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Old 03-09-2016, 04:19 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
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Couple questions, disabling rear door alarm, mystery vacuum connection

Hey guys,

I have a couple questions. There will be an Imgur album link with photos attached.

I have attached photos of the guts of the rear door alarm. How do I go about disabling that? I remember reading somewhere that some models are tied into the ignition and if you just clip the wires it can disable the ignition.

Also, I saw an unplugged vacuum connection(several actually). This connection was obvious where it went so I plugged it back in. Does anyone know what it is for? It is the blue connection to the left of the thermostat.

Lastly(for now lol), I saw a mystery tank, that had a connection somewhere connected to something extending directly off the master brake cylinder, and it looked like it also went upwards into the body.. At first I thought maybe I had air brakes, but I have no air brake controls and never hear a compressor or purge. Is it just an air control for the old stop arm that extended off the side where the small(pictured) oval metal plate is now attached?

Thank you! Also, if you see anything in the pictures comment worthy, please let me know!

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Old 03-09-2016, 04:29 PM   #2
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Turn on key so buzzer sounds when door activated. Unplug one wire at a time starting the bus after every wire disconnect until alarm goes off. Use butt connectors on the loose wire to prevent shorting.
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Old 03-09-2016, 05:33 PM   #3
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The tank is a vacuum reservoir to operate the stop paddle. Many non-air brake equipped buses used vacuum instead of an electric motor to operate the stop paddle. The reservoir also helps keep up the vacuum for the brake booster so you can stop going up hill.

Doing what crazycal suggested is the best way in which to figure out which wires need to be kept and which ones can be cut off.
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Old 03-09-2016, 05:43 PM   #4
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Electrical response: That large can in the foreground is nothing more than a relay. The item BEHIND that is the switch. On the other side of the tin, you should have a button. If I'm not mistaken, that switch is a normally closed switch. Opening the door closes the switch and sounds the annoying alarm. Disconnect THAT switch and, voilá! no more buzzer.
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Old 03-10-2016, 10:31 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cowlitzcoach View Post
The tank is a vacuum reservoir to operate the stop paddle. Many non-air brake equipped buses used vacuum instead of an electric motor to operate the stop paddle. The reservoir also helps keep up the vacuum for the brake booster so you can stop going up hill.

Doing what crazycal suggested is the best way in which to figure out which wires need to be kept and which ones can be cut off.
When you say "Stop Paddle" do you mean the stop sign that pops out when the doors open?
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Old 06-14-2016, 10:50 PM   #6
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My son-in-law tried to disconnect the back door alarm on my bus and I think something is draining the battery now. The first 4 yr old battery wouldnt even charge or jump so I bought a brand new battery. We jumped it to get it goin and I drove it around a bit. While I did the buzzer started sounding again even though he disconnected it!(I thought) anyway I went to the back gave the mechanism a wack and it quit. I parked the bus for a bit and went out to start it to see if it held the charge.....DEAD!!!!!!!!!!! Please help Im getting discouraged... Thanx, Shawna
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Old 06-14-2016, 10:50 PM   #7
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And how do I start a new thread?
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Old 06-14-2016, 11:56 PM   #8
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As to your first question, I think that you need to give more information about your bus and describe exactly what was done to try and disable the back door buzzer, so that some of the knowledgeable people here can help you diagnose the problem. For your second question, got to the forum or sub forum that fits your question (like general conversion) and you should see a bar near the top that has a button that says New Thread, or just underneath that row is another row that is yellow on my computer that has button with a drop down menu that says forum tools, click that button and it should give the option of starting a new thread.
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Old 06-15-2016, 06:12 AM   #9
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the doors are tricky, there is an alarm if the door is opened and an alarm if the door is locked while the bus is running. they lock the doors at night to secure the bus but the safety system wont let the bus start if the emergency doors are locked[ kids cant get out] on my bus one wire had to be grounded and the other wire could not touch the ground. good luck
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Old 06-15-2016, 03:38 PM   #10
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Thanx guys! That helps a lot. The key to that back door is gone so its never really locked, however when my son in law did whatever he did it probably triggered the alarm for the locked mode while its running.ATLEAST NOW IT MAKES SENSE WHY IT WOULDNT START AND WHY THE ALARM STILL BUZZEZ!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Old 06-15-2016, 09:02 PM   #11
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Troubleshoot your door first to find out what you are dealing with. Trying starting the bus with it locked, unlocked, the door open, etc. Do this also while running, while in P, N, and Drive. My bus came with a vary mess electrical schematic complete with 2 hand written updates of additions and corrections. I was able to dismantle the alarm as well as make sure that there were no phantom loads draining my battery. Disabling the alarm maybe save you some headaches with the noise, but power may still be loading even if the ringer isn't tripped. I think I just removed the circuit completely and replaced that outlet on the breaker with something else, a DC outlet probably. If something else is leeching the battery, it could take a while to find it, but the emergency exit is a good place to start, with it being attached to lights, relays, and the alarm system, something can be easily overlooked. I hope that helps, good luck!
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