Clutch Out in Canton, MS

LarryN 4106 · May 13, 2011, 12:22:01 PM

I am stuff at the Love's truck stop in Canton.Got to call AAA pretty soon. Any suggestions for a shop in Canton or in Jackson, or

?

Need to be towed. I went below to reposition the clutch release arm, and low and behold....someone had spot welded it. Thanks for any and all advice.

Larry 4106

bevans6 · May 13, 2011, 12:31:32 PM

i have no idea if this is even feasable, but could you get a mobile welding service to come out and weld it in situ?

Could you warm the engine up, get it all happy, and start it in gear? Once you get rolling maybe you could limp it along to a shop? On the other hand if the AAA tow is free, run with that I guess!

Brian

fe2_o3 · May 13, 2011, 12:45:53 PM

Have a shop in mind before AAA gets there. Had an issue once where because I didn't have a shop in mind, the driver towed me to his brothers gas station...Cable

JohnEd · May 13, 2011, 01:28:55 PM

I drove my VW Variant a hundred miles up the Baja Peninsula and then 50 more home to El Cajon i San Diego. You put it in gear and use the starter to get going. Was a pretty smooth way to start. I shifted it like you would shift a bus by letting the engine rpm pass the trans rpm and push when they were equal and the chatter stopped. I used the brakes to stop and shut her down. In my experience a truck is easier to shift that a VW if you can't disengage the clutch.

Good luck,

John

Busted Knuckle · May 13, 2011, 06:42:08 PM

Come on guys anyone have a suggestion for a SHOP in Canton or Jackson, MS that will take good care of Larry & his bus?
The only suggestion I had for him was Clarke Power Services (an Authorized DD, & Allison dealer from the same chain I use in Memphis & Jackson, TN)
But I have no idea what their answer to him was.

BK

LarryN 4106 · May 14, 2011, 06:36:15 AM

Bryce, here is my tale of woe....

I did call Clarke Power in Jackson, MS. I talked to a nice guy named Danny. He said they are one of the few that will work on an old bus (kinda scary, ain't it). He said they closed their gates at 5p for the weekend and if AAA could not get a wrecker, then they had connections for one. AAA, after an hour, called and said that none of their contract providers were set up to move "an RV". I had AAA call Clarke Power and they got hooked up with Hall Towing. I am "on the hook" for the towing charges and AAA will reimburse. Because the bus was NOT going to get to Jackson before Clarke Power closed up, I have to pay storage of $50 in Hall's lot. I assume AAA will pay for the "retow" to Clarke, which is a few miles from their storage yard.

The guy from Hall's showed up and was going to "pull and axle" but did not have the socket size to remove whatever he was going to remove in order to do that. "pulling the axle" is a term I am unfamiliar with but that is another subject. So he had to call his dispatcher to get "a tire man" out so they could pull the axle.

I wanted to get going (in the Jeep, back to Missouri, about 500 miles away. I asked Tony to call me when we got to where he was going and it was about 5 hours later. He said when he pulled my axle, my rear end was dry. Well, it wasn't 2000 miles ago and I have no evidence of leakage. So, I am keeping my fingers crossed on that deal.

Anyway, we pulled into home at 2 am. I am not built for this stuff anymore. So....my questions about whomever spot welded my clutch release arm are going to be on a seperate thread.

Anyone ever have a clutch done by a fancy Detroit/Allison shop ($$$)

Busted Knuckle · May 15, 2011, 08:34:59 PM

Larry,
I'll be going to the Jackson, TN location in the AM. I'll have my guy call the manager down there and talk to him about taking good care of you.

I'm really shocked that the wrecker service and them don't have an arrangement for getting vehicles inside their gates after hours. (we always did with our regular accts. when I drove big wrecker) And on top of that if they don't they shouldn't charge you storage or a second tow for something you had no control of. (and if they insist on charging you storage and the second tow make them right it all up as one tow so that you won't have to fight AAA! over it!)

BK

LarryN 4106 · May 16, 2011, 04:41:20 AM

Thanks, Bryce. I was more disappointed in the fact that Hall's Towing, with that giant rig, did not have a large enough lug wrench to "pull an axle" (and frankly, I didn't either). They charge $200 and hour and I know this was a 5 hour deal, minimum. On the other forum I got good reviews about Clarke. I am still wondering what to expect, cost wise, on a new clutch. Also, if my release shaft has no splines (otheriwise, why would someone WELD it to the lever), should I be looking at finding a shaft WITH splines, as well as a release lever?

How important is the ability to "reposition" the release lever? Thanks again for the offer to call. The guy I am working with is Danny Ham.

Chopper Scott · May 16, 2011, 04:59:13 AM

I guess I'm curious as to why they pulled an axle on a bus with a manual tranny.

robertglines1 · May 16, 2011, 05:20:32 AM

good question?

?? anyone care to answer that one who knows more about buses than I Why Pull axle on manual trans bus??? Bob

luvrbus · May 16, 2011, 05:38:08 AM

If you ever saw one that jumped into gear while being towed it is not a pretty sight and some of the manuals have pumps also

good luck

TedsBUSted · May 16, 2011, 05:41:43 AM

Being a standard trans does not guarantee having adequate lubrication during a tow. Remember, the '06 trans uses a lube pump. But with any trans, there's a great difference between input and output shaft speeds during a tow. The input shaft's small pocket bearing has to spin like crazy during such shaft speed differences and most trans' are just not designed for that. And of course with unknown mechanical failures it's best to perform a simple axle pull, rather than risk further damage.

I can't imagine that between a bus, a truck stop, and wrecker, that someone couldn't quickly hustle-up enough tools to pull the axle from a an '06. After all, the axle is held by just 7/8" head hex nuts. In a real pinch just an adjustable wrench or Vise-Grip would do the trick.

Of course everyone has to stay within their own comfort zone, but I thought it was SOP with typical clutch-won't-release troubles to drive for home, or at least along to a practical repair site, using careful clutch-less timing. On a service call once, when there was no relief bus or wrecker available, I took the wheel after a clutch failure and delivered the Bingo Tour -or whatever the nice ladies' group was- about 100 miles and right downtown to their hotel, they never had a clue that we were riding clutch-less.

As to being low on differential oil, the '06 probably has grease-packed wheel bearings and the mechanic was likely expecting to see the bleeding of an oil-lubed hub when the axle was popped.

Ted

robertglines1 · May 16, 2011, 05:48:11 AM

That's why I don't Drive a wrecker My lesson for the day something new. Bob

Ed Hackenbruch · May 16, 2011, 06:01:17 AM

Will pulling only one axle work? Does it make a difference which one? And how about for an auto tranny? I would think that you would need to pull both axles to be sure the trannies can't turn.

TedsBUSted · May 16, 2011, 06:52:52 AM

I suppose that officially it should be that both axles are pulled, however, pulling either axle allows the differential gears to "walk" without load, and without turning the case, and so seems adequate for most short tows.

Beware that of course any drive-shaft mounted parking brake also becomes decommissioned along with the differential.