Let me start by saying, I've really screwed the pooch. I got overly ambitious on our project,Tulip. I started culling out unnecessary wiring and other various devices such as the interlock on the back door...now she won't start. I've tried to label wiring in the electrical compartment but it's a major Charlie foxtrot. I have markings on most of the wires but there are quite a few with unreadable markings or weird splices(red-yellow, black-red) I can really use some help trying to figure out what I have done.
I've done all kinds of research, emailed Collins, 4 times and never got a reply. Bought a Haynes manual for a 2002 Chevy Express 3500 van, with no info about starter wiring. Looked at forums, videos and drawings, none of which are for Collins. Plenty of Thomas, not Collins. I just want to start my bus like a regular car. I don't know what the 2 solenoids up in the electronics compartment are for. I'm also 50 and disabled, bad back, and can't crawl around under her. What do I need to do? Help me obi wan, you're my only hope.
I really hope that I am not your only hope. I'm not that electrical. I need wiring diagrams. That's why I think your only hope probably centers around finding a wiring diagram for your bus.
Although when I read what you wrote about just wanting to start your bus "like a regular car" I thought that maybe you could use regular car parts to get it going. I don't know how practical that is. I don't know much about newer vehicles. I don't like them, and I am significantly older than 50. My current daily driver, and the newest vehicle I have ever owned is a 1998 Crown Victoria that used to belong to the county sheriff's dept.
But don't give up on this forum just yet. Give it some time. Someone else may sign into this discussion. And maybe take some more pictures. You could start with those solenoids that puzzle you.
If you need more proof of my limited electrical skills, I just looked at the pictures you posted and realized the objects depicted in the final photo just might be the solenoids your refering to.
Where is this panel located?... Does the starter motor spin and engage.... Can this panel be related to the rear Ac system?
Is it a diesel or gas?
Do you have a multimeter?
When you crank the engine does the tachometer jump a little.
I do not know anything about Chevy but have a Collins on a Ford Econoline powerstroke chassis.
No crank, no start. tach doesn't do anything. I have 2 digital multimeter and an analog. Everything worked before I decided to get stupid and remove the rear door alarms. She drove really well and quiet.
This computer stuff is completely out of my league, way above my pay grade, however you want to put it. That's why I made a point of getting a bus without any of that stuff.
Because of the customized wiring your problem is likely beyond the scope of the diagnostic steps they have for no crank, no start conditions, but will probably narrow it down to a specific circuit. Worked for me.
Thanks to everyone that tried to help. I think I'll text my son and throw him under the bus. Literally. If I can see what wires are on the starter, I may be able to figure it out.
If you turn the key on contact do the idiot lights on the dash come on?
Do either of the large realy / solenoids click when you turn the key to contact. any of them click when you turn the key to start.
I would do the following.
Follow the relay contact wires to get a feel where they are going.
I would imagine that one of them is used to disconnect the starter solenoid.
May be the other is for the 4 way blinkers on top of the bus... They are halogen lights so four of them would be quite a bit of current.
Measure with your multimeter if any of the relay contacts have 12 volt on them...and see if that changes when you put the key on contact
repeat but now check if any of coil contacts have 12 volt on them.
If you get somewhat familiar with the circuit then I would temporary jump the contact side of the relay. ( Not the solenoid side) since the relays are made to contact I doubt that something bad could happen.
Do one at the time and see what happens to determine what the solenoid / relay is for.
Easy to give advice but hard for us to really help in the way I think your asking.
There are so many posts like this one.
There’s no way to fix it without accessing the plans or by painstakingly tracing out the path, and the plans can be tricky in my experience because often the best you can find is for a similar vehicle, not the actual one, and there are often differences.
Start from your last known good path and work your way toward the problem.
You’ll find it eventually. Brush up on how relays work, and see if your panel has a label. Check all fuses with a meter.
I am not much help for your current situation but perhaps I can encourage folks that have not gotten to that point to exercise some caution.
I went the wimp route... I called Bluebird before I started cutting wires.
The gent I spoke with gave me clear instructions for removing the Vandallock. I removed the relay and put in a jumper in its place to completely disable the interlocks. Worked great.
I finally got a schematic from a guy named Jeff at Gorman enterprises. His schematic confirmed a relay I found under the hood on the firewall driver side. For anyone needing it, I'll attach the schematic. I am also inserting pix for location and what it looks like.
For the real update. I got my bus running. Whoo hoo and snoopy dance. As per the pix I posted the other day, it was a matter of taking out the relay under the hood firewall driver side. I spliced the 2 purple wires and Bob's your uncle. She started right up. Anybody that has a Chevy Collins go on and take the relay out and connect the purple wires together and then start cutting out the interlock.
Linear Mode
