| Author | Message | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1599 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 67.182.53.218  Rating: |
Since the storage lot the coach was parked on obviously wasn't very secure, the decision was made to move the '06 to the property recently purchased. This had been the idea all along, but the tagging just fast-forwarded the move. So, off to Sam's Club to pick up a couple of 8Ds. I know, I know, I could have gotten away with a couple of Group 31s, but Sam's didn't have any with the correct terminals, and I didn't want to run all over town trying to find new battery cables - at least not at this point. Plus I wanted that extra "umph" of capacity, just in case. So 8Ds it was. Opened up the battery compartment, and realized that I'd forgotten the PO had purchased new cables at some point in time, and was using red for ground rather than black. They were wired correctly, just the colors are reversed. A no-no in my book, add it to the project list. . . Batteries installed, checked all the fluid levels (ok), turn on the Master, and, using the rear controls, hit the starter for 10 seconds, let her rest for 30. Hit it again for 10 seconds, let her rest for 30. Hit it a third time, and at 8 seconds she fired - first time in 11 years! Wooohooo!! Went up front, flipped on the fast idle, and set about getting the tires inflated back to 100 psi once the coach air pressure came up, which it did in about four/five minutes. That's when I discovered that the PO had installed the outside rear duals in such a manner that you cannot access the valve stem on the inner dual! (My wheels only have two openings, vs most who have 5/6.) Hmmmm. . . no rattle gun available to correct that problem, and since the coach is only being moved 3.5 miles via low-speed city streets, I just pumped the outer duals to 110 lbs. in order to carry the load that short distance. Another item to put on the list to correct. . . My colleague who finished soda blasting off all the grafitti and old paint volunteered to be the follow car in case the '06 decided to park itself along the route. A quick brake check [per the pre-trip elsewhere on this site, they pass (!)], and we're ready to roll. DTS in 1st, and she's moving under her own power again - WoooHooo!!! Report from the follow car says she smokes blue only for the first mile, and only under acceleration. After that, clean as an 8V71 w/ N60 injectors usually is. Encouraging sign, eh? Arrive at the abode, open the gates, and prepare to back it into it's parking spot. That's when we discover no reverse. I show my buddy the reverse solenoid and ask him to watch as I hit the button. He tells me it moves, but just barely. So I instruct him on how to push on the lever when I hit the button, he does and we have reverse. Another thing to add to the list. So the Giant Greenbrier is safely tucked away behind the fence in my side yard on a nice 50x15 concrete slab. The "to do" list has a few more items on it, but fellow busnuts all realize that the list never ends. . . Big picture is that I'm a very happy camper - she fired right up after 11 years, didn't blow an inordinate amount of smoke, all the air systems worked fine (brakes didn't even pull R or L any, either), pulled strong, shifted easily (didn't miss any shifts, either, even the couple of downshifts from 3rd > 2nd going around corners), and overall felt pretty tight. Plus no more storage fees! Oh, and I even had somebody try to flag me down as I went by one of the city transit's bus stops!! FWIW & HTH. . .  (Message edited by rjlong on September 07, 2009) | ||
| David Guglielmetti (Daveg)
Registered Member Username: Daveg Post Number: 106 Registered: 2-2009 Posted From: 71.148.52.152  Rating: N/A |
Hurrah for you RJ! | ||
| John and Barb Tesser (Bigrigger)
Registered Member Username: Bigrigger Post Number: 249 Registered: 9-2007 Posted From: 24.183.22.6  Rating: N/A |
Sweet... May all your journeys with it be as trouble free as that one! | ||
| clint hunter (Truthhunter)
Registered Member Username: Truthhunter Post Number: 469 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 24.129.237.52  Rating: N/A |
in the back yard is a good place to begin enjoying, and a great place to begin adjusting those living list our coaches provide us with. -yet another machine love affair in the works, keep on bus restorin' mr. long | ||
| R.C.Bishop (Chuckllb)
Registered Member Username: Chuckllb Post Number: 907 Registered: 7-2006 Posted From: 75.208.119.120 Rating: N/A |
Nice...GREAT....story RJL....11 years is a loooong time. (11 years from now I'd better not be driving the coach...who knows, perhaps anything else) Hope you can now "get with it" . RCB RCB | ||
| ED Hackenbruch (Shadowman)
Registered Member Username: Shadowman Post Number: 158 Registered: 11-2003 Posted From: 70.193.105.7 Rating: N/A |
So RJ, just curious.... was your fuel 11 years old or had you replaced it at sometime? | ||
| RJ Long (Rjlong)
Registered Member Username: Rjlong Post Number: 1600 Registered: 12-2000 Posted From: 67.182.53.218 Rating: N/A |
Ed - "So RJ, just curious.... was your fuel 11 years old or had you replaced it at sometime?" Yup, at least 11 years old, if not older. About half a tank's worth, with a little BioBor thrown in a year or so ago. Guess it's some of the "good stuff" we can't get anymore, eh? LOL! (Message edited by rjlong on September 07, 2009) | ||
| Patrick levenson (Zubzub)
Registered Member Username: Zubzub Post Number: 105 Registered: 5-2007 Posted From: 174.91.224.207  Rating: N/A |
Sounds pretty tight, maybe the PO never messed with it enough to degrade it. The inside dual thing is so stupid, I had the same problem with my bus when I got it. I can't actually understand how someone could miss that but then again I've missed the obvious a few times. Speaking of which at first I thought both inside duals where unreachable, in the end it was just one, the other just had such a short stem it was almost unreachable and hard to see without a flashlight. | ||
| David Lower (Dave_l)
Registered Member Username: Dave_l Post Number: 193 Registered: 11-2007 Posted From: 67.58.201.132  Rating: N/A |
It's possible the PO had the tires serviced at a tire shop that pays flat rate. Some of those guys dont care where the wheels line up just in and out the more jobs the more they make! Dave L | ||
| J.L.Vickers (Roadrunnertex)
Registered Member Username: Roadrunnertex Post Number: 58 Registered: 10-2006 Posted From: 67.77.76.19 Rating: N/A |
Great news RJ, Get er done! jlv | ||
| clint hunter (Truthhunter)
Registered Member Username: Truthhunter Post Number: 470 Registered: 1-2009 Posted From: 24.129.237.52 Rating: N/A |
+and that is why my tool box has half a dozen inflators styles to go with the many styles & shapes of plyer devices ... I am under the impression that all wheels not installed by me have the valves stuck "where-ever" as long as it is inaccessible; which is really easy to do on the two hole style of rim.... one of murphy's many subsections ! | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 1623 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.110.9  Rating: |
when you get it blocked up, check those air bags. Good chance they might have deep cracks from sitting so long. Also, the surface of the cylinder bores rust above the ring area when setting that long. Usually the rings get damaged from starting up after that lenghty time. They start up and run, but usually start using a good bit of oil and smoke after a few hundred miles. Maybe you got lucky. we'll see. Otherwise, glad to see you are back into it. | ||
| David Evans (Dmd)
Registered Member Username: Dmd Post Number: 362 Registered: 10-2004 Posted From: 173.77.211.20  Rating: N/A |
what is the deal with the 2 hole wheels? I was told to make sure no one (truck shop or other) runs off with my wheels that have 6 holes as they have better cooling for the brakes etc. Just wondering. Congrats RJ reminds me of when we bought our bus in 96. She had been sitting used as quarry office for a long time and with a new battery the owner fired her right up. (she wasent able to just drive off tho!! |
