| Author | Message | ||
| Dallas Farnworth (Dal300)
Rating: N/A |
OK, all you wonderful people! Meinhart Lagies was taking his Flex Metro home from my place yesterday and as he was passing Rock Hill heard a "GIANT Explosion" and sparks and "Stuff" started coming out from under his coach. He has it parked at a local Exxon Station and says that the air bags are down on the front and rear left side. He also states that the left torsion bar is laying on the ground. This probably isn't a good thing. What he needs is for some one knowledgeable in the Charlotte NC / Rock Hill SC area to help him find a shop that will be able to fix his little problem. If you can help, Please call him at: 704.822.2987 704.822.3041 I've already called Luke and gotten a number from him for NC Trans. Assoc. I also called Bryce and got some numbers from him. And I called JR for his helpfulness. Thanks So Much in advance! Dallas | ||
| Dallas Farnworth (Dal300)
Rating: N/A |
No more help is needed. | ||
| Kevin Hatch
Rating: N/A |
What went wrong? Inquiring minds want to know!  | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
The archive here is full of great questions and detailed descriptions of problems, but very few comments from the posters regarding what the final problem actually was, and how it was repaired. It'd be great get that final comment from posters, wouldn't it? | ||
| Dallas Farnworth (Dal300)
Rating: N/A |
The saga continues. Uncle Ned called Meinhart. Gave him the name of a qualified mechanic. FMCA was to be at the bus within the hour with a lowboy. The mechanic was to be there too. That was about the last I heard from 11.00am. That's as much as I know. When I know more, I'll post it. But normally I prefer not to post until I know the final dispostion of the problem. | ||
| John MC9 Rating: N/A |
Good Goin', Dallas!! Keep us posted to the end, Willya'? | ||
| Dallas Farnworth (Dal300)
Rating: N/A |
Here is an email from Meinhart Lagies giving the disposition so far of his Flx. > the cripple is home! hi, dallas: first of all, many, many thanks for all your efforts. thanks to you and ned sanders i may have found a repair shop. now i just have to get the bus there. kind of interesting that you posted the SOS on 4 bus boards and only one responded. nice note from clifford, too. it took the entire day and a $1,500 tow bill, but the bus in now in my backyard again. according to the mechanic who went down to rock hill with the tow truck, this is what probably happened: i blew the right inside rear tire with such force that it dislodged that giant heavy steel plate inside the fender well (i don't know what it's called, but its semicircular, about 4 feet in diameter, may 14 inches wide and made of heavy gauge steel). that little gizmo, once dislodged, caused yet-to-be-determined damage to the undercarriage. at the same time, either tire shreds or some pice of busted-off metal broke off the valve that regulates air pressure to the right-hand side of the bus, deflating both air bags. the mechanic thinks that since the left air bags were still inflated, the deflation of the right-side bags caused the bus to tilt far enough that it scraped along the pavement on its torsion bars (so sorry, anti-sway bars) and whatever else lives under there. well, when i get it to dave's coach i'll know more. such is the happy life of an amateur bus owner. thanks again for your help. it's good to have such friends. meinhart< Dallas | ||
| Henry 96A3 (Hank)
Rating: N/A |
Out of curiosity was the blown tire a retread? I was warned by the tire place I went to recently to avoid caps on a bus. He said that the drive and tag wheel wells can't handle the shrapnel of shredding caps and they can end up causing a lot of damage to the understructure. Hank 96A3 | ||
| Dallas Farnworth (Dal300)
Rating: N/A |
Nope, The tires were all new Michelin XZA's I think. Besides, the view that caps are bad, may not be true. Research it on Google and you'll find that they've done studies of tire chunks left on the road and the majority are from New rubber. The way to tell the difference is that new rubber has pieces of wire in it and caps are smooth. Watch as you go down the road and you can see the difference. What a way to restart another age old controversy. Let the Flames fly! Dallas | ||
| motorcoach1 Rating: N/A |
wheres my sawzall .i just love cutting old metal out of buses | ||
| Dallas Farnworth (Dal300)
Rating: N/A |
I think a plasma cutter would be a lot more fun! | ||
| Charles Seaton Rating: N/A |
Could they have possibly been tires rated for transit service only? | ||
| Dallas Farnworth (Dal300)
Rating: N/A |
XZA's are rated as over the road tires. I used them on my truck and hauled OD loads all the time. Sometimes this happens. Not every tire is perfect. Dallas |