| Author |
Message |
Peff
Unregistered guest
Posted From: 211.227.8.75
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 04, 2006 - 8:54 am: | |
Hi,
In my ongoing search for a 4104, I have found several on the internet that have been sitting unused for various lengths of time, most likely not properly prepped for storage.
My question is, how long can a bus sit unused before seriou$ damage sets in and what to look for (especially in a 4104)?
thanks
Peff |
Bob greenwood (Bob_greenwood)
Registered Member
Username: Bob_greenwood
Post Number: 199
Registered: 7-2006
Posted From: 4.227.113.171
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 05, 2006 - 5:04 am: | |
I guess the most important varable here is moisture,...as to WHERE it has been stored,a dry climate would be the best place to look, but,don't forget,you have 3200.00 worth of tires to purchase if it has been sitting for 5 years or more. |
Tim Hoskinson (Tdh37514151)
Registered Member
Username: Tdh37514151
Post Number: 184
Registered: 9-2004
Posted From: 4.253.125.129
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 05, 2006 - 10:47 am: | |
You can also figure on replacing the air suspension bags if it has sat for very many years. Something else seldom mentioned about older buses that can turn into a mess is rodent damage. Mice can make a mess of the wiring and cause all kind of head aches. If you can deal with this on your own its not too expesive but a quick way to build an undependable conversion is to do a poor job on the wiring. Another thing to look at on the 4104 is the plywood floor. 4104's have a habit of leaking around the windows as well as at some of the banding above and below the windows. This can be due to lose screws and bad repair jobs of the past.On my 4104 someone had broken off some of the screws holding the trim bands on the front that hold the turn signals and it had been leaking down the inside of the face of the bus for some time.When repairing these areas do your self a big favor and go get stainless steel screws to do the job. Another trouble spot will be the flooring around the wheel wells were they meet the plywood. 4104;s are a great old bus but as with all things they do have their weak points. Take you time look them over closely and best of luck to you. Tim |
John MC9 (John_mc9)
Registered Member
Username: John_mc9
Post Number: 118
Registered: 7-2006
Posted From: 66.217.107.217
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 05, 2006 - 11:27 pm: | |
Upon the return of a charter, most companies used the garden
hose to hose out the interior.... If the windows leaked or not,
really didn't matter...
Before you buy any bus.... and prior to making any offer to
buy one... take the blasted thing to a bus garage for a complete
inspection. even a "cheap" 5 grand special can end up costing you
more than 10 times that, if enough critical components are bad. |
Brian Brown (Blue_velvet)
Registered Member
Username: Blue_velvet
Post Number: 385
Registered: 6-2005
Posted From: 72.19.152.144
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 06, 2006 - 1:47 am: | |
I resurrected my old 4106 from about a 15 year sit. It took new tires, four new airbags, and several items replaced in the air system to get her road worthy again.
However, the climate in Colorado where it was stored is very dry. As was said, a humid climate makes it much more likely to introduce rust into the cylinder walls of those exposed to air (from open intake and exhaust valves). The wheel bearings can also flat spot, I've heard.
Good luc,
Brian Brown
4108-216 w/ V730
Longmont, CO |
Joe Camper
Unregistered guest
Posted From: 68.251.66.3
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, October 06, 2006 - 5:05 pm: | |
They already cost us more in maintenence just by virtue of the fact that we are using them for campers and not running them frequently as they would like and each week that goes buy adds exponentially to those costs, and RELIABILITY TOO! If I had to store ours and would be away so I could not exersize everything periodicly I would sure as heck pay someone to do it. Once a month, drive it, run as many things as possible, put it through its paces. This would be money well spent! |