New Flyer "Viking" Coach 45'

Kinson · 08-07-2018, 10:27 PM

After a series of unfortunate events, I am trying to pick up the pieces. I live in PA and purchased a bus(coach) in Washington near Seattle. Whether intentional or not, the previous owner doomed my purchase from the start and failed to mention the retarder "doesn't work". I probably talked to him a total of 6 times both before/after the purchase and asked if anything was not in operation or didn't work. After driving around an hour total with the retarder switch "on", the transmission failed and needs rebuilt or replaced. The board's best guess is coolant leaked into the transmission with the switch on. We had to fly home immediately due to a family emergency while it was at a few shops.

If it were possible, I'd have it towed to my house and rebuild the transmission over time. The manual gives step by step instructions, but I am across the country from it. There is an ebay listing of the exact same transmission for $1500-1600 OBO as well. Paying someone to fix/replace it, flying back, and $1500 in fuel to get it home added to what I have spent is too much for my current situation.

There is interest in the PLC components and a few random parts if it is scrapped. Any other parts would be available as well. I may be able to have someone ship certain things, but not sure yet. I am waiting on some numbers from a few scrappers and will entertain anything more than that for the whole bus. I have a rough idea what it would scrap for, but it would be such a waste to do so. Let me know of any questions you may have.

Markydee has this exact model bus and put me in contact with a parts source. The source has spare parts and transmission cores for this exact model and is eager to sell. Markydee is also interested in a few seats if scrapped or purchased, so keep that in mind. I will lose money either route I go, so my loss is your gain.

Stranded Thread: http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f20/sk...ate-23224.html

CL Details: https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/c...663778726.html

cycle61 · 08-07-2018, 10:38 PM

Sent you a message.

Kinson · 08-08-2018, 01:39 PM

Pacific Torque will start charging me storage on Monday so the faster this happens, the better.

Kinson · 08-09-2018, 11:46 AM

I just got word that the scrappers aren't interested in the labor required to separate the materials. I think my last/best option now is to sell the entire bus. Anyone hiring? I could always work the rest of the year in WA and fix it myself lol. I will entertain any interest in the coach and am willing to deal.

EastCoastCB · 08-09-2018, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kinson

I just got word that the scrappers aren't interested in the labor required to separate the materials. I think my last/best option now is to sell the entire bus. Anyone hiring? I could always work the rest of the year in WA and fix it myself lol. I will entertain any interest in the coach and am willing to deal.

So the shop won't even install a genuine rebuilt transmission. They'll only install one THEY rebuild for 5x the normal price??

EastCoastCB · 08-09-2018, 01:46 PM

Try "teamrosario" he may have some suggestions. He's worked on NF buses.

Kinson · 08-09-2018, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

So the shop won't even install a genuine rebuilt transmission. They'll only install one THEY rebuild for 5x the normal price??

I haven't attempted to change their minds about supplied parts, but I may try. Marky's seller has 3 cores that are not drop-in ready. The ebay listing in the stranded thread is probably the best bet. Bill from TEC mentioned the "plugs" looked a little rough. Would that be a concern? I figured getting it fixed, flying back, and fuel to get it home is too much for me right now. I may rethink that if I can't get anything for scrapping...

Kinson · 08-09-2018, 07:44 PM

My latest bit of info is I found a wrecking yard that will pick it up and pay nothing. They said the labor involved in tearing it down won't leave them with much profit. There is interest in the PLC components and seats, so I may be able to get something for those. Any thoughts on the transmission we found on ebay that is the same model as mine? It states, "believed to be in good working condition, fluid is clean, no particulate in oil reservoir, torque converter and output shaft turn easily, smoothly, with no sound, no lateral movement." Bill looked at the pics of it and said the plugs look iffy. Is that something to worry about?

EastCoastCB · 08-09-2018, 09:08 PM

I wish I had a way to get the DD series 60 out of it.
Anyone out there bored and want to pull and crate a S60 Detroit?? lol

BlackJohn · 08-09-2018, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kinson

My latest bit of info is I found a wrecking yard that will pick it up and pay nothing. They said the labor involved in tearing it down won't leave them with much profit. There is interest in the PLC components and seats, so I may be able to get something for those. Any thoughts on the transmission we found on ebay that is the same model as mine? It states, "believed to be in good working condition, fluid is clean, no particulate in oil reservoir, torque converter and output shaft turn easily, smoothly, with no sound, no lateral movement." Bill looked at the pics of it and said the plugs look iffy. Is that something to worry about?

Kinson
Can you put up pics of the tranny and plugs you mention? They might be salvageable.

John

Kinson · 08-09-2018, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackJohn

Kinson
Can you put up pics of the tranny and plugs you mention? They might be salvageable.

John

This is the listing I am speaking of.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ZF-ECOMAT-T...MAAOSw0IJZ1ke6
The plugs are in the last few pictures.

I showed them to Bill from TEC and he said they looked weathered or questionable. This happened earlier in the discussion when more routes were on the table. At the moment, I am considering it because getting nothing for all this seems unacceptable to me.

cycle61 · 08-09-2018, 11:35 PM

The plugs in that transmission definitely need a good cleaning, but are very serviceable. The housing is cracked on the first one, I would assemble carefully and make sure it's well greased.

Kinson · 08-10-2018, 10:25 AM

I am going to call the shop manager at Pacific Torque and see if I can work something out. If they shut me down, I think I'm done. Best case scenario: I buy this transmission, have them install, fly back out, $1500 in fuel to get home. Anything else would add to the total and my bank account is empty. I can't lose anymore sleep...

BlackJohn · 08-10-2018, 12:42 PM

Looking at those connectors , they should be able to clean one up and maybe even change the second one with the broken collar. Or it might get you home as is.
If I were you I'd get out there again and do what you can to get it home.

Change the tranny and bring the old one back too if possible to find out what is wrong with it.
I know it is difficult for you but give it a try. Or maybe something else will come up so you can store it out there for a while.
Good luck man,

John

Kinson · 08-10-2018, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackJohn

Looking at those connectors , they should be able to clean one up and maybe even change the second one with the broken collar. Or it might get you home as is.
If I were you I'd get out there again and do what you can to get it home.

Change the tranny and bring the old one back too if possible to find out what is wrong with it.
I know it is difficult for you but give it a try. Or maybe something else will come up so you can store it out there for a while.
Good luck man,

John

I called and talked to the shop manager at its current location. He is giving me another week to figure this out and get it out of there. He will not budge on the supplied parts policy. Storing it definitely crossed my mind, but I know no one around there. It would involve another tow bill and storage fees. Would that be worth the time to find a buyer or find the best fix? What would be the best bet as far as cheap, long-term storage?

Kubla · 08-10-2018, 01:31 PM

This may be a dumb question, did you check the coolant for transmission fluid? Trans operates at a much higher pressure than the cooling system so usually the fluid goes into the cooling system when you get a leak between them

cadillackid · 08-10-2018, 01:57 PM

no user supplied parts is often a shop policy.. part of it is liability.. even though you can sign papers that say the shop isnt liable for issues related to user supplied parts.. someone would still sue them.. so they make up a warranty and offer a whole package deal... the other issue is them getting paid.. what if you hand them a junkyard transmission that the junkyard said was good and it isnt.. then you say screw-it and walk.. that shop will be out the labor hours.. major components in transit busses are tough as they are specialized and often expensive to rebuild or source compared to school busses.. and they are often run into the ground.. many transit busses are run till they know they arent worth another dime and finally scrapped or sold.. 750k miles plus isnt uncommon for a transit bus .. hard miles of stop N go in city traffic... so sourcing junkyard parts gets tougher vs remanufactured parts

-Christopher

Kinson · 08-10-2018, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kubla

This may be a dumb question, did you check the coolant for transmission fluid? Trans operates at a much higher pressure than the cooling system so usually the fluid goes into the cooling system when you get a leak between them

When we were on the side of the road, we checked the transmission fluid. It seemed slightly overfilled and smelled sweet. It was also a different color than the dipstick called for, but the stick may not have been original. This one twists(and was stuck) and Markydee's pulls right out. I believe it was yellowish and we didn't smell anything burnt, just sweet. We were on a slight incline, so that may account for looking overfilled. In the moment, I think someone suggested confirming the radiator sight-glass looked pinkish. I could see some pink liquid bouncing around when I checked. Someone's guess was coolant leaking into the transmission. The shop removed the transmission filter and it was clogged with clutch debris and the fluid was burnt.

The batteries needed a jump before getting it started. We checked if all the dash lights worked with the test switch and everything lit up. After the break down, there were a few popped breakers. Could this be why I received no warning sounds or lights before the failure? I think the retarder switch being on is what caused all this, but I may be wrong.

BlackJohn · 08-10-2018, 11:25 PM

Kinson

I came across this by accident and they do moves like you need. They are in Canada but googled them and they work and have international contacts.
Search: LTS TRANSIT and contact them about your predicament. Worth a try man,

John

cadillackid · 08-11-2018, 12:34 AM

when i bought my Superior bus (just drove it from oregon to ohio). I first got some quotes to ship it across the country.. i simply googled, shipping bus.. and quotes were aroundthe $2.50 / mile range to ship it.. now thats a 35 foot bus and not 45.. but im guessing shipping rates would be similar.. not sure how far you have to go but its an option.. often things get much clearer and easier to deal with if your bus is in your own driveway
-Christopher

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