How long can y'all park there? How many parking tickets, or obstructing a police officer tickets, or not complying with a lawful order tickets can y'all handle?
I'd like to get it running for him. Says he tried two mechanics, neither of them found the problem.
As a mobile mechanic for 20 years, I heard this again and again. Most mobile mechanics are parts swappers, not real diagnostic techs. If they can't see, feel, or hear that a part is broke, they don't know what to do. So many vehicles I rescued that had sat there for months, years, maybe because a fuse was blown, or a relay was bad. I was told both times, all fuses were checked, and all relays were checked...
But right now my bus doesn't start! Seems to be the ignition switch, as there is no dash lights, but the motor spins. Charged the batts since it was cold and I haven't started it in a few weeks, but they were almost full, and that helped none. Put a voltmeter on each fuse in the panel on the front side of the dash-top, and the one that says "dash lights" gets only about 7V of power when the key is off, and 3V when on. Two fuses, "ignition - directional" and "ignition - chassis" get 0V when the key is off, and 11.5V when the key is on. All other fuses get 12V+ when off, 11.5V when on (daytime running lights are draining them).
BlueBird's online database only has a very minimal wiring diagram available for my bus, and it says "obsolete" across it. There is no key switch in that diagram. Cummins' website has a diagram for my engine with the key switch included, that shows the ignition wire from the key-switch split into two (2) separate wires, each individually fused; one goes to the power inputs for the ECU, and the other goes to the dash lights (check engine, etc.), and then these lights are grounded through the computer, allowing the ECU to turn them on as it needs to. When the key switch is initially turned on, the ECU should allow all lights to illuminate momentarily to check that they function; but that does not happen. There is no fuse that says "ECU" or similar in the panel described above; I need to look in the hidden relay panel accessible from outside the bus behind the windshield wipers on the driver's side.
Anyway, according to Cummins, that "dash lights" fuse should have 0V when the key is off. I've seen this on other vehicles before. One guy with a Chrysler minivan took it to the dealer for random no-starts. $2500 later, it wouldn't start to drive it away from the dealership (after 20 mins of turning the key "harder and harder", the tech who "fixed" it got it started), then it wouldn't start again at the gas station, then finally died again at his house and that was it. The internal "barrel", I guess, had rotated out of alignment and when you turned it to "start" things came alive and relays clicked all over; yet nothing happened when you turned it to "run". In other words, the "start" position had become the "run" position. I fixed it for him for under $150 parts and labor.
EDIT: note the connection between this BlueBird, Cummins, Chrysler, and Daimler/Mercedes. In 2005 I was working at a European Auto Repair center, and we saw a 1999/2000 model Mercedes with a wiring harness that was cracking and falling apart. My wiring is doing this in some places; I wonder if they use the same sources for wiring and key-switch manufacturer
But I'm hoping the computer (ECU) on mine won't start the motor if the Dash lights won't test OK. I want to check for power to the ECU right at the harness connector, but it is under the fuel filter and fuel lines, the coolant lines that feed into and out of the air-compressor, and some wires, and below the ECU is the PS pump and other obstructions. I would like to see that the ECU has power before I start tearing the dash apart to test the key-switch. I'm beginning to desire that front-engine setup
but it's 40° and raining. So hear I sit bored as hell, waiting to hit the road... I'd take 20° and snowing over 40° and raining any day. They say 60°s later this week.
Linear Mode
