fun at walmart with Central Fl Bus

[white-eagle]

Parkin' at my favorite campsite over Easter was relaxin, but don't like to overstay, so we got ready to pull out late morning.  Fran went shoppin, i aired up and moved into a better slot to be able to get between the trees and out onto the road.  All was perfect.  Fran said she'd be out in 20 min, so i powered the bus off to save fuel, then went out to hook up the toad. 

20 min later, we're all set.  hit the starter and zip, no start.  Checked cables, batteries, finally tried the rear start and heard the whine of gears not connecting.  Tried the hammer, woodin stick, etc, not luck.
so there we are blocking one the the lanes between parking areas at Walmart.  Called Coach Net since i had their emergency service coverage- they'd send a hook, not a mechanic.  I called Central florida bus - John says sure, he can send Andy.  Call Coach-Net back, no they won't pay his bill.  But they did agree to call them and try to work it out.
Bottom line-Coach Net picked up John's service call charge, Andy did most of the work to change the starter, although i did get my hands dirty handing him tools and cleaning bolts off, and the bus is rolling again with a nice shiny rebuilt starter at a nice cost  to me just for the starter.

I didn't want a breakdown or a different starter, but i'm happy it happened near a known good wrench, and with fast service.

Thanks Andy and John at Central Florida Bus, and Coach Net for working with me and them. 

[JackConrad]

Fran said she'd be out in 20 min.   20 min later, we're all set.

All I can say is WOW!!!  HaHa Sis!   Jack

[bevans6]

That story speaks volumes about Coachnet!  I'm glad i decided to go with them.

Brian

[belfert]

so there we are blocking one the the lanes between parking areas at Walmart.  Called Coach Net since i had their emergency service coverage- they'd send a hook, not a mechanic.  I called Central florida bus -

At least you weren't blocking the entrance to Walmart like my bus was last fall.  The trailer behind the bus was still sticking out into the road.  You were at least in the Walmart parking lot.

Coachnet was sending a tow truck to at least move us out of the way.  My friends and I got the bus going again before the tow arrived so I cancelled the tow.  I have no idea if Coachnet would have paid for a service guy to reprime especially since we ran out of fuel.  (Last 20 gallons is not usable I found out the hard way.)

I'm glad it was a relatively easy fix for you.

[BG6]

[quote author=white-eagle link=topic=15557.msg167209#msg167209 date=1270521 I have no idea if Coachnet would have paid for a service guy to reprime especially since we ran out of fuel.  (Last 20 gallons is not usable I found out the hard way.)

Fuel Rule 1:  NEVER pass a fuel pump if you have 1/4 tank or less.

[belfert]

[quote author=white-eagle link=topic=15557.msg167209#msg167209 date=1270521 I have no idea if Coachnet would have paid for a service guy to reprime especially since we ran out of fuel.  (Last 20 gallons is not usable I found out the hard way.)

Fuel Rule 1:  NEVER pass a fuel pump if you have 1/4 tank or less.

At this time my fuel gauge doesn't work.  It is on the list to fix now.  We had made the same run four previous times with no issues, but this time we ran the generator more and had a bit more wind to deal with.  We had typically ended with 30 gallons or more remaining so I assumed we had a decent cushion.  No idea that 20 gallons wasn't usable.  If we had been able to use just one more gallon we would have made it.

We made an additional fuel stop on the way home so as not to repeat the experience.

[cody]

We stop and top off every 250 miles or so, that way the fuel bite is in smaller increments and by that time I need to work the kinks out of my legs anyway so I need to move around a little.

[BG6]

We had typically ended with 30 gallons or more remaining so I assumed we had a decent cushion.  No idea that 20 gallons wasn't usable.  If we had been able to use just one more gallon we would have made it.

How big is your fuel tank?  20 unusable seems to be a bit excessive, and will leave you with 20 gallons of sludge in the bottom of the tank.

In the process of fixing your fuel gauge, you might want to pull the pickup tube.  Measure it, then measure to the bottom of the tank, and if there is more than an inch or so difference, extend the pickup.

Even better is what we call a "flop tube" -- stick a length of flexible fuel hose on the end of the pickup tube, and a weight on the end of the hose, so that it will sit on the bottom of the tank.  IF YOU DO THIS, CLEAN OUT THE TANK FIRST!!!  And expect to replace your fuel filter a little more often.