Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 04-25-2016, 08:56 PM   #21
Bus Geek
 
Robin97396's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
Yeah, pretty clean. Nice place to hang a tank.

Robin97396 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-25-2016, 09:33 PM   #22
Bus Geek
 
Tango's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
Looks excellent to me. Obviously NOT a salt road vehicle.
Tango is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 09:15 AM   #23
Skoolie
 
rjnye79's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: East Coast kid
Posts: 142
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 66
Thanks everybody... it's a 2002 International T444e with auto. trans. and about 194k on her. Trying to get the seller on the phone today to inquire more about the transmission, top speed, etc. The bus is about an eight hour drive from me, so I hope he can give some more info before heading up there to see for myself. I understand that the T444e is a pretty dependable performer, no? ?..and air ride is preferred? Anyone have tips for what to inquire about when I talk to them?


P.S. I'm getting kinda anxious/excited. :/
rjnye79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 09:43 AM   #24
Skoolie
 
rjnye79's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: East Coast kid
Posts: 142
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 66
Also, here are some engine pics...



rjnye79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 09:50 AM   #25
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,756
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
Quote:
Originally Posted by rjnye79 View Post
Also, here are some engine pics...



with any of the 'E' busses I always ask if any of the warning indicators are on? in general the T444E is a decent setup.. but ALL of the international E's at one time or another have gone through their growing pains when it came to injectors and what not.. the T444E was one of the better ones compared to say the VT-365.. the allison 2000 will likely be set up for 5 speed.. no way to know what the rear end gearing is, but if the seller can get you the Tag info off of the rear end then you can determine if its going to be a good highway bus or not..

-Christopher
cadillackid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 09:54 AM   #26
Skoolie
 
rjnye79's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: East Coast kid
Posts: 142
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 66
Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
with any of the 'E' busses I always ask if any of the warning indicators are on? in general the T444E is a decent setup.. but ALL of the international E's at one time or another have gone through their growing pains when it came to injectors and what not.. the T444E was one of the better ones compared to say the VT-365.. the allison 2000 will likely be set up for 5 speed.. no way to know what the rear end gearing is, but if the seller can get you the Tag info off of the rear end then you can determine if its going to be a good highway bus or not..

-Christopher
Ok... the tag info from the rear end of the drivetrain? ...and which warning indicators would I be looking for/some more priority than others?
rjnye79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 10:11 AM   #27
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,756
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
Quote:
Originally Posted by rjnye79 View Post
Ok... the tag info from the rear end of the drivetrain? ...and which warning indicators would I be looking for/some more priority than others?
any dash warnings are a red flag to me.. except maybe air pressure if the bus sat overnight its pretty common for air-brakes to bleed down...

on the rear differential there is usually a metal tag that has the info on that rear end.. we know the final drive ratio of the allison transmission.. so if we get the numbers fro mthe rear differemtial, you can look it up and learn its gear ratio... once you know that then its pretty easy to calculate a ballpark on what your engine RPM's will be at highway speeds, to get an idea if you have a good highway bus.

MOST of the IC's in the year-range you are looking were pretty decent highway busses.. (go at leats 65-70 with no problems). but it never hurts to make sure.

-Christopher
cadillackid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 10:19 AM   #28
Skoolie
 
rjnye79's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: East Coast kid
Posts: 142
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 66
Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
any dash warnings are a red flag to me.. except maybe air pressure if the bus sat overnight its pretty common for air-brakes to bleed down...

on the rear differential there is usually a metal tag that has the info on that rear end.. we know the final drive ratio of the allison transmission.. so if we get the numbers fro mthe rear differemtial, you can look it up and learn its gear ratio... once you know that then its pretty easy to calculate a ballpark on what your engine RPM's will be at highway speeds, to get an idea if you have a good highway bus.

MOST of the IC's in the year-range you are looking were pretty decent highway busses.. (go at leats 65-70 with no problems). but it never hurts to make sure.

-Christopher

Alrighty, thanks so much! I'll try to find out as much as I can over the phone. I might be back to find out this formula for figuring the RPMs. One of my other concerns is the condition of the tires. The fronts look okay, from photos, but the rear duals look a little worn...

rjnye79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 11:57 AM   #29
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Winlcok, WA
Posts: 2,233
The rear tires appear as if you have three the same and one odd one.

They look like they all have at least several thousand miles of life left in them.

The rest looks pretty nice.

The air ride suspension is a very nice option--it really smoothes the rough spots out.
cowlitzcoach is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 01:15 PM   #30
Skoolie
 
rjnye79's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: East Coast kid
Posts: 142
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 66
That's good to know... Though I suppose we'll just have to swap them out anyway, after we crisscross the country next year.

The seller sent me this video...

http://youtu.be/XjIYWH3F4h8


...looks like the dash indicators all go out after starting. Good sign, right?
rjnye79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 02:23 PM   #31
Bus Geek
 
Robin97396's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
I like that short bus. Gotta love that L-track all through the bus, unless you want to remove it that is. I love being able to anchor things down using the L-track. Even the walls can be secured with L-track.
Robin97396 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 02:25 PM   #32
Skoolie
 
rjnye79's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: East Coast kid
Posts: 142
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 66
...so I had to do a VIN look up and found out that the gear ratio is 433. It also was rated at 175hp . Anyway, I'm guessing this doesn't bode well for highway driving?
rjnye79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 02:52 PM   #33
Bus Geek
 
Robin97396's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Willamina, Oregon
Posts: 6,409
Coachwork: 97 Bluebird TC1000 5.9
That's not so bad. Most people are over 5.

Mine is a 3.54, but that was dumb luck. Running on 150 hp. 26' FE bus.
Robin97396 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 02:59 PM   #34
Skoolie
 
rjnye79's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: East Coast kid
Posts: 142
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 66
Hmmm... So, going off of Coach's earlier post (on this thread) a 4.33 should give at least 60mph?
rjnye79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 03:01 PM   #35
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Columbus Ohio
Posts: 18,756
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Carpenter
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: DTA360 / MT643
Rated Cap: 7 Row Handicap
Quote:
Originally Posted by rjnye79 View Post
Hmmm... So, going off of Coach's earlier post (on this thread) a 4.33 should give at least 60mph?

you have overdrive on that 5 speed allison.. I think its what a .8 over drive?

-Christopher
cadillackid is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 03:27 PM   #36
Skoolie
 
rjnye79's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: East Coast kid
Posts: 142
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 66
Quote:
Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
you have overdrive on that 5 speed allison.. I think its what a .8 over drive?

-Christopher
I'm not sure, Christopher. If that's true, how does it affect my performance?
rjnye79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2016, 03:39 PM   #37
Bus Geek
 
Tango's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
You can run your numbers here to calculate speed but you also need the tire height as well as the final drive off the tranny.

Engine RPM Calculator
Tango is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2016, 04:52 PM   #38
Skoolie
 
rjnye79's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: East Coast kid
Posts: 142
Year: 1995
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: T444e
Rated Cap: 66
Is there already a thread re: air vs. hydraulic brakes?
rjnye79 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2016, 06:32 PM   #39
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by rjnye79 View Post
...so I had to do a VIN look up and found out that the gear ratio is 433. It also was rated at 175hp . Anyway, I'm guessing this doesn't bode well for highway driving?
4.33 isn't bad.
My 40 footer does ok with 195hp and my rear is 4.44.
Nice looking bus. Go for it.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-27-2016, 06:33 PM   #40
Bus Geek
 
EastCoastCB's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin97396 View Post
That's not so bad. Most people are over 5.

Mine is a 3.54, but that was dumb luck. Running on 150 hp. 26' FE bus.
your gear ratio is typical since you have 19.5" wheels.
Do you have a build thread?
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
1993, allison 545, amtran, international, shopping

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 02:20 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.