New bus owner

[Somedaydone]

Hello all, new bus owner here.  I've been a lurker and a dreamer for quite a while and then it popped up on Craigslist.  1977 MCI MC-8.  120k original miles.   Custom Coach conversion since new.  Family went for maiden voyage memorial weekend and had a great time.  Lots of looks, conversation, and thumbs up along the way and at the camp ground. 
Need to work on a few items;

Rear house A/C ran great for two days and them gave up on Sunday.  Hopefully blew a start    capacitor for compressor?   Hopefully.

Air actuated black tank dump valve leaks.

Jake brake inop.  8V71 NA.  Loves flat land.

Kids don't put anything away...

And thoughts on that jake?   Is there common MC-8 issues I should be aware of?

[richard5933]

Welcome! Glad to see another Custom Coach lives on. We're on our second CC and love it.

The air actuated dump valve leaks? What does it leak? Air or waste water? If it's air, just cap the line and operate it manually. You have to be near the tank to hook up anyway, so it's not a great loss. If it's leaking waste water, here's a thread about how I 'fixed' ours: https://www.busconversionmagazine.com/forum/index.php?topic=32952.0

Ours was seeping a few drops a day - not horrible but I didn't want it leaking out. I just added another modern valve downstream from the cast bronze valve. Last month I needed to pull the entire flange off the tank to install a new gasket. I didn't think it would work since the flange is screwed directly to the plastic tank, but I cut a 1/8" silicone gasket, installed it with a thin coating of RTV on both sides, and it's holding tight. Should be good to go for another 45 years. I thought about removing the cast bronze valve when I did the gasket repair, but I kind of like having the double valve setup.

Jakes? There are lots of reasons they would be non-functional, ranging from a blown fuse or a disconnected wire all the way to failed components under the valve covers or need of a seal kit in the Jakes. There are manuals online with trouble shooting guides for the Jakes. First step would be to be sure that you have voltage at the dash switch, and then follow it back to the engine to be sure you get voltage there when the Jakes are on. There is another thread on that right now: https://www.busconversionmagazine.com/forum/index.php?topic=34051.0

Have fun with the great bus and be sure to post lots of pictures. I'd love to see the interior of your bus to compare to ours. https://www.busconversionmagazine.com/forum/index.php?topic=32450.0

[GnarlyBus]

Welcome! When I got my bus I was told there were jakes but the dash switch did nothing. I had heard that people often remove them to help offset the cost of their rebuild. I fig'd that's what had happened. Then I noticed I had the tall valve covers that jakes need and found the Jakes on there when I removed to covers.

For me it was a process starting at the front switch and working my way back to the engine. In the end, the switch was bad, one solenoid was bad and the wiring needed replaced.

If you don't know how long it's been since the jakes worked I'd make sure to inspect them closely and consider checking the valve clearances when you get to that point.

I have a thread on where somewhere about my Jake brake journey.