After searching through my manuals for a picture to help determine which reservoir I'm looking at I'm at a loss for about the 10th time this weekend....
Large tank, in front of the differential with 4 pretty hefty mounting bolts securing it to a bulkhead is leaking like a sieve from a weld which obviously can't be good. The interesting thing is it has already been repaired near the top with a weld.
My thinking is this is the dry tank. Can any of you confirm just from my description? Otherwise I'll post photo's.
I have the bus up about 6 inches on my drive on ramps and a jack under the side that I'm under so I'm safe but needless to say I'm not happy that #1 I never noticed the "fix" on this before and that #2 I'm obviously going to have to replace this tank as I unlike the PO don't like having tanks welded. I have two kids and think brakes are not to fix "on the cheap".
Any suggestions on where to get one of these used?
Thanks all,
Rick
That's your brake tank.
Try Sam Caylor, or find someone scrapping an MC8 or 9.
But you should check on the price of a new one first. Might not be that bad.
Call JD. He'll know how much they are, and maybe know where to find a used one.
Air tanks usually corrode from the inside out, the problem with used is the same as your "used" tank. You don't know how much corrosion has occured since new.>>>Dan
Rick, don't waste your dollars on a used tank measure it and buy one from Eastern Marine for less than a 100 bucks www.easternmarine.com (http://www.easternmarine.com)
good luck
The Velvac tanks are better described as far as dimensions on the Velvac website www.velvac.com (http://www.velvac.com)
Here is the problem with buying an aftermarket tank. There are 4 or 5 fittings on the top of the tank which would all have to be welded onto the top. Or do these tanks come with prearranged fittings
I was thinking about this, and I think I would be comfortable buying a new "generic" tank of the right size and having the appropriate fittings and mounts tig-welded in by a good welder. Tig gives great control of the puddle and you can pretty easily do leak-proof joints.
Brian
Quote from: RickB on March 26, 2012, 05:52:08 AM
Here is the problem with buying an aftermarket tank. There are 4 or 5 fittings on the top of the tank which would all have to be welded onto the top. Or do these tanks come with prearranged fittings
If there are that many fittings you might be better off calling Luke or JD, or even MCI. Someone might have a line on a new tank with the right fittings.
All tanks were generic to start with check around Velvac makes about 95% of the tanks and you really don't need that many ports
Found a OEM brand new for just under $300. Gonna pay the piper. If I knew how to weld and had a welder to mount the thing, find and weld the fittings on maybe I would go a different route but something tells me by the time I get someone out here to weld and fabricate what I would need it would be alot more than $300. Because I don't feel comfortable driving it with this leaky tank to a facility that can work on it I'm thinking this is my best option. I'll borrow a hydraulic lug wrench pull the rear drive tires and that will get me access to the tank. Doing it from the bottom may be impossible. No room to access the fittings.
Have I told each of you lately how much I appreciate your input? In not, I do.
Will keep you in the loop. Hope to get it installed on Friday.
Rick
On an unrelated note, Haven't heard a word from the Lord family and the status of their bus in Florida. Any of you near anything?
Quote from: RickB on March 26, 2012, 05:52:08 AMHere is the problem with buying an aftermarket tank. There are 4 or 5 fittings on the top of the tank which would all have to be welded onto the top. Or do these tanks come with prearranged fittings
My layout for the "wet tank" needed about six fittings. I found an old scrap tank that I took under my bus - it had the right number of fittings in the right place. So I took that and started shopping the Volvo, IH, Freightliner places around. A couple of places just shook their head or came up with a "$450 solution" but finally a parts guy said "let me look" and came back with the perfect tank for about $200.
I used plain velvac tanks for my two brake tanks (front and rear, individual circuits) and accessory tank. Worked out real good.
HTH, BH NC USA
(Extra Edit - Yeah, Rick, I think you did about right.)
Quote from: RickB on March 26, 2012, 07:53:06 AM
Found a OEM brand new for just under $300. Gonna pay the piper. If I knew how to weld and had a welder to mount the thing, find and weld the fittings on maybe I would go a different route but something tells me by the time I get someone out here to weld and fabricate what I would need it would be alot more than $300. Because I don't feel comfortable driving it with this leaky tank to a facility that can work on it I'm thinking this is my best option. I'll borrow a hydraulic lug wrench pull the rear drive tires and that will get me access to the tank. Doing it from the bottom may be impossible. No room to access the fittings.
Have I told each of you lately how much I appreciate your input? In not, I do.
Will keep you in the loop. Hope to get it installed on Friday.
Rick
On an unrelated note, Haven't heard a word from the Lord family and the status of their bus in Florida. Any of you near anything?
Depending?? I wouldn't be afraid to drive it to repair shop if it would build up pressure to release brakes. I assume it will or you would be saying I can't drive it instead of I don't feel comfortable driving it.
RickB
I had mine replaced by Western Bus in N.Vancouver BC a couple years ago.
They charged me $600 for the tank [plus shop supplies and taxes]
They charged me $1300 for labour and $25 for press wash.[about 8 hrs]
They didn't show me their big black gun, but I left walking funny.
But.,Its new and I won't have to worry about it again,,ever..
They also used some wrenches that they had cut in half for length.
I did not do it as I was on the road and a schedule.
Too big of a job to do on the roadside.
I later removed one from another MCI 9 by cutting out the wall into the bay. Much easier to get at the fittings. [Optional method]
I don't envy your task at hand. Good Luck
Talbob,
Wow! That was an eye (and wallet) opening post! I think once I take the drive tires off it looks reasonably accessible I hope that proves to be the case. I'll let you know just how badly I underestimated next week!!! LOL.
Idj1002,
15 tons of bus traveling through populated areas and the other folks on the road make it imperative that we make sure that our air systems are operating correctly and one of the benchmarks is that our air system be capable of holding air for an extended period of time (at least 15 minutes) even after we have turned off the motor, my bus is currently incapable of holding air more than 2 or 3 minutes after shutdown. A bus like mine, with a leaky weld, and an already patched air tank is, in my opinion, not safe enough for travel and there are alot of folks on this blog who take it very seriously when we as a bus community don't use the utmost care when it comes to our braking systems. The general opinion is neglect your motor or transmission and you'll have a big repair bill. Neglect your brakes and you may kill or harm yourself, and alot of other folks.
Thats my two buffalo nickels,
Rick
Yup, and once the rusting has allowed a leak, one more flake of rust lets go, and it won't maintain air integrity sufficient to continue.
Good call, you'd end up sideways across a busy cross street with the parking brakes locked on and no way to release them.
It would be possible to design a manifold and gang the like fittings together, in order to use whatever inexpensive tank came along, but you'd have to know what to gang and what not to gang...
happy coaching!
buswarrior
As posted, there is no good way to repair a rusted tank - been there.
I got my 4104 wet tank on ebay. Took awhile but there are many sizes of tanks there with many sets of threaded holes, just make sure yours are in the right places. Most holes will need to be plugged but the more holes the better.