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 05-16-2015, 07:16 AM   #1
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
Latest Bus Fire

Another school bus fire. Rear engine. Everyone is ok.
UPDATE: School Bus Carrying 50 Students Destroyed by Fire, No Injuries

And a Florida one recently too-
http://www.wesh.com/news/school-bus-...ounty/32997010

EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-16-2015, 07:55 AM   #2
Bus Geek
 
bansil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: MNT CITY TN
Posts: 5,158
there has to be a root cause to all of these, something flammable on the turbo/exhaust to lite and then oil residue???
__________________
Our build La Tortuga
Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
George S. Patton
bansil is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-16-2015, 02:19 PM   #3
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Stony Plain Alberta Canada
Posts: 2,937
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: 190hp 5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
The fan dive is a hydraulic motor running 10w 30 motor oil driven from a hydraulic pump (Masive power steering pump) off the front timing gears of the engine, just under the injection pump.

When the seal go's on that fan drive, it sprays hot engine oil (10W 30) all over the exhaust manifold and turbo. That only go's on so long before it catches fire. Then the fan drives the flames into a blast furness.

Also, the rear engines are often not washed in the engine bay. Dust from dirt roads mixes with oil to form a layer sometimes 6 inches thick down on the lower engine and transmission blocks / oil pans. Perfect mix for a nice hot fire.

Nat
__________________
"Don't argue with stupid people. They will just drag you down to their level, and beat you up with experience."

Patently waiting for the apocalypses to level the playing field in this physiological game of life commonly known as Civilization
nat_ster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-16-2015, 04:30 PM   #4
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Currently in Appalachia.
Posts: 148
I'm wondering the same as y'all. Nat that does sound plausible for sure.

Is anyone keeping track of what make/models engine/tranny combos are in all these toasted RE's?

I was reading something from a garage earlier today - talking about engines/trannies overheating/catching fire when not matched properly for their locale and/or the bus's uses. Do you think that this bus climbing a hill when it started smoking is just coincidence or could it possibly be ndicative of a root problem?
__________________
~Pamela
SassyLass is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-16-2015, 08:41 PM   #5
Bus Crazy
 
Scooternj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: EHT New Jersey
Posts: 1,134
Year: 2003
Coachwork: AmTran
Chassis: International 3000RE
Engine: T444E/AT545
Rated Cap: 75
Quote:
Originally Posted by SassyLass View Post
I'm wondering the same as y'all. Nat that does sound plausible for sure.

Is anyone keeping track of what make/models engine/tranny combos are in all these toasted RE's?
The one in Kansas looks like a Int'l 3000RE, just going by the open engine bay door.

Time to start trolling NTSB reports when they start investigating; and probably as a precaution for all us RE owners- clean your engine bay and blocks. We can't enough
Scooternj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-17-2015, 01:21 AM   #6
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Snowflake, Arizona
Posts: 343
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: All American Rear Engine
Engine: C-8.3-300 Cummins MD3060
Rated Cap: 40 Prisoners
Looks like both buses were Internationals. Maybe an undiscovered design flaw rearing it's ugly head. Maybe the start of a pattern failure.
Dragonpop is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-17-2015, 06:36 AM   #7
Bus Crazy
 
Scooternj's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: EHT New Jersey
Posts: 1,134
Year: 2003
Coachwork: AmTran
Chassis: International 3000RE
Engine: T444E/AT545
Rated Cap: 75
The Kansas fire could be because of the massive cuts to the state education budget, limiting preventive maintenance on buses. We'll not know until the NTSB investigates, though. Bays and blocks need to be clean.
Scooternj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-17-2015, 06:38 AM   #8
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 Dragonpop View Post
Looks like both buses were Internationals. Maybe an undiscovered design flaw rearing it's ugly head. Maybe the start of a pattern failure.
Its not a manufacturer-specific thing.
Plenty of Thomas RE's go up in flames too.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-17-2015, 07:09 AM   #9
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
Check this out! Not an RE, but damn...
Forest Hills school officials: Overheated power distribution module caused bus fire; bus recalled 5 times | MLive.com

EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-20-2015, 12:36 AM   #10
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Stony Plain Alberta Canada
Posts: 2,937
Year: 1992
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: TC2000 FE
Engine: 190hp 5.9 Cummins
Rated Cap: 72
The information I posted comes from the shop I work part time for, that maintains 400 buses.

We have seen it happen in In both Thomas and Blue Bird pushers.

It happens so fast, the driver has no chance to battle the flames with the fire suppression equipment.

We only have one 07 Am Tran. It's flawless like bus porn. No issues with it, completely different set up with the fan drives.

Nat
__________________
"Don't argue with stupid people. They will just drag you down to their level, and beat you up with experience."

Patently waiting for the apocalypses to level the playing field in this physiological game of life commonly known as Civilization
nat_ster is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-22-2015, 10:06 AM   #11
Bus Crazy
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
Posts: 1,791
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: B3800 Short bus
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 36
Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
We only have one 07 Am Tran. It's flawless like bus porn. No issues with it, completely different set up with the fan drives.
Well ****! Now we need pictures!

EDIT: haha. These swear asterisks are ridiculous. My comment actually seems dirtier WITH them. There are several four letter words that could fit in that space.
__________________
My build page: Armageddon - The Smell of Airborne Rust
jazty is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-23-2015, 07:24 AM   #12
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
We mostly have Bluebirds and Thomas buses in my area.
I bought my AmTran because it was cheap and in good shape. I'm really impressed with it too. Its put together pretty well and I really like it a lot more than my old Thomas.
EastCoastCB is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

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 09:45 AM.


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