Broken down, Clinton, Mo. Help please!

Geom · June 26, 2015, 07:40:21 PM

Hey Rob,

That's very generous of you!
I would love any help or advice, but please don't disrupt your travel plans.

We stopped in Sparrowfoot Park (it's a corps park just south of Clinton on Truman lake).
It's actually a really pretty park, much prettier than the one we *had* intended to go to today

ridgeroadrunner · June 27, 2015, 09:42:35 AM

You didn't say what direction you were heading. But if you are heading east Larry Roemer
Heavy Equipment And Truck 554 highway 42 Osage beach Mo 65065 573348 3733. I live in the area there is Lake of the Ozarks State Park 3 miles away from his shop . He services my bus and other buses in the area. He is about 80 miles east of where you are at. There is also a KAO about 1 mile away from his business. There are several things to do in the area.

Dave5Cs · June 27, 2015, 11:49:19 AM

George might be when you put it in back start it cuts out power from the front or a bad ground on the front circuit somewhere. Might be a fuse in there also that is bad or just a connection that needs cleaning. Sound like the tack is hooked up through the front start/ run circuit so when you put it in rear start it cuts it out. Just some thoughts.
Dave

Cary and Don · June 27, 2015, 01:38:35 PM

Boy, we can't give any ideas on this one. We don't remember ever using the rear start. The main 12 volt cable goes from the batteries to the starter and then on to the generator. At least it all went back to normal. You may want to have the starter checked. It has been a long time and our memories aren't what they used to be, but it seems like that starter was replaced before it shipped to us.

We were wondering if you survived the winter. Glad to hear you have made it on the road.

Don and Cary

Geom · June 27, 2015, 05:42:25 PM

Jeff, thanks for the contact in Osage beach. That's a short enough of a hop over, that we can do that on our way to/from KC. Plus having campsites close to his shop is a huge bonus. Not sure how long it takes *to* swap a starter, but I also would want him to look at a couple of other things for me as well. That's great having a mechanic knowledgable about these babies so close!

Dave, thanks for the tips on the electrical. Yeah, I was starting to think the same thing about the tach, that it must be wired in hot on the forward start side. Which makes sense right, it would need to be on when the engine is on, probably something counting off of the flywheel. The other stuff really has me scratching my head

, lol. If I get a whole bunch of time I might trace it out and see where things start to go awry. There are a lot of wires back there, lol, gonna take some time

Cary and Don. It's good to know how the main 12 volt cable is chained. That'll help in future diagnostics for sure. I'm confused when you say "it goes on to the generator" though. In what way does it do that? To the gen battery?
We did survive the winter, quite well actually. Took A LOT of adjustment and creative engineering, but I think we managed to make a cozy little space in here, in the dead of Midwestern winter

and very few instances of things freezing. I think we're ready for another winter if need be, but next winter we're hoping to escape to warmer lands

We would like to spend a month or two in CO during the winter. That will truly be a test of how winter ready we are.
I've been meaning to send you guys an update email (actually meant to send you one on Apr 1

, but as I started to write it, I kept wanting to add more stuff then lost track of it

Will definitely finish that up here soon. It'd be good to catch up with you guys as well. I hope things are going good!

Cary and Don · June 27, 2015, 06:47:00 PM

The hot cable runs from the batteries to the starter and then to the Bus's D50 generator, not the onan. Your tach is electric. In your wiring diagrams there is information on how it is wired. It runs off the bus's generator's "R" terminal.

We did six weeks last fall. Too much has been going on lately, but we are hoping to get away again the end of August. Get fixed, and we could meet you someplace warm this winter.

Don and Cary

RJ · June 27, 2015, 08:31:26 PM

George -

Before you call in the big guns, and if you've got a few tools besides the BFH, try taking the solenoid off the starter (DISCONNECT THE BATTERIES!!) and checking that disc, as mentioned above. If, by flipping it over, it might just buy you some time. Then you can source and procure a rebuilt assembly w/o being under the gun.

Don't forget that the replacement needs to be a Left Hand starter!

FWIW & HTH. . .

TedCalvert · June 29, 2015, 05:46:03 PM

Solenoid is $50, my contacts are cooked. Tried to post pic here yesterday but dunno how. Rebuilt starter is $250-$300. Easy access on mine; not so much on yours. Seen some discussion somewhere on a board recently about replacing the old, heavy 42MT with the new lighter-weight Japanese (Nippon Denso) gear-reduction starter. Jury is still out on that, I think. As mine is easy to get to, I'll just replace the solenoid. I've done the flip-the-disk trick before somewhere, sometime in the past on something. This ones too far gone, and I'm at home. Yours, however, being where it is, might merit a total starter change while you're at it.

Remember, wear no jewelry when working on high-current stuff.

Good luck.

luvrbus · June 29, 2015, 05:50:36 PM

No body makes a gear reduction stater for the lefty engine the heavy a** 42 is the best you can do for the lefty engines.You can just flip the washer on the old style solenoids that being the one that bolts down on the housing with 4 bolts the newer styles are different fwiw

Darkspeed · June 29, 2015, 06:01:25 PM

How to rebuild a 42MT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3zX-V_Xjqo

Geom · June 29, 2015, 07:09:13 PM

Wow, great info! Thanks everyone.

While I like the thought of flipping that disc around from a cost saving perspective,
considering the PITA it will be removing that bad boy, I think I may only want to do it once

So I'll see how much a rebuilt starter will set me back, but at 2-3 bills that's not too ridiculous and I believe most of the additional money will likely be in labor?

I'm not sure if I have what is needed to pull that starter out of its little cave myself, but I can lift the bed and look under to see how bad it'll be.
Is it just removing those 3 bolts and then pulling it out and then reversing the process?
Doesn't "sound" terribly difficult, although it does sound pretty heavy, lol.

I'm still curious why rolling the bus seems to have helped with getting it started.
I figured with the trans in neutral nothing would be engaged that would've allowed the flywheel to rotate. Does that sound right or am I missing something?

luvrbus · June 29, 2015, 07:43:52 PM

Rolling the bus with a V730 Allison would have no affect on turning the engine or the starter even in gear it just was time for the starter to work.You can change the starter it is heavy almost 60 lbs.

Buy the right starter with the V730 they are sealed from the transmission oil and require a gasket fwiw