What I've learned- Buying skoolie from dealer

[Zndrson]

After being separated from this situation for a while now, I can honestly say that little more than over excitement caused me to take the plunge on such an expensive bus at such a great distance.

I convinced myself that the engine/tranny combo was rare in a bus of this size and that I should jump on it price and distance be damned. Can't believe how fortunate I am that this didn't work out because we just bought a bus that fits us even better at 1/3 the price at 1/17 the distance at auction.

If nothing else- this situation has taught me that patience is most certainly a virtue.

[CeramicHammer]

Originally Posted by Zndrson

After being separated from this situation for a while now, I can honestly say that little more than over excitement caused me to take the plunge on such an expensive bus at such a great distance.

I convinced myself that the engine/tranny combo was rare in a bus of this size and that I should jump on it price and distance be damned. Can't believe how fortunate I am that this didn't work out because we just bought a bus that fits us even better at 1/3 the price at 1/17 the distance at auction.

If nothing else- this situation has taught me that patience is most certainly a virtue.

Don't hold out on me. Where'd you get it?

[Zndrson]

Originally Posted by CeramicHammer

Don't hold out on me. Where'd you get it?

Roller Auctions in Colorado.

The bus we bought came from the Cherry Creek school district around Denver.

The process isn't complete yet- so there's definitely still room for a snag, but so far so good.

[CeramicHammer]

Originally Posted by Zndrson

Roller Auctions in Colorado.

The bus we bought came from the Cherry Creek school district around Denver.

The process isn't complete yet- so there's definitely still room for a snag, but so far so good.

We're obviously hunting for the same bus! I was looking at those listings a few days ago and considered bidding and flying from Arizona to Colorado to pick it up. Someone put it in my head that I want a 95 or older so the DT466 is all-mechanical, which ultimately discouraged me from bidding but I'm starting to wonder if I should even care about that. I'm you snagged it!

[CeramicHammer]

Holy moly. Those buses went for cheap!

[cadillackid]

mechanical engines are definitely easier to work on than electronic.. in some areas of the country they go for huge money as the exporters want them to send over-seas where fancy diagnostic tools arent always at hand..

diagnosing an 'E' is an art and a skill.. but it can be learned.. however its typically not cheap to throw parts at.. However if computers dont scare you often you can score a really nice bus Very cheap because it as an 'E' engine and people are scared of them...

my first bus is all mechanicalll I recent got an 'E' bus to mess around with.. so im learning my way around the dianostic tools.. I ifgured i should see how the tools act and work since the bus runs great.. that way i know what something abnormal looks like when it occurs... as opposed to starting out with a bus that has faults..

-Christopher

[EastCoastCB]

Having to have something NOW always ends in a less than stellar purchase and often buyers remorse.
Patience is really important in snagging a really desirable bus. Took me twelve years to get the one I've got now! Sorta.

[CeramicHammer]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

mechanical engines are definitely easier to work on than electronic.. in some areas of the country they go for huge money as the exporters want them to send over-seas where fancy diagnostic tools arent always at hand..

diagnosing an 'E' is an art and a skill.. but it can be learned.. however its typically not cheap to throw parts at.. However if computers dont scare you often you can score a really nice bus Very cheap because it as an 'E' engine and people are scared of them...

my first bus is all mechanicalll I recent got an 'E' bus to mess around with.. so im learning my way around the dianostic tools.. I ifgured i should see how the tools act and work since the bus runs great.. that way i know what something abnormal looks like when it occurs... as opposed to starting out with a bus that has faults..

-Christopher

You hit the nail on the head. I actually love computers and electronic diagnostic tools but I am averse to expensive parts and expensive technicians. I randomly saw your post in the sidebar earlier today about a bus you're watching on govdeals. I'm curious how it turns out so don't forget to post an update if you win!

[cadillackid]

actuaslly it wasnt me watching one on govdeals.. I bought one a couple weeks ago in the onlinepros auction.. I really was only sot of halfway looking for a second bus for another project... so I low-bid on a bus that had what i needed.. newer than my other one by 9 years.. (DEV is a 1991 and all mechanical), the new bus is a 2000 wit ha T-444E.. my low bid got accepted so i won the bus.. I went out to texas from florida last week and drove it 1100 flawless miles to florida...

everything on it works great.. though i do notice my oil P "hunts" a little.. some of thats normal on a T-444E .. nevertheless if my IPR cycle is high i'll replace the ICP and IPR as they are 2 very common failures on this engine... rather fix and replace in my parking spot rather than along the road.. so its kind of a "before it breaks" fix... even though everyone will tell me if it aint broke dont fix it...

but im learning my way with its computers now and taking snapshots of the values and the signals fro mthe computer.. since it all works I can use that as a baseline for what the parameters should be like in normal..

that way if or when something goes off-center with the computers i have some baselines to look at and shoot for to make it run again..

-Christopher

[EastCoastCB]

I'm bidding on one on GovDeals.

[cowlitzcoach]

Not knowing what was going on with the bus I can only offer a couple of things that might have caused the problems you were having.

The first and most common would have been a clogged fuel filter. If that bus had not just arrived in on trade it could have been sitting for more than a year. With the wonderful fuel we are forced to purchase it wouldn't have surprised me to discover the fuel filters filled with sludge.

The second area may have been the vent on the fuel tank. Over time, due in large part to our wonderful fuel, the vents get stuck up with gunk. You can drive as long as the pump can overcome the vacuum that is created in the tank without a vent. Once you get to that point you will run out of fuel even if the gauge says you have 1/2 of a tank remaining.

I have had both happen to me.

As far as dealers, auctions, or private sellers are concerned, you need to go into the purchase figuring that the description is a lot better than reality, the pictures were not taken recently, and the bus has been sitting around a lot more than it has been driven daily.

As a bus salesman I have sold buses that have sat around literally for years. The fact you can get them to start and move on their own is the next best thing to a miracle. I have also sold buses that were taken off of a daily route when they were traded in and didn't even stop in our shop before they went to the new owner.

Assuming someone in the dealer's shop had gone over the bus is not a good assumption to make. Most dealers take in trades based on the salesman's inspection and are priced accordingly. If you want an inspection you will need to pay for it yourself. The dealer is not going to bother if it comes in with a current year state inspection.

All I can say is caveat emptor.

Good luck and happy trails to you.

[Zndrson]

Originally Posted by CeramicHammer

We're obviously hunting for the same bus! I was looking at those listings a few days ago and considered bidding and flying from Arizona to Colorado to pick it up. Someone put it in my head that I want a 95 or older so the DT466 is all-mechanical, which ultimately discouraged me from bidding but I'm starting to wonder if I should even care about that. I'm you snagged it!

Ha! Too funny. I think I picked up the only mechanical DT466 they had: at least in the flat nose variety. Honestly I had just assumed they made a mistake and forgot to put the E at the end since all others we Es. Got lucky!

I'll be on the lookout for similar buses up here for you.

[oricha1984]

I guess I ll add my two noob cents here.
Bought a bus from the infamous NC for 2300 in govdeals.
Made it home with a leaking transmission.
I've been dropping some money on diagnostics before I drop any on repairs.
So far it seems to be a common overheating problem with a straight forward fix; I'm hoping.

People in Craigslist have offered 2-3k so far. Maybe I sell and get a smaller 4 windows bus-van.

Sent from my BLU LIFE ONE X using Tapatalk

[Zndrson]

I'll be taking her to a shop for a once over shortly. Ran a little hot on the highway back home: ~210 at higher RPMs. Once we got off the highway she chilled out to around 190 or so.

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by Zndrson

I'll be taking her to a shop for a once over shortly. Ran a little hot on the highway back home: ~210 at higher RPMs. Once we got off the highway she chilled out to around 190 or so.

clean out the fins on the radiator and check the fan clutch... 210 and you shouldve heard a fan roaring over that diesel engine.. you likely have a Viscous fan clutch..

it has a little metal coil in the front of the clutch.. that gets caked with dirt.. its about an inch in diamter in the center of the front of that clutch..

old toothbrush and some dawn liquid with water.. clean all the grease and dirt off that little coil... clean the toothbrush, dry it and spray the brush with PB-blaster lubricator or WD-40. run that across that little coil a few times to get it nice N oily... then drive.. see if the fan comes in or if it still gets hot... 8 times out of 10 that fixes it... otherwise replace the fan clutch and turn its temperature down a few because of IHC crappy 1/2 n 1/2 design of rad and turbo cooler.. (borg warner are adjustable)

after I replaced and adjusted the one on my DT-360, 185 maxx on the hottest days and then i hear that fan come on like a semi truck!! runs for a minute then shuts off when my temp goes to 180..

it was 95 and humid out yesterday when I had the bus running around and heard my fan run a lot!

a Cool DT is a happy DT
-Christopher

[Zndrson]

Originally Posted by cadillackid

clean out the fins on the radiator and check the fan clutch... 210 and you shouldve heard a fan roaring over that diesel engine.. you likely have a Viscous fan clutch..

it has a little metal coil in the front of the clutch.. that gets caked with dirt.. its about an inch in diamter in the center of the front of that clutch..

old toothbrush and some dawn liquid with water.. clean all the grease and dirt off that little coil... clean the toothbrush, dry it and spray the brush with PB-blaster lubricator or WD-40. run that across that little coil a few times to get it nice N oily... then drive.. see if the fan comes in or if it still gets hot... 8 times out of 10 that fixes it... otherwise replace the fan clutch and turn its temperature down a few because of IHC crappy 1/2 n 1/2 design of rad and turbo cooler.. (borg warner are adjustable)

after I replaced and adjusted the one on my DT-360, 185 maxx on the hottest days and then i hear that fan come on like a semi truck!! runs for a minute then shuts off when my temp goes to 180..

it was 95 and humid out yesterday when I had the bus running around and heard my fan run a lot!

a Cool DT is a happy DT
-Christopher

Thanks! Will do. Part of my issue is going to be identifying the engine's parts well enough to know what I'm looking at. I'm not very mechanically inclined, but I learn fast.

Engine had more or less the same sound all the way home- so I would guess the fan didn't kick on.