New guy and an MCI

[AndyinCT]

Hello!
I'm so glad I found this place.  A few weeks ago I took a chance and traded (sort of) my bluebird for an 89 MCI 96A3.  I had converted my bluebird to an RV and the MCI is mostly converted but need some issues worked out - thats where you come in!
Lookong forward to learning from all of you!
Andy

[lostagain]

Can't go wrong with going MCI 

JC

[AndyinCT]

A few of my first observations that maybe someone here can enlighten me on:


When I plug the house battery to the bus (this is used to start the generators) the clearance lights come on. I do not see a dedicated clearance light switch. I believe the chassis electrical is 24v but the house system is 12. Weird.

Once I have the generators running, if I unplug the house battery the generators will die within a minute. I do not see a "converter" to charge the house batteries while the gen is running - is that a problem?

The parking brake activates the rear brake lights. Is that normal? Once I shut down the engine, the brake lights stay on so I have to disconnect the start batteries to get them to turn off - and not kill the batteries.

[richard5933]

On a GM the brake lights come on whenever the "ignition" switch is turned on and the parking brake is set. I assume that it's the same for the MCI.

If the house battery is used to start the generator, it's probably also used to power the fuel-on solenoid. Cut the power and the fuel shuts off. That's how it works on mine.

Whatever converter/charger you're using to charge the house batteries when plugged into shore power would be the same thing that charges them when on generator, assuming that the generator also powers that circuit. Are you switching the 120v system to generator manually or with an automatic transfer switch (ATS)? If manually, then you should know if it's set to generator power or shore power. If it's an ATS, check to be sure that it's switching properly.

[AndyinCT]

Ok thank you.  So on your bus, you need to disconnect the start batteries to get the brake lights to go off?

I get it about the fuel solenoid.  Makes sense.

I have no converter or charger.  I don't know what a transfer switch does.  Could you provide some pics or a schematic of your setup?  I need to get some parts....

[AndyinCT]

You may be wondering how it is that this guy knows nothing about his rig.  Well, here's the story:
So I get these wild ideas from time to time. This was one of them. I had a nice bluebird that I did a ton of work to. It was working great so I decided to trade it for a derelict coach 900 miles away.
I know.
So this MCI had not been started in over a year and not driven in at least 3. I found someone in Chicago that would buy my bluebird and meet me at the new bus in Indianapolis. I live in CT.
To make things exciting, I had 48 hours to do this. Drive my bluebird to Indianapolis, get the mci road ready and drive it home. I had to be at work on Monday morning.
What could go wrong?
I left on a Friday at 830pm.
Something weird happens to me in the Midwest. Some strange time-space alteration that confuses me. I've driven through many times and the flat, straight, featureless terrain leaves me empty and confused.  It ALWAYS seems to be either dusk or dawn.  I can't explain it.
I made it to the rural location outside of Indianapolis around dusk on Saturday night. Put 2 new batteries in the bus and it magically started right up. Aired up quickly and unbelievably the brakes released. The tires were low and I had no idea how to turn the lights on and get heat blowing. It was cold out.
Once I got it going, I realized it was a manual transmission. No synchros. Double clutch all the way. WTF?
So, I blew up the tires, set off for the highway and stopped for fuel. No idea where the fuel goes. Truckers are getting upset while I figure it out and learn how truck stop pumps work on the passenger side. Took a while.
Well, I drove through the night and somehow this big beast got me home around 8pm on Sunday night.
1900 miles in less than 48 hours. She ran great but needs tires and some front end work. And wow, its huge!
Quite an adventure but its home. I will take my wife and kids to California in it next summer.

[richard5933]

Sounds like your bus is missing a few things...

When I turn on the master switch ("ignition switch") at the dashboard, it energizes the various systems and allows the fuel solenoid to open fuel to the engine. Turning on this switch gets the air buzzer buzzing, the lights on the dash go on, and things are ready to start. Also turns on the brake lights if the parking brake is set. This is the 'ready' position from which I can start the engine by pressing the starter button. When I turn off this master switch, the engine shuts off and power to the various systems is shut off, including the brake lights. There is still power to the lighting circuits as well as a few other systems, and they can be activated by turning on the appropriate switch.

Behind all of the above I have a battery disconnect switch which cuts power to all my 24v circuits.

From what you're describing, when your 24v battery bank is connected things just turn on - sounds like either someone bypassed your master switch ("ignition switch") or that it is stuck in the 'on' position.

If you have a house battery bank, then you need to have a charger and/or converter. Otherwise, you'll be limited to charging the house battery bank when the engine is running, and then ONLY if there is a circuit in place to allow this to happen. Most commonly there is a 120v-to-12v converter/charger or inverter/charger permanently mounted and which comes on when you're either plugged into shore power or running the generator.

The transfer switch (whether manual or automatic) is what determines where your 120v system is getting power. My bus has a manual transfer switch, and it can be set to connect my 120vac circuit breaker panel to either shore power or to the generator depending on which I'm using. It can also be set to 'off' position meaning that my 120vac circuits are not receiving power from either source. Some buses also have an inverter to provide 120v power, and they'll have an additional way to switch that source into the 120v circuits.

If you're asking what a transfer switch is, I'm going to assume you've never had a motor home or RV of any type before. Might be a good idea for you to watch some basic RV wiring system videos on You Tube to get a general understanding of how things work. The house system on a bus conversion will be very similar to any RV. There is also a good book available about bus conversion wiring - you can find information about it on this site's home page (or send a note to Gary).

Most bus conversions have at least three separate electrical systems. The chassis system runs all the bus-related items that are necessary for going down the road like engine starting and controls, headlights, gauges, etc. It will be 12vdc or 14vdc, depending on the particular bus.

The house system runs all the items related to the camper side of life like the roof fans, heating system, refrigerator, interior lighting, etc. Usually the house system is 12vdc, although there are other voltage systems in use.

The third system is the 120vac system, which provides power to your 120vac electrical outlets, refrigerator, battery charger, water heater, etc. This system is usually powered by shore power, generator, or inverter.

There may be some things which work on multiple systems, like the refrigerator. And, there may be some wiring common between the various systems, like 12v negative wiring. It can be confusing at times, so you need to be certain you are clear which system you're working on at all times.

[richard5933]

Sounds like a great start to a new adventure - nothing like diving in head first.

Did you 'properly' convert your Bluebird or were you just using it as a moving steel tent?

[AndyinCT]

Thats a lot of great information.  Thank you, I'm sure I'll have a few questions moving forward. 

Haha, well I thought I had properly converted it but apparently not!  I did not have a converter - I had solar panels to charge my house batteries.  I did have an inverter to run my appliances with a few house batteries.

[AndyinCT]

My goal now is to figure out how all the systems on this bus work, solve any issues that were engineered in by the PO and then make it better and fill in the blanks.  Seems like a converter is a blank.  Can you recommended one?

[richard5933]

My goal now is to figure out how all the systems on this bus work, solve any issues that were engineered in by the PO and then make it better and fill in the blanks.  Seems like a converter is a blank.  Can you recommended one?

There are lots of opinions on this question, starting with do you want an integrated inverter/charger or not. Some bus owners go the low-cost route, others go the high-end route. I went with an old-school converter/charger and a separate inverter. Cheaper to install and to replace when something craps out. Of course, having an integrated inverter/charger makes it more seamless to switch back and forth between running on shore power and running on inverter. I use a converter/charger to charge the batteries and to supply 12vdc to my house systems while plugged in and while on generator.

My converter/charger is a Progressive Dynamics 9270 - decent quality that seems quite able to take care of my flooded cell batteries. It's been attached and running for the better part of the few years I've had the bus. It's capable of charging up to 70 amps and will run safely on a 15-amp circuit. Also has a true maintenance mode to keep from boiling the batteries once they're fully charged. Cost is around $200-$225 depending on where you get one. I've got nearly 800 Ah of capacity so having a 70-amp charge hits the 10% charging rate recommended by Trojan for my battery bank. You may not need this large of a charger though. I like the charger - it's a smart multi-stage charger. Contact the guys at donrowe.com/ and they will be happy to walk you through the different options on these. There are also options out there for AGM and lithium batteries if you have those.

I've also got a Victron solar charge converter connected to my battery bank parallel to my converter/charger, so when my solar panel is producing power I can charge that way as well.

What type of generator do you have? Does it have a built-in battery charger or alternator? If not, then you should be sure to run something to charge your house batteries while running the generator, otherwise you'll run down your batteries. For the short term, you could even get a clamp-on battery charger from Walmart and plug it into an outlet - just be careful that the clamps don't come undone from vibration.

[edvanland]

First thing you will need is maintenance manuals parts manuals and owner manuals. Very helpful also get a good head doctor because we are all crazy. I sort of did the same thing bought my MCI 7 and knew nothing now I know some things. Good luck looks good.
ED