The paperwork is VERY important for everyone converting

[happycamperbrat]

Thru the saga of Ron and Kristin's electrical problems one thing has really become especially clear to me is that when we change things on the buses electrical we really need to make up a new wiring diagram that stays with the unique bus. Even for ouselves if not for a buyer later down the road. We get older and our memory fades (remember these buses outlive us!) or even a family member inherits the bus and wants to keep it. Changes, even one, needs to be documented.

[wal1809]

No doubt!!  I wish I had one for mine.  The only good thing is I can tell the difference between the previous owner and the manufacturer.  The previous owner would just rn any kind of wire and not bend it at the corners nor wire tie them in.  I am slowly tracking the BS wiring and replacing or removing.

[chev49]

What memory???

[Highway Yacht]

Very good advice Teresea..

[babell2]

I work part time at an auto parts store.  I always get those people that come in and say I want a hose for my 350 motor.  I ask them "What is it in?" the answer always comes back "My Hot Rod" Then the search begins.  Always have a bible of what came from what car, truck, vendor,or part numbers to be cross referenced. I carry a cheat sheet on my phone in the Notes section for parts for all kinds of stuff I own.  Makes life much easier.

Brice

[luvrbus]

 On a 50 year old bus I think the PO had very little to with the wiring mess I am a little strange but when looking at a used bus I always start looking at the electrical panels 1st if it looks like a hornets nest that is far as I go.
You buy one of the old buses you can bank on the wiring being all chopped up and spliced together and PO had little to do with the chassis wiring now the conversion wiring that is a different story JMO 


good luck

[wal1809]

Part of my confusion is my bus has apparently been converted twice.  Or at least converted and then made over again in 2005.  Somebody, whoever it was, when they figured out they no longer needed a wire they just left it in place and ran the one the were going to use.  I have pulled a whole lot of wire that was hooked to nothing.  I have a habit of tinkering.  When I get bored I grab a light and go tinkering with the bus.  I just about have it under control.  Now when the tech came out to install the satelite boxes he asked where the main system was located.  I snickered and pulled the tv out of its spot because all the wires were behond it.  I snickered because it was a rats nest I had not been able to get into yet.  That tech was great, he started yanking and pulling.  He made a pile on the couch and said "None of that was hooked to anything".  So that part is done.

[Chopper Scott]

I'm glad I have all the manuals and a lot of the history of my bus right down to the sanitation certificate from the State of Arizona from 1972! All the manuals for the various systems and a lot of common stuff printed off of the internet and email correspondence are included along with some poor thumbnail pics. The part that bothers me of finding out a lot of the history of the build and what happened through a divorce. I'm glad that it was barely  even used but....... it has a lot of really nice stuff but it looks almost like 2 different people building the bus. One that wanted it nice and one that wanted it done and sold. I'm thinking they are one and the same! I keep plugging away and making it my bus and saving the manuals for new things that I'm doing. I've sure shaken my head alot over the years as I progress and I am sure it's probably not up to other's standards but it's getting closer to mine!!!

[artvonne]

  I really hoped I got lucky, and so far so good. I went looking for an unconverted Bus, and found one someone had started, but stopped before they really screwed anything up. Except for wiring up a radio, the original Bus wiring appears to be intact and unmolested.

  Over the years ive bought a lot of cars and trucks, all second hand. I cant think of one that someone didnt add stuff too, and in every case it was a mess. People like to cut wires and seldom have I found anything soldered, or even crimped worth a darn. More often its twist and tape. The worst to date was our Cherokee. Someone wires an alarm system in with a remote fob to work the door locks, I bet I pulled over 20 pounds of wiring and black boxes out before I got it all. Every connection was twist and tape, and likely done at a Big Store like Best Buy.

  If people converting Buses would simply stay out of the Bus Electrical system that would be a big help. Just pull power off at the battery, switched, and run it into a seperate panel.

[happycamperbrat]

I like the way the RTS is designed with the electrical and plan to keeping to that idea. With the RTS all the wiring on the drivers side is for the reverse, lights, and important stuff that operate the engine and keep you going down the road. On the passenger side it is the wheelchair lift or other optional equipment. Im thinking that having all the house wiring in a separate chase down the passenger side and keeping the driver's side all the important stuff for moving is a good way to go.

[belfert]

So far I haven't made any real modifications to my wiring.  I have pulled 12 volts off in the rear, but there is a bus bar that I hooked up to.  I will be rewiring my headlights soon and I will need to make a wiring diagram for that.

I rewired my rear lights, but I didn't change any of the original wiring really.  There was a large Weatherpack with like 22 connections already in place.  I ran all new wiring from that plug.  I did label all of the wires with the circuit number the same as the wiring diagram.  I use all heat shrink butt connectors to seal against corrosion.  I also used Weatherpack connectors for all of my new LED lights in case one needs replacement.

I have had some bad experience with some early connections I made to replace the side marker lights corroding all the way through.  I highly recommend sealed connections on anythng that isn't inside the bus.  I used the sealed connectors inside the bus even.

[babell2]

Not only having documentation helps, but for that mystery circut I bought a toner. Clip the transmitter to one end and take the probe receiver to the other end and hunt. I need to do this to some mystery wires I found above my transmission.

Brice

[Jeremy]

The previous owner of my BMW gave himself a scare when he was wiring in a new stereo. He didn't know which wires went to which speakers, so being a smart chap he got himself a little 9v battery, and began touching it to each pair of wires in turn, noting down which speaker 'crackled' each time.

It was a good plan until he touched another set of wires entirely and exploded the steering wheel airbag right beside his head.

Jeremy

[babell2]

It was a good plan until he touched another set of wires entirely and exploded the steering wheel airbag right beside his head.

You got to watch that Yellow harness It can bite!

Brice

[chev49]

I will have to try the air bag thing....