Speedo Cable connection ??????

[Chaz]

But is there any sort of definition?? I assume we all have class A's so would that mean we could get into any class A campground?? Not that I would, as i understand they can be pretty pricey. I'm more of a grass roots kind of traveler.
  Chaz

[Buffalo SpaceShip]

Chaz, when calling for reservations just use the word "motorcoach" and you will have no problems. Never, ever, under any circumstances call it a "bus". One conjures up Marathon Prevo$ts and Extreme Makeover Home Edition's coaches... whilst the other makes 'em think about Partridge Family and hippie skoolies.

Now, when they see your "motorcoach" pull up, depending on how it looks, they might have some second thoughts. But from you pics, yours seems fine. "Blue Velvet", our old peeling-paint 4106, was never refused at the few campgrounds we visited with her.

HTH,
Brian

p.s. sadly, it appears old B.V. is for sale again. poor thing...

[DrivingMissLazy]

But is there any sort of definition?? I assume we all have class A's so would that mean we could get into any class A campground?? Not that I would, as i understand they can be pretty pricey. I'm more of a grass roots kind of traveler.
  Chaz

In a class A motor home the driver and passenger is actually in the living portion of the coach. In a class C, the driving portion and the living portion are separate. In the class C a commercial van body is cut directly behind the front seat and a new body is constructed for the living quarters.
Richard

[JackConrad]

     A Class C motorhome is a motorhome built on a van chassis usually with a bed above the van cockpit area. I think Richard is correct that a class B is a van conversion that uses the entire OEM van body with maybe a raised roof cap. A Class A is your standard motorhome built on a heavy duty chassis with the entire exterior built by the motorhome manufacturer (as opposed to a class C thast uses the front end from the chassis manufacter such as Ford, Chevrolet, or Dodge).  
    As already mentioned anytime you call a campground for reservations, you have a 40 (or 35) foot Class A motorhome or motorcoach. NEVER say you have a bus.  Hope this helps, Jack

[Lee Bradley]

This is a better pic:


  It looks like 3 spade connectors inside.

Rich,
  The electric sounds fine, but I have ALLOT of other things that need addressing before I drop 250 on a speedo. Especially if this one can work. Thanx tho.
  I guess I can still keep running without one. I'm not sure the ol'bird will get over 65 mph!!!

   Thanx,
      Chaz

I don't know why it would be on your bus but I have seen units like on trucks with 2 speed rearends. The unit switches ratios to the speedo to match the rearend ratio. Could also be a speed sensor for cruise control.

[Homegrowndiesel]

Hey Chaz

  If you hooked a drill to the cable and spun it up that means (to Me) that You are close to a cheap fix. Alot of good advise. Probably a mechanical drive speedo. Could have a pulse generator driven by the cable farther up inline, but either way those systems are working?. If the cable does not screw into the 90 degree adapter, something has been changed, No problem. Hopefully the Gear drive in the tranny is not stripped. I do not know if your bus came with mechanical Speedo drive, but they are not very reliable.

Ok, 35' of spedo cable 30-40 years old? Most are switched to pulse generators screwed directly into the trans (where your picture shows the 90 degree adapter, or driven off a pulse generator @ the front wheel or other) and electrically transmitted to the newer style electrical spedo. If mechanical and still useable consider yourself extreeeeeeemly lucky.

   Ok Wvo is not for everybody. Nothing is free. 

"I think it would have to be more of a lifestyle choice than a true fuel alternative, once you factor in everything new you'll have to do... as opposed to just filling up w/ diesel at your nearest Flying J."
Brian Brown     

Much easier to just pull up to the pump and fork over the money. I agree.

   I FEEL there are alot of reasons to use alternative fuels. 

"The diesel engine can be fed with vegetable oils and would help considerably in the development of agriculture of the countries which use it"
"The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time."
Rudolf Diesel 1911

"I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power!
I hope we don't have to wait till oil and coal run out before we tackle that."
- Thomas Edison (1847-1931)

I like to take the road less traveled, We all have a choice.


Good luck With yours

Bill Glenn

Hope to see you in Arcadia @ Jack & Paula's PARTY!

[Buffalo SpaceShip]

Fair enough, Bill. Rather than fill a post full of smileys and 100 year-old quotes, why not illuminate the masses on your WVO conversion?! Digital pics, diagrams, blogs, videos, real-world data... something.

If you've got the system, why be so smug?

So you're the "road less travelled." I appreciate that, Kerouac. Just share. That's what this Board is all about...

Brian "at the mercies of the oil companies" Brown

[Dallas]

Just a word of caution here:

Many topics that come up on this board seem to be emotionally charged and end up with someone feeling attacked or belittled. Let's not let that happen.

Please use this forum to share ideas and information for the good of all, and keep things civil so we don't lose any more members.

Dallas
(A happy hero moderator)

[Chaz]

Agreed. I would LOVE for this to be a good informative discussion---------and civil!

Brian,
  Bill has been using wvo for a few years now and does have some good real world info. He is also a man after my own heart and is willing to spend his time to experiment and try to make the future better for us all - ESPECIALLY the kids and grand kids and great grand kids that will be inheriting this pretty blue rock. Monitory gain is always a driving force, and but the cutting edge always has allot of "caring" in it also.  I am VERY thankful that there are others out there that are grass roots type people who care enough to invest their time and money.   I hope he finds time to share with us all. He has been a big help to me. There is also a wvo bus forum. There is allot of info there.
  By the way, just in case I read this correctly, I think you are of the impression that if I run wvo that I can't run regular diesel. (?)  At least when you mentioned that you can just pull in a filling station and fill up at your conveinence has me thinking that you think I can't. I can and will have to occassionally as I need to also run regular diesel to start and stop the engine. (I think you mentioned that you also knew this) So with wvo I just have 2 options. And it doesn't take all that much to filter and use wvo.... at least that is my impression at present. Technology is catching up, finally. And at the price of diesel fuel, my pay back per hour looks pretty good.
 
  I hope that we can discuss this here so others can have a sense of what it takes and what is out there. I also hope that it can be done in a way that people won't be hurt. It's sometimes hard to put the right emotion in the written word so it can be joking and not hurting. (I've seen this on ALL the other forums I've been apart of) So I hope we can convey our feelings correctly.
  By the way, being a "devils advocate" is a GOOD THING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Without challenge, you never get better!!!!!! I welcome that. It's for the best.
  I hope this thread can continue.
    All the best,
      Chaz

[niles500]

When the "space shuttle" rolls into your town - you will certainly find Bill spending untold hours exhibiting and explaining his system to all that ask - There may be others with as much knowledge and experience with WVO out there, But none that I have seen whom are part of this community -

[Buffalo SpaceShip]

Sorry if anyone thought what I said was un-civil. I do get a bit annoyed that someone takes what I've written, puts a bunch of smileys on it, and writes things that, IMHO, do very little to counter what I wrote. When I learn something about busses (or even learn something what not to do with busses), I'll take pictures, make webpages, or at least otherwise share my busnut wisdom in full disclosure... not just make lively dialogue. Mr. Glenn should share what he's done, share how much he spent, share what kind of climate(s) he's driven WVO in, share how much time he spends procuring alternative fuels and what's involved to make a WVO system viable. I can tell by his "handle" that he obviously has some experience with it, but may also have some "axe to grind" here on this forum.

Is that a more civil way of saying that?

Chaz, yes, I'm familiar enough with the WVO systems to know that it needs to be a dual system, you start and shut off the DD on petro diesel. After the clean WVO is heated sufficiently, and the engine warmed up sufficiently, you throw a valve (manual or elec.) to run WVO through the engine. If you use the DD heads to warm the WVO, it should keep the fuel warm in most temperate driving conditions. Where I live, and where you live, Chaz, you'll have to have a tank heater and line heaters to keep the fuel from gelling at probably  ~40deg. and under. As I mentioned before, you'll need a good supply of the proper fuel. Lubricity isn't a problem, obviously, with the veggie-based oils, but the injectors might sustain some coking if proper atomization isn't reached.

I have no doubt an MUI DD will run quite well on veggie fuels (WVO or bio)... but the temperature issues are the most concerning, followed by supply (finding enough of it), and filtration (~1 micron final).

I ran into a bunch of college kids at my local County Fair this summer. They were running WVO in an old green skoolie and driving it across the country to promote it. They even had a bevy of corporate sponsorships, so "good for them." But I soon found that I knew more about WVO and its usage than most of them onboard. Which is fine... I just desperately wanted more info than they were able to give.

I for one would love to learn more about the viability of WVO and Bio. I think this Board is a perfect place to do that. I'd be happy to help Mr. Glenn and others that do know about it more than me to help publish their findings, create Websites... whatever.

But I will be the first one that asks, "but what about this or what about that?" Or, "what happens here and there?" It's just in my nature, and I feel it protects the uninitiated from making very expen$ive choices with their coaches.

Thanks,
Brian Brown

[Homegrowndiesel]

Hey Brian

I Do NOT think You are being uncivil. I do not want to "counter" what you wrote!  Yea I have not made a bunch of web pages, And have not published alot of pictures.  I do TRY to share my experiences with OUR community.
Damn, Did I sound "SMUG" I appologise. Not my Intent.

  I am trying to share MY experiences. I do not have THE SYSTEM, There are alot of questions, My only PHD hangs in the garage (post hole digger) (sorry for the smiley faces) .  Academia, Politicians, And engineers, (sorry Kyle).
You do not want to know how much I have Spent. I have run in all types of climates,(ok Buswarrior, not all winter like you have), I have not spent enough time collecting my alternative fuel, I am still wasting hundreds of gallons a month.

I have alot of AXES to grind, we all do. I LOVE LIVELY DIALOGUE, No Problem. 


Thanks Niles
You know me, I live for this stuff.

Hey Dallas
I have thick skin. (Moderators job is never done) 

I do not feel attacked or belittled. Brian has brought up some Very Important points.

Good to see how other people see it. Especially Our family of busnuts. 

Ok Chaz

You need to bring the ICE to Arcadia.

Not wanting to be at the mercies of ANYONE. Bill

[Buffalo SpaceShip]

Thanks, Mr. Glenn. I would very much like to see your space shuttle bus sometime (it's freakin' cool) and pick your brain about WVO. Please do keep on being a pioneer in this field of "grease" and busses... and keep on sharing your experiences with others.

Now that I know where you're coming from, I'll be more civilized in my responses. 
Brian B.

[mikeH8H-649]

If any of you are ever passing through Delaware getting in touch with Bill and Roberta is a must do,Kathy and I had the pleasure of stopping there for a night (Bill and Roberta are as gracious as any two people can be),Bill took me too his shop where he is building a large wvo system that very quickly got over my understanding of it but I did learn the basics of it and it is quite an impressive setup he is building,and as a sidenote he has the only truckstop that carries rotella 40 wt oil on the shelf that I have seen,Tuley a great guy to know and learn from.  Bill we will see you tomorrow evening on our way to NY,will give you a call later today   Mike

[John E. Smith]

Back to the original topic.

What you have is a combination angle drive adapter/ translator unit.  Yours uses an angle drive; Eagles use a straight drive -- same basic thing.  See the nut that secures it to the tranny?  When you turn that nut, it will turn up the barrel toward the adapter; when it is all the way up, you can remove the drive from the lower barrel.  Be careful removing it, because there is a removeable tang inside it that is very easy to lose!  The lower barrel is actually a drive extension which can also be removed to access the speedo drive gear; I would take it out and check it to make sure it is not damaged.  If it is ok, replace it in the hole and replace the drive extension barrel -- all of your new parts will go ONTO this extension barrel.  The end of the drive gear shaft that is visible in the barrel should have a slot -- this is where the tang fits into.

When you get your replacement mechanical drive unit, here are some tips for installing it. 

• It will come with the angle drive unit/ mechanical translator (and maybe an intermediate drive extension), as well as a small bag with several different tang styles. 
  
• Sort through the tangs and select the one(s) that fit the best. 
  
• If you are going to use the intermediate drive extension, fit the tang into the bottom of it and screw it's barrel nut all the way up the extension body without "topping it out". 
  
• Place the bottom end of the intermediate drive extension on top of the drive gear extension barrel and make sure that the tang engages the slot; turn the barrel nut down so that it begins threading onto the drive gear extension barrel.
  
• Make sure that you hold the intermediate drive extension to keep it from turning -- the only thing that should turn is the barrel nut. 
  
• It will tighten down onto the extension barrel. 

The angle drive unit/ mechanical translator goes on with the same procedure, and if you are not using the intermediate drive extension barrel, just substitute "angle drive unit/ mechanical translator" for "intermediate drive extension" in the above description.  The speedo cable will fit into and screw onto the end of the new angle drive unit.

Good luck with your new speedo!