| Author | Message | ||
| Sean Mormelo (Sventvkg)
Rating: N/A |
Hey everyone...I'm just trying to get my bus together for the journey from Alaska to the lower 48 where i'm moving to. I noticed today while i was running the engine that the heat does not work..Oh, everything blows nice but doesn't get hot. My question is what do you think is wrong, where is it and is it an easy fix? I can't drive out of here in early March without the heat so obviously I have to have it working and would love to know what i'm looking at. Also, any other advice as far as diagnostics and checking out of the systems before I take off would be appreciated. Thanks! Sean | ||
| FAST FRED Rating: N/A |
With out iknowing the type of bus its a guess. Look for closed valves in the system , look for an air lock in the heating circuit. Look for a bad circ pump in the heating system. Check the engine is ACTUALLY getting up to temp. Just ideling most DD wont get up past 130 140F , and with a long circuit , there is little water and little temp IN the water to do any real heating. FAST FRED | ||
| Sean Mormelo (Sventvkg)
Rating: N/A |
oh...Sorry Fred...it's a 79 MCI MC5c...Thanks for some idea's! And yea, even on a Fast Idle I can't get the temp up past the range you mentioned...so, when the windows are iced up, how do i get them Defrosted so I can drive it!!!!???? I guess you are saying once I get it on the road, it will the heat will begin to blow? | ||
| John that newguy Rating: N/A |
One valve's down at the "floor" inside the passenger side rear compartment that houses your AC compressor and toilet tank. Another valve can be accessed through the hand hole that's under the rear seat, or from inside the driver's side rear compartment door that houses the air filter. The valve for the defrosters is at the bottom of the side panel next to your driver's seat. You may want to open the outside panel that houses your circuit breakers, and use a pair of pliers to turn that valve to make sure it's opening. The thermostat for the heat is on your left elbow panel. When turned fully clockwise, it should set everything to call for heat. When the water is hot enough, a light will be displayed on your instrument (idiot light) panel (lower left light on panel) indicating the fact that the system's hot enough. My light goes on/off and I'll assume that's right... If the radiator shutters do not work, it'll take forever to get the engine hot. The air valve for the shutters is located inside the upper right side of your rear engine compartment. Many times, if the shutters do not work properly, or problems of overheating have occurred, the owner will manually open the shutters and turn the air off. Finding them jammed in the open position,\ (as mine are), may be common. Repairing them involves insuring all sensors are working as they should, among other things. It may be easier to use a "blanket" like the truckers do, to cover the openings until the temperature's right. If all else fails, it's about 81 degrees here at Melbourne, Florida right now......... | ||
| Johnny Rating: N/A |
To warm the engine, get a big piece of corrugated cardboard & block off part of the radiator. | ||
| Bill Butler (Circofix)
Rating: N/A |
Make sure the coolant isn't low. It happened to me.Bill Butler | ||
| Bob Damm Rating: N/A |
I drive an '81 MC-9 and was told by the maintenace supervisor where my school bought it from, that if the Heat light on the instrument panel was on (calling for heat) and all of the valves were open to go into the forward bagage compartment on the right side and remove the cover from the control valve that is mounted next to the plumbing/wiring chase then take a big pipe and just let loose and wail on it, don't hold back. Little bits of dirt can get in it and cause it to stick. | ||
| Ed Skiba (Ednj)
Rating: N/A |
Sean. Besides all that, Start her up and open the doors on the blower compartment. That way it wont suck air through the Radiators. Maybe it will warm up then? | ||
| R.C.Bishop
Rating: N/A |
The heaters are often the key...must be bled at least 4-5 times to get those air bubbles out. Recently, I had a somewhat similar problem and ended up needing to put in close to 15 gallons of coolant and distilled water....believe it or not. (*I couldn't) And no leaks that I can determine. When I opened the radiator cap no coolant was visible, even though the reservoir was where it should be and then some. I added a BUNCH of distilled water and coolant at 50% mix and it seems to be working great now. First lowered the reservoir by nearly two gallons, opened the rad cap (cold engine) then opened each heater bleed valve. Webasto circulation pump also. Then put coolant and water directly into the radiator. Started the engine and followed the instructions on the radiator access which say rev to 1500 rpm to bleed all heaters. I literally spent hours with engine running at getting out MOST of the air. Coolant is clear, and in the spring I will drain it and flush the entire system. I haven't bothered to check how much coolant is in the entire system, but it must be 20 gallons easily. Now that I think about it all it should not be surprising. I have had every heater out, put un a Marine water heater with coolant heating, installed the Webasto and various other intrusions into the coolant systerm.......Duh!!! FWIW  Sean....did you get the book? I got your MO. Thanx RCB '64 Crown Supercoach (HWC) | ||
| Tom Caffrey (Pvcces)
Rating: N/A |
Sean, is there any chance that the coolant froze since you parked the bus? If it has, and if it hasn't been above freezing since then, the frozen out water ice may not melt even though it's surronded by antifreeze. If that is the case, the easiest way to get the heat working again may be to move it into warm storage until the ice in the lines melts and mixes with the antifreeze again. I bring this up because it may not be obvious that the freezing point of the coolant and the melting point of any ice formed in the lines can become drastically different. For what it's worth. Tom Caffrey PD-4106-2576 Suncatcher | ||
| Tom Caffrey (Pvcces)
Rating: N/A |
Sean, is there any chance that the coolant froze since you parked the bus? If it has, and if it hasn't been above freezing since then, the frozen out water ice may not melt even though it's surronded by antifreeze. If that is the case, the easiest way to get the heat working again may be to move it into warm storage until the ice in the lines melts and mixes with the antifreeze again. I bring this up because it may not be obvious that the freezing point of the coolant and the melting point of any ice formed in the lines can become drastically different. For what it's worth. Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576 Suncatcher | ||
| Sean Mormelo (Sventvkg)
Rating: N/A |
RC, Yes I got the book. Thanks so much..I'm going to print this page and give it to my bus guy i'm going to have come out to look things over as I have no idea where the heating valves are even located to bleed them! Not much of a Mechanic as far as the bus goes yet. Hence I'll have someone go over it all with me and begin learning.... Tom, it is entirely possible that the coolant is frozen. I haven't checked but I'll run it by the Bus pro i'm hiring to come out.. I would suspect I'll be having all fluids drained and the systems flushed and replaced before I head out of Alaska to the lower 48. This will be around the beginning of March and it will still be very much winter here and in Canada. Gotta make sure all systems are go. |