Midnight Blue

[thepojtoo]

Hello all, we have done it. Thank you for your advise in the introductory thread. We bought a bus! 2008 Thomas.


https://scontent-den4-1.xx.fbcdn.net...88&oe=5FA94218

[Ronnie]

Nice color, keeping it that way?

[thepojtoo]

Thank you Ronnie. Yes, we had them take out the seats and paint it. It is a very dark blue, Midnight Blue.

[thepojtoo]

Our bus is fairly new and has all systems working. I hesitate to take out anything that is working. Can we use the engine to charge batteries and existing A/C, lights using a battery bank charged by the engine, generator or solar?

Also, there is a heater in the rear of the bus that is a design problem and I wouldn't mind using propane heater, stove and fridge. Can I remove that without hurting the engine? I am thinking of when the engine heats up and running heaters to help cool it. The heater works so I hesitate to remove working components or those I may need later.

So, I would like to keep most systems that already work and run them off generator to charge battery bank. And, I wouldn't mind taking out heater since I am installing propane stove and fridge. Thank you for your help. I appreciate it.

[joeblack5]

Nice picture, I hope not after an emergency stop. That would be to much home skooling.


Sorry to have read about you Paradise Hell and wish you best on your current adventure.



Impressive amount of HP and torque. I think you should be able to get 10 MPG with that engine.
The LA926 was made with two oil filters, one conventional and one centrifuge. Located on the passenger side middle of block.
Try to get the engine / transmission maintenance manuals from the dealer.


The instrument Dash should be able to display any engine codes.


Curious what allison MD3060? is on there. Likely you can unlock 6th gear.


The exhaust brake in this mercedes engine is not very powerful but better something then nothing.


Like you AC system with the condenser on the side, we have the whole thing on the roof since we have a low floor bus.



I have not finished my plan to drive the original bus AC compressor with a small pony diesel engine and possible also with an electric motor if we have a hook up.


Good luck,
Johan



Good luck

[thepojtoo]

Thank you. EVERYTHING IS WORKING on the bus. That is why I hesitate to remove anything. The ceiling is even a pretty blue. I will try to get a picture of the heater I would like to remove.

I am getting a lot of messages about engine codes. I understand we need to get a code reader. As everything is working fine, my main question is design and plan.

Can we use the existing WORKING systems when the engine is off by installing a battery bank and generator source of power?

Also, is it wise to remove the back heater just because we want to put a bed there? Should we keep the heater? Would it help cool the engine in an emergency, like a car?

Thank you again.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by joeblack5

Nice picture, I hope not after an emergency stop. That would be to much home skooling.

"I TOLD you brats, if you don't STOP that bickering, I'm stopping this bus, RIGHT... NOW!"

OP, welcome to the community -- I'll be sending you a PM with some useful knowledge...

[thepojtoo]

Thank you! I am reading over your information now. Have you considered writing a book? LOL

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by thepojtoo

Thank you! I am reading over your information now. Have you considered writing a book? LOL

Actually, I have... It's a sort of primer / buyer's guide / do's / don't's I send most newbies who are still looking... But I have also written a crime / law / mystery genre e-book thriller inspired by and based on something that actually happened to me.

Long story short, I was burned with counterfeit money as a taxi owner / operator and it inspired a story along similar lines that I based in New York City.

Unfortunately, this work suffered an epidemic of piracy (conservatively estimated at costing me $20,000+ in royalties) and I have yet to even recover formatting costs on it. I have two sequels in the works, but am suspending publishing pending an anti-piracy solution.

[thepojtoo]

Joe, I noticed the exhaust brake button. It does brake very well and very quickly. That could be because it is empty. Do I need to have the toggle to exhaust brake all the time, or just city stop and go?

[thepojtoo]

I am an author too. I write Home Economics manuals. I have an MBA in Finance and Leadership. Good to meet you.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

Originally Posted by thepojtoo

Joe, I noticed the exhaust brake button. It does brake very well and very quickly. That could be because it is empty. Do I need to have the toggle to exhaust brake all the time, or just city stop and go?

Depending on how it is set up, you should be able to use it in most conditions, but no, it is not necessary full-time. It actually hurts fuel economy and is a bit hard on the driveline / transmission to do so. With good driving habits and following distance, it should really only be necessary descending mountains and long, steep hills to keep your speed from getting out of control (I touch on this at the end of my safety inspection thread).

Good rules of thumb are looking 15 seconds down the road, 500-700 feet of following distance (approximately 10-12 seconds), checking your mirrors every few seconds (twice, thrice before changing lanes), and I advise a bit slower cruising speeds than the speed limit (58 in a 60/65, 63 in a 65/70)...

A few important things to remember about braking distance -- with air brakes, you have four elements to stopping distance...

1) Perception distance - Distance traveled in the time identifying a problem.

2) Reaction distance - Distance traveled from the time you identify a problem to the time you put your foot on the brake.

3) Lag distance - Distance traveled in the time it takes for air to travel to the brake chambers and pressurize.

4) Braking distance - Distance traveled from the time the brakes actually apply to coming to a full stop.

I'll tell anyone that any car or light truck can stop completely in the time it takes a bus or commercial truck with air brakes to even begin applying the brakes. That's just the nature of reaction time and characteristic air lag, hence the 15-second forward viewing and 10-12 second following distance rules of thumb.

One other thing, NEVER use that engine brake when roads are wet or slick. It can cause the engine to kick back against the drive tires and induce a skid.

[Ronnie]

Originally Posted by thepojtoo

Thank you. EVERYTHING IS WORKING on the bus. That is why I hesitate to remove anything. The ceiling is even a pretty blue. I will try to get a picture of the heater I would like to remove.

I am getting a lot of messages about engine codes. I understand we need to get a code reader. As everything is working fine, my main question is design and plan.

Can we use the existing WORKING systems when the engine is off by installing a battery bank and generator source of power?

Also, is it wise to remove the back heater just because we want to put a bed there? Should we keep the heater? Would it help cool the engine in an emergency, like a car?

Thank you again.

Hi, At first I did not notice you are the people from California that lost your house to the fire. Now that I remember I remember you were having it painted. It is very close to the color of my Toyota pickup.



As far as the rear heater removing it will not cause a problem as long as the hoses to it are reconnected to each other. However in favor of keeping it ,


1. yes additional engine cooling in extreme circumstances
2. the rear of the bus can be heated and be toasty warm when you stop for the night. No waiting for the bedroom(or whatever room it becomes) to warm up


Mine did not have a rear heater so cold bed if we drive late at night and stop in cold weather. I do have a propane wall mount heater in the bedroom, and a portable propane heater in the "living" room. I like them, keep a vent a bit open though. I do not run either propane heater while driving.

[Ronnie]

Another heating thought. Wabasto makes a coolant heater that runs on diesel. It is meant to heat the engine as well as the bus through the bus heaters when the engine is not running. This would allow heating without propane and keep the original heaters in place. I have a short bus with one installed from the factory. This bus is not on the road yet so have not used it but others who do have them like them.

[thepojtoo]

Awesome! Thank you. I will design around it. We are having so much fun. I NEVER would have done this on my own. It was a reaction to a problem. Now, we are looking at doing this much longer. Again, thank you. I look forward to meeting some of the community someday.

[CHEESE_WAGON]

To kill two birds with one stone, you might consider an APU. These are available as salvage items from semi tractors. They serve multiple purposes - they generate power for auxiliary electrical accessories and HVAC systems, they can be plumbed into the chassis engine's cooling system to aid in cold starts.

Although a mini-split or rooftop A/C / wall-mount heat pump would probably be a better idea, an auxiliary HVAC system could be salvaged from the donor semi in a lot of cases - you might also find storage cabinets, dinettes and such from semi tractors to be a perfect fit and space-saver setup for your build. Most of the storage cabinets damned near fit a bus' roof curvature like a glove. If you go with an APU, I recommend ThermoKing TriPac - the ComfortCool units suck!

A note here, since you have kiddos - diesel exhaust, among other things, is known to develop and trigger asthma. I myself have asthma and am contemplating ideas to route diesel exhaust from generators, APUs and the chassis engine to be released above the roofline to prevent breathing this crap in. Something to consider with the kiddos - My asthma is largely the result of secondhand cigarette smoke exposure, but exhaust fumes don't help either...

Here are a couple threads to check out...

Joe45 - Dinette Ideas (I chimed in about APUs and semi tractor interior pieces here)

CHEESE_WAGON - Re-Routing Skoolie Exhaust Overhead?

[Native]

Hello again. I did manage to find your build thread.


I like the color and adore the picture!

[cadillackid]

nice bus!! HDX is a top notch piece of hardware..



the A/C you have is road A/C, it is designed for running while driving or idling.. unless you are going to do something completely complex and custom like Johan is doing, then I would install a secondary A/C for being parked.. ie rooftop camper unit, mini sp;lit etc..



if you are going to travel in warm weather i suggest keeping one or both of your road air conditioners or you will roast on the. road.. your camper A/C you install will not keep you cool..



you most curely can remove the rear heater.. you can bypass it and continue the hose runs up to the front.. I highly advise to NOT take out the front heating systems or you will freeze on the road in cold weather or have ossues defrosting..



dont use a mister buddy or other unvented propane heater in the bus while driving in cold weather, you will fog your glass up badly. . a vented propane heater or RV furnace. or (in my opinion best yet is a chinese diesel air heater). those can be used while parked or driving without issues.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by CHEESE_WAGON

To kill two birds with one stone, you might consider an APU. These are available as salvage items from semi tractors. They serve multiple purposes - they generate power for auxiliary electrical accessories and HVAC systems, they can be plumbed into the chassis engine's cooling system to aid in cold starts.

Although a mini-split or rooftop A/C / wall-mount heat pump would probably be a better idea, an auxiliary HVAC system could be salvaged from the donor semi in a lot of cases - you might also find storage cabinets, dinettes and such from semi tractors to be a perfect fit and space-saver setup for your build. Most of the storage cabinets damned near fit a bus' roof curvature like a glove. If you go with an APU, I recommend ThermoKing TriPac - the ComfortCool units suck!

A note here, since you have kiddos - diesel exhaust, among other things, is known to develop and trigger asthma. I myself have asthma and am contemplating ideas to route diesel exhaust from generators, APUs and the chassis engine to be released above the roofline to prevent breathing this crap in. Something to consider with the kiddos - My asthma is largely the result of secondhand cigarette smoke exposure, but exhaust fumes don't help either...

Here are a couple threads to check out...

Joe45 - Dinette Ideas (I chimed in about APUs and semi tractor interior pieces here)

CHEESE_WAGON - Re-Routing Skoolie Exhaust Overhead?

the big issue with a truck APU is that the BTU of the air conditioner is quite small and not near big enough to cool a bus..

[thepojtoo]

Thank you. I will put an A/C separate from engine in the plan and no unvented heaters. Appreciate it.