5.9L Cummins Question

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Gappy

Gappy

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I am contemplating buying another bus.
This one is a '93 Bluebird with a 5.9L Cummins (misprint in the "topic" 5.L, cant edit) with an automatic Allison behind it.
Has 150k mi in a full size bus.
This bus is a 4 hr drive round trip to go look at so I want a little education before i commit the time.
Can anybody give some "goods" and "bads" on this motor?
By looking at the pics, can you tell if it is the same as first the gen used in the Dodge pick ups?
93B-054900 mtr 2.webp

93B-054900 mtr 1.webp
 
It would be more closely related to the one found in a 2nd Gen Ram. P7100 in line pump is a dead giveaway. The bus motor has a different exhaust manifold, adapter plate, and intake hat. Other than that, it will make some serious power if wanted.
 
X3. Amazing motor!
 
I thought that was the case, great!
Test drove a different one today with a T444E, this dog wouldnt get above 50 mph and it wasn't because of the governor cuz it was taching at around 2400.
Most of these busses have the T466 or the T444E both IH.
Found another one with the 5.9 that is in Noblesville, we need to make a road trip to see if these Cummins do better in these busses than the IH motors.
Appreciate the input!
 
Dt466 would be the ultimate motor, followed by the 6bt.
 
joez said:
Dt466 would be the ultimate motor, followed by the 6bt.
Click to expand...

Joe, do you have an opinion on the T444E compared to the DT466?
Even though the 466 is an older motor, seems that most prefer the 466 over the 444.
Why do you like the DT466 over the 6bt?
 
T444e is a solid motor, it's the 7.3 you find in the 94-97 Ford's. That said, it was cheaper to manufacture, is lighter than, and easier to package than the DT466. It's a bit doggish in a school bus because it just doesn't make the power. In fleet use with a lot of idling you can also have issues with cavitation in the cylinder walls. It's more prevalent in the previous generation 444, but can still be an issue in the T444e. They are quirky in some of their issues as well, that can be a pain. They eat valvecover gaskets, which sounds minor until you realize that the gasket is also the wiring harness for the HEUI system. Not uncommon to lose a bank of cylinders and be stuck running on 4 in limp mode. They eat crankshaft position sensors, but if you keep the oil clean, and run the coolant additive, they are good.

DT 466 is far superior to a 6bt. It's more comparable to an 8.3L C series cummins. Even the smaller DT360 I would rate above the 6bt, as they are both wet sleeve motors, and when paired with the P7100 pump are basically indestructible. These were making 1000hp reliably long before the cummins were in the tractor pull world. The '94 and up HEUI motors won't make as much power, but are still plenty reliable if you leave them alone. Like the T444e, injectors are stupid expensive on the HEUI motors, but you only have 6 to worry about vs 8, and don't have the wiring harness issues.

If priced similar, I would go DT466 all day long.
 
I'll just sit here and nod my head and smile.....like I understand any of that non spark plug babble.

Joe he be smart.
 
If you do a HEUI motor oil changes and maintenance records are critical. 95% of HEUI no starts are oil related, especially on fleet vehicles. "I've been running 20W-50 non-detergant oil for decades" Yeah, well, you just made your injectors not fire.

I know they have been made reliable, I just don't like that they run engine oil to fire the injectors. Too many contaminant issues. Too many heat issues. Putting the engine oil under that kind of compression and the resultant heat and then making it do all the other things its supposed to do reliably just seems like a bad idea.
 
I'm not a huge fan of it either, but it does seem much more reliable in the inline motors vs the v8's. The T444e's and the VT365's have a much higher failure rate than the DT's and CAT's.
 
What Mark said!

Apparently Gumby knows a thing or 2 about oil burners also.

All I know is diesel spells out "die" & "sel(l)" and I had 2 and they both died & I sold them.

Now I shall sit back and enjoy the discussion.
 
Thanks Joe and Gum for the input!
I ended up bringing home a 2002 mid size (28 ft.) bus that is probably more commonly known as a "short but" even though there are some that are shorter.
Its a flat nose Thomas built with 5.9 Cummins and only 96k miles. Needs some cleaning and of course a paint job to be legal. So another project to cause any 40 projects to be pushed even further on the back burner.
The 5.9 runs awesome and since it is a little later model year it has the A2000 Allison trany so it will run comfortably at 65-70 mph instead of the 50-60 mph that some do.
 
Just wondering what are the plans for this bus? camper? party wagon?
 
"Free puppies and Candy!"
Yea, all of the above, party bus, kid hauling, camping and maybe tow vehicle but that needs tested.
 
The trick is getting to the bus stop early enough so the real bus doesn't see you.... But late enough that you maximize the number of kids who have come out to the stop.
 
4rnr said:
The trick is getting to the bus stop early enough so the real bus doesn't see you.... But late enough that you maximize the number of kids who have come out to the stop.
Click to expand...

When I read this I here Jeremy's impersonation of the creepy guy that cracks me up even though I dont know the show.
 
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