Flattest Route AT545 - Page 2

cadillackid · 07-12-2020, 05:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmortimer

It makes me feel like a total weenie, but we’re realizing that we may just ship it and minimize our losses.

Not knowing the bus/not having a lot of experience with air brakes and buses, it seems like a safer/cheaper option.

Oregon DMV has ground basically to a halt, so it’s still titled as a school bus. Paperwork was sent in over three weeks ago so we always assumed it’d be done by now.

With the combination of risks from lack of experience and relative illegality, shipping it might be a much safer option that ends up being cheaper than any other scary alternatives.

Anyone with a CDL and insurance want to drive a bus to Austin or know a company with a flatbed out of Laramie? [emoji2373]

I hopped in my superior put a sign on mine in Portland that said “vehicle in transit, private coach not for hire” and drove it home 2700 miles

Wmortimer · 07-12-2020, 06:09 PM

That’s an interesting idea. I like it.

Did it have plates on it or did you pull them?

turf · 07-12-2020, 07:18 PM

your bill of sale is the only legal document you need.

i drove my bus from phoenix to colorado, when i got it. no plates 3 states.

do not stop at any port of entry.
you do not need to talk to any dot employee. you are a private vehicle. they are there to collect taxes on commercial vehicles. if you are not commercial, you are wasting their time, they do not want tohear about your conversion. just drive on by.... unless the sign includes RVs. i don't think i have seen that yet.

you are going to be an rv, so act like one.

if you have full coverage insurance on your primary vehicle, your auto policy should have a rider extending to you bringing home a newly purchased vehicle. ask your insurance agent if you have that rider.

dot didnt care before. now with covid, they really don't want to deal with you.

lots of new stuff!

you are still a private vehicle.

Wmortimer · 07-12-2020, 07:25 PM

Oh awesome. I’ll definitely call about the rider tomorrow.

cadillackid · 07-12-2020, 07:44 PM

I had no other plates .. bus had been a church bus so it is white and not yellow.. I had my bill of sale and current valid insurance card showing I had it insured , I also had the signed title which would be appropriate for a vehicle just purchased

The only interaction I had from the police were positive . I stopped often to check on things, after all it was a 40 year old bus that had largely sat for a good while ..

These old rigs amaze me .. that bus can sit 5 months over winter and I just go pump the gas while I’m cranking and she takes right off... not even a dead battery..

Just today we revived a Detroit 6V71 that hadn’t ran in 37 years .. freed up the iniector racks out a couple batteries in and she fired up.

Wmortimer · 07-12-2020, 08:13 PM

That’s amazing. I have an old Chevy truck like that 276k miles and runs like a top.

That’s the hitch. Title is in the mail somewhere en route to Oregon DMV. We have a photo of it, but it was never retitled by the sellers so we have a photo of original title and two bills of sale- one to them and one to us. It’s quite a mess. We have copies of all the stuff they sent to the DMV, including VIN inspection etc, but idk what that’s worth. Now I’m wishing they hadn’t tried to retitle it at all. At least we’d have the title and look slightly more legit.

Wmortimer · 07-12-2020, 08:13 PM

37 years?! That’s nuts.

cadillackid · 07-12-2020, 08:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmortimer

37 years?! That’s nuts.

a testament to when things were made to last..

the bus we revived today was a 1965 GMC.. the difference in how things were made ack then vs today.. METAL.. everything is METAL and lots of it..

that engine sat 37 years and it wasnt seized, the starter solenoid didnt hesitate to engage and spin the crank.. sure the injectors were a bit stiff but after a little TLC they did all work perfectly.. theres some oil and air leaks to fix but nevertheless 37 years and it was Almost turn the key and start it up
im not sure what would happen if I took a modern bus, ran it 18 hours a day as a city bus for 18 years then just parked it for 37... maybe it would do the same but somehow I think all the corroded neglexted electrical connections might cause many issues..

Wmortimer · 07-12-2020, 08:33 PM

Yep. All the teeny computers would just implode.

banman · 07-12-2020, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmortimer

Yep. All the teeny computers would just implode.

I'll add that 287 has been widened and repaved in the last couple years, plenty of passing zones so you don't need to feel any pressure driving it. And it's a beautiful drive -- I would avoid it on the weekends if you can cause camping traffic will be heavy...

And then if you like, take the back roads east of Ft Collins down to Limon and from there down to Kim, CO and beyond.

You'll go through the Comanche and Cimarron National Grasslands -- a subtle beauty of their own and avoid any long mountain passes.
On the other hand, there will be less road-side assistance going through Kim.

The big issue is having the extra time to deal with issues along the way in a comfortable manner rather than feeling jammed up and panic which rarely leads to good decisions...

Wmortimer · 07-12-2020, 09:49 PM

Good to know. Watched a video and a lot of the downhill was one lane so I was worried. We’re gonna make a decision tomorrow after we get the radiator blown out. It’s running on flat ground at 200, so hopefully blowing out the fins will bring that down a couple of degrees. Trouble is, we were cresting the I-80 hills at 15-25, so I’m a little hyper vigilant about grades now.

turf · 07-12-2020, 10:02 PM

the evil 545 slips. don't let it.

if your rpms are high but your speed is low, the difference comes out in heat.

you can set your foot on the floor and run 2500 rpm, but going up a hill (constant rpm) while slowing down (mph) just heats it up.

max fluid pressure in a 545 happens around 1800-2000rpms. you have to keep the clutch bands under pressure to keep from slipping. this is where clean fluid helps.

do you have the deep trans pan or the shallow one? a bit more oil volume may help keep it cooler. likewise a real oil cooler (aftermarket) will work magic on a 545.

i run a 180 tstat, i like it better than the normal 190. make sure your fan clutch is working. make sure the water pump is working.

you may need to change the filter on the trans fluid, especially since its got hot. trans fluid doesnt last when heated.

goodluck

banman · 07-12-2020, 10:08 PM

I've been working in Cheyenne the past few daze and I gotta say -- it's been heatwave hot here...

Do you have a transmission oil temp gauge?

I would expect the coolant to run at 200°F what you don't want is the trans oil temp climbing up above 275°F or maybe lower -- I don't know spec on your buses setup.

turf · 07-12-2020, 10:18 PM

i blew out my exhaust manifold / turbo climbing monarch pass. i think a bicylcyist passed me as i was driving up the hill. that was a 5mph or less.

i did the most damage to my 545 on downhills. don;t roll with traffic. 80mph and out of control rolling down i-70 into denver is something you dont do twice.

slow uphill, slower downhill

Mountain Gnome · 07-13-2020, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by turf

do you have the deep trans pan or the shallow one? a bit more oil volume may help keep it cooler. likewise a real oil cooler (aftermarket) will work magic on a 545.

On the advice I found here, I installed an aftermarket tranny cooler. It does nothing for me. A waste of money. A bigger waste of time. One day here soon, I'm gonna remove it and sell it.

Maybe a van cutout with a radiator 1/2 the size of mine could use it.

I've never seen my tranny temp above 150°F, according to my dash gauge. I still need to verify that with a temp gun (infrared temp sensor).

After blowing a heater hose, and then a water pump, and draining the whole system and replacing all the hoses, my engine coolant temp rides a bit high now (the 180° thermostat helps). I think I must have a bubble that I haven't been able to get rid of. But folks on this site had me convinced that my AT545 was the problem. I no longer think so.

cadillackid · 07-13-2020, 09:38 AM

the 545 definitely contributes to engine heat... for me it was in a couple ways..

1. I believe the slipping converter means my engine has to make more power for the same amount applied to the ground.. the waste is made up in heat in the trans.. which goes through the stock cooler in the radiator.. along with the fact the engine works harder means iit in and of itself is making more heat and the radiator needs to dispel it as well.. both together ended up in noticeable differences from 545 to 643 in performance and heat...

the same drive, same weather with a 545 I would see my engine temp reach 195-200 and then my fan would be ripping out high speed and would run that way for sometimes 10 minutes or more.. now with the 643 again same route same weather.. I may see the temp hit 195 but I almost never hear the fan go up to rip roaring speed.. that says to me im not putting as mucb heat through my cooling system with the 643..

I have a 180 thermostat and an adjusted viscous fan clutch.. with the navistar split rad / turbo cooler it was advantageous to adjust the fan clutch on-temp down a bit from factory settings ..

the 545 is GREATLY helped by adding an auxiliary or complete replacement cooler.. more than one here and other forums have reported much success in keeping the 545 happy with extra cooling.. my own personal thought is a remote cooler under the bus with a good high CFM electric fan.. such a cooler wont dsperse much heat when the fan is off so you wont over-cool in winter but can move lots of heat in summer.. , doesnt block airflow by sitting in front of the bus radiator, and doesnt add heat to the engine cooling system because you eliminate the radiator loops..