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R. Terry (152.163.197.57)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 08, 2001 - 4:57 am: | |
A milestone of sorts has passed: A year has gone by since I became a busconversion full-timer. I can honestly say that the only thing I really miss is MY HOUSE! But, then again, I never could drive my house down the street. But then again, neither could I drive the SYOW down the street.
Over the past 12 months, all the forward mileage I put on the bus was erased by the same amount of reverse mileage, for a total of about 20 feet. This back and forth movement in the parking lot never even rotated the tires, but proved that the battery still held a charge. A lot of good that did, however— it managed to need a new starter after all that sitting. Chicken feed compared to everything else that went wrong, stuff that only happens to a sad old bus known for its dreadful nickname. Makes life interesting. Why bore yourself with good results and smooth going?
As many of you know who have followed the misadventures of this particular GM 4104 a year ago from Michigan to Arizona, getting it here was not without an inordinate amount of calamity, which continues even today. Here's the abbreviated version of that part of the journey.
It began two years ago on the end of a tow truck. After delivering it to the wrong repair facility in Detroit, it was towed again to another bus shop where it was made driveable, so to speak. In other words, the fine print at the bottom of the repair ticket may as well have read, "Good luck, sucker, see you tomorrow!"
True to form, it broke down three times during the first attempt to leave the Great Lakes area. It spent a year in the motor city getting three days-worth of repairs made, costing more than I had paid for the bus. The second time around it did make it to Phoenix, but not without a dubious start, breaking down again on the first day out just thirty miles south of Detroit. Muleheadedly, I refused to go back. Fortunately, I limped it along at 29 MPH to Toledo, OH, where a Freightliner dealer saved the day. But the stage was being set to rob me of the coming year's delirious pleasure terrorizing the driving public.
The first half of the cross-country trip was cold and rainy, even more so when a window blew off, and all seemed well with the bus. But in Texas, the weather cleared and the temperature rose, not only outside across that big flat pancake, but in the engine as well. Overheating prevailed for the remainder of the trip. Anti-overheating strategy added an extra day to my ETA and subsequently turned the SYOW into a parking lot queen. For this, the neighbors hate me.
Back home, the first order of bus business was to go to yet another bus repair shop, our local Prevost dealer. Bad idea. Try to imagine if you will how intimidated I was driving a beat-up 1955 eyesore onto a lot full of immaculate custom coaches with matching trailers, costing many hundreds of thousands of dollars each. Who is going to take me seriously? They have O-rings in their parts department that are worth more than my 4104!
I left the bus there anyway with the expectation of having a leaking airbag repaired and the cooling system fixed. Instead, two weeks later, I was told the engine had a burnt valve, that it was going to cost between two and three thousand dollars, depending on which head it had, and that a valve job should be done before anything else because a burnt valve could cause the engine to overheat. Not good.
Thanks to my Guardian Angel, they were too busy to do the work at that time and asked me to come back later. Maybe their dictionary defines "later" as don't ever come back, I don't know. But the next two diesel mechanics to work on the bus claimed there was nothing wrong with the valves, noting the nice, even exhaust strokes powerfully zooming out the 6-71's tailpipe. It seems I had found a good, reliable service I could count on.
Well, count again, good buddy, 'cuz you just never know. In Part Two I will explain why. Stuff like this only happens to the Salvage Yard on Wheels.
Keep on busin'!
R. Terry |
FAST FRED (63.215.226.210)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 08, 2001 - 5:19 am: | |
GREAT STORY !
Inquiring minds want to know;
Did you not get the coach checked out before purchase?,
Was the priceso great , you got a "deal"?
OR was it the lack of knowledge and skills by the folks "fixing" her,
that caused this much agravation.
I mean an air bag is $80 bucks and an hour or two ,
loosing a valve is overheating , but there is a gage and alarmstat.
What happened??
FAST FRED |
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