Hello everybody! New skoolie owner here

Chevydude01 · 01-11-2016, 09:30 PM

I would like to say hello everyone, I have been reading the forums here for about a while dreaming about finding my bus, packing it up and heading out on the open road. My resolution this year was to travel more, so I finally bit the bullet and did it.
The add was pretty short and didn't have much detail but I was interested. I called the owner and asked a few questions but he didn't really want to talk. A couple from San Francisco was flying to Yuma AZ, where the bus was the next day. I said ok but call me back if they pass. The owner didn't quite know what he had, but I did. I figured it was not meant to be and the San Fran couple surely would take it home. Two days later, the owner called back. He said it was a Detroit Diesel and It was mine if I could meet him in Yuma.
A couple days later, last Saturday, some friends and I drove to Yuma from Phoenix, counted out the cash and I got the keys to my big blue Crown Coach. She is a beautiful all original 1976 Crown Coach Detroit Diesel 5 speed 10 window with seats and all. I wish I could figure out how to post pictures here because I want to show it off!! High mileage. She has been some places. I aired up the tires after sitting for the last 5 years, checked the fluids, practiced driving in the yard it was parked in then hit the road home. WHAT AN ADVENTURE that was lol!!
I have a ton of questions about this bus and bus fixes and repairs and even driving! Ran Great with 479,553 miles by the time I got home and I just finished taking out the seats....
Ill start bugging you all with questions tomorrow, I need a shower. Do you know what is in 40 year old bus seats?!

roach711 · 01-11-2016, 10:53 PM

Love those old Crowns!

For a good tutorial on posting pictures, have a look at Bansil's post (#4) in this thread:

http://www.skoolie.net/forums/f10/ho...-op-11846.html

Chevydude01 · 01-11-2016, 11:12 PM

Lol I'm good in the garage, not on the computer! Ok, I followed that very helpful link, thanks for that, so lets give this a shot..

Ok let me know if that worked

cbear · 01-11-2016, 11:47 PM

That worked. Neat bus.

cowlitzcoach · 01-12-2016, 05:29 AM

NICE looking bus! But then I am very partial to the CA built buses.

Crown was known as the Cadillac of buses for a reason. Given care that bus will still be running down the road long after most of us on this forum are no longer running down the road.

Now that you own a 2-cycle Detroit Diesel I hope if you don't already know about the care and feeding of one you learn fairly quickly about the care and feeding of one. It isn't hard but it is different from any other engine out there.

Good luck and keep us posted as to your progress!

Tango · 01-12-2016, 08:25 AM

What a classic beauty! Sweet!

roach711 · 01-12-2016, 01:32 PM

Looks like it's in good shape, body wise, and not school bus yellow is a plus.

Chevydude01 · 01-12-2016, 07:41 PM

Here is a view of the inside. I have kept a few of the seats. The first row on each side will stay so the driver has company and passengers can enjoy the view. I am thinking of keeping the very last row in the back and turning one seat on each side backwards to face the rear. I think this would be a good place for large gathering area, with a table in the center for meals, playing cards and just hanging out. This are could also be used as a very large bed if the table was able to be lowered or something so a bed could somehow take its place.

Chevydude01 · 01-12-2016, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roach711

Looks like it's in good shape, body wise, and not school bus yellow is a plus.

Lol yes, I'm glad its not yellow too. I can only imagine the hassle at the dmv if it was still in school uniform. They almost would not let me register it because it had bus numbers on it! No school lettering! Sheesh.

So first things first. What is the correct position of these switches for normal operation by key, starting outside and storage?

Chevydude01 · 01-12-2016, 08:06 PM

[QUOTE=cowlitzcoach;133072]NICE looking bus! But then I am very partial to the CA built buses.

Now that you own a 2-cycle Detroit Diesel I hope if you don't already know about the care and feeding of one you learn fairly quickly about the care and feeding of one. It isn't hard but it is different from any other engine out there.

I had done some research before heading down to get it. By feeding do you mean fuel economy or oil consumption? lol Either way it should be Ok. I'm pretty sure the bus will get better mileage than my 2500HD and as for oil, I know enough to check it every day Haha. It doesn't seem to leave spots on the ground but it does have a small leak somewhere on top near the front of the motor. Is there anything specific I should know? The tag on the engine door says 30wt. I live in AZ and its got a lot of miles, would 40wt stop a little of the oil usage? Stay with 30wt?

Underground_Bear · 01-12-2016, 08:15 PM

Sweeeet ride.

More pictures and less garage time...lol

sammy · 01-12-2016, 08:33 PM

As I understand it, you'll want to use single-weight oil on a Detroit Diesel 2 stroke... gettin' rather hard to find, but you can still pick up Delo 100 in 30w or 40w (I'd go with 40w) at O'Reilly Auto Parts. They might not have it in the store, but they can usually have it for you the next day.

daddyoften · 01-12-2016, 08:40 PM

100% correct on the oil, don't run multi grade!
Eric

Tango · 01-12-2016, 09:52 PM

Roger that. 2-strokes like single grade. My old DD 6V53 took straight 40. But my little Cummins 4BT lives on 15W40.

Alan N · 01-13-2016, 12:37 AM

Nice bus!
Enjoy!

cowlitzcoach · 01-13-2016, 10:08 AM

One of the only oils that is specifically designed to use in a 2-cycle DD is Delo 100 in either 30 or 40 weight. DO NOT use multi-weight oil in a 2-cycle DD unless you want oil to run out of every knothole and go past the rings to blow out the exhaust. If you live in cold country I would use the 30W. But if you live where it doesn't go below 30* or below 30* on a regular basis I would use the 40W.

I can't stress how important it is to use only Delo 100. Delo 400 is a great oil but it isn't formulated for 2-cycle DD's. Even worse, Delo 400 LE or any of the other heavy duty diesel rated oils that are rated as low emissions can cause you to lose the top rings on each piston.

The panel you showed in the engine compartment is your auxiliary control panel. It allows you to start and run the engine from the ground. It is really handy if you are working on the engine. Just make sure you keep the controls in the right position to use the in cab controls. There have been many a Crown that "wouldn't" start because the switch was in the wrong position.

As far as leaks are concerned, clean everything up to determine what is leaking from where. You may just have a loose clamp or cover.

Chevydude01 · 01-14-2016, 07:55 PM

Ok, its time to really start getting to know the bus. I do not have a manual for it and need to know what oil filter it takes. How can I find this info? Also there are some large red filters of some sort.. What do they do? I'm guessing the oil filter is in the cylindrical case that is the same color and attached to the oil pan next to the dipstick?

cowlitzcoach · 01-14-2016, 08:27 PM

The two red Baldwin filters are the fuel filters.

The only way to know for sure which oil filter is in that canister is to take it off and see if you can find a number. DD used a lot of the same filters for both fuel and oil but some applications used odd numbers.

Buzzard · 01-14-2016, 08:59 PM

Welcome to the site and congratulations on finding such a beautiful bus!

dan-fox · 01-15-2016, 08:39 AM

Looking through your pics on Photobucket, I see one of the dashboard. There's a button labeled "Transmission neutral bypass". What's up with that? Anyone?

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