blower gear box oil

[plyonsMC9]

Hi JR,

Thanks for additional troubleshooting help.  I may actually know what I am doing some day.  HaHa!!

I will indeed try the "feel" test via belt removal. 

It didn't seem like the gearbox was dry.  I would approximate that it took about 1/4 quart to bring up the site guage to the 1/2 site level.  Unless of course, that was what it take to bring it from  empty to full      I don't know the gearbox capacity.   I can check my manual tomorrow for this.

Kind Regards, Phil

[gumpy]

I don't recall for sure, but it seems like it took more than a quart to fill from empty. If yours only took a 1/4 of a quart, you should be fine. Obviously, there's a small leak somewhere, probably shaft seals. That's why there's oil and grime all over the sight glass and under the gearbox.

Now you know how to check it. You should be opening up that compartment before starting every time, anyway, to check the water level, so keeping the blower gearbox sight glass clear will be one more thing to do.

BTW, nice photo on your initial search for the sight glass. If you hadn't been told there was a sight glass there somewhere, you'd have never known. It looked just like the head of a bolt or plug. That's how many older bus sight glasses are, and the reason many owners don't know how to check the level of the oil in the gearbox. If there are no leaks, the owner/mechanic gets out of the habit of checking (because it's uneventful). Unfortunately, when a leak develops, it's not obvious because the sight glass is crusted over with grime. Don't let yourself get into the habit of ignoring it.

Oh, and JR, Craig's not ALWAYS right, and he'll be the first one to tell you so.

[Devin & Amy]

Hi all,

I wish that we could put sound bites in here.
Mine would be of feet running out the door every time I read a post that points out another way to check on the ol' bus.
Thanks for the heads up!!!
Devin

by the way, what is the gauge that is mounted to the remote control box. Mine is pretty busted up.

[ChuckMC8]

Devin, Its  a mechanical water temp gauge. I added a mech engine oil pressure gauge beside it also. The main thing that these do is gives you a system of checking the accuracy of the dash "electrical" gauges........of course,the logic is that the mech gauge is more accurate.  HTH chuck

[Beatenbo]

90wt gear oil.      DO NOT OVER FILL IT WILL BLOW OIL TO KINGOM COME!