Cracked liners due to operator abuse - now in Camp Luke

[RickB]

I hope I speak for the entire crew when I say.... BOB MAKE SURE YOU UPDATE US AS SOON AS YOU KNOW ANYTHING!!!

I feel like I'm watching a soap opera. I wanna know that everything turned out good for you.

I prayed that the best outcome thinkable would occur for you Bob. I broke down 5 years ago in Kansas City in 10 below weather we plugged into the Detroit shop and slept in our snowmobile suits woth our two year old daughter. They got it running again (stuck injector seized up the rack on one bank of my 6v92) and the guys there said that we wouldn't make it 20 miles down the road, that my engine was shot and it would take a month and $15-20k to make her right again. Long story short, we took our chances and drove that bus out of there and 45k miles later we sold her and she's still running great.

It ain't over till the big,old,fat, leaky Detroit two stroke say's it's over...

I'll be checking in more than usual today to see how you and your bride are fairing...

All the best from the icicle called Minnesota,

Rick

[Sojourner]

I hope I speak for the entire crew when I say.... BOB MAKE SURE YOU UPDATE US AS SOON AS YOU KNOW ANYTHING!!!

I feel like I'm watching a soap opera. I wanna know that everything turned out good for you.

I prayed that the best outcome thinkable would occur for you Bob. I broke down 5 years ago in Kansas City in 10 below weather we plugged into the Detroit shop and slept in our snowmobile suits woth our two year old daughter. They got it running again (stuck injector seized up the rack on one bank of my 6v92) and the guys there said that we wouldn't make it 20 miles down the road, that my engine was shot and it would take a month and $15-20k to make her right again. Long story short, we took our chances and drove that bus out of there and 45k miles later we sold her and she's still running great.

It ain't over till the big,old,fat, leaky Detroit two stroke say's it's over...

I'll be checking in more than usual today to see how you and your bride are fairing...

All the best from the icicle called Minnesota,

Rick

Yes Rick.. I agree with your views and that is a good point to remember. I am sorry about your ordeal...that not to forget lightly by all mean. Thank you for sharing your post.

Luke is not perfect as well any of us are but I know he always try his best to make his customers happy at a price that fit their budget. For does not know Luke (US Coast) of the east coast...he love buses and wants customers to be happy with their coach. He always thrive the safety and costly damaging part first before the next important item.

FWIW

Sojourn for Christ, Gerald

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

That great you got it to the genuine Luke's US Coach. 

About towing cost...they have a wrecked truck to tow back to help split the differance? ?
Whatever, you are in the bus nut's paradise.

BTW...tell Luke and the crew that we said Hi from the Mak board, if you will.

Sojourn for Christ, Gerald

Gerald I'm not positive but I believe the wrecker was from down in Luke's area and the one he normally uses!

But I could be wrong after all I did put a differential in upside down, and I did not stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night! LOL!    BK 

Hi BK,
Yes, Flannigans is just off the jersey turnpike at exit 3. Very large outfit with 20+ trucks.
All their trucks are Irish Green...lol
Nick-

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

RJ,

If you get board over at Luke's, [might be impossible] give me a call. I'm a half hour down the road by the sea..

Good Luck
Nick-
609-827-7331 cell

[Ednj]

RJ,

If you get board over at Luke's, [might be impossible] give me a call. I'm a half hour down the road by the sea..

Good Luck
Nick-
609-827-7331 cell

>
"Pondering Meeting At Luke's"

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

RJ,

If you get board over at Luke's, [might be impossible] give me a call. I'm a half hour down the road by the sea..

Good Luck
Nick-
609-827-7331 cell

>
"Pondering Meeting At Luke's"

Thursday works for me if RJ is still there...
Nick-

[Busted Knuckle]

RJ,

If you get board over at Luke's, [might be impossible] give me a call. I'm a half hour down the road by the sea..

Good Luck
Nick-
609-827-7331 cell

Thursday works for me if RJ is still there...
Nick-

RJ? I thought it was BOB OF THE NORTH!     BK   

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

RJ,

If you get board over at Luke's, [might be impossible] give me a call. I'm a half hour down the road by the sea..

Good Luck
Nick-
609-827-7331 cell

Thursday works for me if RJ is still there...
Nick-

RJ? I thought it was BOB OF THE NORTH!     BK  

Hi BK,

Same guy... "R.J.(Bob) Evans"

Nick-

[cody]

Yep, bK, RJ are his first two initials, robert (bob of the middle)lol.

[Busted Knuckle]

RJ,

If you get board over at Luke's, [might be impossible] give me a call. I'm a half hour down the road by the sea..

Good Luck
Nick-
609-827-7331 cell

Thursday works for me if RJ is still there...
Nick-

RJ? I thought it was BOB OF THE NORTH!     BK  

Hi BK,

Same guy... "R.J.(Bob) Evans"

Nick-

OK I learned something else new today! I for some reason had RJ Long stuck in mindwhen I saw the RJ!

I also learned today that a '04 Mazda tribute has the "SCREWIEST" power steering pump mounting I have ever seen to date! 1st thing ya gotta do to repace it is remove the right front wheel to take the belt off. Next ya supposed to put the wheel back on, and lower the vehicle. (Seriously that's what the manual says to do. But I cheated and used a jack stand under the body.) Then ya gotta put the jack under the engine to support it while ya remove the top engine mount! Next ya gotta get creative to get the pulley of the PUMP (or buy a special tool!). Now comes the SCREWIE thing. This pump is small enough the fit in the palm of your hand (smaller than 2 packs of cigarettes). And there are only 3 bolts that hold it to the bracket that it mounts on that mounts it to the engine! But the bracket has EIGHT more bolt to hold it on!
ELEVEN bolts to hold ONE TINY power steering pump! Is that SCREWY OR WHAT?

I also remembered why I hate working on cars too! LOL! Gimme a bus any day at least there is a reason for overkill on a bus! LOL!    BK 

[bobofthenorth]

Thursday would be a great coffee day.  I have to go down to D.C. for some meetings on Friday but I'm sure we will be at camp Luke through the weekend.  They were just getting read to drop the pan when we left this morning.  Marilyn's sister and bro-in-law from Tokyo were in New York for a few days so we went up there to have a quick visit with them.  I'm sure when the shop opens up in the morning we'll get a pretty good idea of what has to happen (ie. how bad it really is)

And the Flanagan truck was anything but green - it was a big red Ford with an N14 and the longest frame stretch I have ever seen.  Apparently "Steve" was Steve Flanagan and he bob-tailed up to Cortland to pick us up. 

[bobofthenorth]

Well we got away without needing a crank but we need several new liners.  We don't have an exact count yet but it doesn't matter - we will put in all 8 and we will re-bearing the bottom end at the same time.  The bearings look really good but its an insignificant incremental cost at this point.  The head on the side that was leaking is off and looks good too.  Tomorrow morning Luke will find out where the kits are and how long they will take to get here.  I'm sure by then he will have a price estimate for me too.  It could be better but it could be a whole lot worse.  And speak up any of you 2-stroke experts if we are missing something obvious that we should be doing at the same time.

[skipn]

Bob,

     any scoring on the piston skirts......
    Any piston top fisher cracks?

Sounds better than all new internal guts....

  wishing you nothing but good luck

   Skip

[Hartley]

RJ,

If you get board over at Luke's, [might be impossible] give me a call. I'm a half hour down the road by the sea..

Good Luck
Nick-
609-827-7331 cell

Thursday works for me if RJ is still there...
Nick-

RJ? I thought it was BOB OF THE NORTH!     BK  

Hi BK,

Same guy... "R.J.(Bob) Evans"

Nick-

OK I learned something else new today! I for some reason had RJ Long stuck in mindwhen I saw the RJ!

I also learned today that a '04 Mazda tribute has the "SCREWIEST" power steering pump mounting I have ever seen to date! 1st thing ya gotta do to repace it is remove the right front wheel to take the belt off. Next ya supposed to put the wheel back on, and lower the vehicle. (Seriously that's what the manual says to do. But I cheated and used a jack stand under the body.) Then ya gotta put the jack under the engine to support it while ya remove the top engine mount! Next ya gotta get creative to get the pulley of the PUMP (or buy a special tool!). Now comes the SCREWIE thing. This pump is small enough the fit in the palm of your hand (smaller than 2 packs of cigarettes). And there are only 3 bolts that hold it to the bracket that it mounts on that mounts it to the engine! But the bracket has EIGHT more bolt to hold it on!
ELEVEN bolts to hold ONE TINY power steering pump! Is that SCREWY OR WHAT?

I also remembered why I hate working on cars too! LOL! Gimme a bus any day at least there is a reason for overkill on a bus! LOL!    BK 

BK,

I just had to replace the water pump on my E-350 SuperDuty 7.3 Turbo van... Took a week and special tools just to get the fan hub off... Many wounds and 1/2 pint of blood. Ended up using an air chisel after buying tools that didn't fit... Buses are usually easier.. Just yank the whole engine out and do it were you can see and reach what you want.... Gaaaaa... ( Buses easier 0 hahaaa!)
Dave....

[bobofthenorth]

     any scoring on the piston skirts......
    Any piston top fisher cracks?

The liner kits come with new pistons and rods so it ends up being a complete in-frame by the time we are done.  Except that we will re-use the heads as they are.