Baby's back and (almost) all's well!

[Ncbob]

Only you, Dallas..... HeHeHe!   

Bob

[Ncbob]

Talked with a friend today, for the record...he's 79 years old and has repaired more Air Brake systems than most of us have seen...and his first comment was, "It's the Quick Release Valve".  I was looking at the Inversion Valve as being the culprit...@ $123.32.
I like his diagnosis...it's upstream from the Inversion Valve and the Q/R Valve only costs $10.69!

Wouldn't I be a fool to look furthur than his suggestion?  He might not be "on the money" but it's a heckuva lot cheaper to try it his way than to go off on my own and spend money that I'm going to need down the line.  Besides the bus isn't going anywhere until the Big Shebang in Timmonsville in October!

Bob

[Clarke Echols]

Sorry Bob, I was only funnin' ya! Where I lived in Idaho, they had horses that could only walk north on the west side of the hill and south on the east side. If you tried to go the other way, you'd fall out of the saddle.

Dalllas

It's called a "side-hill horse".  If you get it on a mountain, it goes only one direction around and around, but can't go up or down or the opposite way.  It's a mutation evolved from the famous "side-hill cat" that I learned about as a young boy scout once upon a time in the days of "King Tut". :-)

CE

[DrivingMissLazy]

Is that anything like the Snipes that we used to take newbees out hunting for at night in the hills?
Richard

Sorry Bob, I was only funnin' ya! Where I lived in Idaho, they had horses that could only walk north on the west side of the hill and south on the east side. If you tried to go the other way, you'd fall out of the saddle.

Dalllas

It's called a "side-hill horse".  If you get it on a mountain, it goes only one direction around and around, but can't go up or down or the opposite way.  It's a mutation evolved from the famous "side-hill cat" that I learned about as a young boy scout once upon a time in the days of "King Tut". :-)

CE

[Clarke Echols]

Is that anything like the Snipes that we used to take newbees out hunting for at night in the hills?
Richard

The big thing with snipe hunting (and side-hill cat hunting) was that there's no such thing.  Not true.
Snipes are small birds, and very real.  But the activity still catches a lot of unsuspecting night-time seekers of obscure wildlife. :-)

Clarke (getting closer to that "Jr. Member" status...) Echols

[DrivingMissLazy]

Snipes may be very real, but I took a lot of youngen's out in the hills at night and never caught even one. LOL
Richard

Getting closer

Is that anything like the Snipes that we used to take newbees out hunting for at night in the hills?
Richard

The big thing with snipe hunting (and side-hill cat hunting) was that there's no such thing.  Not true.
Snipes are small birds, and very real.  But the activity still catches a lot of unsuspecting night-time seekers of obscure wildlife. :-)

Clarke (getting closer to that "Jr. Member" status...) Echols

[Ncbob]

OK, guys, if you've run the gammut of the jokes...do you mind if we get back on topic?  I've got a problems here and I need to get the bus in out of the weather.

Had a long conversation with Chuck Lott this morning and he's led me to the point where I'm going to try something this evening (when it's a bit cooler).

We both believe that the mechanical link in the DD-3 Actuators might well be gummed up to the point where the application of the Service Brakes might not be 'upsetting' the mechanical lock of the Parking Brake.  I'm going to have a friend, who I trust, sit in the drivers' seat.  I'm going to block the wheels and the jack pads, and with full pressure on the system ask him to "floor" the brake treadle while I'm under the bus with a small hammer.  While he's holding full pressure on the actuators I'm going to tap each actuator lightly and see if I can upset the mechanical lock and release the Parking Brakes.

If tomorrow this post becomes longer and skinnier, if at all, you'll know something went wrong!

Bob

[Ncbob]

VOILA!!!!!   They're free!!!!!

Thanks to my conversation with Chuck Lott this morning I assumed that the conclusion we arrived at was the problem.

I went down to the bus and chocked the wheels, in anticipation that I'd have to crawl under and do something constructive. But...
I started the engine and waited until I had max air pressure.  Holding the fuel pedal at 1500 RPM's I jumped on the treadle like a trampoline about 10-12 times...waited for the presure to come back to 125 and did it again.

VOILA!  I slid her in gear and she moved!  I allowed her to rest against the chock and waited for m'friend to follow me over to the Bus Barn where I casually wiped my brow (as thought these things were an everyday occurance) and nonchalantly asked him if he'd like to join me for an adult libation.

Thanks Chuck!  You're every Bus owners dream of a consultant!

Bob