bad engine run relay and bad advice

Tedsoldbus · April 10, 2021, 05:34:55 PM

Hi guys,
Took off last week in the shorty Prevost for first "real" trip, to the colony of New Jersey to see Rita's family. It would also be Rita's first time behind the wheel of the bus we got last November. She took over on I-81 north somewhere in the Shenandoah valley. Two hours into it, she is just getting comfy with it, and at 68 miles an hour, the engine shut OFF. And I mean like someone took out the engine... We coasted to the shoulder. I check everything. not overheated, all fluid good.. Start it back up. All gauges in the green. I drive now. 2 hours later, shuts off again, this time with a concrete wall on the shoulder. Semi trucks trying not to kiss mirrors with us. Not fun. 5 minutes later start it again. limp to a KOA. I'm thinking junk fuel, but others said it would not start again or run if that was it. Had to be electrical. Bad night sleep in the KOA. Call Prevost in the morning for places to go and advice. Prevost has me send a picture of the front panel. Tells me how to bypass the engine run relay so I can get up the road. I start north again, gauges all die except air pressure. I shut the bus off, wait 5 minutes, restart, all gauges work for about 10 minutes and all readings in the green, so I head for a repair place. Engine shuts off AGAIN! Being a Marine with sometimes little common sense, I opened the engine box and two screws later, I disabled the "engine shutter offer" (engine protection device). drove 3 hours east to a shop south of Richmond since all the places Prevost told me to call said "Sorry, you are too old for us to know what to do with you". Chuck at Commonwealth Luxury Coach (knows Prevost old and new) took 2 minutes to tell me they had me bypass the dash light and tail light relay instead of the engine run relay. He had ONE old style relay left on the shelf, replaced the bad relay which was working....from time to time, and had me back on the road in half an hour. That relay, when it would short, would say "NO OIL, ENGINE MELTING, Danger Will Robinson", and shut me down.
Lessons learned: Test with your own multi meter what Prevost tells you to do. Bring extra new things for your old bus ( I have hoses, belts, filters, straight 40 weight, fuses...but no relays) and hope you brought the right thing. Have a loving wife who grew up as a kid doing trips in her dads old 4106, and understands junky old buses break now and then.
So on your next trip, when the A/C is weak, your hot water heater craps out, or you can't figure out why your blinker keeps burning up every now and then..... be happy! Things can be a lot more exciting than that when your relay decides to be like HAL on 2001 space odyssey and just shut you down and 68 miles and hour, or perhaps as you cross 4 sets of train tracks, when there is really nothing wrong with your engine.
All part of the adventure, but I will be doing all the driving going home from Jersey on Monday. Might be a while before Rita is ready to trust.....HAL again......
Safe travels everyone,
Ted

plyonsMC9 · April 10, 2021, 10:13:34 PM

Ted,
Yikes! Many of us know what that feels like to be shut down on the freeway, not fun! Excellent that Chuck had the part. Thanks for sharing the experience and lessons learned.

Kind regards, Phil

richard5933 · April 11, 2021, 03:34:06 AM

Definitely a scary moment. Not limited to Prevost's complicated system - same thing happened to me with my GM's engine protection shutdown system. Never was able to find the problem, so I installed a toggle switch to disable it when it decides to act up.

Tedsoldbus · April 11, 2021, 04:08:20 AM

That is a good idea. And maybe I need to snap out of being stupid and running the freeway all the time. I'm retired!! Things are going to break. Hopefully that is the last problem I have with that issue. The problem relay lasted 40 years. This one should cover my.....needs. And a good thing out of this nightmare is that I ramped that I need to learn the panel. Quit waxing it and putting new shades in and learn what can make it die! Have spare parts.

Sebulba · April 12, 2021, 09:30:50 PM

You say "Older", but what year is it?

Thanks

Seb

Tedsoldbus · April 13, 2021, 06:37:24 PM

It is a 1980. I think they only made them that year and everyone instantly wanted bigger. The 40 footers took over, now 45 feet. Then they went wider, and taller!! How many slides can they add without the frame collapsing! They'd go 55 long if California would let them on the highway!
We love the size of this thing and it didn't cost much, but getting parts along the way proves challenging. Coming home I had a small trani leak. Stopped at another "knows Prevost" shop near Chattanooga, and of course the hunt for a filter like mine will be a few days. They tightened it up, and added two quarts. but think that will not be the right fix. It got me home. No more leak for the moment. Not a good maiden voyage, Engine shuts off 3 times going north. Trani bleeding coming home. Wife not happy. And we all know that is baaaad.
Next trip (after back to Chat for the new filter) is Fla in June with the spoiled nieces to Disneyworld. Tune in then to see if we lost a wheel or just burst into flames....
Ted

buswarrior · April 14, 2021, 06:49:04 AM

You better run some maintenance trips before then...

If the Admiral is unhappy, your bus dream is in peril, Florida has to be seamless...

Get the bus out and overnight at the local rest area or truck stop, run it and keep working on the preventive maintenance, let it show you where to apply your efforts.

The only way to get it reliable is to use it.

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

windtrader · April 14, 2021, 11:55:26 AM

BIG ditto on what BW says. It is far better to find a problem an hour away than a hundred miles away. There are some nice campgrounds nearby that serve as destinations for trial runs. It really can't be overstated that a bus really does better when it gets charged and aired up fairly often, even short a short drive helps more than sitting for months.

I can not count already how many times something was working fine then after some longer than recommended down time, new problems creep up. Some go away but some remain and it is surely related to sitting too long, seals drying up, or some other worn part stiffening up or getting a small crack, etc.

luvrbus · April 14, 2021, 05:24:22 PM

Quote from: Tedsoldbus on April 13, 2021, 06:37:24 PM
It is a 1980. I think they only made them that year and everyone instantly wanted bigger. The 40 footers took over, now 45 feet. Then they went wider, and taller!! How many slides can they add without the frame collapsing! They'd go 55 long if California would let them on the highway!
We love the size of this thing and it didn't cost much, but getting parts along the way proves challenging. Coming home I had a small trani leak. Stopped at another "knows Prevost" shop near Chattanooga, and of course the hunt for a filter like mine will be a few days. They tightened it up, and added two quarts. but think that will not be the right fix. It got me home. No more leak for the moment. Not a good maiden voyage, Engine shuts off 3 times going north. Trani bleeding coming home. Wife not happy. And we all know that is baaaad.
Next trip (after back to Chat for the new filter) is Fla in June with the spoiled nieces to Disneyworld. Tune in then to see if we lost a wheel or just burst into flames....
Ted

They made the 35 Prevost up to 83 or 84 I believe

Dave5Cs · April 14, 2021, 06:23:16 PM

And Some should even check connections on their roofs from time to time, Just saying.

windtrader · April 14, 2021, 08:11:04 PM

OMG you dog! Never knew u was a pooch kicker!

Dave5Cs · April 14, 2021, 09:19:31 PM

Tedsoldbus · April 15, 2021, 05:21:02 PM

Good advice and I appreciate it. I got the bus in November. Start it every two weeks, Run it every other time I start it to Blue Ridge or another 30 minutes away place. This was the first "big" ride, and first time Rita drove it. We had a 38 foot Allegro when I retied the military in 2005 and fulltimed for a year coast to coast and Alaska. We are not naïve. Lots of things went inop along the way, but not full engine shut down 3 times in one day. She is still on board with more trips and likes the bus. Just won't trust it for a bit... Maybe just to NAS Pensacola or places 2 or 3 hours away. I know vehicles all have gremlins. This bus is 40 years old. I just need to learn more about it. Biggest realization is you can't just stop at NAPA and get a part. Belly bay is big enough I better take more parts! My father in law drove their 4106 for 30 years. He is 90 this week. Cool guy. Reminded us our bus still brought us home on this trip. He got towed about 8 times. Stranded several times. "Comes with the country". Again thanks for the responses. I know it happens to EVERYONE. Best regards,
Ted