87 Wayne Lifeguard international S1700 CXXVI

[bansil]

how about over one of the kitchen windows on the drivers side?
That way you could always open a window when it's raining for ventilation?

[proconsul100]

Originally Posted by bansil

how about over one of the kitchen windows on the drivers side?
That way you could always open a window when it's raining for ventilation?

thats a good idea, i think i will look into the drivers side for the small awning.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by bansil

That is the first school bus I have seen that actually has a battery hold down

My '89 B700 had one... Real pain in the butt, too, I threw it away because I didn't plan on moving the thing for a good long while.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by pipopak

Battery posts and terminals look awfully dirty and oxidized. Clean them out first because they put a high resistance on the electrical path.

Probably late to the party with this one, but Coca-Cola does wonders for this... Pour liberally over the posts and watch it fizz up...

[CHEESE_WAGON]

I think I know why your batteries were having trouble charging...

BIG no-no. NEVER put a battery on the ground. I learned from a couple guys I worked the parts counter with at Auto Zone that putting automotive-type batteries on the ground for any real length of time does something to discharge them, sometimes permanently. ESPECIALLY if on concrete. Not sure why.

[somewhereinusa]

BIG no-no. NEVER put a battery on the ground. I learned from a couple guys I worked the parts counter with at Auto Zone that putting automotive-type batteries on the ground for any real length of time does something to discharge them, sometimes permanently. ESPECIALLY if on concrete. Not sure why.

I can't believe this tail still persists. It stopped being true when I was in my teens. Quote from one of many sites I did a search on. There is some thought that the concrete might cool it enough to make it "appear" discharged, but when warmed up all is well. Possibly, it you had a REALLY greasy, wet battery, then it may discharge using the wet as a path to the floor.

Car batteries used to be encased in hard rubber, a substance that was porous enough that battery acid could seep through it and create a conductive path through the damp concrete, draining the battery. The cases of today’s batteries, however, are made of sturdier stuff that far better contains their contents than those of yesteryear. As well, time has brought technological improvements to the seals around the posts and the vent systems.

Another and cleaner way to clean corrosion from a battery is a paste made from baking soda and water. Keep applying until it stops fizzing.

[JakeC]

Nice score on the awnings!!

[CHEESE_WAGON]

BIG no-no. NEVER put a battery on the ground. I learned from a couple guys I worked the parts counter with at Auto Zone that putting automotive-type batteries on the ground for any real length of time does something to discharge them, sometimes permanently. ESPECIALLY if on concrete. Not sure why.

Originally Posted by somewhereinusa

I can't believe this tail still persists. It stopped being true when I was in my teens. Quote from one of many sites I did a search on. There is some thought that the concrete might cool it enough to make it "appear" discharged, but when warmed up all is well. Possibly, it you had a REALLY greasy, wet battery, then it may discharge using the wet as a path to the floor.

Trouble is, there seems to be some truth to it... I have had several go dead from sitting on the ground. I wouldn't have believed it, much less said anything, if I hadn't seen it myself. Food for thought...

[proconsul100]

Originally Posted by JakeC

Nice score on the awnings!!

thanks Jake

[proconsul100]

Originally Posted by CHEESE_WAGON

Trouble is, there seems to be some truth to it... I have had several go dead from sitting on the ground. I wouldn't have believed it, much less said anything, if I hadn't seen it myself. Food for thought...

thanks Cheese Wagon, that battery shone here was an old emergency lighting battery i got from work, but it wouldn't charge up. so i got rid of it. perhaps it came from sitting on the ground for so long

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by proconsul100

thanks Cheese Wagon, that battery shone here was an old emergency lighting battery i got from work, but it wouldn't charge up. so i got rid of it. perhaps it came from sitting on the ground for so long

BTW -- NICE progress on the bus! Like the way those rims turned out, I was thinking the exact same thing, that they needed some color... I might have gone for the bumpers and grille too, though, just for accents... But to each their own...

[ol trunt]

Thanks Somewhere for setting the record straight on the battery thing. I see that there are still a few who cling to the earth is flat idea as well

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

Thanks Somewhere for setting the record straight on the battery thing. I see that there are still a few who cling to the earth is flat idea as well

Can only speak from my own experience...

[JakeC]

Here is my take. It is EXTREMELY hard to dispell beliefs like this, because even once they are disproven, people still see it happening. Better worded, they *think* they see it happening. Once a certain belief has taken root, everything that happens somehow backs it up. A battery is thrown (or gently placed, lol) on a shop floor and left there for a couple years. Someone goes to use it and it is shot. Clearly it is because it was on the floor and that wrecks batteries. Well, maybe not. Maybe it was already close to the end of it's life cycle. Maybe it was borderline discharged already and froze, maybe a gremlin came by and put a metal bar across the terminals. Who knows, my point is, there is no way to prove that this proves the theory. I'm the lead service tech for a company that builds automated packaging machines. I sit at a desk all day and help people get their machines running. If you call this company's tech support line, it goes straight to my desk. You wouldn't believe the things I hear, even from engineers. It is because once there is a pre-concieved idea, EVERYTHING goes through that filter. "If I hit the stop button 5 times, press the estop, open this gaurd door, pull the stop back out, and spin in a circle, this light comes on. Why?" Because the light comes on every 5 seconds and it took you 5 seconds to do all that. "No! It's because I blah, blah, blah..." Ok, I guess you know more about the machine than I do. Even though we built it. Even though I have full knowledge of the code. Even though I personally have worked on the section of code that we are talking about.

Ok, this is getting long winded, but you guys get my point. On a side note, EVERYONE needs a charger with an "equalizing" or similar mode. Very simply put, it cycles overcharging to revitalize the battery. I have salvaged several batteries this way. Even batteries that were frozen, but didn't crack the housing. My friends even know to bring me their "shot" batteries now, before they go buy new ones.

[Malkieri]

Originally Posted by JakeC

Here is my take. It is EXTREMELY hard to dispell beliefs like this, because even once they are disproven, people still see it happening. Better worded, they *think* they see it happening. Once a certain belief has taken root, everything that happens somehow backs it up. A battery is thrown (or gently placed, lol) on a shop floor and left there for a couple years. Someone goes to use it and it is shot. Clearly it is because it was on the floor and that wrecks batteries. Well, maybe not. Maybe it was already close to the end of it's life cycle. Maybe it was borderline discharged already and froze, maybe a gremlin came by and put a metal bar across the terminals.

I think we, as a society, have gotten into the belief that people NEED to be set straight and that this is "helpful" to them. They NEED to be made to understand blah blah blah ( insert "incorrect" folksy belief) is wrong and modern science has fixed that! But please consider this alternative option for dealing with these folksy ideas. Use this filter before correcting and/or condemning the ideas to Thunderdome! Does this folksy practice hurt anyone? Does it matter if someone cracks a window in their vehicle for "venting"? Does it matter if someone prefers not to leave batteries on concrete? If they come back to a vehicle with all the windows intact and they are happy with the result does it affect you? Do you really care if someone wants to put a battery on a wooden block? or styrofoam spacer? or hunk of left-over steak cut from the left side of a north facing cow harvested at dawn on the summer solstice of an odd numbered year? These things are really not worth the creation of the rifts and hard feelings that can be created with a "2 ideas enter, only 1 leaves" mentality. I personally don't put batteries on the floor. My reason is simple: my arms don't reach the floor. It is easier on my back to put them on a spacer of some sort so that I don't have to bend over. But my point still holds, there is no reason to continue beating this into someone's head.

Just Sayin'

[JakeC]

Erg... I don't want to drag this out, cause I really don't care that much...just consider this and reread the posts and how we got on this subject. What happens when someone is trying to help and give advice, but they are emphatically stating an old wives tale as fact. That hinders the person with the problem and helps spread ignorance. I think it is important to correct/debate in that case. Just my opinion. I do see your point and feel it is valid. There are a couple here who seem to feel the need to correct EVERYTHING and share their vast wisdom. That gets annoying

[ol trunt]

don't worry--be happy

[JakeC]

Haha!! Yup!!

[wmkbailey]

I think if someone post an old wise tale to help someone whether right or wrong, so be it. Someone else post the facts, good. Then leave it alone. Let people make the choice. We are all trying to help each other and everyone will believe what they want to believe.

If some dispels something I posted, I leave it alone. I myself will check out what they say and make my own decision.

I like Malkieri put my batteries on hunk of left-over steak cut from the left side of a north facing cow harvested at dawn on the summer solstice of an odd numbered year, and it works every time.

[proconsul100]

wow, looks like a lot happened in here today. I'm shocked to learn batteries could be such a pain, but the information you guys gave me helps me stay current