My gal says my bus stinks of diesel, I don't think it's that bad. I know that the fuel tank could use a good hosing off as it looks like it belongs on a garbage truck. I will pressure wash all the places that seem fuelly but I am interested in suggestions as to what detergents to use and how to get the so called stink out of my bus (I kind of like the smell of diesel myself).
Hey Zub
Get a new gal -- Just my way
YMMV HTH
Melbo
Keep the gal, use Tide on it. Brush down what you can reach.
Bill
Zub,
That astrology stuff has an explanation. People born in July/Aug(Leo) have a high tolerance and even affinity for "chemical" smells. I am with you on actually "liking":the smell of fuel. They can't tolerate "natural" odors such as vomit or poop. The Taurus folks are the inverse. Makes them bullet proof nurses cause "natural" doesn't phase them. My step mother, a Taurus and a witch, would start yelling about 1 minute after I opened a can of thinner in the basement to clean something. It has been my personal experience that this is mostly true. YMMV
Now if this post really rankles your innards.....you are a Libra most probably.
John
Hey Zub,
I'd steam clean the under carriage if possible,change the air and fuel filters that will go a long way in cutting the smell. If your bus is carpeted you will need a good vacuum for this next step,don't laugh but coffee grounds fresh from the can will kill any smell.Just sprinkle it all around the floor let it set awhile then sweep or vacuum it up.Trust me this one works great.It's an old truckers trick to get smells out of the trailers.Good luck and keep the girl. Peabody
Zub ,simple green works very effectivly,enviro friendly andhas that minty smell the girls all like ;D have a diesel day ;)Van
If you have a powered roof vent, running the vent with the fan pulling air into the bus will pressurize the interior with fresh air pushing out the Diesel smell. Just run it for about an hour before your wife steps into the bus. Good Luck, TomC
I surprised nobody has asked if the engine compartment is sealed up good. So if it isn't you get the wonderful aroma of Detroit 2-stroke which contrary to popular belief has a diesel smell to it but is very distinctive. I know mine has a small leak somewhere and until I ran the exhaust straight out the back. I could definitely tell. Spray foam could solve your problem. Depending of course on what the problem is.
Zub,
Eat a load of beans. She will learn to treasure that "interesting" D smell. ;D ;D ;D
John
I'm with your gal, I hate the smell of fresh diesel but love the smell of diesel exhaust.
If you have a persistent diesel odor you probably have a small leak somewhere as the odor seems to go away after a while from just one spill.
Zub,
I have heard that coffee works really well. Drug smugglers use it to mask the smell of H and Coke so the dogs don't alert on it. I don't now how well that works but I do know that the agents get really interested in anything that "stinks" of coffee. Particularly bananas.
If you need to get the oder out from where it is in DEEP I have another solution....BORAX. NOT borateem....NOT. Disolve the borax in water that you heat on the stove. Get the water to hold as much as it can(supersaturated). Spray the solution on carpets and such and thoroughly wet areas of "interest". When the stuff drys out the oder is gone and no smell remains. Sprinkle some powder in your carpets and enuf will persist to keep them fresh. The stuff is cheap.
I have had friends wives promise to name their next child after me for the following: put a tablespoon full of borax in your shoe/boot that you wear every day for a week. You can smell nothing after that time. A spoon full every couple weeks keeps the shoe in absolute oder free condition. After six months you are done till there is a problem. Stuff you nose in your boot and nothing....amazing. Yes it feels sandy for ten minutes. Borax used to advise this till the tort law guys got the best of them on risk only. A pediatrist told my Dad this many years ago and I named a dog after "Doc". That good!
John
I just want to be sure you are talking about fresh diesel and not exhaust. If there is an exhaust smell, maybe you want to see if there is an exhaust leak. If it is a smell from diesel oil, the housekeeping methods described should work. Also, you can try an ozone generator. They can get rid of about any smell. You can buy cans of Ozium at janitorial supply or hydroponic stores. The stuff comes in 6.4 oz cans and are used in automatic dispensers in public restrooms and such. Don't worry about the dispenser, just squirt the can by hand. It's great for cooking and bathroom smells etc.
thanks to everyone for the tips.
I will not use simple green on my airplane when I wash it. I was told it will react with aluminum. Of course bus has thicker aluminum and may not be a factor. As Bill stated mix a very strong tide mixture and it works great on the greasy belly of an airplane can't see why it wouldn't clean diesel.
John
Find the source of the stink, you might want to know if it is leaking.
High degree of care when fueling, do not spill even a drip on the bus or doen the tank.
Don't walk around the fuel island and then jump into the carpetted bus, soles of shoes will put it on the carpet and then it won't go away.
WARNING: if she doesn't like diesel stink...the bus's days are numbered.
Get rid of the stink or she'll get rid of the coach!
happy coaching!
buswarrior
The best detergent to use is DISH SOAP.
Think about it -- this stuff is made to degrease baked-on gunk, but leave no residue after rinsing. It's cheap, and multipurpose. It is known to be safe to handle, with no nasty fumes, and it can be put down any sewer or septic system. It doesn't attack aluminum, plastic or rubber. When mixed with water, it can be applied with a sprayer and concentrations can be varied if necessary.
A poor-man's steam cleaner is a garden hose hooked up to hot water, with a siphon applicator (a couple of bucks at any garden store). Foam down the engine, let it sit a few minutes, then hose off the soap and grime. Repeat as necessary.
How much better can it get?
I agree with BW on this. Find the source of the smell, you might have a leak in one of your fuel lines or tank. Fix it first then deal with the smell. I sorta like it myself but my wife can't stand it! ::) I'm a Leo and she's a Lady!
HTH,
Paul
Lin has a good point, you really don't say if it is raw diesel or exhaust? I assumed it is raw diesel because of your comments about washing it off the tank but that was an assumption.
I guess this kinda kills my idea for a 'scratch and sniff' diesel centerfold in the magazine huh.
I'm in favor of a diesel exhaust scratch'n sniff!
yeah the smell is mostly the tank from sloppy pumping maintenance of PO. Also as the tank is next to the heating set up so some of the fumes kind of gets into the main compartment when I run the original bus heat. It's mostly a fuel oil/grease kind of smell from a rig that was cared for mechanically but not so much aesthetically. I now have plenty of tips for the future. I'm pretty sure pulling the old carpeting out is alos going to help, once I get around to installing a new floor.
Go Sams, buy the little 110v pressure washer. It has 2 nozzles, 1 for high pressure, 1 for low pressure. Use the low pressure (adjustable one for soaping) with either Joy diswashing detergent or Tide liquid clothes washing detergent. You can buy a lot of high price stuff and not get rid of the smell and discoloration. I stick with what works. Bounce sheets are a good cheap coverup of odors. Pull them out of the box and spread them around. When you do the laundry, gather tem up and put them in the dryer, one or two at a time.
Since I am anti-Walmart due to horrible corporate practices, I would also recommend that you return the pressure washer when done. Consider them a lending library for tools!
In my MC8, I found the fuel tank leaking because the fuel had migrated through the bottom of the bulkhead and into the stock HVAC cavity. Turned on the coach heat, and was flooded with the stink of raw diesel.
Silver lining: it put a stop to being in Arcadia when it was only 10 degrees warmer than here....
happy coaching!
buswarrior
Quote from: zubzub on December 15, 2008, 04:24:44 PM
yeah the smell is mostly the tank from sloppy pumping maintenance of PO. Also as the tank is next to the heating set up so some of the fumes kind of gets into the main compartment when I run the original bus heat. It's mostly a fuel oil/grease kind of smell from a rig that was cared for mechanically but not so much aesthetically. I now have plenty of tips for the future. I'm pretty sure pulling the old carpeting out is alos going to help, once I get around to installing a new floor.
Zub I ain't familiar with GM's much if that's what ya got! But if they are like MCI's and the heat & A/C exchangers/cores/evaporators are sandwiched between the fuel tank and the front bay I'd open the access panel to them and seriously go to town cleaning this area over and over with DAWN dishwashing liquid! DAWN is the best grease cutting agent I know of! (I also love the stuff called Spray Power http://www.spraypower.com/ too, but I think for the area we are talking about DAWN is best!). Once this area is clean it should take the odor out of the coach! FWIW ;D BK ;D
Quote from: Lin on December 15, 2008, 06:50:28 PM
Since I am anti-Walmart due to horrible corporate practices, I would also recommend that you return the pressure washer when done. Consider them a lending library for tools!
I dunno which Walmart corporate practices are as bad as stealing -- which is what you are advocating. You want to steal the value of the item that you buy, use, then return.
You won't hurt Walmart anyhow, the cost is borne by the company that makes the stuff you are taking back, especially if there are so many returns for unsuitability that they get dropped as a vendor.
BG6,
Then learn about Walmart.
http://www.walmartmovie.com/
Lin,
I detest WM corporate practices as much as the next person and I don't live far from their headquarters. However, this does not require that I be unethical or dishonest just in spite. The overall effect of what you suggest just ends up costing us all more to shop there.
I live in such a small town that WM is just about our only option and a lot of our friends depend on WM for jobs even as poorly as they are paid and treated.
And they do allow us free parking, not many businesses do that.
I make no excuses for WM practices but they are improving even if it is mostly under pressure from bad publicity. They are also losing a lot of very expensive lawsuits so maybe someday the top dogs will get the message.
Quote from: Lin on December 16, 2008, 10:17:35 AM
BG6,
Then learn about Walmart.
http://www.walmartmovie.com/
2 hours later....VERY interesting. Makes me think.
Gus,
Obviously we are off topic. I am aware of the ethical issues that you allude to and do not think that a particular cause gives one the right to indiscriminately be unethical, but a little bit of subversion is good for the heart. I do not see this as dishonest or unethical though. I see it more like an act of civil disobedience and, like voting, an important (even if insignificant) stand for what one believes to be right. There are those that become distressed when a serial killer or mass murdered complains his rights are being violated. I sort of wonder whether he has forfeit those rights. If a rapist spares a woman's life because she promised she would not tell, is she obligated to keep her word? If a medication that I can not afford is needed to save my daughter's life and all legal attempts to acquire it have failed, is it more unethical to steal or to let my daughter die? This is far afield, but ethics can be more involved than people think.
Lin,
Thanks for that link. Like Gyro, I found it informative. I know your feeling....sometimes can't help yourself.
I wish this would be moved to the OT board.
I guess this makes my ethics way to flexable but I subscribe to the rule that it is impossible to steal from a theif and it is impossible to lie to a liar and you can't murder a murderer. Hope that isn't scary to anyone!
Thanks for the info,
John
Lin,
Since we are off topic, I don't agree with you at all. I will never abuse a return policy, no matter how much I don't like the store. That is what has damaged our world so far, dishonest people. I won't ever return a tool to Wally world, after I use it, just because I don't like their store. I would then be just as unethical as they are. I just won't stoop that low. I think that if you are going to buy a tool there, buy it. If you don't like the quality, don't buy it. It is that simple.
That's my .02
God bless,
John
(Moderators, if you don't like my post, just kill it. I won't be offended.)
Hi Guy's,
The WM topic has to stop here! Bring it to OT or I will be forced to lock the thread.
Thanks for your cooperation
Nick-
Sure Nick, No problem.
God bless,
John
was away will this topic veered. I already have a pressure washer so I want have to balance my rebel with my angel on this one. It is nice to know that with all the tips I may get the smell out of there.