1st ride in 2 years the long story

[johns4104]

Well I always enjoy reading other peoples adventures and stories so here it goes.
It was about 8 am yesterday when I set out for fuel and 2 hot batteries.
I arrived back home went to the shop and installed the batteries.
Then I hit the starter to see if she would crank and she fired right up after sitting 2 years!
Man was I excited!
Then after no less than 30 seconds it died. No surprise after all I removed cleaned and replaced the tank and it was still empty.
So I pour 16 gallons of fresh fuel into the tank and using my new sand blasting gun I hook up compressed air to vacuum draw the fuel up to the filters.
I hit the starter and it fires again for maybe 30 seconds and dies.
Whats the deal, oh yea maybe the fuel is not up to the pick-up in the tank.
So it is off the the fillin station for another 16 gallons of fuel.
I get back to the shop and pour in the 16 gallons of fuel and hit the starter and it only cranks, whats up with that.
Then I member the skinner valve thing so with the engine run switch on, I loosen the air line to the cylinder at the head.
And sure enough the air comes rushing out.
So than I trace down the problem and get power to the solenoid.
I hit the starter and she fires up and lopes and lopes just like a good 671 Detroit Diesel should! YES!
Then I go to put it in reverse and it is not going in reverse to back this thing out of my shop.
So I discover that I have a bad relay for the reverse solenoid.
No problem I just happen to have an extra one already screwed to the rear electrical panel.
So I wire it up.
I fire the detriot up and try again, but no reverse.
I go back and manually put juice to the reverse solenoid with a jumper wire and it works.
So I go back to the front and put the shifter in 1st gear and when I go back to look at the shift linkage nothing moved.
So I try to shift it to 2nd gear and again I don't see that anything moved.
I can't figure this thing out!
But now upon further investigation, some thing did move.
It was the 3/4 linkage.
It turns out that when I rebuilt the shifter bellcrank on the rear bulkhead that I got the 1/2 and the 3/4 shift linkage switched.
And at the time I could not verify it because I also had the shifter out.
So I rather than taking the rear seat out and the cover I decided to crawl under and work in the grease.
Well in order to remove the 2 linkages the clutch linkage had to removed first, OF COURSE!
Ok I get it all back together and fire up the old girl and back the bus out of the shop.
By this time it is 8 o'clock we are ready to get Ice Cream after I shower.
I shower and off we go. We get a Few miles from home and my engine hot light comes on.
Well it certianly can't be hot already, it is probably just my wiring or a sender.
We get to the fillin station to get some more diesel and there is bright green coolant all over.
OH  MY WHAT HAVE I DONE!
I lift the rear lid and everything looks ok and does not smell hot, That you Lord! I say to myself.
The coolant seems to be coming from the front of the coach, what's this I say to myself.
I have the two valves closed in the back and this coolant is running out in the front.
May be they are not all the way closed, I check ,and they are.
It turns out that the coolant is coming out of the line that runs up to the defrost core that I currently have out of the coach.
So I call a friend and he gives me a ride to my house.
I release the parking brake and let the bus roll into the Bashas parking lot.
Thats where my wife can get Ice cream for the boys.
I pick up some tools a hose and a couple of hose clamps and put it in place of the defroster/heater core.
I add 4 gallons of coolant and off we go.
We go for a ride back home and now it is 11:30 .
What a day !!!!



John

[JohnEd]

John,

Now thats more like it.

John

[BUR]

John
  I would say it was a very good day. As I was reading statement I could feel your disappointment, your joy and the pride. Have a good day and many more in your great looking bus.  BUR

[Dreamscape]

Are we having fun yet? Great story with a happy ending!

~Paul~

[busshawg]

Thanks for sharing, and thanks for re ensuring my faith in this whole thing LOL, some days it just seems that things work agaist us. I think you had a pretty good day considering all the work you have done, and you made it for ice cream and , my goodness you made it home too!! Looks good by the way!

[niles500]

So how was the ice cream? You certainly earned it :-))