How to adjust a buses govenor

heath692 · 01-29-2005, 06:44 AM

just drove my bus home 420 miles all in all great trip ran great its a 84 gmc with a 454 4 speed. but the govenor wont let me go past 52 mph how do you adjust theses and what would be the max rpm i should ajust to. trust me i dont want to go 90 but i'd like a little leway any advice would be great.

Steve · 01-29-2005, 07:25 PM

If it's like the governor on my bus you will have to replace the entire caruburator to remove it. Mine is a Holley 2BBL

heath692 · 01-30-2005, 06:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve

If it's like the governor on my bus you will have to replace the entire caruburator to remove it. Mine is a Holley 2BBL

thanks steve then thats what i'll do i'll take pics of it tomarrow and let everyone see the progress for the most part ive got the whole interor striped the first day. if i may ask what did you overlay your floor with thats gonna be my next step. thanks again fred.

lapeer20m · 01-30-2005, 08:08 AM

Height wasn't a real big issue for me since the bus was about 6 inches taller than I am. I used either 3/4" or 1" foil backed foam board on the floor of the bus covered with 1/4" osb. Then i put the actual flooring on top of that.

In my opinion, carpet is bad due to the difficulty in keeping it clean. Carpet does have excelelnt sound dampening properties however. I think the best option is a hard surface floor ie: lanolium, peel and stick tile, pergo ect with non slip rugs on top. Then you have the best of both worlds: easy to clean and sound dampening.

This process took up about 1.5" of ceiling height.

heath692 · 01-30-2005, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapeer20m

Height wasn't a real big issue for me since the bus was about 6 inches taller than I am. I used either 3/4" or 1" foil backed foam board on the floor of the bus covered with 1/4" osb. Then i put the actual flooring on top of that.

In my opinion, carpet is bad due to the difficulty in keeping it clean. Carpet does have excelelnt sound dampening properties however. I think the best option is a hard surface floor ie: lanolium, peel and stick tile, pergo ect with non slip rugs on top. Then you have the best of both worlds: easy to clean and sound dampening.

This process took up about 1.5" of ceiling height.

thanks again steve im gonna start on it tommarow after work. ive got to get this ready for the race in talladega this april so ive got alot to do. ill post picks thanks again fred.

pangaia · 02-06-2005, 02:23 PM

I've decided to to use cork for sound damping with non-stick rugs in the essential places. I'm not going to have couches or a lot of hard furniture but have opt instead to use bean bags, and ikea style thingies that have dual uses.

Might use carpet up in the driver area.

dammitAndy · 03-23-2005, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapeer20m

Height wasn't a real big issue for me since the bus was about 6 inches taller than I am. I used either 3/4" or 1" foil backed foam board on the floor of the bus covered with 1/4" osb. Then i put the actual flooring on top of that.

In my opinion, carpet is bad due to the difficulty in keeping it clean. Carpet does have excelelnt sound dampening properties however. I think the best option is a hard surface floor ie: lanolium, peel and stick tile, pergo ect with non slip rugs on top. Then you have the best of both worlds: easy to clean and sound dampening.

This process took up about 1.5" of ceiling height.

If I may suggest something. what I have done and am about to do, is both, hard floor and carpet. They have these nifty carpet squares out now in all kinds of thickness and styles that fit together seamlessly. Im going to custom fit some into my living areas (front living area, and bed area) and place it over top my checker lynoleum tile floor that is already down. So anytime i want the hard floors out, parties, i can just pull up the carpet squares and store them in a storage compartment. If needed, I found a carpet brand that can be cleaned but putting the square in a sink w/ soapy water.

I think it will be pretty cool soon as i order the carpet...

Oh ya, what happened to this topic, I too would like to know more about govs on busses. Its a pain in the ass for me to drive on the freeway. Do all school system buses have govs, who would know how to help me?

Eric von Kleist · 03-28-2005, 12:41 AM

ROFLMAO!

I drive 55 to 60 on the interstate all the time in my Jeep. It's pretty relaxing. (Not to mention that it saves GA$.) I can tell when people behind me are on the cell-phone and not paying attention to anything going on around them because they come zooming upon me at about 70-75, then match speed with me and stay right behind me for miles without realizing that they are going slow. When they hang up their phones, they pull around me and blow by.

skoolie_grease · 03-31-2005, 03:34 PM

My bus seems to top out at 60 mph.

It's a 1992 International 7.3L Short Bus w/ Carpenter body..

Doesn't really bother me causes its safer and less stress on the engine. But how would I know if there is a governor (i think there is) and how might I go about removing it?

Is this always in the carbeurator?

lapeer20m · 03-31-2005, 05:00 PM

the 7.3 liter you have is a diesel yes/no?

if it's a diesel, there is not a carberator, you have an injector pump (IP)instead.

there is a govenor inside the IP. a pair of springs that look like valve springs do the job (at least that's what makes the govenor work in a bosh inline pump which you don't have) You can tighten the nut in the center of these springs to increase the rpm's of the engine. I"m assuming you have the non-computer controlled 7.3.

here's a link with info on how to do this.

http://www.flex.net/~triplem/new/govspring.htm

skoolie_grease · 04-01-2005, 09:23 AM

wow, thanks lapeer20m!

it is a diesel and the link you provided is super.

when you say tighten the nut to 'increase the rpms', that is essentially the governor then? they've just limited the rpms by loosening the bolt?

would this change the rpms at which the tranny changes gears? sometimes i think it goes a little high... or at least, it's so loud that it would bother the pedestrians on the street. i don't want to stress or damage the engine, but if it wouldn't hurt to lower the rpm at which it changes gears, that would be nice for everyone i pass.

thanks again for the link and info!

lapeer20m · 04-01-2005, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skoolie_grease

when you say tighten the nut to 'increase the rpms', that is essentially the governor then? they've just limited the rpms by loosening the bolt?

the little springs that get tightened are part of the govenor. The job of the governor is to do exactly that: govern engine rpm's.

I am not a diesel mechanic, but i've been told that skoolie engines are usually set very low when it comes to rpm's compared to the same engine used in other vehicles.

IT's not necessarily advisable to increase the speed of your engine. The faster an engine turns, the shorter it's life span will be. That's an important thing to remember.

IF you want to increase the rpm's of your engine, you should first find out what the max allowed rpm or redline is for that engine. You never want your engine to go faster than that! The engine probably won't last very long if the bus were driven for long periods of time with the engine at max rpm either. You'll need a tachometer to know how fast the engine is turning.

basically, what i'm trying to say is that if you don't alter the engine rpm, the motor will almost certianly last longer. How much will you shorten engine life by increasing the rpm's???? that's a mystery.

heath692 · 04-17-2005, 06:40 AM

well your right we got off the beaten path for awhile there but back to goveners i've got a 84 gmc with a 454 and like i said in the beginning i dont want to go 70 down the highway im ok with 55 to 60 but this thing would'nt let me get passed 52 or53 so after talking to a few people i went down and bought a new carborator (elderbrock) and i installed it. it bolted right up and ran great. i headed down the road and wow what a change 70 mph no problom now i did what was suggested and put in a tach. i just did;nt like the feeling of no extra power when i needed it. but you also have to watch it cause like was metioned in here allready you dont want to push your bus to the red line either. alot from what i understand is in the rear end of these things and if you really want good speeds without hurting you bus make it all work together. http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-jrwon

Skoolie BOBB · 04-18-2005, 10:28 PM

I read all of the posts regarding governors and was particularly interested in the comments on diesels. My son and I are both working on skoolies. I'm sure the neighbors hate seeing two old buses. He has a Ward with a 9 liter International. And . . .it isn't too quick. Do some of these buses have SPEED governors instead of RPM governors? If so, how do you change a speed governor (if there is such a thing). He is turning his bus into one of those huge pick-up trucks by cutting away the back bodywork. He will lose a lot of weight without the back half of the bus. Could he find a higher geared differential for more speed? Coments?

Herb in Utah
Flat-nose Blue Bird[/b]

dravo · 02-16-2006, 08:01 PM

If it's a computer controlled diesel, a shop that services that engine can program the computer to not limit your top speed or RPMs.
We had that done on our Thomas/Cat.
A two barreled gasser can get a new 4 barrel carb. Make sure it's done correctly! A poor carb job caused us daily headaches on an old gas skoolie during a cross country trip.
Carbs are pretty inneficient machines. If you are comfortable working on carbs, Eagle-research.com sells a Carburator Enhancer Manual by George Wiseman for $24.00 that should get you smoother power and more MPGs with a weekend worth of tinkering.
Check your rear end gear ratio. Low gearing means slow speed. Generally school systems that don't do much highway traveling use low rear gearing. Private companies that contract for schools tend to use higher rear gears. Changing the gearing can be a pain in the rear!

the_experience03 · 02-16-2006, 08:23 PM

This thread has been interesting for me to read as I was thinking about the governor on my bus as I was bringing it home. It does 63 mph just fine and held onto 55 even on the big curvy hills. In fact, I would venture to say it out accelerates my 22re powered Toyota pick up and has about the same top end

Not too bad for a "gutless" 6.6 IMHO. Still, it's geared somewhat higher than it appears others have because at 63 mph it's barely turning 2600 RPM. I haven't had much of a chance to really dig into that motor to look at it (this is my first diesel) and get a feel for everything and finding information on the brazilian motors is harder than finding parts for them. 60 mph is a fine cruising speed for me, but it would be nice to have that little extra on tap if need be.

So here it is....anyone know what injector pump Ford used on the 6.6/7.8? I know several manufacturers used interchangable parts like compressors, injector pumps, etc. If anyone has a clue, I'd love to hear it.

lapeer20m · 02-17-2006, 09:47 PM

my 6.6 had the bosh inline injector pump..perfect for running veggie oil. You can look at the pump if you open the hood (conventional dog nosed bus?) The IP is on the passenger side and clearly visible...it's the thing that has 6 steel lines running to the top of the motor.

For parts, you can search for a commerical ford truck dealer...they have parts, but they are not cheap.

lapeer20m · 02-17-2006, 09:56 PM

Turned up the govenor on Phillbus' skoolie today. WE only drove a couple miles, but looks like she'll drive about 65 now instead of 57.

That "10 minute" project took most of the morning and half the afternoon, but we got er done!

Did i ever mention how much I love working on snub-nosed skoolies? (that's a joke, although not a very funny one)

the_experience03 · 02-18-2006, 12:09 AM

Is turning up that pump just a matter of adjusting the internal spring or what? The stealership in town can get parts, but my budget is for stuff like a power invertor to run a playstation, not for mechanical parts. Like I said...I haven't really looked at it all that well because it's too dang cold right now. Any idea what the mechanical redline is on the 6.6? For being a "dog" of a motor, I'm rather impressed with it, but if there's more, I'll take it

Oh and yes...the bus is a conventional with a convenient (albeit heavy) flip front as opposed to the standard hood on the gasser B700's I've seen....ewwww.....

phillbus914 · 02-18-2006, 01:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lapeer20m

Turned up the govenor on Phillbus' skoolie today. WE only drove a couple miles, but looks like she'll drive about 65 now instead of 57.

That "10 minute" project took most of the morning and half the afternoon, but we got er done!

Did i ever mention how much I love working on snub-nosed skoolies? (that's a joke, although not a very funny one)

Ohh comeon, wasn't it nice to not have to go outside in the cold to open the hood? and uhhh... well yeah I guess thats about the only positive thing on working on a snub-nose. But hey it sure runs a lot faster now.

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