Options, Advice, Decisions Part 5 - Owning, operating, and maintaining

[windtrader]

Decided to log my journey post purchase. I'm sure there will be a few juicy tidbits of learning along the way.
Continuing on from here: http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=31602.msg355079#msg355079

Recap on my new bus

1976 MCI MC8 Bus Conversion
Listed at $25,000, paid much less (Facebook -MCI Bus for sale group)

Coach has total 40k miles post conversion (1995)

Detroit Diesel motor: Remanufactured 8V71N with 4,000 miles. Motor dynoed and had 100k warranty, N65 injectors, A timing. Rebuilder:  American Fleet inc, Springfield MI
Jake brakes: high/low
Extra radiator fans
Transmission: Allison HT-740

Interior:
Flexsteel leather driving seats: passenger swivels
Flexsteel couch pulls out to bed
Full custom hickory cabinetry with custom hardware
Dining table extends with leaf, 2 chairs
Dish satellite dish receiver
Alpine Stereo

Norcold Elec/Gas Fridge with Freezer
Microwave oven
Four burner gas stove and oven
Full size, dual tub stainless steel sink
Roof A/C in front and rear with heat
Fan-tastic ceiling fan
Washer/dryer
Full closets: pantry, utility, clothes, storage
Bathroom: full sized vanity and shower
Door opens across hallway for master suite privacy
Queen bed - full open storage underneath
Set of closets in master bedroom
Blinds for all windows
Completely furnished with dishes, pots, pans, utensils, linens, vacuum, etc.

Exterior:
Tank sizes: Fresh 150g, gray 75g, black 75g
Webasto heating system with four zones
Water heater 11 gallon - electric, heat exchanger connected to motor and Webasto
Bays heated and lighted
BF Goodrich ST230 tires - 95% tread, zero weather checking, DOT 2010
Minor rust underneath, zero corrosion
Recent service - Fluid changes

Shore power 220v 50 amp
Generac 8KW - 3 Cylinder Diesel with 519 hours
4D Oreilly Super Start house 2 years old
8D Interstate batteries start 2 years old
Vanner 3600 watt inverter/charger system

Towing - Blue Ox tow bar and tow car braking system

Huge bonus - coach is fully equipped with everything needed to get on the road. Everything from forks to bug spray to towels and sheets, everything.

Drove bus home from Denver to Rio Vista, only issue I had was leaking fluid from transmission filter housing. Tightening it stopped the leaking. Other than that 1335 miles in 4 days, looks like about 6 mpg. Got slowed down on the big grades but it was fine, Jakes kept speed in check on the downhills.

Bus got home end of June 2017. Over the next couple months it stayed near Rio Vista in boondock mode as it went through "sea trials" checking it all out and learning about it.

Two and a half months later the bus just finished its first maiden voyage and all went very well. Getting prepared involved a number of tasks, listed in no particular order.

First, the batteries were only a couple years old but the bus lost its shore power somewhere along the way and the batteries just could not be revived. The start battery would not hold a charge so the big ones were replaced with Group 31 and they seem fine for now. A lot lighter and a lot cheaper. 

The house batteries also could not take and hold a full charge. So a lot of research led me to using deep cycle golf batteries for the house battery bank: 4 x 6v Interstate 210Ah, for a 24v 210Ah bank.

The generator battery needed a charge and it seems fine for now.

The transmission filter was leaking so a conversion to spin on was attempted but the hoses would not budge. So the adapter sits in the bay while a new filter was carefully installed so no leaking. Worry about it next time around.

Since the reman motor was put in less than 4000 miles ago, it is virtually just breaking in. Motor oil and transmission fluid were replaced and look fine. Coolant was new so nothing to do there.

Fixed leaking toilet.

The bus was rarely boondocked so there is virtually no meters showing electrical state. Currently adding voltage meters and current draw and usage logging. Will be very useful to understand actual consumption for battery bank and solar system sizing.

Compound and polish the oxidized exterior paint. Nearly done. Wax then onto polishing stainless steel siding.

[chessie4905]

On my coach if power is momentarily interrupted, it will shut off and not come back on when power is restored, even if it is for a couple of seconds. If I don't notice it for several days, the batteries will drain completely, not good. Our 4104 had a 10 amp manual charger that was always connected, but controlled by a switch up front. You couldn't leave it on all the time as it wasn't automatic, but when off, would provide a drain to batteries. Took some time to find this out.

[Oonrahnjay]

On my coach if power is momentarily interrupted, it will shut off and not come back on when power is restored, even if it is for a couple of seconds. If I don't notice it for several days, the batteries will drain completely, not good. ...

        Interesting.  On my bus, if everything is charged and the power is interrupted, the inverter will go on in "standby mode" if there are no 120V loads (if there are, it will supply 120V but usually there are none unless I'm actively using water heater, coffee maker, The Management is using the hair dryer, etc.).  The house batteries will supply 12V to the fridge full time etc.  It all runs fine until the batteries run down to low State of Charge (I forget exactly what voltage), then the inverter shuts down.  The fridge and other loads will completely exhaust the batteries.
        I found this out when the bright spark who did maintenance at a storage yard unplugged my bus once to "move it soes I kin cut the grass".  He walks to the door, it's locked.  He goes to the office "yuh got a key fer that bus?"  His manager tell him, no, and leave that bus alone.  So he mows the grass around my bus and leaves it -- unplugged*.  I get back a week or so later and all the house systems are DEAD.
        I plugged the shore cord back in and -- nothing.  I have an outlet that's powered off shore cord directly so it's hot even if the inverter is off, etc. so I plugged in a small battery charger on the house batts and "wrooom", the inverter comes alive and goes into full charge mode.  The fridge and all 12v lights worked fine and microwave etc. were fine on shore power.  So, from that I learned that if the inverter does not see battery voltage when the shore cord is plugged in (or when power comes back after an outage like during a storm). it will not go into "charge" mode unless you jump power to the batteries or hook up a charger.  But if the power is disconnected momentarily -- or even for a longer term, as long as the batteries are not really run down, it will come back to charge mode and restore full "pass through" capability when either the shore power is plugged in or the generator is started.
     It's interesting to see how different systems handle disconnections and restarts differently.  I guess ya gotta know exactly how your own bus works and what you have to do in different circumstances.

(* Final note on this.  Mr. "Sharpest knife in the drawer" knew enough that he'd need to turn on the start battery isolation switch to move my bus, so he left that on, too.  I was in the middle of doing electrical mod projects and the starts were old and marginal anyway, so I hadn't bought new ones so it was no big loss that he killed them.  But the house batteries were a pair of 8Ds that were only a year and a half old.  The manager told me "yeah, it's our responsibility so we'll work with you and make it right ..." -- I've since learned that you need to translate that to "I'm going to put you off, not make any legally binding promises, and do everything I can to avoid actually making right the damage we've done ..."  Anyway, turns out that he was dipping into the rental income so pretty soon after, the owner is there with security guards, letters of "new management", etc. and the manager was gone.  And Mr. Genius was picked up for old drug warrants ... with a couple of baggies of heroin in his back pocket, so he's "enjoying retirement at the expense of the state" now.  Guess how much compensation I ever got for a couple of ruined sets of batteries???)