| Author | Message | ||
| Jim Schrecengost (Schrec)
Registered Member Username: Schrec Post Number: 77 Registered: 2-2007 Posted From: 24.2.127.94 Rating: N/A |
Well I finally finished the coach and headed out on my maiden voyage. I loaded up the family and headed out to St. Louis Mo to visit family. What a joy to drive!!!!! I figured out how to shift with the govenor and do the DTS as so many of you have posted on the board. Using the milage on mapquest and how much fuel I actually got 8.5 mpg. Not to bad for carrying my house with me. Drove back from Mo all day on Sat. not one problem that wasn't easily fixable (wipers, lights) Again what a great coach, held the road well, shifted easily and a lot of power, couple of times I looked down and was going 75 with out knowing it. And now the problems start...... Loaded the family up to head to Cedar Point in Ohio. Let the bus warm up... and off I go. Noticed she wasn't shifting right. Seemed to be sticking in first. Went a total of 6 miles and paid my first toll on the turnpike and she wouldn't budge out of first gear....nothing. So I call the tow truck and mechanic and my clutch isn't releasing.... just like that with no warnings or slipping. Anybody else ever hear of this??? Thanks for letting me rant. Nobody else I talk to seems to know the frustration i am feeling right now! Hopefully she will be back up and running soon. Jim | ||
| don goldsmith (Bottomacher)
Registered Member Username: Bottomacher Post Number: 198 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 72.15.86.59 Rating: N/A |
Is the linkage functioning from pedal through release lever? I would check for broken bellcrank, clevis or pivot, and for full travel in the linkage. Sounds like something bent or slowly broke if it shifted hard before it finally wouldn't release. | ||
| Jim Schrecengost (Schrec)
Registered Member Username: Schrec Post Number: 78 Registered: 2-2007 Posted From: 24.2.127.94 Rating: N/A |
All the linkage is moving freely. Can look through the inspection port and see the clutch moving but it just wont disengage. Just glad it happened close to home. Don, I should send you some pictures, it looks a lot different than the last time you saw it. Jim | ||
| don goldsmith (Bottomacher)
Registered Member Username: Bottomacher Post Number: 199 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 72.15.86.59 Rating: N/A |
I can't tell you how to do it, but the release levers on the pressure plate are adjustable and may need to be adjusted for release clearance. Your fuel mileage sounds a bit low- were there a bunch of hills on the trip?. Glad you enjoyed the ride (first one). That black roof looks great, but the air conditioning aspect gives me the willies. What do you do for a/c? I'd love some pictures. | ||
| Jim Wilke (Jim Bob) (Pd41044039)
Registered Member Username: Pd41044039 Post Number: 295 Registered: 2-2001 Posted From: 69.77.156.190 Rating: N/A |
Look for wear & slop in clutch linkage, too. How much free play do you have at front with all of the slop taken up? (You will need 1 or 2 helpers for this.) One to operate the pedal, one to check in the compartment under the driver & one to check at the transmission. The adjustment at the "fingers" on the pressure plate is for adjusting the plate when new or rebuilt. Once correct they shouldn't be adjusted. | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 712 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 208.54.200.170 Rating: N/A |
Jim, You don't say if you were ever able to get it out of first gear?? The shift lever should move sometimes even with the clutch engaged. If it is still in first gear the trans may be the problem. Since you can see the clutch backing plate move this is a mystery to me?? If you had serious linkage problems it wouldn't move the plate. Please let us know what you find. | ||
| Larry Baird (Airhog)
Registered Member Username: Airhog Post Number: 141 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 159.115.176.18  Rating: N/A |
I don't think he said the clutch wouldn't disengage when he stopped (maybe I missed that) and who needs the clutch to get it out of gear? | ||
| Frank Allen (Frank66)
Registered Member Username: Frank66 Post Number: 89 Registered: 10-2005 Posted From: 64.12.117.73 Rating: N/A |
Mpg should be more like 9 or 10, dont try to adjust the fingers, look at all linkage from driver to back. wish i could help more but dont have enough info Frank allen | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 713 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 208.54.200.202 Rating: N/A |
Larry, I am a bit confused about just exactly he did? My 4104 will come out of gear without disengaging the clutch sometimes at rest with the engine off and sometimes it won't. It will usually shift through all gears while moving without using the clutch. However, the shifters sometimes hang up when trying to go from 3 or 4 to 1 or 2 with the clutch in or out and I have to stop, go back and move the lever to neutral while my wife disengages the clutch. There seems to be no particular situation related to when this happens. Sometimes goes thousands of miles without doing this and sometimes will do it three times the same day?? | ||
| don goldsmith (Bottomacher)
Registered Member Username: Bottomacher Post Number: 200 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 72.15.86.59 Rating: N/A |
Sure sounds like sloppy linkage, not fully engaging or disengaging a gear. Have you ever looked closely at your linkage bushings? The shifter will try not to come out of gear if the bus is resting against the gear while parked. | ||
| Jim Schrecengost (Schrec)
Registered Member Username: Schrec Post Number: 79 Registered: 2-2007 Posted From: 24.2.127.94 Rating: N/A |
Just got back from Cedar Point.... had to take the car and stay in a hotel (bad experiance but thats another story) anyway. While sitting without the engine running it would shift into all of the gears, with engine running and clutch in all it would do is grind. With the mechanic watching my linkage and such he said he could see the fingers move but not disengageing to allow me to shift. Any way it is still at the shop, but I will post what the problem was a soon as I find out. Don- I only painted up to the first set of rivets, that way it looks like the whole thing is painted. The top is still aluminium but sometime will be painted white. I installed to roof A/C units for cooling at the campgrounds. Sometime soon I will be installing a gen so the misses can be cool while going down the road. I will email some pics to ya. Jim | ||
| don goldsmith (Bottomacher)
Registered Member Username: Bottomacher Post Number: 201 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 72.15.86.59 Rating: N/A |
If the pivots are worn, the linkage will not travel far enough or firmly enough to depress the clutch fingers far enough to disengage the clutch. Check clutch linkage adjustment first- you may have enough left to make it work without riding on the throwout bearing all the time. Your mechanic should be able to tell. You'll notice a big difference when you paint that roof white. Do you have single pane windows still? | ||
| Jim Schrecengost (Schrec)
Registered Member Username: Schrec Post Number: 80 Registered: 2-2007 Posted From: 24.2.127.94 Rating: N/A |
All single pane still.... I had a local glass shop cut me new panes for all the windows. The door and drivers I bought from Fast Fred and two new front from Luke. | ||
| Laryn Christley (Barn_owl)
Registered Member Username: Barn_owl Post Number: 496 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 72.66.166.33  Rating: N/A |
Jim, What method did you use to remove the old paint? | ||
| don goldsmith (Bottomacher)
Registered Member Username: Bottomacher Post Number: 202 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 72.15.86.59 Rating: N/A |
A lot of paint remover and elbow grease. | ||
| Jim Schrecengost (Schrec)
Registered Member Username: Schrec Post Number: 81 Registered: 2-2007 Posted From: 24.2.127.94 Rating: N/A |
Barn Owl Listen to don on the paint remover and elbow grease, he would know... I bought the bus from him. | ||
| Gus Causbie (Gusc)
Registered Member Username: Gusc Post Number: 714 Registered: 11-2005 Posted From: 208.54.200.217 Rating: N/A |
I agree with Don, the linkage may be so worn that even though it moves the fingerss they don't move enough to disengage. The shifter/clutch bellcrank on the firewall is one of the worst places to wear. Mine was worn through the bushings and almost through the Al arms. If this is true clutch work will not help. I'm really interested to see how this ends!! (Message edited by gusc on August 07, 2008) | ||
| Jim Schrecengost (Schrec)
Registered Member Username: Schrec Post Number: 83 Registered: 2-2007 Posted From: 24.2.127.94 Rating: N/A |
Just in case anyone is interested..... the inner clutch plate was completely destroyed. Every spring had fallen out and was bent or disentigrated. Brought her home on Sunday,WOW, what a differnet bus. |