Disaster relief: bus trip

mike802 · November 09, 2012, 07:18:57 AM

This morning my son set out to Long Island in his MC5 to bring donated food and clothing items to the victims of hurricane sandy. He will be making stops along the way to pick up donations. After that he will return home, make another round of pickups and head out for NJ. His Girlfriend and her mother organized the relief effort with their local Rotary. My wife and I helped him load up some local donations before they headed out, talk about "stuff a bus" I hope they have room for everything. I think he is going to make a youtube video of the event, if he does I will be sure to post it here. It's moments like this that sure make a parent proud. :-) Hears a little video of the bus.

MCI MC5A cold start an drive by

God speed Nick.

bkelly1011 · November 09, 2012, 07:40:14 AM

Totally over the top, Mike - I'll be praying for safety as he travels. What a great use of a unique resource. - Brad

PCC · November 09, 2012, 01:08:00 PM

I am already doing a trip to CA, but after that, I was wanting to do the same trip as Mike's son.

Is there a way we can talk about how I can help y'all help those in the northeast.

I am fully self-contained, and truly want to help these people.

Let me know at Serving Project - 832-220-9253

bkelly1011 · November 09, 2012, 01:27:30 PM

Keith - ? Sent you an e-mail at your info@... address. Let me know... Brad

mike802 · November 09, 2012, 02:53:02 PM

I just got off the phone with my son, he is in the Kingston NY. area. He pulled into a service station to top off the tank and he lost all oil pressure. Lets hope this is not to serious, keeping my fingers crossed.

mike802 · November 09, 2012, 06:00:56 PM

At this point he is getting towed off the interstate and will be looking for a motel. The rotary is going to rent some uhauls so they can unload the bus and finish the delivery. They are having trouble finding bigger uhauls because of the storm. Looks like I will be footing a BIG towing bill back to Vermont. He said he added some oil, but it really did not need any, and started the engine so he could move away from the pumps, but the engine started making a loud squeaking noise and he shut it down immediately, still no oil pressure. Looks like a rebuild is in the future.

plyonsMC9 · November 09, 2012, 11:25:25 PM

Thanks for sharing this and please do keep us posted. Your son has a heart of gold.

Kind Regards, Phil

OneLapper · November 10, 2012, 04:32:07 AM

Mike,

This isn't good. Collectively maybe we can figure something out.

What does the coach have for an engine? Maybe we can find some parts.

mike802 · November 10, 2012, 06:47:20 AM

QuoteYour son has a heart of gold.

That he does

The bus has an 8v71 non turbo. Once Nick explained what they were doing the towing company said he could leave the bus at their facility for a couple of weeks because it was important that the supplies got to the people who need them, the driver did not have a problem towing the bus fully loaded, so that helped. He checked into a hotel last night and I suspect they will be looking for a u haul, or something similar this morning. I haven't heard from him yet, but I will keep everyone posted as to what is going on. I was under the impression that they were making two trips, one for Long Island and a second for N.J, but apparently they loaded half the bus for Long Island and half for N.J. They make the first delivery's in Long Island, come back to the bus and load up for the second delivery in N.J

Thanks
Mike

mike802 · November 10, 2012, 11:46:38 AM

At this point he is sitting at the u haul shop waiting for a truck to come in. It's the only one they could find and it is due in sometime today.

Just Dallas · November 10, 2012, 03:31:46 PM

Did he lose oil pressure on the dash gauge or on the mechanical in the back or both?

If he only lost it on the dash that's inconvenient, but not a real problem.

If he lost it on the mechanical, he's in trouble.

Have him check to see. It's not that difficult to fix, although it isn't fun in the snow.

Was the engine rattling? We need more information to get him going.

I don't think I've seen an oil pump on a Detroit go down after a shut down and restart like it does with a Ford or a Chevy gas engine.

Good Luck!

DF

mike802 · November 10, 2012, 03:47:17 PM

I am assuming he lost in at the mechanical, but that is only my assumption, he did not specify. He is conserving his cell phone battery, so communication is somewhat slow at this time. I will be sure to ask him next time he call and let you know.

mike802 · November 10, 2012, 04:02:14 PM

I just talked to Nick and I was wrong, it was the electrical gauge on the dash, but yeah he said the engine shook, rattled and squealed, he is convinced it's toast. At this time he has gotten a u haul and a trailer large enough to hold all the donations and make his delivery's in one trip. Only problem is the lights dont work on the trailer, but the u haul guys are working on that. A Rotary member has offered to put them up for the night.

Just Dallas · November 10, 2012, 04:13:07 PM

I hate to hear that but it's pretty unusual to lose the oil pump in a Detroit like that without a lot of fore warning. If it were me, I would check the mechanical, then look at the oil after a very short run.
It could be as simple and a broken injector line pouring fuel into the crankcase.

Also, I think I have a set of .010 rod and main bearings plus thrust bearings for that engine.

Thinking about it, it could have blown out one of the relief valves, but you would have to ask Clifford or Don about that.

Good Luck,

DF

-30-

Quote from: mike802 on November 10, 2012, 04:02:14 PM
I just talked to Nick and I was wrong, it was the electrical gauge on the dash, but yeah he said the engine shook, rattled and squealed, he is convinced it's toast. At this time he has gotten a u haul and a trailer large enough to hold all the donations and make his delivery's in one trip. Only problem is the lights dont work on the trailer, but the u haul guys are working on that. A Rotary member has offered to put them up for the night.

mike802 · November 10, 2012, 04:55:17 PM

Thanks Just Dallas: I expect him to call before he gets settled for the night and can charge his cell phone. I will let him know, and I will also tell him what you said. According to Nick there was no prior warning, everything was going fine. They stopped for a short time, got back in the bus and went about six miles down the road and he decided to top off the tank, pulled into the service station and everything went to #$%. It sounded to me like the engine was squeaking so much that he didn't dare drive it and had it towed away from the pumps, so he might not be able to take a short drive and check the oil, but he might be able to tell by just checking the oil without the drive?

I will let him know about the bearings, we just might be in the market for a set.

Thanks
Mike.