Preventive maintenance....

[Iver]

If you read "the book" as I do fairly frequently,  it is common to read "after x number of miles rebuild or replace some part or piece of the original equipment".

On an old coach with very little history it is impossible to tell what has been rebuilt/replaced before.  My coach is a '79 and I am currently doing a brake job.  Some of the brake cans had diaphragms with 1979 stamped on them.  Some looked in very good condition but I am replacing them all anyway.  I would have to guess that many parts on this coach are original but I don't know for sure.  The previous owner has passed away.

So I guess what I am asking is when does "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" come in to play???
         Thanks,  Iver.

[Gary '79 5C]

Iver,
You certainly bring up a great point. My approach is to look at the most critical systems first. As you are working on your brakes, that is one of the initial items I reviewed, tires, steering, engine cooling & lube, drive line, etc.
I had an indication my PO did great maintenance, he did not have a logbook outlining the history/mileage.

IMO it is a judgement call of how important (safety) operational (what is going to get me home) What do I wish to repair replace in a heated hanger vs along side the road. The latter may come with missed deadlines, wife's assistance sitting in coach, and much higher costs with unknown unproven mechanic. No correct answer but only your judgement and budget.

Obviously there is the cost component which limits the number and magnitude of repairs, all of which will take time. I have owned my coach for 5 years and am still R&R systems. Currently the dropbox & differential. Once done, I have that peace of mind it is done, and I document the baseline of maintenance.

Good Luck with the brakes and all to come in the future.

Gary

[bevans6]

My thinking is I hate fixing things that have broken.  That's because they rarely break when I'm not using them, or when I have a few weeks to calmly consider a course of action leading to an optimally efficient repair.  they usually brake when, in the case of the bus, I am a thousand miles from home and need to do 500 miles the next day, and result in throwing a ton of money at the problem, and then redoing the fix when i get home.  Knock on wood the bus has actually been 100% reliable on the road so far.  So I do preventative maintenance.  So far I have done some of the engine air systems, all the brakes, the front suspension, and working towards the back.

the only thing that has actually broken on my bus, that would have taken it out of service on the road, is the 85 PSI pressure limiter in the parking/emergency brake system, it started to leak one day when I was doing something else on the bus, in my driveway, and I did have two weeks to fix it!

Brian

[eddiepotts]

All I know is change the oil and make sure she can stop. I am going to make a set of dice one that has three sides that say front and three sides that say back. The other one will say tires, brakes, grease, bearings, seals, and lights. When I can afford to finish one project I will role them to see what gets fixed next. It is a nonstop battle when it comes to maintenance. I think the second most important thing is the bank account maintenance. You need $1000 in the bus account before you do anything that will make the bus move. If you don't have it keep saving before you make your first fix. Start fixing things you can afford at that point with out useing that first thousand. Where this will come in handy is two plane tickets home from where ever she gives up on you.

[Len Silva]

If I were starting over (not likely), the first things I would look at in a used bus are the "soft" parts, belts, hoses, diaphragms, air valves, air bags, bushings, etc..  These are all relatively inexpensive and easy to do.

Right up there would be a thorough, by the book, grease job.  It's incredible how many times that has been neglected and what a difference it can make.

[TomC]

Brake cans can last well over a million miles (with a good air/water separator).  Just because you install a new brake can, doesn't insure it won't fail.  Sometimes older equipment is made much better and just plainly lasts a long time.  Personally-I wouldn't change the brake cans unless they were leaking.
On my bus, the brake system is one place I haven't done anything to it, except to grease all the fittings (including the zerks in the brakes themselves-on the brake shoe pivets [unlike trucks]), adjust the brakes and visually inspect the brakes once a year. But then, I only drive about 3,000 miles a year.  When I drove, the rule of thumb was adjust and grease the brakes at every oil change-which was 12,000 miles. Now in the trucks with oil changes at 50,000 miles for the DD13 and DD15, and 60,000 miles for the DD16, greasing intervals are way up. Hence now, Ujoints are permalubed (lasting 300,000 miles), extended grease used in all chassis parts with seals redesigned for better grease retension and keeping dirt out. Good Luck, TomC