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07-04-2012, 11:54 AM
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#1
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Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 158
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Chevy
Chassis: Bluebird
Rated Cap: 16
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Bus won't start it
I just replaced my battery that was under warranty for the 2nd year in a row. Last year's battery was faulty apparently. Anyway, I went to run the bus today because I haven't in about 8 months. I put the new battery in, turned the key, the dashboard lights came on and I heard a buzzing sound like I always do, then I went to start it - everything went off, no sound. Tried to take the key out and put it back in and no lights came on, nothing. I remember checking the alternator last year by doing the headlights trick and everything seemed okay. Maybe I didn't tighten the battery in enough to the wires? Or the heads of the battery are just dirty? Or maybe it is the starter. Heard it could be a fuse (which I've had to replace a bunch in the past 12 months) Any ideas?
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07-04-2012, 12:51 PM
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#2
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Montana
Posts: 1,626
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: All-American R/E
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
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Re: Bus won't start it
Sounds like a ground issue to me.
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07-04-2012, 01:32 PM
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#3
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cleburne TX
Posts: 692
Year: 2001
Chassis: International Amtran RE
Engine: DT466E/MD3060
Rated Cap: 78
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Re: Bus won't start it
Hook up some jumper cables to it and see if lights get brighter and turn the key. I agree sounds like a grounding issue. May want to up bolt the ground cable to the frame or block (depending on what its grounded to) and clean them and reconnect.
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07-04-2012, 01:41 PM
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#4
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: ellijay ga
Posts: 560
Year: 94
Coachwork: b/b
Chassis: tc2000
Engine: 5.9
Rated Cap: 72
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Re: Bus won't start it
do what i had to do,,put a kill switch on my bird there about $50.00 at napa no more dead battery,,just make sure u turn it off,so charge u battery real good and do the switch..u gat a bad wire some where and u will never find it i been thought the my hares 5 time and still an't find it ,so i put a switch and hock a small light on the kill side so u know it off,,i put a red marker light,so when it kill the light is off.
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07-04-2012, 08:48 PM
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#5
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Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 158
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Chevy
Chassis: Bluebird
Rated Cap: 16
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Re: Bus won't start it
Hmm,
Ok guys I have to be honest. I am not the brightest bulb when it comes to this stuff. Could ya'll explain in basic terms what that means? I don't even know what a ground issue is lol.
I will try to disconnect and clean the battery bolts and cables to get rid of any dirt this weekend.
Also, would I be able to use jumper calbles from a Honda Civic?
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07-05-2012, 06:31 AM
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#6
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cleburne TX
Posts: 692
Year: 2001
Chassis: International Amtran RE
Engine: DT466E/MD3060
Rated Cap: 78
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Re: Bus won't start it
RUskoolietailgater
The battery cables have a positive and a negitive. The positive goes to the starter. The negative will go to the frame or the engine block. Sometimes when you dont get a good connection to either of those (either batter side or engine block or starterside) you wont get good connections and it wont start or charge.
Just for grins.... I would diconnect and clean both sides .... what can it hurt.
Yes any car or truck with a 12 volt battery and charging system will jump it off. You may have to let it sit for a bit to put enough charge in the battery.
What Keith is talking about is putting a battery disconnect switch in. Its a device that will disconnect the battery from the bus and not have to physically remove the cables so if you have an issue the bus wont drain the battery while sitting.
Electrical can be frustrating to find. This is not an uncommon issue with older vehicles. I have fought them before and threw many of a cuss word at them.
Fight the good fight.
Bapos
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07-05-2012, 08:42 AM
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#7
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Oregon/Philippines
Posts: 1,660
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Re: Bus won't start it
lets start with your original problem. first, you put new charged battery in, had power up before trying to start, and then when you turned on to start you lost all power.
when this happens to me, (and it does a lot) it it because the battery cable to the battery is not tight enough, or i didnt have all the connections cleaned, or the battery cable ends are bad.
solution is to have battery posts and cable ends completely clean, and the cable ends have to securely clamp or bolt on to the battery.
the reason this happens to me a lot with vehicles is that i have more vehicles than batteries and when i need to start one, i just grab a battery and stick the cable ends on it without tightening the bolts... then i gotta get out and twist the cables or something to get a good connection.
also be sure you have the positive and negative cables hooked up correctly, and be sure the battery is fully charged, cause a new store battery isnt always fully charged when you buy it.
__________________
Jesus Christ... Conversion in progress.
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07-05-2012, 09:21 AM
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#8
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Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 158
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Chevy
Chassis: Bluebird
Rated Cap: 16
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Re: Bus won't start it
What is funny is when I got the battery I went to charge it a little bit but I couldn't really tell if it was juicing up because the amp meter wasn't moving on this portable charger I have for large trucks. Then when it wouldn't start I tried to charge it again and charge it fast and the entire amp just went off. I interpreted that as the battery being fully charged. I am going to TRY and do this before the weekend and I'll report back if it works. (Hoping this is the problem - it actually happened once before that I just had to clean the battery bolts).
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07-05-2012, 11:32 AM
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#9
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: ellijay ga
Posts: 560
Year: 94
Coachwork: b/b
Chassis: tc2000
Engine: 5.9
Rated Cap: 72
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Re: Bus won't start it
sometime the short is in the wireing harnes on a p+ side,it could be in the over head light harnes or the door buzzer,u will never fine it.so do like i did and have no more troubles...of corse i toke out my harness,
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07-05-2012, 02:04 PM
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#10
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Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 158
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Chevy
Chassis: Bluebird
Rated Cap: 16
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Re: Bus won't start it
keith I like the kill switch idea but I still think I need to find the problem first. I don't think a kill switch is suddenly going to allow me to start my bus.
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07-05-2012, 02:07 PM
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#11
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Oregon/Philippines
Posts: 1,660
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Re: Bus won't start it
Just put a "Live" switch on it...
__________________
Jesus Christ... Conversion in progress.
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07-05-2012, 07:41 PM
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#12
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Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 158
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Chevy
Chassis: Bluebird
Rated Cap: 16
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Re: Bus won't start it
I cleaned the battery heads and charged it for 25 minutes. The charge is still mad low though but I just drove it around for 10 minutes. It is alive! Thanks guys. I should probably bring the battery home and give it a nice long charge. Yay/Nay?
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07-05-2012, 08:19 PM
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#13
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Montana
Posts: 1,626
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: All-American R/E
Engine: 8.3 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
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Re: Bus won't start it
Wouldnt hurt. Glad you got it going.
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07-06-2012, 08:01 AM
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#14
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Oregon/Philippines
Posts: 1,660
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Re: Bus won't start it
yeah, slow charge it. and use the load tester also...
__________________
Jesus Christ... Conversion in progress.
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07-06-2012, 09:55 AM
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#15
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Skoolie
Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 158
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Chevy
Chassis: Bluebird
Rated Cap: 16
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Re: Bus won't start it
Also, just for reference purposes. I checked the fuses but nothing was even listed that had to do with the enginge so I didn't bother with them. It was also difficult to find where the battery cables conected to the engine so I just cleaned the ones that connected to the battery. Also had a layer of dirt/film on the engine so I wiped it down a bit.
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07-06-2012, 10:09 AM
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#16
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Oregon/Philippines
Posts: 1,660
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Re: Bus won't start it
look at the starter. you will find a big cable there, but that most likely is not a problem.
__________________
Jesus Christ... Conversion in progress.
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07-12-2012, 10:28 PM
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#17
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: NUNYA
Posts: 4,236
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: 3800
Engine: DT408, AT545
Rated Cap: 23 500 gvw
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Re: Bus won't start it
You might want to make sure your battery cables and terminals are good and have solid connections. Sometimes people halfass the repairs they do with cables and terminals. Then you are not getting all the juice that's available. Not sure if someone said this already.
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07-13-2012, 08:42 AM
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#18
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 801
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Re: Bus won't start it
Possible low batteries, even tho you have enough juice in the batteries to turn over the engine they may not be fully charged or have a weak cell.
Try adding a pair of jumper batteries or replace what you have with some known good ones.... $$$$$$
Best of luck
__________________
GreyEagle
Roll - On...
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07-13-2012, 12:47 PM
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#19
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Oregon/Philippines
Posts: 1,660
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Re: Bus won't start it
since the bus will start if jumped at the starter solinoid, its not the batteries, its a wiring or relay issue.
__________________
Jesus Christ... Conversion in progress.
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07-13-2012, 01:59 PM
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#20
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 801
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Re: Bus won't start it
Quote:
Originally Posted by chev49
since the bus will start if jumped at the starter solinoid, its not the batteries, its a wiring or relay issue.
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Good point, I missed that one somewhere...
My guess is still the wiring at the back door, or a fuse...
yea, I know not much help...
__________________
GreyEagle
Roll - On...
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