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Old 11-13-2012, 07:10 AM   #81
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Thanks guy's ! ! !

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Old 11-13-2012, 10:54 AM   #82
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Ok, after seeing your residence, you don't get to be a redneck anymore.
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Old 11-13-2012, 12:27 PM   #83
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Good job Le Bubba! As I was scrolling thru the pics, as soon as I saw the pic of the bus going up the ramp, I said to myself "I bet the trailer hitch won't clear"-guess I was right!
The underside of the bus looks good -nice + dry. Whats that tag on the transmission? Is it from a rebuilder? These trans are the weak link-if you have a new one in there thats a good thing.
I noticed something different than any other Fords I've seen-whats the 2 squares under the front bumper? It looks like reciever hitches.
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Old 11-13-2012, 02:19 PM   #84
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Quote:
Originally Posted by sdwarf36
The underside of the bus looks good -nice + dry. Whats that tag on the transmission? Is it from a rebuilder?
Did you mean the small paper with the warning sign on?
I do not know what the tag means my friend.
I will check it tomorrow and take a picture of it so I can show you what it is.
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Old 11-13-2012, 02:25 PM   #85
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Quote:
Originally Posted by sdwarf36
I noticed something different than any other Fords I've seen-whats the 2 squares under the front bumper? It looks like reciever hitches.

These are indeed 2 receiver hitches to place for example a travel trailer on the right spot.
It could be possible that this is not allowed in belgium on the Belgian roads.
If it is,I must dismount it but we will see about that.
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Old 11-13-2012, 06:06 PM   #86
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

[quote] These are indeed 2 receiver hitches to place for example a travel trailer on the right spot.[ /quote]
Since there are two, I would be more inclined to think that they are for something like a bicycle rack
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Old 11-13-2012, 10:19 PM   #87
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

I wonder if the authorities would mind if you used the front recievers for an ATV or motorcycle rack?

I sure would hate to be paying for all those tires on the low boy trailer as they skuff their way around every corner!?! Jack
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Old 11-13-2012, 11:12 PM   #88
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Quote:
Originally Posted by ol trunt
I wonder if the authorities would mind if you used the front recievers for an ATV or motorcycle rack?

I sure would hate to be paying for all those tires on the low boy trailer as they skuff their way around every corner!?! Jack
You noticed that too-huh?
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Old 11-14-2012, 03:07 AM   #89
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Quote:
Originally Posted by ol trunt

I sure would hate to be paying for all those tires on the low boy trailer as they skuff their way around every corner!?! Jack
Yes, I know what you mean but the wheels turn also when the truck takes a turn guy's
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Old 11-14-2012, 03:13 AM   #90
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Quote:
Originally Posted by ol trunt
I wonder if the authorities would mind if you used the front recievers for an ATV or motorcycle rack?

This is also not allowed here.

I know that the gouvernement here stinks but we cannot do anything about it.
We are born in the wrong country like I said before.
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Old 11-14-2012, 10:59 AM   #91
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Quote:
Originally Posted by Charley
Quote:
Originally Posted by ol trunt
I wonder if the authorities would mind if you used the front recievers for an ATV or motorcycle rack?

This is also not allowed here.

I know that the gouvernement here stinks but we cannot do anything about it.
We are born in the wrong country like I said before.

Have a revolution and change it.
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Old 11-14-2012, 11:43 AM   #92
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Hey Charley!, congratulations on getting your Ford home. I told my ninety year old English mum (has lived in Texas for the past 63 years) that I consider (after reading your thread), that Belgium was the 'Texas of western Europe'. She about dropped her wine glass. If not Belgium then what country in Europe do you consider to be the most regular non-socialist country?
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Old 11-14-2012, 12:56 PM   #93
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

First of all ! !

BIG CONGRATS with the age of your mum my friend ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Well, I think it is always something in every country,Don't you?
If we speak about cars, busses, motor cycles and more stuff with an engine, your country is better for those things.


Here in stupid Belgium it is sometimes a drag.
They just put up the taxes again.
The crisis is beginning to work in this country also.
It is going to be from 21% to 22% tax on all the products we buy.
I was thinking to go and live somewhere else but then I will be another refugee in another country and that is not the thing I want to do.
Living on other peoples money like they do here also.
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Old 11-14-2012, 01:08 PM   #94
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Yes, I know what you mean.
So, what's next on the conversion agenda for you?
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Old 11-15-2012, 03:22 AM   #95
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

At the moment I am going to change all the fluids on the engine and gearbox like you all recommended before the winter is coming.
At night the temerature is going below -1°C (30,2°F) in Belgium right now so I have to to it before it is really freezing.
Anti freeze in the water is safe -> till -25°C (-13°F).
Any suggestions what to use for viscosity of the engine oil or brand (5W30? or something else?), gearbox oil, brake fluid, ect,...?
This weekend I am going to take the alternator out becouse it does not give any power at all.
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Old 11-15-2012, 11:19 AM   #96
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Oil viscosity depends on how much you'll be using it in really cold weather. For weather in the teens (farenheit) use a 5w 30 diesel rated oil for easier starting and for warmer weather most recommend 15w-40 diesel rated oil. (15 qts with filter) Many powerstrokes have a plug-in engine heater that helps a lot in really frigid weather. The oil filter is quite heavy when filled with oil so many powerstroke owners punch a hole in the bottom of the filter with an ice pick to drain the filter before removing it. Just make sure to break the filter loose first in case it's stuck tight. Use a diesel rated oil which has anti-foaming additives or your injectors won't work properly.

Your engine started out with the old-style green coolant and you shouldn't mix in the newer style blue/orange/yellow coolants without doing a comprehensive flush of the old green stuff. If you refill the system with green coolant you'll also need to add about 64 ozs. of supplemental coolant additive (SCA) to guard against cavitation which can make little tiny holes in your combustion chambers. Once the coolant has been refreshed you should check the SCA levels about every 15000 miles. Test strips are available most anywhere that sells the SCA additive. A full flush takes 4 gallons of coolant concentrate (not the pre-mixed stuff) and 64 ozs. of SCA. If you have hard water in your area refill with distilled water to avoid mineral build up in the radiator.

Brakes use Dot 3 or Dot 4 brake fluid, or whatever the equivalent is on your side of the pond. Brake fluid picks up water over time so your rig is almost certainly ready for a full fluid flush. The rubber brake lines that connect to the calipers have a habit of getting clogged with junk and a flush will show which, if any, are clogged.

Your owner's manual says not to use Mercon V in the transmission, but Mercon V was later re-formulated so you can use either Mercon or Mercon V tranny fluid. (18 qts capacity) You may want to drop the trans pan and look for metal chips in the pan. If your pan doesn't have a drain plug you'll have no choice. The pan holds about 8 qts. of fluid and gets pretty heavy. Mine has a magnet inside the pan to grab any wayward metal junk. Check the existing fluid for a burned smell and/or a really dark appearance. Either one may be a sign of trouble in the trans.

Mercifully, replacing the alternator on your engine isn't too bad a job. I generally consider working on van engines right up there with medieval torture, but replacing alternators and turbocharger work is fairly easy on these engines. Many E van based buses came with high output alternators (200+ amps) to keep up with the big-ass air conditioners and wheelchair lifts. Mine had an aftermarket 230 amp unit with non-standard connectors so I had to do some re-wiring when I replaced mine with a "stock" 130 amp alt. Now would be a good time for a new serpentine belt if the existing one looks the least bit worn. I kept my original belt as a spare.

Speaking of turbochargers, some of the early powerstrokes had a problem with the bolts that fasten the hot side of the turbo to the bearing housing loosening up over time. Ford has replacement bolts that allegedly fix the problem (Ford part number 1C3Z-9G486-AA) Mine were totally backed out. Basically, the new bolts have their threads buggered to lock them in place. From what I read, that area gets too hot to use locktite to lock them down.

The fuel filter bowl on top of the engine has a water drain on the side of the bowl and most E vans also have a cable near the oil dipstick that operates the drain. You pull the cable and fuel and water splatters all over the left side of the engine and onto the driveway. Not too neat but effective, particularly in someone else's driveway. My fuel bowl had all kinds of junk in it when I changed the fuel filter. So did the filters in the fuel pickup in the gas tank.

That's about all I can think of right now but I'll post up anything else that comes to mind.
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Old 11-15-2012, 11:44 AM   #97
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Two more alternator related tidbits. When you first start up the engine your glow plugs stay on for up to 2 minutes. While they are on your dash gauge will only show 11 or 12 volts even though the alternator is fine. Let the thing run a few minutes before checking the alt. output. Those glow plugs might be making it appear that the alt is bad when it really is fine. Normal alt output is 14.2 to 14.4 volts when charging batteries. Once the batteries are topped off voltage will drop down to the mid 13's.

A dieing starting battery can also make an alternator look bad by drawing a ton of output right after starting. Assuming you have two starting batteries they should both be replaced at the same time with batteries from the same production run. Over here most auto parts shops will load test your batteries for free. Given that your rig sat for a long while, having the batteries checked should be high on your list.
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Old 11-15-2012, 12:04 PM   #98
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Like roach said, make sure it is a diesel rated oil. Here we have Delo 400, Shell Rotella and a few others. I think Delo and Rotella are the most popular but that may differ from area to area. If you use an improper engine oil, your bus will run like crap or not at all. The oil fires the injectors and I've been told that diesel rated oil has an anti-foaming agent. I don't know if that is why it's required.

Congrats on getting the beast home. Let the journey begin!
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Old 11-15-2012, 01:15 PM   #99
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

Many thanks Roach and crazycal ! !

The diesel oil from Shell is normally available here in Belgium.
When mesuring the voltage of the battery's, the scale goes only to 11.75V
That's why I know that the battery is not charging.
In Antwerp we have a little shop who remake the electrical wiring inside the housing of the alternator.
They overhaul it or change the alternator (or starter engine) immediatley.
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Old 11-15-2012, 10:23 PM   #100
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Re: 1995 Ford Eldorado Shuttle bus

I'm a big fan of checking the easy stuff first. While your bus was sitting there those years the batteries likely froze which usually wrecks batteries and bad batteries can make the alt look bad.

If you have a battery charger try charging them overnight. If they don't get up to 12.7 volts or so they're shot. If they do take a charge they still need to be load tested. Once you have known good batteries you can test the alternator. It may be shot too, but I'd bet those batteries are history.
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