Dick with a little bit of work you can be pretty assured that the engine
will go many more miles and die a peaceful life in your garage. PREVENTIVE
MAINTENANCE IS THE KEY TO LONG LIFE WITH MINIMAL PROBLEMS. Here is what I
am doing:
1. Get the proper tools to maintain the coach and know how to use them. I
would strongly advise everyone to join a local GMC club and attend the
rallys and technical sessions.There is nothing here that hundreds of club
members have not experienced before many times. The clubs is where the
experience is.
1. Install a full set of engine and transmission gauges, ones that you
observe and use all of the time.Don't mount them where they are not easily
readable. I am going to use digital ones made by Cyberdyne, because of their
accuracy, very accurate and nice looking.Absolutely a must to install a
tachometer and vacuum gauge. more engines are ruined by overstress than
anything else, either overheating, loss of oil, or overreving of the engine.
Know how to properly set the timing.
2. Check the oil pressure at idle and at 1500 RPM and make sure it is high
enough so that the engine is fully lubricated, ideal is 25# at idle and
above 50# at 1500RPMs, but on many 455's it is 8-10# at idle. Use good
quality motoroil of the highest viscosity you can for your locality. If I
were going to use it only in the summer I use castoroil 30W or 15W-50.Weak
and strong point of the 455 is the enormous main bearings. it takes a lot
of oil to keep them fully lubricated. Keep them well lubricated and the
engine will last your lifetime and maybe beyond.
3. Take a compression check on all cylinders and record it and date it. At
71,000 miles I have 155# in 7 cylinders and 145# in one. A compression
check gives you a good idea of overall piston, wall and cylinder head
condition. Check it at start of the season and note if it is changing.
4. Start of season change all of the fluids and filters, tranny, final
drive and engine. Watch the fluids for particles that tell you what is
happening.
5. Service the wheel bearings at suggested intervals. Either have a
QUALIFIED AND REPUTABLE garage do it, one that has the proper tools (a front
bearing puller is an absolute necessity) or if you are qualified do it
yourself. If the garage does not have the proper tools and manuals do not
use them. If you do it, make sure you know what you are doing and buy all
of the proper tools.When servicing them use Mobil 1 grease and the correct
bearings. If you properly service the front bearings with the correct
bearings and mobil 1, they will not fail.
6. Buy and install the proper tires, E rated full steel, and inflate them
to 80PSI.
7. Replace all belts and hoses at the proper intervals. Blow a radiator
hose and you risk losing an engine.
8. Weigh the coach and don't over load it.
9. Replace the timing chain and gears if your engine has more than 75,000
miles on it. Use only a high quality cloyes double roller chain.
Keep the engine and compartment clean and free from excess oil and grease.
10. If you are not sure of the age of the oil cooler lines, replace them
11. Replace the hot water lines from the engine to the water heater
If you do the above and drive sensibly, you will have minimal breakdowns and
they will not be catastrophic. We did a poll here last year and the
surprising thing was how few people really broke down and could not keep going.
>I am starting to get a little concerned about taking my coach
>out a long distance from home because I have 130,000 miles
>on the engine. My concern started again (I was worried when I
>bought it) after reading the reports of Nate's and Emery's
>recent engine problems. I'm not too worried about a failure
>occurring within a few hundred miles of home. One way or
>another I can get it home or to Sandusky. It's the long trips
>I'm worried about like to Iowa.
>
>I'd like to get some feedback about GMC's that have lasted
>well beyond 100,000 miles before new engines or those that
>are still running.
>
>This has I'm sure been talked about before. If so, maybe someone
>would point me to where in the archives the information is located.
>
>Richard Waters '76 PB, (nervous in Troy, MI)
>
>
>
>
will go many more miles and die a peaceful life in your garage. PREVENTIVE
MAINTENANCE IS THE KEY TO LONG LIFE WITH MINIMAL PROBLEMS. Here is what I
am doing:
1. Get the proper tools to maintain the coach and know how to use them. I
would strongly advise everyone to join a local GMC club and attend the
rallys and technical sessions.There is nothing here that hundreds of club
members have not experienced before many times. The clubs is where the
experience is.
1. Install a full set of engine and transmission gauges, ones that you
observe and use all of the time.Don't mount them where they are not easily
readable. I am going to use digital ones made by Cyberdyne, because of their
accuracy, very accurate and nice looking.Absolutely a must to install a
tachometer and vacuum gauge. more engines are ruined by overstress than
anything else, either overheating, loss of oil, or overreving of the engine.
Know how to properly set the timing.
2. Check the oil pressure at idle and at 1500 RPM and make sure it is high
enough so that the engine is fully lubricated, ideal is 25# at idle and
above 50# at 1500RPMs, but on many 455's it is 8-10# at idle. Use good
quality motoroil of the highest viscosity you can for your locality. If I
were going to use it only in the summer I use castoroil 30W or 15W-50.Weak
and strong point of the 455 is the enormous main bearings. it takes a lot
of oil to keep them fully lubricated. Keep them well lubricated and the
engine will last your lifetime and maybe beyond.
3. Take a compression check on all cylinders and record it and date it. At
71,000 miles I have 155# in 7 cylinders and 145# in one. A compression
check gives you a good idea of overall piston, wall and cylinder head
condition. Check it at start of the season and note if it is changing.
4. Start of season change all of the fluids and filters, tranny, final
drive and engine. Watch the fluids for particles that tell you what is
happening.
5. Service the wheel bearings at suggested intervals. Either have a
QUALIFIED AND REPUTABLE garage do it, one that has the proper tools (a front
bearing puller is an absolute necessity) or if you are qualified do it
yourself. If the garage does not have the proper tools and manuals do not
use them. If you do it, make sure you know what you are doing and buy all
of the proper tools.When servicing them use Mobil 1 grease and the correct
bearings. If you properly service the front bearings with the correct
bearings and mobil 1, they will not fail.
6. Buy and install the proper tires, E rated full steel, and inflate them
to 80PSI.
7. Replace all belts and hoses at the proper intervals. Blow a radiator
hose and you risk losing an engine.
8. Weigh the coach and don't over load it.
9. Replace the timing chain and gears if your engine has more than 75,000
miles on it. Use only a high quality cloyes double roller chain.
Keep the engine and compartment clean and free from excess oil and grease.
10. If you are not sure of the age of the oil cooler lines, replace them
11. Replace the hot water lines from the engine to the water heater
If you do the above and drive sensibly, you will have minimal breakdowns and
they will not be catastrophic. We did a poll here last year and the
surprising thing was how few people really broke down and could not keep going.
>I am starting to get a little concerned about taking my coach
>out a long distance from home because I have 130,000 miles
>on the engine. My concern started again (I was worried when I
>bought it) after reading the reports of Nate's and Emery's
>recent engine problems. I'm not too worried about a failure
>occurring within a few hundred miles of home. One way or
>another I can get it home or to Sandusky. It's the long trips
>I'm worried about like to Iowa.
>
>I'd like to get some feedback about GMC's that have lasted
>well beyond 100,000 miles before new engines or those that
>are still running.
>
>This has I'm sure been talked about before. If so, maybe someone
>would point me to where in the archives the information is located.
>
>Richard Waters '76 PB, (nervous in Troy, MI)
>
>
>
>
