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Old 12-02-2016, 11:33 PM   #21
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
Location: ocala FL.
Posts: 147
Year: 2000
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: international
Engine: t444e
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Geo jeff in that 1200 charge you for got to take into account the wonderful people i have met along the way on my journey. thanks again ol fart. No the i put the door switch wires back in the same order i took them off in. The light in the entree way was dimm so i would say they have drained but without a voltmeter i don't know for sure. I listened and looked around when I put her away the other night for signs of a drain. It took most of the day to get insurance in fact on the advice of a friend i called Maxx and when he ask me if i was planning to convert it in to an rv i said I wasn't sure and ask what was the best way to go and at that point he told me he could noy help me and would not return my call. I went with my local insurance agent and he got it done for 750 a year commercial policy. I will check on the batteries in the am but they probably sat for some time so either way i will get some new ones and get down the road.

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Old 12-03-2016, 12:30 AM   #22
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
If you have one good battery and one bad battery it can cause a lot of problems. Ask me how I know.
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Old 12-03-2016, 01:08 AM   #23
Skoolie
 
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Engine: t444e
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That is why i plhan on getting two deep charge batteries to get me home and check it out from there. I will get a volt meter to monitor battery state and if i stop for any length of time i will disconnect the batteries. I am not in any hurry to get home so i can go at my own pace and enjoy the sights
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Old 12-03-2016, 05:13 AM   #24
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Year: 1991
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Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
Disconnecting at night is a good way to go. What I'm wondering though is how come it kicked over at the lot to get it to the hotel and now they are dead. It had to sit on that lot.

If the alternator isn't charging you'll have a tough time getting to Florida even on new batteries. The t444e takes quite a bit of juice to run.

Does your dash have a voltmeter or is the dash inflicted with the ever present connector issue that IHC had? I had to refurb the panel in both of mine due to bad connections..

It's possible both batteries conked out after you picked up the bus and one or both gas a dead cell which would def cause them both to e d up dead..
for deep cycle house bats I bought 2 batteries plus AGM group 31s. So far I'm real happy with them. I don't know what battery stores are in range of your hotel.

Were you able to get the fuel filter and O ring? Did the old one look bad?
Christopher
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Old 12-03-2016, 07:06 AM   #25
Skoolie
 
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Most likely they jumpted the bus to get it running the volt meter in the dash was reading 14 volts so that looked good. They left it running when I picked it up and i turned it off and restarted it when i saw the leakso the batteries might come back with a good slow charge. I have a loves truck stop and wally world in visual distance so i am good there. It has started to rain so I might wait an other day to leave. Iam going to sign up with coach .net before i pull off so if i have a problem I am covered. I haven't driven any thing this big since I drove a big truck and i would like to get more acclimated to where every thing is at before i go driving in the rain. I don't have to be anywhere so life is good.
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Old 12-03-2016, 07:35 AM   #26
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Engine: Cat 3126
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Yeah I'd avoid the rain, too.
I was driving home with REALLY dim lights and one dead battery, and man once it started to rain at night getting out of Atlanta I threw in the towel.

I always love hearing the stories of bus retrieval!
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Old 12-03-2016, 07:51 AM   #27
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Join Date: May 2009
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Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
EC: as you know my adventures began with bus retrieval and I think it made me enjoy this stuff that much more... after all i knew I could successfully handle a 3 day breakdown and still work and have fun...

truckdown.com is another resource if you need a mobile repair rig..

the big mistake I made was not having any tools..

when I got my second bus, i drove out in a 1 way rental car so i could take a bunch of tools with me...

its so cool that you are in no hurry.. when i had my breakdown I holed up in a small comfort suites in forsythe Georgia with a friendly staff,(and a bartender that when i asked for a Glass of crown royal gave me a GLASS of crown.. lol) i had good verizin service, so i set up my mobile DEV lab in the room and got tons of work done..

a couple days later the bus was fixed and i was off and running.. ive run close to 12000 miles on that bus this spring / summer and have had an absolute blast.. having that little breakdown right at first has made the rest of it all stress-free because I know whatever happens to it I can find a way to have fun.

-Christopher
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Old 12-03-2016, 07:53 AM   #28
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Batteries 2012 group 31 Wallyworld should have if not they are 550 cca
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Old 12-03-2016, 07:59 AM   #29
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Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
2012 definitely getting to the possible limits of those bats.. esp being run in the houston Heat.. even if they arent bad, at 4-5 years old its definitely not $$ wasted to get new ones..
-Christopher
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Old 12-03-2016, 08:02 AM   #30
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Quote:
Originally Posted by syntaxterror View Post
Batteries 2012 group 31 Wallyworld should have if not they are 550 cca
Hmmm only 550 cca?
My $75 Rural King branded Exides are 925cca.
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Old 12-03-2016, 08:35 AM   #31
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Engine: 366 Big block Chevy! :) w/ Stick shift
So enjoying the no rush to get home pace of your trip. Gently gently gently down the road.
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Old 12-03-2016, 10:09 AM   #32
Skoolie
 
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Engine: t444e
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No more fuel leaks new batteries .
On me way!!!!!!!!
will be on radio silence for a while
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Old 12-03-2016, 10:25 AM   #33
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Sorry I missed your call this am. Glad to know that you got those initial bugs out, and are ready to roll. Radar looks really wet, at least to Lake Charles. (BOO!!!) The only good thing is that the wind might give you a good tail wind, but safety is more important.
Good luck
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Old 12-03-2016, 10:44 AM   #34
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Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
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Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
his T-444E should run nice N cool though today... I was running in the september 90+ heat and watched my temp gauge flirt with that 230 (now I know was really 220 {my gauge was not correct}) line..

he has 3.91 gears and ever so slightly bigger tires than I have on mine so unless his computer is speed limited at 62, he should be able to run 65 weather permitting..

that messy weather front will probably affect me driving from st pete to ohio on weds.. but in a rare occurance im taking a car and not a bus!


-Christopher
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Old 12-03-2016, 10:21 PM   #35
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Nov 2016
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Chassis: international
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She ran well except intermittent gauges. Stopped at loves and purchased oil,windsheild wipers and a couple flashlights,I made it 184 miles into la. Going to bed
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Old 12-04-2016, 03:32 AM   #36
Skoolie
 
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Engine: t444e
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On the road again just can't wait to get on the road again!!!!!!
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Old 12-04-2016, 07:57 AM   #37
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,751
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
rockin!!!! the intermittent gauges are easy fix.. if only your main 5 gauges.. RPM,MPH,Temp,OIL P, Volts.. are the ones locking up.. if your fuel gauge, trans temp, and Amps, are working, theres 2 wires that are the culprit..

the 5 main gauges are on the J1708 / 1587 network and get their data from it.. when the data stream interrupts it causes the gauges to freeze in position.. the typical culprit is dirty / corroded pins on the main connector on the back of the panel.. or intermittent solder joints on the circuit board. both are pretty easy fixes...

is your bus speed limited at 62? (many of them with T-444E's are)?


-Christopher
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Old 12-04-2016, 09:05 AM   #38
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Engine: 366 Big block Chevy! :) w/ Stick shift
Exciting to follow this journey. Rollin down the highway
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Old 12-04-2016, 08:53 PM   #39
Skoolie
 
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Engine: t444e
Rated Cap: short
Bus 1 Ranger 0
The rain was horrific today. Some guy in a ranger was playing race car driver going in and out of traffic lost it and bounced of my front bumper. He recovered and didn't even stop. He tweaked my bumper a little you can't tell unless you put a strait edge on it except for the red paint. It kind of shook me up because he smacked me pretty good but at the same time it reassuring to how solid there things are. With all the rain I only made it to Tallahassee before I called quits and I am whipped. I will finish up tomorrow.
I am glad I made this run to get used to the bus I just wish my conversion was already done cause motels are getting expensive.
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Old 12-04-2016, 09:42 PM   #40
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Glad that you and the bus are ok. The rain has been rough back in Houston, with another bout coming tonight.
Get home safe and get to the demo. Keep the bozo in the red ranger in mind, and the demo might be more fun for you.
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