MC5 B - again...

[Fredward]

Art,
Of all the things you are going to be spending money on, I'd say the power steering could be a few steps down on the priority list. I've driven my MC-5a with OE Power Steering thousands of miles. You have to stay on it all the time, but its not the worst. Its got plenty of power for maneuvering in tight places when not moving. Aside from that the issue is there is kind of a lag between when you turn the wheel and when the oil gets supplied to the correct side of the assist ram.

I'd sure drive it awhile before tearing into that project. I think you'll have more pressing issues and their related costs.
Fred

[Ed Hackenbruch]

I agree with Fred.   The first couple of hundred miles that i drove my 5A i thought that changing the steering was going to be one of my first projects. Then after i realized that all i had to do was focus farther down the road and use a lighter touch on the wheel, the next 900 miles home was much easier.  That was in late 2003 and about 35,000 miles ago. Never have done anything to the steering and don't even notice it now.

[Kevinmc5]

Can't wait to read how it all comes out. Sounds like a fun adventure. All so nice to see another mc5 hit the road again. Good luck art and keep writing and learning. So I can learn.

   Kevin

[artvonne]

  I was really just asking questions about the steering, thinking out loud. If it steers okay I sure wouldnt go ripping it apart. Not yet anyway, like y'all say, I have enough on my plate. Actually, y'all have no clue how much I have on my plate right now.

  Gosh, up to now I really just sat on the fence looking at Buses. Now that im buying one, and planning how to get it home and all, its getting exciting. I know I have some issues to deal with, and sure there will be things unknown, but the feeling is really strange. For the first time ive started saying mine, my Bus, our Bus, that is really a strange feeling.

  Heres another question. Many of you have wives that drive the Bus, what about your kids? Any young Bus drivers out there??

[thomasinnv]

If your wife will learn how to drive the bus, you'll be better for it.  She may never have to, but better to know how then be stuck somewhere if something happens to you.  My wife refuses to even learn how to start the thing, much less drive it.  A few weeks back there was a wild land fire and I was 400 miles away.  The wife and kiddo's were in the bus (it's our full time home) and they were being evacuated cause of the fire but she don't know how to drive the bus, so if it burned up we would be in a shelter right now. 

[artvonne]

The wife and kiddo's were in the bus (it's our full time home) and they were being evacuated cause of the fire but she don't know how to drive the bus, so if it burned up we would be in a shelter right now. 

  Thank you. I dont think I could get across the importance of her being able to drive it any better than showing her a real scenario like that. But I am also looking at our daughter. At 14 she can get her permit and drive anything on a Class C that I can. It depends on who you ask, and obviously the training, as to how much sense that makes. The crazy thing is that she asked if she could, and really got excited that its possible. She see's girls driving big rigs and thinks that would be fun. What have I raised?

[RJ]

Paul -

She see's girls driving big rigs and thinks that would be fun. What have I raised?

Just a little FYI - Of the 250+ drivers I trained during my bus industry career, the BEST drivers were women!

EVERY busnut should have a "backup driver" in case of emergency, so, for most of us, that means Mama.  Most women are initially intimidated by the size, but usually with 10-15 hrs of behind-th-wheel time, the intimidation factor vanishes.

So, Paul - keep encouraging your daughter!

FWIW & HTH. . .

[artvonne]

Paul -

Just a little FYI - Of the 250+ drivers I trained during my bus industry career, the BEST drivers were women!

So, Paul - keep encouraging your daughter!

  Ive read the same thing about Helicopters, women seem to learn it faster and make smoother pilots.

  I do encourage her, and feel strongly that offering trust and encouragement makes people trustworthy and confident. Maybe after she has a permit we'll go find some giant parking lot on an off day and let her try cranking it around a bit.

[trucktramp]

I have to agree with women being better drivers.  They don't act like they have any thing to prove.  Women just do the job.  Men on the other hand, seem to be a bit more competitive or just like to try and show off.

[artvonne]

I have to agree with women being better drivers.  They don't act like they have any thing to prove.  Women just do the job.  Men on the other hand, seem to be a bit more competitive or just like to try and show off.

  I wouldnt go too far with accolades. You get around the major metro areas and many younger women have become very aggressive drivers, with many more being cited for road rage, etc.. Ive only been rear ended once, and it was a women in a hurry. She was seen weaving through traffic for over 10 miles before she slammed into me. And had the gall to say she wouldnt have hit me, if I would have changed lanes when I saw her coming. I thought the women police officer standing there was going to cuff her when she said that, lol.

  So while they can be better drivers, its not a rule writen in stone, and they dont often know when to keep their mouth shut any better than a guy, lol.

 

[thejumpsuitman]

Much of driving is a matter of patience, discipline and paying attention.   I don't think any of those traits favor one gender over another.  There are as many absent minded young women driving around talking on cell phones as there are absent minded young men racing around or blasting their thumping stereos.

I think it comes out in the wash.  The tipping point of the scale might be the stupidity of youth.  I would say it's a safe bet that young men take more foolish risks driving than young women, but that doesn't make them inherently poor drivers, it just shows poor judgement.

Ironically, between my wife and I, it is my wife who gets fired up and angry at other drivers much more than me.  I give her a hard time about "road raging".  In doing so, she makes me nervous.  For example, if someone cuts her off, she will run right up to their bumper and start yelling, or throwing up her arms in disgust.  I, however, always expect people to be stupid, and give them a wide berth to do so.  She expects them to follow the rules of the road and is always outraged when they don't.

But if you want to talk about inherent abilities, I remember in college the professor saying that studies show that men are proven to be better at judging distance than women as a matter of fact. FWIW

[artvonne]

  Im sorry your wife has so much frustration driving, but its probably as much where you live as anything. After almost two years, I havnt been given the finger once since coming down here. You can extrapolate that out to everything else too. A lot of the things I had to put up with the last 30 years, some of which were simply people trying to incite an argument, or downright dangerous and deadly driving moves, are becoming a distant memory. I dont have any of the buildup of aggression that I used to have from driving somewhere anymore.

  I also time myself so that when I travel through major cities, I dont hit rush hour or lunch. I'll either push on through and get past it before it happens, stop a while and come through after, or bypass them entirely. 2-4 am is always a good time to sail through. I guess I just dont want to deal with peoples BS anymore. They can have their darn city.

  As far as depth perception, I would think thats primarily learned. Boys are out hunting and playing and doing things outdoors from and early age that girls just arent out doing. And many of those things we did as boys involve the discussion of distance. Boys learn young what standard measures are and how to judge them.

 

   

 

[artvonne]

  Okay, im trying to work things out in my head and I cant sleep. I keep doing searches online to no avail. Im wondering is anyone can walk me around this bus and point out some things so I know what im looking at. Ive been trying to find a manual but no luck as yet. Most of it I can figure out by looking at things and playing with them, but some I just have no clue.

  At the very back, above the engine about in the center, there is a small valve that turns 90 degrees that controls air to something. There is another one back by the alternator you see from the left side. What do they control??

   There is another gizmo at the back, lets say just right of the blower belt. It has lines going forward to a large, what to me looks like a filter canister by the front of the right head (right side of Bus). This thing has a sight glass about an inch around, looks sorta like an air pressure regulator with a T handle on top. I can unscrew the T handle, but dont have a clue what it is or what it does. I didnt unscrew it all the way, but thought it was the fuel priming pump. Someone told me no, it was for power steering. If thats not the priming pump, where is the priming pump. If I use a garden sprayer to prime, where would I pump fuel in at?

  I put air into the air tank in the front bay, Bus aired up, brake pedal seemed to work the brakes, parking brake valve was working. But, the air gauge never rose above 20 psi (or below either) and the warning light never went out. And the air horns didnt seem to be getting pressure either.

  There is a small verticle cylinder in the right side rear engine area, against the forward bulkhead, that has airlines and a schrader. I applied air there and it seemed to have full pressure (I had my portable set at 120 psi).

  I am hoping to go down and try to get it going this week and try to get it home. I dont know why air isnt getting fully into the brake system, or if it is, maybe its just the gauge, but then why the light? Could it be something electrical not opening up air? Also, the wipers wouldnt go, and I couldnt find a way to get the door latch to activate. Im hoping its all related.

  I think I need some help, lol.

[lostagain]

Hi Paul,

I can answer some of your questions.

Those 90 valves turn the air on and off to the belt tensionners for the rad blowers and the alternator. Turn the air press off to take the belt off.

The canister with sight glass is the power steering reservoir. Turn the T handle all the way off to take the lid off. There is a filter in there. Change it once in a while as per prev maint.

There is no fuel primer pump. (Stock anyway). If you use a garden sprayer, connect it to a spare port on the primary filter.

The small vertical cylinder on the bulkhead is the ping tank.

I can't help you with the air issues, you'll have to keep playing with it. Or someone else will have an idea.

Good luck,

JC

[rgrauto]

Art, the site glass on the r/rear of eng. is the level for the power steering,you un-screw the wing nut a little and pull up and out,fill with ps. fluid. The valve on the left rear under the  air cleaners go to the belt tension for the alternator. On the right rear bulkhead the air water separator is located ( drain valve on bottom) and you can fill the air system with the air valve on top of the canister ,also I plumed my electric air compressor in at this valve, This is on my 67 MCI 5A, HTH,  Glen