The Newman Skoolie! - Page 17

Trebor · 08-08-2016, 02:42 PM

For fastening with bolts, you can also use a center punch and hit the bolt between threads close to the nut as possible. Changes the pitch of the thread and its like cross threading it so nut can't loosen.

slaughridge85 · 08-08-2016, 04:34 PM

Or just use nylock nuts so they can be removed easily in the future.

cadillackid · 08-08-2016, 05:16 PM

I use the nylon stop nuts for anythng in a high vibration area and ive never had one come loose.. but i can take them loose if I need to... of course with bolts comes the need to drill which sometimes can be a pain to get a drill bit into the right spot to make a hole.. so I guess welds can be made in tighter places.. I still prefer bolts...

im glad im gay.. no worries of a divorce.. oh crap wait my kinda marriage is legal now. im too busy running a business and building a bus and having so mucn fun at it that theres no need for marriage or divorce... im also good at making run-on sentences..

-Christopher

Jolly Roger · 08-08-2016, 08:19 PM

When did you say the last time your bus was started/turned over?
It does sound like an electrical issue but maybe the engine is stuck at the bottom of a compression stroke?
Try turning the crank over with a decent sized breaker bar and socket but just cause you can't doesn't men that's the problem. I have seen some shutdown on the wrong compression stroke and it gets messy after sitting to move them again but my diesel skills are more heavy equipment than buses.

Jman6631 · 08-09-2016, 02:37 PM

My bus started two weeks ago on the old batteries. I run it every two weeks like religiously. Then I had that dead battery issue with the old ones and took them in for a charge. That's when I found out the CCA's were way low.

Still, I reinstalled the old ones and they cranked her up just fine. When they didn't again the next time I traded them in and replaced them. Now I have the same starting issue with the new ones.

I tested them and they each have 12.47v no-load. I checked the neutral ground on the frame and while it feels very solid with no play. It's pretty rusty, should I remove it and clean it up? See:

And here is the positive lead at the other end. As you can see it's pretty oily and nasty down there. I'm sure all of this grime is conductive, could it be involved? Would cleaning it help?

This is from the bottom looking almost straight up from the height of the frame, the red arrows are pointing to the positive lead (you can actually see some of the red insulation through the grime!):

Here is a second view from a little higher, camera is more towards the front and looking more towards the rear. The positive lead terminates with a solid bar (red arrow) and has other wires bolted to it (other red arrow):

Jman6631 · 08-09-2016, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cadillackid

I use the nylon stop nuts for anythng in a high vibration area and ive never had one come loose.. but i can take them loose if I need to... of course with bolts comes the need to drill which sometimes can be a pain to get a drill bit into the right spot to make a hole.. so I guess welds can be made in tighter places.. I still prefer bolts...

im glad im gay.. no worries of a divorce.. oh crap wait my kinda marriage is legal now. im too busy running a business and building a bus and having so mucn fun at it that theres no need for marriage or divorce... im also good at making run-on sentences..

-Christopher

"Not that there's anything wrong with that!" Helloooooooo Nnnnnnnewmannnnnnn!

BusFiend · 08-09-2016, 04:08 PM

Without a doubt, I would clean those connections, particularly the ground. Start with the ground; disassemble, wire brush good, apply some dielectric grease, reassemble. That just might solve you're problem. I would attack the positive side too, regardless of whether the ground is the real culprit or not. Clean engines are much easier to diagnose, repair and keep cool.

EastCoastCB · 08-09-2016, 04:40 PM

Yeah man clean up those connections for sure.

sojourner · 08-09-2016, 05:26 PM

All battery connections should be dry and clean (shiny metal) to transfer the full amperage of the battery. I wouldn't use a nylock on any current carrying connection due to the possibility of heat melting away the nylon and making it's thread locking abilities null and void. If I have my preference, I'd use a star lock washer. It bites into the connection (making it better) while locking it in place. Second choice is a standard lock washer. I spent my career as a marine tech doing battery connections in the harshest environment one can (salt water commercial boats) imagine. Keep em clean, keep em dry and all is good

.
I agree with cleaning up things a good bit. Looks like your skoolie has seen some neglect in the cleanliness dept. A trip to the car wash (serious use of degreaser) might be in order once you get it runnin'.

EastCoastCB · 08-09-2016, 05:30 PM

Jolly Roger · 08-09-2016, 06:02 PM

The locknuts were for a different purpose concerning welding verses bolting storage underneath.
Hopefully JMANN followed the jump between his questions/threads.
Clean connections,dielectric grease and lock washers with brass nuts is what is typically used .
Not saying you need brass nuts and washers. Steel lock washers and nuts will do the same purpose but will require either sooner grease coatings or replaced sooner than brass.
Brass will last longer in an electrical world but still needs to be maintained.
Others problems make me want to go PM mine instead of the projects I want to complete.
But my inside and outside projects can wait if I can't start up and go anywhere?

Jman6631 · 08-10-2016, 08:19 AM

Thank you ALL! I read you loud and clear, very good input.

I'll go after the negative ground first and see how that helps. I'll look to replace with brass hardware. Then the positive side.

In all honesty the engine cleaning has been on the to-do list for a while. I wish I could take it in for a steam cleaning, or clean it in place. But, that stuff is on there so thick I don't see getting it off very easily by hand or by washing alone. I think steam cleaning is probably the only and best way to get all that thick oil grime off.

But, in and around the alternator is what needs cleaning the most relative to the battery issue anyway, so I assume that needs to be removed? Normally I would just cover it and clean away it, but wouldn't I have to remove it and clean in manually to better insure it doesn't get wet?

EastCoastCB · 08-10-2016, 08:34 AM

Some good degreaser would work wonders, man.
I'd use an old paint brush and slather it on a few good times.

Jman6631 · 08-10-2016, 08:20 PM

Hey hosers,

I disassembled the negative ground, cleaned it up and reassembled it. It was pretty trashed. I scraped and brushed what I could and then sandpapered the tab lug down to brass, then cleaned the lug, nut, star lock washer and bolt. It wasn't shiney-new but it was a hell of a lot better than before. This is what I have now:

One thing I noticed was that there was originally something behind the welded-on back washer that sits 1/2" off the frame that the lug tab hits first. I could salvage one small piece but couldn't tell what it was. I actually looked like wood with small grooves but it must have obviously been rubber originally. It's gone now: How critical is that?

Then I took degreaser and went to work on the positive cable. I cleaned what I could as it got dark but it's a real mess and I'm sure I left a lot. Here's what I have now:

To clean this thing right I'm going to have to steam clean it, so I'll look into that.

The end result, you ask? Nothing. Nada. Zip. I think I may have gotten another half a cranking volt but not enough to start her...wah, wah, wah, wahhhhh...

slaughridge85 · 08-11-2016, 04:26 PM

If you want to go the diy route, I think Harbor Freight has a decent little steam cleaner for around $125. If you have one in the area...

Jman6631 · 08-11-2016, 05:41 PM

Hey thanks, good idea. We do have HF but I haven't he led them yet.

milkmania · 08-11-2016, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slaughridge85

If you want to go the diy route, I think Harbor Freight has a decent little steam cleaner for around $125. If you have one in the area...

Go down to dollar store, get a 3/4 gallon of LA's Awesome... Put it into a 1 or 2 gallon pump up sprayer... Saturate everything, then pressure spray it.
You'll be amazed!

Also,

In my text messages today...

HarborFreight: 3 Day Sale 20% off 1 item 14655381* exclusions apply valid Aug12-14, 2016. Clck 3 Day Sale Msg&DataRatesAply TEXTSTOP to stop

20% off $125 would be $25 off

Jman6631 · 08-11-2016, 06:28 PM

Hey THANKS! Like money in my pocket...

Stu & Filo. T · 08-12-2016, 01:53 PM

I used purple power, spray on heavy let soak, reapply let soak, reapply let soak then pressure wash.

Jman6631 · 08-24-2016, 07:18 PM

Hey hosers, SUCCESS! On multiple levels...

1) DMV Inspection: What a piece of cake. I went through all the trouble to stage the damn thing like you stage your house thinking I needed to be convincing enough. Well Special Agent What's-His-Name could have cared less. All he needed to do was verify that it couldn't be used as a bus anymore, which was easy enough to prove since the seats were recycled nine months ago. I don't have the title yet but saw a photocopy of it and he said the original will be sent to me soon. Once I get tags I'll be able to put it on the road and test drive it again. Annnnnd, most importantly, now the roof raise can begin just as soon as my welding skills improve a little more and get consistent - WooHoo!

2) Non-start up condition: Resolved! Looks like the neutral safety was a little loose. I removed and tested the switch at the tranny and that was fine. Then I took a look at the connection at the shifter and that needed a little cleaning and tightening. Now she starts up just fine and thank God, I wasn't looking forward to an extended intermittent electrical issue to resolve.

I also picked up a steamer so here's a BIG shout out and thank you to milkmania for the HF coupon! Haven't used it yet but I will soon enough.

One thing I have to resolve is the radiator hose set up I put on the driver-side heater lines that ran to the rear heater that I removed. I installed the hoses with hose clamps and never did like the look of it going in. It does work "pretty" good but there is still a very slow leak so obviously it isn't working good enough.

Does anyone see any issue with using compression caps to seal off those supply and return lines? They connect inside the driver-side heater anyway so I see no reason that I can't just cap them off. There is the raised ring at the ends of the copper pipe that gave the hose clamps something to hold onto, but those can be removed easily with the dremel to allow the compression fittings to slide on (can't sweat any of this due to the proximity of the heater coils above). Would doing this create any unwanted pressure or cause any other issues that aren't obvious to me?

Thanks in advance!

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