they just never go? What are the chances of having to do major trans work and how bad is it to pull a trans on these?

What's the truth and what's the real budget to buy a 2-stroke bus and either get it to, or keep it in, serviceable condition?

I am interested in a Prevost mostly for longevity of use for the investment and future resale value compared to a "plastic" class A..
Where do you think the depreciation curve is on these? I think it's just close to right where I like them isn't it?

Compared to the rest of the market, say in the $40k-$70k range, of other RVs, how do you think an 8V92 Prevost would fair as far as servicability for another 10-15 years? And service cost for that amount of time? How about some return on investment value after another 10-15 years compared to the others?

The way I'm thinking, most other RVs will be worth near zero in 10-15 years and may even start costing more to maintain than a Prevost as they fall apart, and parts become NLA..

If looking specifically at Prevosts with silver 8V92s, what other model differences are their through the years that should be considered?



Hmm.. I hit the spam filter but have no links.. Testing Testing..
I was able to post a small portion and then edit in my original message..
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03-26-2019, 18:12 (This post was last modified: 03-26-2019 18:39 by davidbrady.)
Post: #2
RE: 8V92 Coach Purchase and Maintenance Prospects
Hi FE,

Glad to see you made it past the spam filters and welcome to the forum. I upgraded you to a "Full Member" so that shouldn't be a problem again. I think your biggest obstacle is finding the right bus in the price range you're considering. I did a quick search on prevost-stuff, rvonline, rvtrader, and philcooper and I came up three 40' late 80's, early '90's Le Mirages on rvtrader. This is the bus most likely to fit your price target. Here's the one I like on rvtrader:

https://www.rvtrader.com/listing/1994-Pr...5005250952

I think what you want to do is completely rational, just find the right low mileage, lovingly maintained coach and you probably won't break the bank with repairs and upgrades. The converter of the above listing is Royale - they do a great coach. It has all the goods including an Aquahot, I believe 24V inverters, and three roof airs. It's missing over-the-road air conditioning but this will save you money plus it frees up a ton of basement storage space. A bus like this will have more lifetime left in it than you're likely to ever consume.

david brady,
'02 Wanderlodge LXi 'Smokey' (Sold),
'04 Prevost H3 Vantare 'SpongeBob'

"there is no perfect forum there are only perfect forums"
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fasteddie313 (03-28-2019)
03-27-2019, 08:07
Post: #3
RE: 8V92 Coach Purchase and Maintenance Prospects
I had an 8v92 in one of my Wanderlodges. Great engine- uses straight 40 weight oil. No blends, however

Ernie Ekberg
97 Liberty Classic
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fasteddie313 (03-28-2019)
03-27-2019, 11:04
Post: #4
RE: 8V92 Coach Purchase and Maintenance Prospects
I will add the Royale is considered the least complicated conversion out there . These are Dick Warrens words, and I would agree after comparing with ours. I would not use the window screen he has , lol

Al Perna
1998 Prevost Vantare
2000 LXI ss ( for sale)
Ormond Beach Fla
fastcubes.com
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fasteddie313 (03-28-2019)
03-27-2019, 13:21 (This post was last modified: 03-27-2019 13:29 by fasteddie313.)
Post: #5
RE: 8V92 Coach Purchase and Maintenance Prospects
Thanks for the welcome guys!

Least complicated sounds good. The less automation and therefore crap that can break the better..
I'm not too worried about the coach converter options yet other than whether or not they used proprietary electronics that are now NLA or unreasonably expencive to replace, or ones that are known to need a lot more repairs, less durable ones. I would be interested to hear about what to possibly stay away from.

As far as interior options I saw one that had glass roof panels in the front like skylights with slides to cover them inside and really liked that.
IIRC their were 3 in a row on each side of the ceiling about from behind the drivers seat going about 10 feet back, but I think I only saw one like this so it is probably rare. It was on RVTrader somewhere in socal pretty cheap but has been gone for a while now.
I have probably been looking at Prevosts for sale for 2 years or so..


I think I would not necessarily want OTR AC and am not overly concerned with AC because I would be more likely to be where it's too cold than where it's too hot.. I am from the north.
How do these do in cold climates? Is the plumbing protected enough to be usable in the winter if the coach is heated? Do they hold heat ok? Is it hard to keep the basement warm enough to keep pipes from freezing?

I like the idea of buying a well maintained perfect one that is fresh and ready to go but that probably isn't what is going to happen..
I think I would be more likely and rather want to find one that needs some TLC that I could put some sweat equity into and come out right-side-up on it from the start, for my financial mental comfort.. This depends a lot on initial purchase price, cost of rehab, and eventually ARV..

Cost of rehab is proving to be the hardest aspect to research.
Things like brakes (pads-rotors/drums-calipers-chambers-valves), airbags and associated ride and leveling systems, wheel bearings, steering gear, U-joints, suspension bushings, whatever that usually needs to be fixed and is likely to need attention on an older bus..
Are these all the same in the 8V years range of busses or are their model year changes with different parts?
Where can I find system diagrams with part numbers so I can get a good understanding of the systems and the cost of replacement parts?
Do any of these jobs require special tooling or unusual complications or expenses?
Are their any good How-To's out there that cover common fixes?
Where can I find a PPI checklist?


I am not buying right now but want to arm myself with the education I need to make a well informed decision on possibly buying one in the future.
The only way I would spend this much money would be on a well informed and rational decision.

Oh, and how about them transmissions?
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03-27-2019, 15:28
Post: #6
RE: 8V92 Coach Purchase and Maintenance Prospects
I think you could as part of the sale ask for a Prevost inspection prior to buying . Kind of like when buying a boat . Then Prevost will inspect the vehicle and provide you with a report on the Prevost side, approximately a 6 hr job , not converter side . At that point I guess you could go to the seller and negotiate . As to the house side just start using stuff and if its original I would figure on replacing at some point .

Al Perna
1998 Prevost Vantare
2000 LXI ss ( for sale)
Ormond Beach Fla
fastcubes.com
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fasteddie313 (03-28-2019)
03-28-2019, 10:39 (This post was last modified: 03-28-2019 13:57 by travelite.)
Post: #7
RE: 8V92 Coach Purchase and Maintenance Prospects
FE,

You can go over here: https://techpub.prevostcar.com/en/manuals to get manuals. Try putting in a chassis year. For stuff that early, you may not get the exact manual for a particular bus but you can usually get something. If you can't find what you need, then go into the 90's. I doubt the chassis stuff changed much from the late 80's to the early 90's.

The B500 and the HD4000 series transmissions are good for about 300K miles. Heat is the big killer, and if you have a transmission retarder you have to be very careful to keep your temps below 250 deg F. (I personally try to keep it below 230 deg F and I change my fluid every two years). A one time run to 300 deg F and you need to dump the fluid and refill. Check with ATR Transmission about remans and pricing: https://atreman.com/transmissions/alliso...smissions/. Last I heard it was around $7500 for a transmission and around 15 hours for installation. It's always a good idea to have Allison run the codes on any bus you're considering. An Allison report can tell quite a bit about the transmission. Likewise for the Detroit Diesel. You're likely to get a DDEC III which will store codes.

(03-27-2019 13:21)fasteddie313 Wrote:  Thanks for the welcome guys!

Least complicated sounds good. The less automation and therefore crap that can break the better..
In the conversion years you're looking at you're not going to find any fancy automated house controls, programmable logic controllers, or fancy microprocessor control. I think you'll find mostly standard home style 120VAC romex.

(03-27-2019 13:21)fasteddie313 Wrote:  Is the plumbing protected enough to be usable in the winter if the coach is heated? Do they hold heat ok? Is it hard to keep the basement warm enough to keep pipes from freezing?
These bus conversions do very well in cold climates. Basements are heated with electric heat and usually a Webasto of sorts, and in some conversions Aquahot.

(03-27-2019 13:21)fasteddie313 Wrote:  Cost of rehab is proving to be the hardest aspect to research.
Things like brakes (pads-rotors/drums-calipers-chambers-valves), airbags and associated ride and leveling systems, wheel bearings, steering gear, U-joints, suspension bushings, whatever that usually needs to be fixed and is likely to need attention on an older bus..
Are these all the same in the 8V years range of busses or are their model year changes with different parts?
I don't know how often suppliers changed in the earlier bus chassis, but I do know that for my bus, which is a 2003 chassis, there were three different brake caliper suppliers. This is probably typical for any given chassis year. Prevost built the steel spaceframe chassis, all other components are off the shelf. For the years you're looking at, you'll get a stick axle up front, which is good cause it's simple and bulletproof. I once had Prevost replace my control arm rubber suspension bushings on my tag and drive axle. They removed one control arm at a time, pressed out the old bushing, started the new bushing and then swung the control arm like a bat against a table to drive in and seat the new bushing. Usually one swing is all it took. No special tools. These buses are easy to work on. Changing your own air springs, for example, can easily be done by the owner, likewise with most of the other chassis wear items.

david brady,
'02 Wanderlodge LXi 'Smokey' (Sold),
'04 Prevost H3 Vantare 'SpongeBob'

"there is no perfect forum there are only perfect forums"
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fasteddie313 (03-28-2019)
03-28-2019, 19:22 (This post was last modified: 03-29-2019 01:46 by fasteddie313.)
Post: #8
RE: 8V92 Coach Purchase and Maintenance Prospects
Awesome!!

it seems their is a full blown manual to cover XL-40 1984 - 1989 and a different manual to cover XL-40 XL-40 MTH XL-45 XL-45 Entertainer XL-45 MTH from 1990 - 2000 so I guess something changed in 1990..

Very thorough manuals! Impressive!

Example from the 1984 - 1989 manual..
İmage
İmage
İmage

It even says exactly what air line is what color, what diameter size, and exactly how long, lol.. Color coded to what system they are in..

Reman air compressor $250
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davidbrady (03-28-2019)
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