Emergency

[benevolence.bus]

Okay so i’m stranded in the middle of Utah, have had zero issues thus far and then all of a sudden my bus just stops and refuses to turn over? She’s been up and down all over so far, and only has 10k miles on her. The oil and the trans fluid seem to be in good condition as far as i can tell, and the engine coolant is filled. She’s been starting just fine the past two days and the only time i’ve ever tried turning her on and she didn’t even turn, was when she was in neutral, however she is not right now, and i’m pretty much at a loss.

Also can anyone find an owners manual for me? i’m finding every one but the one for my bus.
It’s a 1984 tc 2000 front engine bluebird. it’s a detroit diesel engine with 5 speed allison trans and it has air brakes. thank you!

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

have you checked battery voltage?
could be your alternator wasnt charging your batteries.
any lights with key on?
do you know which detroit diesel?

[benevolence.bus]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223

have you checked battery voltage?
could be your alternator wasnt charging your batteries.
any lights with key on?
do you know which detroit diesel?

battery’s good, from previous experience i’ve seen that if the batteries low power that the engine turns just not turns over. all lights inside the bus work fine including headlights and brights.
idk if this helps anymore but it’s a detroit diesel 8.2L V8

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

just because the lights work doesnt mean your batteries have enough charge.
did it shut off while driving or did you stop somewhere and not it wont start again?

[benevolence.bus]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223

just because the lights work doesnt mean your batteries have enough charge.
did it shut off while driving or did you stop somewhere and not it wont start again?

just stopped mid drive. like nothing. silence. usually when i turn off the bus it does a “stu stu stu stu~” sound but it just stopped dead.
and i’ll pick up a battery charger to check, but i’ve driven this over a thousand miles straight so far with no issues regarding the battery or electrical

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

if the alternator quits charging then you run on battery power until it drains the batteries and then it dies on most set ups.
i dont know if that is the case with the 8.2?
i have an 86 ford thomas i have some wiring diagrams for.
what chassis is your bluebird on
that will help decipher your setup and how its wired

[benevolence.bus]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223

if the alternator quits charging then you run on battery power until it drains the batteries and then it dies on most set ups.
i dont know if that is the case with the 8.2?
i have an 86 ford thomas i have some wiring diagrams for.
what chassis is your bluebird on
that will help decipher your setup and how its wired

that would be much appreciated! had a man stop on the side of the road and he got it working but we don’t entirely know how,. he took the front paneling off to look at the wiring to the key and shook it around a bit and it started randomly. it is definitely some screwy wiring but i cannot find an owners manual for this thing for the life of me.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

ford
chevy
international
????

[ewo1]

Originally Posted by benevolence.bus

battery’s good, from previous experience i’ve seen that if the batteries low power that the engine turns just not turns over. all lights inside the bus work fine including headlights and brights.
idk if this helps anymore but it’s a detroit diesel 8.2L V8

nevermind, saw you got it started...loose wiring ?

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

it will be manufacturer specific for the start circuit.
the start solenoid for all is either in the drivers control panel or on the fire wall under the hood but a start circuit problem wont cause the motor to stall.
maybe a bad ignition switch or switch connection?

[TheHubbardBus]

Originally Posted by benevolence.bus

and i’ll pick up a battery charger to check, but i’ve driven this over a thousand miles straight so far with no issues regarding the battery or electrical

I'd use a multi-meter / voltmeter to determine the battery's state of charge as suggested, to start things off. Just hooking it up to a charger usually won't tell you anything other than if it's topped off or not, and if the bus happened to start after charging the batteries you still wouldn't know if it was coincidence (did something change while you were charging the batteries) or batttery-related. Plus - a multimeter has a multitude of uses - which you may very well find useful chasing the cause of this particular problem. Most bang-for-the-buck tool you can have, especially since you don't need an expensive meter.

Can't say I understand the logic in believing the electrical / charging system is a less-likely candidate than other potential issues just because it's worked well for a thousand miles. Everything else needed to make the bus move has also worked well for all those miles as well, correct? The bus just shutting down in the manner you describe would lead me to start with the electrical system. Don't just make assumptions, especially with things that are so easy to check.


EDIT: Just saw you got it started. You don't need an electrical diagram to check the condition of the wiring / connections. Whatever you shook - start there. Examine the wires, the connections, the plugs (pull them apart, look for dirty/corroded/burned contacts). Keep working your way up the line until you hit the 'bad' spot.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

also if you text me at 910-581-7210 and reference skoolie i can share the ignition start circuit wiring diagrams that i have for all 3 chassis manufacturers at that time.

[benevolence.bus]

Originally Posted by TheHubbardBus

I'd use a multi-meter / voltmeter to determine the battery's state of charge as suggested, to start things off. Just hooking it up to a charger usually won't tell you anything other than if it's topped off or not, and if the bus happened to start after charging the batteries you still wouldn't know if it was coincidence (did something change while you were charging the batteries) or batttery-related. Plus - a multimeter has a multitude of uses - which you may very well find useful chasing the cause of this particular problem. Most bang-for-the-buck tool you can have, especially since you don't need an expensive meter.

Can't say I understand the logic in believing the electrical / charging system is a less-likely candidate than other potential issues just because it's worked well for a thousand miles. Everything else needed to make the bus move has also worked well for all those miles as well, correct? The bus just shutting down in the manner you describe would lead me to start with the electrical system. Don't just make assumptions, especially with things that are so easy to check.


EDIT: Just saw you got it started. You don't need an electrical diagram to check the condition of the wiring / connections. Whatever you shook - start there. Examine the wires, the connections, the plugs (pull them apart, look for dirty/corroded/burned contacts). Keep working your way up the line until you hit the 'bad' spot.

i will definitely start there, after further driving and moving the main panel around even the shifting has become a little wonky. i think the main problem lies behind the instrument panel. we’re driving back into the nearest town to look at it.
i will also pick up a multimeter if i can find one, thank you

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

sent you the diagrams i have via text.
you still have not said what platform you have your bluebird body mounted to.
the platform matters as you can see in what i sent you.
we are not stupid on here so the more info the better.
have you cleaned that connector and zip tied it tight?
what have you done or havent done?
when was the last time the fuel filters were changed?
fresh fuel doesnt always mean clean filters.
been on the road for 2 years.
when was the fuel filters changed
it doesnt cause a no crank but it will cause a no start while cranking.
no cranking could be a seperate issue from shutting down while driving.
i personally have never seen an ignition switch cause both at the same time.
igmition switch wire connector.

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

you still have not said.
international?
ford?
chevy/gmc?
it does make a difference.
i can close my eyes and do ford or chevy the only internatiol stuff i have ever worked on is heavy equipment.
ilove the older stuff from all.
might get better help if you let us know what chassis and if you dont know then send a pic so we can see what we have to discuss.

[benevolence.bus]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223

sent you the diagrams i have via text.
you still have not said what platform you have your bluebird body mounted to.
the platform matters as you can see in what i sent you.
we are not stupid on here so the more info the better.
have you cleaned that connector and zip tied it tight?
what have you done or havent done?
when was the last time the fuel filters were changed?
fresh fuel doesnt always mean clean filters.
been on the road for 2 years.
when was the fuel filters changed
it doesnt cause a no crank but it will cause a no start while cranking.
no cranking could be a seperate issue from shutting down while driving.
i personally have never seen an ignition switch cause both at the same time.
igmition switch wire connector.

i am still rather new to this so i can’t tell you exactly what the platform is because i don’t entirely know, i could probably figure it out after a thorough google search. one of the men helping us definitely suggested changing one of the fuel filters. other than that, besides jiggling the wires and pushing them into place, they checked air filters, oils, coolants, and even emptied out the air brakes.

edit: saw your second reply, what do i need to take a picture of to show you?

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

the front end.
grill hood fenders.

[benevolence.bus]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223

the front end.
grill hood fenders.

thank you for your patience, i apologize

[Jolly Roger bus 223]

from that picture it looks like a bluebird all american.
you might be able to contact bluebird with your VIN and they might be able to give the build sheet and wiring diagrams.

[benevolence.bus]

Originally Posted by Jolly Roger bus 223

from that picture it looks like a bluebird all american.
you might be able to contact bluebird with your VIN and they might be able to give the build sheet and wiring diagrams.

sweet, that’s a really good idea thank you so much