broken down in Hazelhurst GA 5miles from PofP

[Ally420/Akasha099]

We recently purchases a '89 BB tc2000 on govdeals.com in Hazelhurst GA. It was listed as running good but made it 11 miles up the road before it over heated, blew a head gasket. It has a Cummins 5.9.

Are there any skoolie folk near by?

This dream has turned nightmarish real fast. The business we bought it from is making us resolve this through govdeals.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Ally420/Akasha099

We recently purchases a '89 BB tc2000 on govdeals.com in Hazelhurst GA. It was listed as running good but made it 11 miles up the road before it over heated, blew a head gasket. It has a Cummins 5.9.

Are there any skoolie folk near by?

This dream has turned nightmarish real fast. The business we bought it from is making us resolve this through govdeals.

Where is the bus now? are you safe somwhere? Did you get towed?

Sorry to hear about your luck, yall.

[Ally420/Akasha099]

Bus is still at the gas station it broke down at (we lucked in that it was right at a truck stop). Someone helped us tow it off the street to the stop's lot. We are currently camping down the road at a campground while we wait for a quote from a mechanic to send to the seller and work out our next move.

[dgorila1]

Originally Posted by Ally420/Akasha099

Bus is still at the gas station it broke down at (we lucked in that it was right at a truck stop). Someone helped us tow it off the street to the stop's lot. We are currently camping down the road at a campground while we wait for a quote from a mechanic to send to the seller and work out our next move.

Man, that sucks! You were headed back to Newport News. This is why I'm so hesitant to buy a bus sight unseen, especially through an auction. I know many on here haven't had any issues doing it like this, but your situation is exactly what I want to avoid. Hopefully you can either get them to pay to fix it or get your money back. Good luck!

[cadillackid]

wow georgia sucks!! I spent 3 days broke down in rural georgia at a truck stop when I got my bus!! I feel for you!!

-Christopher

[Jolly Roger]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

wow georgia sucks!! I spent 3 days broke down in rural georgia at a truck stop when I got my bus!! I feel for you!!

-Christopher

Rural Georgia sucks for a city man cause there ain't many people around to help. not like anyones gonna help in a big city? but when you do find help in a rural area they would probably give you the shirt off of there back if needed
A suburb of a city is not a rural area.
I have only passed through Georgia but in Texan rural areas everyone helps everyone.
I know I am speaking from N.C and in the military melting pot there isn't much help for one on the side of the road?
I still stop in a heartbeat and take an a$$ chewing or no pay for that time cause my company truck had GPS on it but I never hid anything. If they don't pay for helping someone then I eat it.
In my heart/head I did the right thing cause someday it could be me?
Wasn't trying to use you or your post as an example.
Ever since I eft texas in 91 it has been everyone for themselves?

[cadillackid]

I wasnt in a suburb when I broke down I was in forsyth georgia which was somewhere near atlanta but definitely not a suburb...

the truckdown mobile service deemed my air compressor bad.. I didnt have tools (shame on me) and no stores anywhere close to get any... no Taxi, No uber, and no Lyft anywhere... not even a bus service...

after being down 2 days I finally kn ew what was wrong with the bus and that i probably couldve fixed it myself at least enough to make my remaining 650 miles..

what was at my exit was a shoneys, a pseudo truck stop, a gas station, and a comfort inn... that was it!.. luckily I can work wherever im at so I got a room, set up my mobile suitcase DEV lab and worked as usual... for hotel people were nice.. the second day the GM offered to hand me the keys to her truck so I could get parts or tools... (just like you say offering the shirt off her back!)... again by then things were under control..

I had already budgeted plenty of $$$ for this project so I really wasnt broken up over it as even my work wasnt impacted.. I let the bus sit.. parts shipped in and I got lots of work done and enjoyed the people I met at the hotel .. (they even had a bar with crown royal..)..

-Christopher

[Jolly Roger]

Not trying to make waves as we say at the beach?
I read and was involved in your breakdown and couldn't figure out anyway I could help without a 3-4 hour road trip, time off of work, and my wife's car that would put her out of work to.
I did think about it?

[cadillackid]

nah no waves taken here just acknowledging what you said about being a city guy in the country and how those around did their best to help.. even if the truckdown service was not the greatest as far as skill...

I did what I could to make the positives out of it.. it couldve been a lot worse had I been trying to take vacation from work and run a bus home only to be stranded.. or had I not had plenty of money to get it fixed... thats when things really become a disaster very quickly...

-Christopher

[Jolly Roger]

That's all you can do when you need help.
Make the best you can of the situation and move on.

[Brad_SwiftFur]

I live in GA, but I'm 3+ hours away.

[EastCoastCB]

I've always liked GA, but some of the rural areas are less than friendly.
Especially if you've got out of state tags.

[Ally420/Akasha099]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

wow georgia sucks!! I spent 3 days broke down in rural georgia at a truck stop when I got my bus!! I feel for you!!

-Christopher

The people we got the bus from are d!cks but man everyone else has been Sooo helpful, friendly, and hospitable. It is trul truly amazing.

[Ally420/Akasha099]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

I've always liked GA, but some of the rural areas are less than friendly.
Especially if you've got out of state tags.

And our minivan has cali plates and as you can guess from our handle we have an alternative lifestyle. So far things could be a lot worse.

[Ally420/Akasha099]

Originally Posted by Brad_SwiftFur

I live in GA, but I'm 3+ hours away.

Thank you for considering it.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Ally420/Akasha099

The people we got the bus from are d!cks but man everyone else has been Sooo helpful, friendly, and hospitable. It is trul truly amazing.

Yeah, being in FL, I've never shopped GA for buses. They only sell em when they're BEAT in GA.
How are you guys doing?

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Keep us posted on how things are going.

[Ally420/Akasha099]

Well we got help from a trucker/deisel mechanic. With his help we were able to drive the bus 8 miles at a time from hazelhurst, ga to waycross, ga where he lives. Its still over heating even after we removed the thermostat. There still is no water in the oil or coming out the tail pipe so maybe the head gasket is not blown. One of the injectors is spraying deisel and that cylinder does not get proper compression.

Anyway we have worked things out to start working on the bus here in waycross instead of Virginia. Thanks for the concern.

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Is it overheating because it's losing coolant? It has to be going somewhere if it is.

If it's not losing coolant, then that narrows things down a bit. Most common causes are (1) coolant not circulating, which could be (a) radiator stopped up internally, (b) failed or failing water pump (includes slipping or failed belt), (c) closed thermostat (which I see yours has been removed), (d) collapsed lower radiator hose (this is the "suction" one), or (2) coolant is circulating, but heat is not being removed from it, which could be (e) radiator fins stopped up with dust, dirt, leaves, something blocking air flowing through them, or (f) fan isn't drawing air through radiator.

The 5.9 Cummins engines are generally pretty good, yours is an '89 model? It should be checked at some point for the Cummins KDP issue (there's a thread on it somewhere on this forum), if by some small chance the engine has been replaced, make sure it's not a so-called 53 block casting (produced late 90's-early 2000's), these had a problem from the foundry leading to the block cracking after some age. Now if it's losing coolant, an external leak should be traceable. An internal leak will go *Somewhere*, either into the oil (which you indicate is not the case), or burned out the exhaust, usually leaving white smoke (which you also say is not the case).

Also, you say an injector is spraying diesel and the corresponding cylinder is not getting compression? Without a chance to do a proper diagnosis it makes it hard to form an accurate conclusion ... is the injector spraying fuel outside the engine? If so, it will need to be replaced (or at least find/correct the cause), and it will cause a skip, which could lead to someone thinking the engine has a dead cylinder. Has the compression in that cylinder actually been tested? (Actually, if you're going to the trouble to do one, you might as well do the rest while you're at it).

Anyway, keep us posted, and gooooood luck.

[superdave]

Originally Posted by Ally420/Akasha099

Well we got help from a trucker/deisel mechanic. With his help we were able to drive the bus 8 miles at a time from hazelhurst, ga to waycross, ga where he lives. Its still over heating even after we removed the thermostat. There still is no water in the oil or coming out the tail pipe so maybe the head gasket is not blown. One of the injectors is spraying deisel and that cylinder does not get proper compression.

Anyway we have worked things out to start working on the bus here in waycross instead of Virginia. Thanks for the concern.

an engine needs the thermostat so the water stays in the radiator long enough to cool down. it will overheat every time without one. good luck