what have I found

[Bob Gil]

what have I found in the engine compartment of my buss?

Kinda burn't Do I need to replace it or just do away with it?

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Bob,

I'll take a stab at it!

It's a grease and rust descaler because it looks like steel wool on a brick....

Nick-

[Dallas]

Bob,

It's the rear control panel for your bus.

The two switches are to select between front start and rear start and engine shutdown. The button is the starter button for the rear.

It also has the engine stop relay and some other stuff in it.

You should keep it.

Dallas

[buswarrior]

Yup, I'll throw my hat in with Dallas, sure does look like the rear controls.

You may decide whether you want the redundancy of rear controls or not, it is easier to work in the engine room without having to go up front to turn it on and off, or get an assistant to help.

You'll need to confirm how many of those relays are only for the rear controls, or are necessary for full operation.

Digital pictures make this game oh so much easier!!!

Thanks Bob!

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[Stan]

The large item with the fins is a voltage regulator for an alternator.

[Bob Gil]

Ok I should keep it.  But then I have to figure out what was there and how it should be wired.  

I assume the switch is to change from front to rear controls?

Then the two buttons?
   1. For starter
   2. For kill
   3. solenoid that both starter buttons would control
   4. would there be two relays one for each starter button?
   5. what is the big think with the fins on it? (Alternator) 
If I go with the Leece Niville with internal regulator I guess I can do away with it?


Then there is the termail block that I think had the lights going to it I am not sure.

Am I on the right track?  Or am I thinking wrong?

I know there a ton of other wires for the sensors on the engine but i don't think they were in this area.  I will have to find them as I dig deeper.

[buswarrior]

If it is the rear controls, the toggle switch will have three positions, with off in the middle, front run up, rear run down.

The two push buttons will be momentary contact, one to activate the starter, one to activate the emergency stop solenoid connected to the flap on the intake immediately ahead of the blower, if so equipped.

Of course, all bets are off if someone has been making modifications, or that this was intended to function differently than we suspect.

Might be better to read up on some GM/Detroit Diesel wiring diagrams and just start fresh, wiring it the way you would like, never mind how it was, and scavenge what you can from the left overs.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[Bob Gil]

I guess I better find some GM/Detroit Diesel wiring diagrams to read up on and just start fresh.

I just need to figure out what was there to see if I need to replace what and go from there.  not much in the line of left overs, it was all burn't up pretty good.

About all there is to salvage is the metal panel it is all mounted in and I am thinking I might want to redo that so it will not be so easy for some one else to get in to.  Put it in a metal box with a cheap lock if nothing else.  I think I have an old money box that I can use.

[makemineatwostroke]

Bob, you can make the rewiring of your bus fairly easy or as difficult as you choose do it 1 wire at at a time don't cut a bundle of wires without knowing what they are for chase your wiring back to where it is not burned and replace with the same color even to your burned sensors tag them and use a good crimp tool not one of the cheap from auto parts or WM and life will be easier

[Bob Gil]

Wish I had a bundle of wires to cut.  Akk of mine have been burn't into and all I have is ends comeing from every where.  When I trace the bare wire to where there is insulation on it it is all melted together into one piece. 

This is going to be a chore.  I guess I will have to cut ut back to where the wires are not melted together and up a terminal block in and run new wires from there.  Putting power on each wire from the dash and then going back to the back and find it and conect it to the proper thing that i have the wire fro in the dash.

Sound like a long process, lots of trips to the front of the buss and back.  Then I need to figure out the wires on the sending units if i can locate them all.

Lots of fun!!!NOT

[TomC]

Bob-since your bus does not have electronics, it might be quicker to just completely rewire the bus (the bus part of running lights and engine controls) then to try to figure out what was done before.  I have found that many times the original bus wiring can be unnecessarily complicated for what you need for safe operation of the bus.  I personally just left the original wiring since everything worked, and still works to this day.  Rewiring with quality wiring that is a bit oversized will give you both peace of mind and knowing the wiring inside and out.  You can speed the process with circut tester and with another person switching the switches up and down to find each circuit.  Yes it will some time, but not as much as I think you're anticipating it to take. I bet a few days or a couple of weeks is all that will be needed.  Good Luck, TomC

[Bob Gil]

You are right if they had not converted the dash gauges to all digital.

Finding the turn signals, brake and clearnce were not too bad I was able to turn them on and go find the hot wires but the gauges I guess I will have to disconect them each one and trace and replace until I get them all in the correct place.

[luvrbus]

bob I helped a friend rewire his Eagle that had burned wiring and we found out a 12 volt battery and a test light was the best tool we had by hooking a clip for the ground to the bus and clipping the hot to a wire and finding it on the other end with the test light on the dash good luck on this but it is not that hard once you develop a system and the price of copper wire is out of sight now    forgot to mention you need a inline fuse on the test lead in case you have a grounded wire it will blow the fuse

[Len Silva]

bob I helped a friend rewire his Eagle that had burned wiring and we found out a 12 volt battery and a test light was the best tool we had by hooking a clip for the ground to the bus and clipping the hot to a wire and finding it on the other end with the test light on the dash good luck on this but it is not that hard once you develop a system and the price of copper wire is out of sight now    forgot to mention you need a inline fuse on the test lead in case you have a grounded wire it will blow the fuse

Good idea but I prefer a sounding device (buzzer or "Sonarlert) to a light.

[luvrbus]

never thought about a buzzer Len we used what we had and most of the time it would just make something on the dash work anyway