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Old 10-21-2019, 07:07 PM   #1
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Join Date: Apr 2019
Location: Savannah GA
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Year: 2003
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000
Engine: Cummins 5.9 24v
Rated Cap: 54 passenger
Halfway home with maybe a problem?

Been a great ride so far. 95 South several hundred miles. Bus has cruise control and rides nice above 60mph.

There's no place to charge my phone. It died. I was in the middle lane going up an incline in traffic when I realized I could get off in a mile at a Starbucks and charge my phone.

So I accelerated and moved over to the right lane. Half a mile to the exit and I lost power. Coasted to the side and stopped. Putting it into Neutral I realized I was in the lower drive gear. (It's goes 1 2 D then a circled D).

Temps were all good, pressure gauges seemed fine. No Smells and as far as I could tell no leaks. But I didn't bring a flashlight and my phone was dead.

I started it up no problem, let it run five or six minutes and everything seemed fine. So I drove it here to a mall basically. Eating and charging my phone.

Am I probably okay to drive home? I am about an hour north of Richmond Virginia. That's where I was aiming to spend the night somewhere. Unless y'all siay to stay put, that's still my plan.

Any thoughts?

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Old 10-21-2019, 07:14 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by JDSquared View Post
Been a great ride so far. 95 South several hundred miles. Bus has cruise control and rides nice above 60mph.

There's no place to charge my phone. It died. I was in the middle lane going up an incline in traffic when I realized I could get off in a mile at a Starbucks and charge my phone.

So I accelerated and moved over to the right lane. Half a mile to the exit and I lost power. Coasted to the side and stopped. Putting it into Neutral I realized I was in the lower drive gear. (It's goes 1 2 D then a circled D).

Temps were all good, pressure gauges seemed fine. No Smells and as far as I could tell no leaks. But I didn't bring a flashlight and my phone was dead.

I started it up no problem, let it run five or six minutes and everything seemed fine. So I drove it here to a mall basically. Eating and charging my phone.

Am I probably okay to drive home? I am about an hour north of Richmond Virginia. That's where I was aiming to spend the night somewhere. Unless y'all siay to stay put, that's still my plan.

Any thoughts?
Hey man, glad to hear you're alive, at least!
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Old 10-21-2019, 07:15 PM   #3
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Hey man, glad to hear you're alive, at least!
LOL all that DC traffic! Bus is really smooth on the freeway.

And now I am glad I brought my laptop, sitting here with my dead phone at least I can read the forum
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Old 10-21-2019, 07:18 PM   #4
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LOL all that DC traffic! Bus is really smooth on the freeway.

And now I am glad I brought my laptop, sitting here with my dead phone at least I can read the forum
Wish I could help with your engine problem, but I dunno nothin. When you say "lost power" you mean acceleration, right, or like all the lights and electrical stuff went out?
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Old 10-21-2019, 07:19 PM   #5
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Also, let me know if you need me to call anybody for you.
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Old 10-21-2019, 07:26 PM   #6
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Also, let me know if you need me to call anybody for you.
My phone's already back up at 24% so I made all my calls thank.

Just wondering why the bus cut off on me. I mean, I assume it's because I revved it up in too low a gear, but I didn't realize the bus would cut off. Nice safety feature though.
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Old 10-21-2019, 07:29 PM   #7
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Also, let me know if you need me to call anybody for you.
I'm 40 miles from a Flying J though. 71 miles from Richmond. So I can at least go for it, check everything again at the Flying J and pull over if anything seems off.
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Old 10-21-2019, 07:29 PM   #8
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Wish I could help with your engine problem, but I dunno nothin. When you say "lost power" you mean acceleration, right, or like all the lights and electrical stuff went out?
The engine went out. Electrical all stayed on. But the engine cut off.
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Old 10-21-2019, 07:30 PM   #9
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My phone's already back up at 24% so I made all my calls thank.

Just wondering why the bus cut off on me. I mean, I assume it's because I revved it up in too low a gear, but I didn't realize the bus would cut off. Nice safety feature though.
I guess I didn't fully understand your story. You mean you had the bus in 2 and tried to accelerate? Or you had it in the regular D and not in the circled D (which I assume is overdrive)?

It does sound like you just hit the redline and the engine cut off in response, but I wasn't sure what happens in that scenario in a bus.
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Old 10-21-2019, 07:57 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by musigenesis View Post
I guess I didn't fully understand your story. You mean you had the bus in 2 and tried to accelerate? Or you had it in the regular D and not in the circled D (which I assume is overdrive)?

It does sound like you just hit the redline and the engine cut off in response, but I wasn't sure what happens in that scenario in a bus.
Yeah I wasn't sure either. It was stop and go traffic, and an incline so I shifted down to the regular D. I don't think of the circled D as overdrive, It revved great at about 11000 RPM on the highway. The D gear revved above 20000 any time you gathered speed.

So anyway, yeah, I was in slow traffic, geared down mostly just feeling things out, listening to it shift. Stop and go probably another 20 minutes. Then traffic cleared up and I was doing 50 or so, maybe 55 for a while. Then realized I wanted to exit, had a car in my blind spot who wasn't passing me when I slowed. So I sped up and went in front of him.

Then right after the engine died. I glided over, and when I was putting it into neutral I realized I was in the lower D gear.
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Old 10-21-2019, 08:03 PM   #11
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Anyway I am on my way to Richmond now. Y'all will hear about it tomorrow either way.
Good to meet you today, Thanks for meeting a stranger on his journey.
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Old 10-21-2019, 08:05 PM   #12
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What make/model/engine bus is this? I'm up by the border of Virginia, probably about 3 hours from you, not really doing anything else tonight or tomorrow aside from a planned visit to a junkyard for looking at buses.
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Old 10-21-2019, 08:33 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JDSquared View Post
Yeah I wasn't sure either. It was stop and go traffic, and an incline so I shifted down to the regular D. I don't think of the circled D as overdrive, It revved great at about 11000 RPM on the highway. The D gear revved above 20000 any time you gathered speed.

So anyway, yeah, I was in slow traffic, geared down mostly just feeling things out, listening to it shift. Stop and go probably another 20 minutes. Then traffic cleared up and I was doing 50 or so, maybe 55 for a while. Then realized I wanted to exit, had a car in my blind spot who wasn't passing me when I slowed. So I sped up and went in front of him.

Then right after the engine died. I glided over, and when I was putting it into neutral I realized I was in the lower D gear.
I hope you got carried away with zeros in that post or you won't be going anywhere.
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Old 10-21-2019, 10:03 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by Truthseeker4449 View Post
What make/model/engine bus is this? I'm up by the border of Virginia, probably about 3 hours from you, not really doing anything else tonight or tomorrow aside from a planned visit to a junkyard for looking at buses.
Bluebird TC2000 I need to update my bio. Just picked it up this morning.

Cummins 5.9 12V with I am fairly certain AT545.

Im in Richmond now for the night. Had no problems since that only one. I will check everything out on the daylight before heading out again.

Thanks
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Old 10-21-2019, 10:07 PM   #15
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I hope you got carried away with zeros in that post or you won't be going anywhere.
You mean about the rpms? ubiI was thinking the same thing. But I have a big ole number 20 on the gauge and a x100 written in the center. I just figured, I don't know what I figured lol.


Question I was going to ask.... The hours meter says 11010. The odometer is supposedly 156 original miles. That seem right? I was trying to add up how many hours a bus is in service, for 15 years, and I don't know. Seems low miles and hours. But that's how the engine feels too.
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Old 10-21-2019, 10:21 PM   #16
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The circled D is the universal symbol for overdrive.
If you have 1,2,3,D, circle D then you likely have a 2000 series Allison.

There will be a tag on the (iirc) passenger side of the tranny giving model and build date and serial #.

There could be a high rpm cut-out to protect the driveline which you triggered...

Safe travels!
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Old 10-21-2019, 10:49 PM   #17
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Anyway I am on my way to Richmond now. Y'all will hear about it tomorrow either way.
Good to meet you today, Thanks for meeting a stranger on his journey.
Good meeting you too. Thanks for the burger.
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Old 10-22-2019, 06:15 AM   #18
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Those symptoms could indicate a fuel issue.
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Old 10-22-2019, 06:16 AM   #19
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Bluebird TC2000 I need to update my bio. Just picked it up this morning.

Cummins 5.9 12V with I am fairly certain AT545.

Im in Richmond now for the night. Had no problems since that only one. I will check everything out on the daylight before heading out again.

Thanks
You've got an allison 2000.
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Old 10-22-2019, 06:39 AM   #20
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I am about 60-70 miles north of Richmond. You would be backtracking now that you are in Richmond but call me if you get stranded. 540 439 4045.

And yes as ECCB has said it is likely a fuel issue, most likely needs a new fuel filter. It sounds like it flows just enough for normal driving but as soon as you push it it gets fuel starved. My 5.9 does the same thing when the filter is ready to be changed
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