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Bus Discussion => Bus Topics ( click here for quick start! ) => Topic started by: Zephod on December 23, 2014, 02:08:43 PM

Title: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: Zephod on December 23, 2014, 02:08:43 PM
Oops... Driving to Lowes today to get some lumber to build my motorhome insides, I had to brake sharply. I think I locked the wheels. Anyway, the speedo stopped working.

I reckon the speedo cable has popped out but I have no idea where it is or what it looks like. I have no idea how to reattach it either.

Has anybody any suggestions? Also, since the governor seems not to be bothering me now, what does a governor look like and how can I plumb it out of the system?
Title: Re: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: luvrbus on December 23, 2014, 02:52:05 PM
The governor is inside the injection pump on a non electronic DT466 there is no " governor plumbing " on the Bosch pump
Title: Re: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: Tony LEE on December 23, 2014, 04:03:31 PM
D we know what sort of vehicle you have?

I'd assume the speedo feed comes from the output shaft of the gearbox. Depending on your vehicle, it could be an electrical cable rather than a mechanical drive.

The governor is usually there as a safety device to limit the engine maximum speed and doesn't come into play under normal cruising conditions
Title: Re: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: Zephod on December 23, 2014, 07:04:58 PM
Its a 1995 international 3800 with alinson automatic gearbox and a dt466.

I am new to looking under hoods. 20 years ago, I changed the head gasket on my old Suzuki alto fx
Title: Re: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: Jeremy on December 24, 2014, 01:33:07 AM
I suspect the term 'governor' is confusing here; my bus has an electrical speed limiter, which I'm sure is what the OP is referring to and is nothing to do with the governor on the engine. Unfortunately mine is still operational and I'm not actually sure how it is connected yet - I might eventually find out if I decide to disconnect it, but I'm no no hurry (;D) because it's set at the legal speed limit already so acts as a handy fuel-and-licence-saving device

Jeremy

Title: Re: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: chessie4905 on December 24, 2014, 03:51:59 AM
   This is not a gas engine. Disable the governor and start carrying a couple of baskets to gather the engine parts when it destructs. Think $$$$$$ It is installed to protect the engine. Change the rear axle gearing to obtain more speed, although at the penalty of more sluggish/slower acceleration. You could actually have a malfunctioning governor, but you will need to get or install an engine tachometer to check/verify proper top rpm control. Some diesels can have the governed speed raised a couple of hundred rpm, but you will still need the tach to see where it's at now. Then you can check if it can be safely raised and by how much if any.
Title: Re: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: bevans6 on December 24, 2014, 04:13:04 AM
No question in my mind that the "governor" has nothing to do with either the speedo not working or the electronic top speed limiting mechanism not working.  This is one situation where a tachometer and a GPS speedo would both be handy...

Brian
Title: Re: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: belfert on December 24, 2014, 05:54:09 AM
The OP may very well be talking about an electronic speed limiter instead of the engine governor.  Lots of newer buses with electronics have their speed limited electronically for safety and fuel economy reasons.  An International/Navistar dealer could probably disable an electronic speed limiter.  The governor that controls maximum engine speed you certainly should not disable.

My bus came with a speed limit set in the DDEC somewhere in the 70s.  The DDEC also had the cruise control disabled for some reason.  One of the first things I did was to have the speed limiter disabled and the cruise control enabled.  I usually only drive 65 MPH at most, but I didn't want my speed limited in any case.
Title: Re: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: luvrbus on December 24, 2014, 06:18:27 AM
I doubt he has a speed limiter on DT466 mechanical engine with a Bosch injection pump it is probably gearing as stated by Chessie all he has to do is look at the pedal a limiter will be a drive by wire pedal with wires going to a solenoid and a box   
Title: Re: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: belfert on December 24, 2014, 06:41:17 AM
Was International/Navistar still using mechanical engines in 1995?  I was assuming electronic by 1995 since Detroit was already on their third generation of electronic engines by 1995.
Title: Re: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: luvrbus on December 24, 2014, 06:50:39 AM
I think 1997 was the 1st DT466E
Title: Re: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: TomC on December 24, 2014, 08:13:06 AM
Mechanical DT466 is an excellent engine. Start upping the horsepower and/or the RPM and you'll have nothing but a bucket of bolts. Just drive the bus and enjoy the scenery. Good Luck, TomC
Title: Re:
Post by: Zephod on December 24, 2014, 09:42:31 AM
I'd probably be able to check the speed with a GPS but sadly, the bus has no 12v power sockets. As it has two batteries, I suspect it might be a 24v system.
Title: Re: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: belfert on December 24, 2014, 10:18:44 AM
Buy a cheap handheld GPS and use that for speed.  I did that in my bus when the speedo didn't work.  Two AA batteries last a long time.  You can probably find a cheap one on Craigslist, or maybe a friend or relative has an old one they want rid of.  Even the most basic handheld GPS should show just speed.
Title: Re: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: LuckyChow on December 24, 2014, 01:18:15 PM
If you have an iphone or android phone, download one of the free GPS apps.  It's what I checked my speedo with. 
Title: Re: Whoops.... No SPEEDO and my bus goes faster
Post by: Oonrahnjay on December 24, 2014, 01:33:44 PM
     As an aside, if you only want a small 12V feed for limited periods of time (esp. while the engine is running), you can run a wire from the terminal that's on the "alternator hot" side of one battery and another wire (ground) to the negative post of that same battery (i.e. treat it like it is a free-standing 12V battery.)  Unless you have an equalizer, you shouldn't run it long or pull much power out of it in this way to avoid the problem on battery charge imbalance.  But you can use it for limited amperages while the engine is running OK.  Put a fuse that's rated about 30-40% higher than your rated load (i.e. if you want 3Amp for a GPS, a 5Amp fuse would be good) in line with the power wire.
     As I said, limit this.  If you need a temp 12V source, that will do it.  But keep it small loads for a short period of time.  And always disconnect it before you shut off the engine (in fact, I'd even disconnect it at the battery source when the engine isn't running even if anything attached to it is switched off but that's probably overkill).  It will work for you, though, for testing with a 12V GPS, or running a 12V trouble light (if that's all you have) or other similar things.
Title: Re:
Post by: Zephod on December 24, 2014, 05:25:10 PM
I notice the strobe switch is available. That looks promising for a hook up. I  could attach the USB charging socket I just got at auto zone.