STRANDED: Low voltage?

[dj2109]

Hey yall

Long story short:

Been stranded in Walmart parking lot for almost a week in heat wave. Water is running low and grey tanks are full

I’ve replaced batteries and alternator. Both show 12.8 volts.

Engine won’t turn over. Voltmeter on dash shows below 12, in low grey area.

Multi-meter gives good reading. I’ve chased wires... Read forums... Losing hope...

SOS

[dj2109]

Replaced alternator this morning and it started up. I accidentally killed it before I charged the batteries.

Took them to Autozone. They said they were charged. Voltage reads good but engine wont turn now. Starter maybe?

I’ll pay someone to fly to this Walmart I swear...

[Brad_SwiftFur]

What city/state are you in? With fresh batteries and still low voltage readings, it sounds like you have a poor connection along the line. Check Battery cable ends both at the battery connections and where they go, the starter and frame ground (as appropriate). The battery cables themselves may be internally corroded and need replaced. Best of luck.

[dj2109]

Currently in Othello, WA

How am I to know which ones should be replaced?

Any suggestions on where to look?

[magnakansas]

Okay, so many questions, ....

telephone me... maybe I can talk you through this...


william 785 207 7600

[dj2109]

Thank you Will

I will call tomorrow in the morning if thats okay??

We worked about 12 hours in the heat wave and I’m fried.....

[kazetsukai]

Holy cow, I hope you get it going... If you can just get it to start, you might move it to a nearby RV park so you can drain your tanks / hookup and figure things out, or to a mechanic that can work on larger vehicles.

[Mr4btTahoe]

If you are reading good voltage at the batteries but the dash gauge is showing low (moving but showing low).. you've got a bad connection somewhere, likely a ground issue.


Start at the batteries... clean all the cable ends. Follow the battery cables to the ground points on the engine and frame and make sure they are tight/clean. Then work your way up. You can always add a few ground straps to see if it helps (from the bus body to the frame... engine to frame... battery bank to frame.


It is likely just a corroded connection. I would also disconnect the leads at the starter and clean them.


It'll take a bit of time but I doubt your issue is mechanical.


Good luck bud!

[magnakansas]

What is happening?

I hope you have this solved, but I am near a telephone.

william

[dj2109]

Hey yall

Miraculously the bus started this morning but I turned it off at a gas station to refill. This was the biggest mistake of my life.

The manager towed us to the side of the road. We’re low on cash and hoping a starter is the fix. We’re in Moses Lake WA and have no idea where we can tow the bus to park

Please pray for us during this heat wave

[Rwnielsen]

What kind of bus is this? Randomly changing parts is expensive. It sounds like something simple, maybe a loose connection at one of the vehicle power solenoids. Again, the type/model is a must for any attempted troubleshooting

[magnakansas]

They got the bus started around 6:30 pm central time. I was on the phone with working out where the failure was. His batteries and connections were good. I suspect starter solenoid, or shifter, or key switch or wires between them. Any more detail than that, I don’t know right now.

William

[Rwnielsen]

There are solenoid switches on some busses that carry the loads for chassis and light wiring. They're controlled by the ignition switch. Virtually all electrical loads are downstream of them including gauges and start circuits.
Just a thought

[Absentee]

Voltage regulators will reduce output voltage when they start to fail. Do a resistance check on it to see if it is still good

[sportyrick]

get a set of battery cables and jump the starter, ground to starter body and hot directly to the starter it self, if it turns then jump to battery side of solenoid and jump the start post, should show where the problem is quickly, cables, solenoid, starter, what a bummer to spend that much time at walmart. sportyrick