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Old 08-10-2017, 01:47 PM   #21
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Great news!

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Old 08-10-2017, 02:06 PM   #22
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Great news!!!
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Old 08-10-2017, 02:39 PM   #23
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suoer news!!! what was the oil leak?
and glad you dont have to buy another alternator!!
-Christopher
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Old 08-10-2017, 08:22 PM   #24
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suoer news!!! what was the oil leak?
and glad you dont have to buy another alternator!!
-Christopher
Awesome! Glad your troubles were fixed!


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Old 08-10-2017, 11:05 PM   #25
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Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
suoer news!!! what was the oil leak?
and glad you dont have to buy another alternator!!
-Christopher
$5 says it was alternator lube line.
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Old 08-11-2017, 12:26 AM   #26
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Originally Posted by cadillackid View Post
suoer news!!! what was the oil leak?
and glad you dont have to buy another alternator!!
-Christopher
Can't remember exactly what the mechanic said but it was something like a feed line from the compressor to the engine. First we tried using jb weld but the weather wasn't right. So he used a hack saw to cut the line where the crack was, getting rid of about an inch, and put a inch or two of hose in between the line where it was separated to connect it back and used clamps to tighten it.

Hope that makes sense
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Old 08-11-2017, 12:32 AM   #27
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Can't remember exactly what the mechanic said but it was something like a feed line from the compressor to the engine. First we tried using jb weld but the weather wasn't right. So he used a hack saw to cut the line where the crack was, getting rid of about an inch, and put a inch or two of hose in between the line where it was separated to connect it back and used clamps to tighten it.

Hope that makes sense

Makes sense, but I don't like the repair. Mine is braided SS line. If you loose oil pressure and don't notice/react, you may loose your engine. there are no barbs on that line to keep hose on, clamp pressure only. Heat and vibration...

They are using your engine oil/pressure too lubricate & cool the compressor.
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Old 08-11-2017, 03:45 AM   #28
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The hose and clamps are temporary. I plan to replace the line for sure. Going to get the bus today
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Old 08-15-2017, 08:41 AM   #29
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I have AAA plus RV and since my bus is registered as a recreational vehicle the $85/year covers 4 tows up to 100 miles each

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Was stuck in lake charles and got towed. Do you think its possible i can get AAA insurance and get my bus towed without it being registered?
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Old 08-15-2017, 08:51 AM   #30
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Was stuck in lake charles and got towed. Do you think its possible i can get AAA insurance and get my bus towed without it being registered?
Possibly, I had mine already titled, registered and insured at the time I got my roadside coverage

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Old 08-15-2017, 08:47 PM   #31
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My batteries dont seem to be holding a charge like they should or something electrical is slowly running them down when the bus is sitting. When i give it a jump, with a little kia rio, it takes a minute to start but when it does the battery gauge eventually goes a little past 12 volts. When i disconnect the cables it goes under 12.. almost in between 10 and 12.

Went to get my stuff out of the bus after having to go all the way to pearland Texas to get the title to show proof of ownership and the thing wouldn't start.

I think the wiring for the batteries are not right to where its running more on one battery? There is one red cable that i was told not to bother with by a truck driver at a truck stop because when hooked up it gets hot. I think this blew out my nrand new replacement battery i just got a day or two ago. Luckily, autozone replaced it new with no hassle at all.

Anyone here got any clues on why the batteries drain pretty much over night?
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Old 08-15-2017, 09:09 PM   #32
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The firs thing to do is have *ALL* the batteries checked. And matched. One dead battery will drain good ones as they try to "charge" the weak one. One of those "weakest link" things. Matching is similar to making sure all the links are the same strength.

Once the batteries are sorted, you need to see if something - anything is draining them while parked. Any light on? Any relay stuck on? Any alarm active? (This can be a very tricky process). Remove fuses one-by-one until you find the offending circuit (I'd replace 'em as you go, otherwise you could get 'em all mixed up).

Once you're done with that, have the alternator and charging circuit checked. The way I see it, the factory put certain wires in certain places for a reason; they don't just do it for nothing. Only leave a wire disconnected if you *KNOW* what it's for (and not just because some trucker told you to; though that could be a way for at least getting home). If a connected wire is getting hot, there's a reason and it needs to be diagnosed and corrected.

I'm not fully understanding which wire you're leaving disconnected. I'm also a little unclear which cable you're disconnecting when you refer to the voltage readings. Is this while the engine is running?

You should be running at least 13 volts on the road - and no more than about 15. You may have a somewhat lower reading right after starting up (as I do) but it should come up to 13 or so within a minute or two. Some alternators need a minimum RPM before they begin charging (this is to reduce mechanical load on the engine/starter while cranking), others are happy to generate right away. Give the engine a quick rev after startup if needed to start charging the batteries.
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Old 08-15-2017, 09:20 PM   #33
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Another thing to check is the resistance of all your battery cables, along with the cable between the batteries and the alternator as well as starter.

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Old 08-15-2017, 09:35 PM   #34
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Any wire or cable that's getting hot needs to be checked out. Either it's attached to something that's drawing more current than the wire is sized for or the cable itself is bad. Battery cables often will get corroded inside and will have only a few strands of wire carrying all the current. A hot wire is an overloaded wire.

Don't go by your dash battery gauge, they're pretty inaccurate. A good volt meter will give you a much more accurate idea of what's going on.
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Old 08-15-2017, 10:00 PM   #35
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Excellent point on checking battery cables. I should have mentioned this myself. Since I normally drive a Volvo which, despite having 4 batteries, does not use cables to interconnect the batteries (it uses a thick copper bar).
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Old 08-15-2017, 11:16 PM   #36
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Was stuck in lake charles and got towed. Do you think its possible i can get AAA insurance and get my bus towed without it being registered?
Of course, if you already have insurance with the rv plus. I had one towed from where I bought it, as it had some front end damage. They never checked the registration, just sent tow truck out. Was very handy for me...
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Old 08-16-2017, 02:43 AM   #37
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@Brad_SwiftFur

The cable i was talking about disconnecting is the jumper cables lol. The other cable is a red cable that looks similar to the other ones connected to the battery terminal.

I have 2 batteries. One is brand new and both were just charged and tested as good at autozone. One battery has 2 cables connected to the negative terminal and 1 to the positive. The other has one to the negative and 2 to the positive. Not sure what the extra red cable (not hooked up) is. Maybe there used to be 3 batteries? Seems there is space for one more battery in the compartment. Then again, maybe the first guy who helped me replace the alternator, which is brand new (days old) forgot to plug that extra red cable back somewhere

After the original alternator was tested bad and replaced, the new alternator started smoking so i cut the engine off as soon as i smelled it, as where i didn't notice the first alternator was smoking until it was to late and even after that decided to drive it anyway and was probably driving off the battery(s) until i broke down the first time in Mississippi.

Got the batteries tested and on was bad which is why I got a new one. So, as far as batteries and alternator everything checked out good.

Was waiting on some money to get the bus out of the impound. Going this morning to get it out. My guess is the batteries will be to low to start it as was the case yesterday. Maybe it'll still have juice from when i jumped it with the kia rio

Thinking of driving it straight to the nearest autozone to see if they can help me figure it out.

Thanks to everyone who replied!
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Old 08-16-2017, 02:47 AM   #38
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Of course, if you already have insurance with the rv plus. I had one towed from where I bought it, as it had some front end damage. They never checked the registration, just sent tow truck out. Was very handy for me...
I called AAA in Texas and the said they only 7 miles for the first 7 days or something. Even with that they said they done insure buses... or tow busses. Can't remember which
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Old 08-20-2017, 09:43 AM   #39
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Anyone kno if a battery can hold its charge if its unplugged? I got a second new battery and am going to make sure they are both fully charged so i can head back to orange tx and make another attempt and getting this thing started. Is it possible to have it charged to 13 or 14 volts?
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Old 08-20-2017, 10:09 AM   #40
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Anyone kno if a battery can hold its charge ... Is it possible to have it charged to 13 or 14 volts?

Yes, should hold a charge fine for a week or 2.

Above 12.7 V is a good unhooked battery, so 13.5V is fine on alternator.

A typical 12-volt lead-acid battery must be taken to approximately 14.2-14.4 VDC before it is fully charged. (For 24 volt systems, double these figures.) If taken to a lesser voltage level, some of the sulfate deposits that form during discharge will remain on the plates.
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