After church today I noticed a 4106 parked at Walmart. I got talking to the guy and found out he is from Alaska and recently bought his bus in Yuma. He has been stuck for 11 days waiting on parts. His starter went out and now he is waiting on Napa to recieve some gaskets. He had to buy tools and is doing the work himself. Im going back to take him and his girlfriend some water. I told him about this group, but he wasnt familiar with it and says he has owned other buses as well. Anyway, just looking for some advice of what to take him and tell him....
Take him a lap top with internet so he can get on here lol.
I hope wally world will work with him on having his bus parked there.
LOL good idea about the laptop! The battery in mine doesnt work worth a darn and the whole laptop is always overheating and going to have to be replaced soon.... If he has AC power he could get online for about 2 minutes (if lucky)
Bring him a few back issues of BCM so he can see what he is missing. Make a copy of the subscription page so he can call in and order it for himself.
It sounds like he has the parts issues sort of covered, maybe if what he needs hasn't been paid for yet, he can find another BUS parts source and get on the road sooner. Do you have any of the tools he needs, or are there other nuts nearby that can help with some wrench turning?
Other than that, I'm sure meeting you has made his week. Teresa, "Happy Camper Bus-Nut Ambassador". ;)
If I ever break down, I hope someone like you will find me.
Mike
Quote from: happycamperbrat on May 01, 2011, 02:05:16 PM
the whole laptop is always overheating
Teresa, If your laptop hasn't been cleaned lately, it's a good chance that will solve the overheating problem. You will need to remove the covers from the fans AND the CPU heat sink & clean them. I'm sorry I can't give more detailed advice but each laptop is different.
TOM
I just got back from seeing them. He was having a few issues with his generator too, but got it running while I was there. Walmart and Staples have been helping him, Walmart store manager has spoken with him and is cool about them staying there while they are broke down. Staples charged their IPOD. They know all about this group and are going to be hooking up online in abit.
Teresa there is a guy down the road a little bit south of you that has many 2 stroke parts in stock if he ain't got'm he can get 'm!
He's down in Bakersfield, & I think you know him!
;D BK ;D
Waiting for 11 days for parts?
Quote from: Chopper Scott on May 01, 2011, 06:18:59 PM
Waiting for 11 days for parts?
Don probably has them in stock!
;D BK ;D
Well apparently he had a friend in Canada who sent him the starter for the price of shipping. So he already did have the starter, and he has now removed the old starter but needed new gaskets too so he ordered them from Napa and they are "supposed" to be in tomorrow... we will see.
Of course I would have sent him to Don, but Don is about 150-200 miles west from me...... Im really in the boonies, it was amazing this guy ended up here lol
But I told him as soon as he gets it up and running to come to my place and he can do a dump, refill his water tank and charge his batteries with my new hookups ;)
Teresa,
Did he say where in Alaska they are from? Or maybe a name? I'm just trying to get to know other bus nuts in Alaska. Maybe because fuel prices are so high right now, We can get Alaskan bus nuts together for an Alaska bus rally. :) ;) 8)
Gary
Yaeh, they are from Homer
I also am from Homer Alaska, it's a small town of about 6,000. I'm supprised I haven't seen the bus. Do you know their name?
Gary
Ron and Christen. But they just bought the bus and were on their way home. They bought it in Yuma, Arizona. They flew down for part of the trip and drove a car for the other part.... Im surprised they havent gotten online yet.....
That explains why I haven't seen the bus. Hopefully they get on board here and have a laptop or a data phone for the rest of the trip. It would be nice to be able to get help any time you need it. I'll have to look them up when they get back to Homer.
Gary
Gary, Im surprised they havent been online actually...... they do have an IPOD and Staples charged it for them while Ron was working on the generator. They also replaced all 4 of their batteries when they thought that was the problem, but after replacing the batteries they knew it was the starter.... argh! Walmart told them they could stay until they got it fixed and has been good to them. I'll go check on them tomorrow if I dont hear anything....... I gave them my phone number so they could come here before they leave town. As soon as I talk to them I will tell them about you.
Thanks Teresa,
Give them my last name also, it's in my signature at the bottom. Chances are we know each other, or at least have seen each other.
Homer Alaska is where I was suggesting you guys and gals come when you get your trip to Alaska together. It's the most beautiful place in AK and there are at least two nuts here. ;D ;D ;D
Gary
haha!! I was talking to them about the caravan and they suggested Homer too ;D
Hopefully they will get home before the big hill coming into town is covered with ice....well. maybe they could slide into the dairy queen or something.. ;D
Quote from: happycamperbrat
Of course I would have sent him to Don, but Don is about 150-200 miles west from me...... Im really in the boonies, it was amazing this guy ended up here lol
SO that makes you somewhere near Barstow?
Just curious, as I used to bounce all over CA back in my produce hauling days.
;D BK ;D
Quote from: Busted Knuckle on May 02, 2011, 06:21:38 AM
Quote from: happycamperbrat
Of course I would have sent him to Don, but Don is about 150-200 miles west from me...... Im really in the boonies, it was amazing this guy ended up here lol
SO that makes you somewhere near Barstow?
Just curious, as I used to bounce all over CA back in my produce hauling days.
;D BK ;D
No, lol...... about 150 miles north of Barstow.... there is "nothing" around me
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Ridgecrest,+CA&aq=1&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.59616,92.724609&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Ridgecrest,+Kern,+California&ll=35.49422,-117.853088&spn=1.308142,2.897644&z=9 (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Ridgecrest,+CA&aq=1&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=40.59616,92.724609&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Ridgecrest,+Kern,+California&ll=35.49422,-117.853088&spn=1.308142,2.897644&z=9)
Hey Teresa, I zoomed way in on that map and couldn't find your bus anywhere! Maybe you're parked behind the chinese restaurant? ;D ;D ;D
HCB your only about 40 miles (near as I can tell) from Scaled Composites. A must see on my list. I realllly want to check out the future of our space program! jm
Quote from: MikeH on May 02, 2011, 10:42:20 AM
Hey Teresa, I zoomed way in on that map and couldn't find your bus anywhere! Maybe you're parked behind the chinese restaurant? ;D ;D ;D
LOL! goot one Mike!
Teresa, I've been to & through Ridgecrest before and even thought about it over Bakersfield. But then I thought she said west of Bakersfield, not NW of it. LOL!
FWIW I used to own my own trucks and at one time they were "based" out of Rosamond, CA (at least that is what it said on the side of the trucks for DOT purposes!) And I sorta had an office/address there too. (well again sorta I don't remember the actual street address these days but I can tell you that I was in Suite C ! (Joe had a door in his office that had Suite C on it and it was kept locked as I was always out of town. If you opened it up you would have found it was a utility closet, but it did have a filing cabinet, and a document organizer in it for me! ;) )
;D BK ;D
Hey guys, if you come thru this part of h-e-double L let me know! I always have cold suntea and you can hook up, dump and fill up :D
HCB,
We have been considering a summer trip starting in late June that would take 395 from 58, go up as far as Yosemite or Lassen, and see the parks on the way. It looks like that we would be driving through your front yard.
You better stop when you do Lin! PM me when you come
HCB-- If we take the trip, your place is the perfect first night break. We will definitely let you know. I must warn you though that we are not vegan. I use both milk and honey!
That's okay Lin, just dont expect me to cook with it ;D My son doesnt eat vegan, nor does my mom...... Im in the 2% of wierdos!
On another note, I just got back from visiting with my new Alaskan friends. They are stil at Walmart. The gaskets came in but after everything finally got installed, he found a short. So tomorrow he gets to work on it some more and hope it will get him outta here. What a maiden voyage for these people!
I told them all about you too Gary and they are looking forward to getting online and meeting everyone, especially you!
Thanks Teresa,
I'll keep an eye out for them. Did they say their just heading back to Alaska? Or are they doing some traveling for the summer?
Gary
No, I think they are anxious to get home. Im at work now, but after work Im going to swing by Walmart and see if they are ready to follow me out to my house so we can get them on the road.
Good job Teresa!!! You da gal!!!
That is one reason to own a bus right there. It seems most bus nuts stick together and help each other out. Will pray they have a safe and trouble free trip home.
Gary
Hello, we finally got on the site and are at Teresa's and out of Walmart, where we spent two weeks working on systems and waiting for various parts. The week before was spent up in the mountains where the bus refused to start. We are Alaskan's, Kristin and
Ron and our "new" bus is a 1962 GM 4106 conversion, bought in Yuma in March, where we spent two weeks getting ready to drive north. Advertised as "ready to roll", we have had nothing but constant systems failure and over the last two months, have only made it 400 miles. Does ready to roll mean the roll start we had to do to get out of the mountains? General consensus appreciated!
"ready to roll" usually means "as-is where-is"
Quote from: MDV Maria V
Does ready to roll mean the roll start we had to do to get out of the mountains? General consensus appreciated!
Quote from: chev49
"ready to roll" usually means "as-is where-is"
or "roll the dice" and we all know the name of the famous dice rolling game that keeps Vegas Casino's "Rolling" ;)
Anyway Kristin & Ron welcome to the board! And sorry that yer having so much trouble with yer "new 2 U" bus!
Hang in there it'll get better and there is nothing that you can't overcome with the help from this board!
;D BK ;D
Kristin & Ron,
Glad to see you got on board here! You will find, If you are traveling and have access to the internet, this board will be your best friend should a problem arise. Glad you two found someone like Teresa to help out in any way she can. I was going through FB and seen the pics of you and your new bus. That is a really nice 4106! also looks like a no rust bus? I do also recognize you guys from Homer. I worked at Kenai Supply driving trucks and also sales for ten years. My wife is the one that's daughter got hit by a car at the bus stop about 13 years ago.
Anyhow if there is anything good about this situation you two are in.... It's you will know the bus like the back of your hand, and that will be nice when you get into Canada. There are a lot of miles between places there, with not much traffic or people.
Best of luck to ya,
Gary
P.S.
Stop by Laird Hot springs in northern Canada, All the stress will go away. My wife and I love it there ;D ;)
Kristen & Ron,
Welcome to the board. Sorry to hear of the troubles you are having with the new bus. You can count yourselves blessed that Teresa found you. She will take good care of you, her specialty is making sure others are cared for. (Ask her son or mom.)
Anyhow, keep us posted on your journey home, other board members may be able to help when you get back on the road. Gary is anxious to hook up with you when you get back home.
Mike
Thanks for the welcome! Ok, here is a mystery that we are hoping to solve...From Evernote:
Bus notes as of 5/03
Symptoms of exisiting bus issues: annendum as of 3 weeks ago
Start of bus was hard as if batteries were low. Amp meter on dash showed heavy discharge, as in pegged the needle on discharge side of guage at low RPM.
When motor was at high RPM, it was charging. Turned off bus, could not restart. Starter solonoid hit hard, would not turn over engine. Separated house and coach systems and determined house system not of issue but never reconnected two systems.
Very slowly and systematically went through electrical system looking for dead short, with voltmeter. Multiple minor issues found. Put in new set of brand new 8D coach batteries, still would not start coach. Roll started, fired right up, ran well, voltage meter still full discharge. Turned off bus, would not restart. After turning off bus and trying to restart, solonid does not click or make any sound whatsoever. Spent several days looking for and running down several issues:
1. ignition switch corroded and not turning off completely, minimal amount of power running through at all times
2. all switches on dash faulty, not performing properly or shutting off- corrosion
3. went over electrical system, eliminated all wires that were not being used. Re-sautered new ends on all wires in question. Found one wire with total dead short. When disconnected, rest of system appeared to not be shorting out
4. Put new starter in , old starter was bad. Wire with dead short disconnected..of unknown origin, location at service panel next to driver seat.
5. started bus, bus starts well, total discharge on meter, wire with dead short still disconnected-
with bus not running there was no discharage on batteries when wire with short was disconnected but total discharge when bus was started.
Next issue:
installed rebuilt starter originally in a 4106 w 8v71. Starter sounds like someone is randomly beating on it with 4 lb sledge hammer when engaged, stops when disengaged. Were there different starters for different busses? Without having counted the teeth, they appeared to be the same, rotation is correct...getting ready to tear apart again..aargh, so hoping for advise soon!
First step would be to find out if the charge/discharge is a meter issue or a charging issue. I would check the voltage at the batteries before and after starting to see if they show a normal charging voltage. Some buses don't start to charge until the air pressure is up, so that is a possibility. An ammeter reads the differential voltage at a shunt, usually, maybe the shunt is not in good shape or the "shorted" wire was to the shunt. Remember that a shunt is basically just a really low resistance resistor, often way less than one ohm and could easily be mistaken for a short circuit. Another possibility is that one relay or another may be stuck or not working, keeping a circuit open/closed in error. You could also try to find out if there is actually a large discharge, meter on the batteries with the engine stopped but all the various switches on. These electrical gremlins are hard to trouble shoot, unfortunately, but you sure seem to be doing a great job so far!
Brian
Ron,
I am not real familiar with the charging system on the GM's. If I had to guess, I would think there is a problem in your alternator or voltage regulator.
What you might do is start a new thread on this topic and you will probably get more replies. Or you might message Sean Welsh on this board. He is the electrical Yoda. One more thought is to start a thread on BNO (Bus Nut Online) There are a bunch of really good GM guys there.
Good Luck
Welcome Kristen and Ron,
It would be a good idea to start a new thread if you have any questions or need help. Often a question about electrical problems will attract someone to read it who can help. You'll find that these discussions often go off topic (not always a bad thing) and some members (like me) quit reading the thread.
Another advantage to starting a new thread is that sometime in the future, someone might be looking through old discussions looking for a solution to the same problem. Easier to find it if the subject line is relevant to the topic.
Kudos to Teresa for helping and getting us all involved. Good luck with your trip back to Alaska and enjoy your bus!!
Bryan
Ron, I know of a group of GM owners that are leaving for Alaska around the 1th of June if you wish I can put you in contact with the guys may be a fun and worth while trip traveling with other GM owners,L Hall in the group knows every bolt and nut on a GM and you can bet they will have a good supply of parts on board
good luck
Dallas has been in contact with them and is helping. Today is especially hot too, I think they want out of the desert lol
Check the battery hook up sounds like they are not connected in the right order
good luck
Quote from: luvrbus on May 05, 2011, 03:04:06 PM
Check the battery hook up sounds like they are not connected in the right order
good luck
Okay, I will tell him. Thanks!
If you want to get home keep it simple....bypass all circuitry, run a couple of extension cords from the cockpit to the engine bay and control the starter/shut down etc.......don't trust the dash gage unless you have cross checked it....the wiring can aget old and complicated on buses....the engine is simple and does noy need much to control it....sound slike bad grounds etc...Keep It Simple.
BTW all you need is a sick relay to give you a big amp draw in the eng on position.
Quote from: MDV Maria V on May 05, 2011, 07:56:31 AM
We are Alaskan's, Kristin and Ron and our "new" bus is a 1962 GM 4106 conversion,
Kristin and Ron:
Welcome to this great list! There are a ton of very helpfull people on this list.
Sorry to hear about your problems. Once you get the bugs worked out, things will be very good for you.
Dr. Steve, central old Mexico
Teresa,
I used to live in SD and spent as much as 7 weeks, total and ten trips, in Mammoth Lakes, Ca. skiing. US395. I was always doing 130 when I passed China Lake....well once, anyway...but most often 90 MPH. I left Bishop at midnight one trip and I was in Pea Soup Anderson's and bellied up to the bar at 0015. The best I could do was 100 up Bishop's Grade in my Datsun Z car. Talk about memories? I have slowed down a might as I was in my prime back then at 40 something.
I expect to drive Wendy down 395 next fall as her final voyage. I hope to stop by your "Ranch" and recharge for a couple days before heading south. How far are you from "Dirty Socks"? That is one place I never saw and wanted to. The Mammoth Hot Springs off of 395 is a little known treat that I hope is still accessible. I know you are a far piece from Mammoth.
John
Ron,
The BB has a listing of Knutz that will help. Good place to start when you need a tool or an extra hand. I am located in Eugene, Orygun on I5. I'll do what I can for you from Salem south to Roseburg. Eugene is in the middle of that run.
You NEED to get the schematics and manuals for the engine/trans. learn how to post pics...even from a cell phone.
DO YOU HAVE ROADSIDE/TOWING ASSIST INSURANCE?
John
Quote from: JohnEd on May 06, 2011, 08:34:29 AM
Teresa,
I used to live in SD and spent as much as 7 weeks, total and ten trips, in Mammoth Lakes, Ca. skiing. US395. I was always doing 130 when I passed China Lake....well once, anyway...but most often 90 MPH. I left Bishop at midnight one trip and I was in Pea Soup Anderson's and bellied up to the bar at 0015. The best I could do was 100 up Bishop's Grade in my Datsun Z car. Talk about memories? I have slowed down a might as I was in my prime back then at 40 something.
I expect to drive Wendy down 395 next fall as her final voyage. I hope to stop by your "Ranch" and recharge for a couple days before heading south. How far are you from "Dirty Socks"? That is one place I never saw and wanted to. The Mammoth Hot Springs off of 395 is a little known treat that I hope is still accessible. I know you are a far piece from Mammoth.
John
John you are welcome anytime, in fact if I hear of you wizzin by without stopping I will feel slighted ;) Yes, lol, 395 is one of those highways where "I just cant drive 55" There is little traffic on it and it is a looooooonnnnggg desolate strip of nothingness but straight hwy...... all too easy to go 100+
Quote from: JohnEd on May 06, 2011, 08:42:07 AM
Ron,
The BB has a listing of Knutz that will help. Good place to start when you need a tool or an extra hand. I am located in Eugene, Orygun on I5. I'll do what I can for you from Salem south to Roseburg. Eugene is in the middle of that run.
You NEED to get the schematics and manuals for the engine/trans. learn how to post pics...even from a cell phone.
DO YOU HAVE ROADSIDE/TOWING ASSIST INSURANCE?\
YES, DAUGHTER IN EUGENE SO HAD PLANNED TO GO THROUGH, THANKS MUCH! WE WILL BE POSTING ON OUR THREAD TO TAKE THE HEAT OFF TERESA'S AND KEEP THINGS ARCHIVABLE...!
John
Kristin and Ron
I presume you are going up the I-5 through Seattle and Vancouver Canada.
I live just outside Vancouver (just a mile or so off the highway) and also have a 4106 -and a manual/schematic and a "big" yard (10 acres) .If you need a place to overnite you are welcome here.
Regards
Fred PD4160
Fred, I told them about your kind offer and they may take you up on that.
The problem is now, for the most part, taken care of! What happened was that the new starter had a stripped screw in it that wasnt allowing good contact. This was causing the hammering sound.
The batteries are now charging, reverse works, lights work, etc. The chassis system seems to do fine now. They are heading out tomorrow. They are still concerned because the house lights, refer, etc doesnt work........ but at least the main system is now working and they can travel. There is still probably a bad ground that caused the original starter to go out and may cause problems with the new starter as well....... so this story is just moving north.
They are very nice people and not a day has gone by where Ron wasnt working under the bus and doing hard work. They have made very nice driveway dwellers and I give them the highest of recomendations for their trip north.
Thanks again!
Quote from: happycamperbrat on May 08, 2011, 09:19:44 PM
. . .The batteries are now charging, reverse works, lights work, etc. The chassis system seems to do fine now. They are heading out tomorrow.
That's great.
Now about that callused toe... scrub it twice daily with a pumice stone.
And stay on the fuel with the heel. ;D
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi495.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Frr315%2Fhappycamperbrat%2FRon%2520and%2520Kristen%25204106%2F002.jpg&hash=b99b3fb4686a49ee05168510e8c3c15e1fd425f4)