DT530 Road Trip Readiness Guidance

[kromboy]

I have an 8.3 ISC with MD3060 on my bus.

Chances are probably good that your bus HAS cruise control, whether it works or not is a whole another story lol.

I heard some district disable cruise control on the buses, but there are people on this forum that have enabled them back on.

https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f37/h...rol-25425.html
https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f37/c...ork-27142.html
https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f37/c...1-a-42713.html

If you want to read about it more.

[nikitis]

Originally Posted by JasonHurst.studio

What are the chances that my bus has cruise control? I can’t make it out from the pictures

Can't tell from the pictures. Can you send close up pictures of all of your rocker switches? On both sides.

[JasonHurst.studio]

Thank you. I will dig into it

Originally Posted by kromboy

I have an 8.3 ISC with MD3060 on my bus.

Chances are probably good that your bus HAS cruise control, whether it works or not is a whole another story lol.

I heard some district disable cruise control on the buses, but there are people on this forum that have enabled them back on.

https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f37/h...rol-25425.html
https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f37/c...ork-27142.html
https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f37/c...1-a-42713.html

If you want to read about it more.

[JasonHurst.studio]

I wish, that is the only photo of the drivers position that I have. I’ll just have to check when I pick it up

Originally Posted by nikitis

Can't tell from the pictures. Can you send close up pictures of all of your rocker switches? On both sides.

[cadillackid]

all of my busses have come from 1000 miles or more away.. its a fun roadtrip.. watch the gauges... if you can buy a bluefire device and have an ipad or android tablet then you can watch the digital guages.. navistar gauge clusters are notorious for being broken or intermittent.... temp and oil pressure are key... dont ever let the engine temp get close to 230... 210 is OK .. 220 is Hot and 230 is dont get here...


fill the fuel tank.. and drive... check with a flashlight every so often so you dont get caught out of fuel wit ha gauge that reads 1/2 a tank..

[JasonHurst.studio]

Sounds good! I’ve already ordered a bluefire and I’ll watch them close. Do you think it would do any good to run a diesel additive like power service of Howes? Just to try and clean and lubricate the fuel system on the way home. I plan on a full service when I get back. Filters etc. what is the usual fuel capacity of a bus this size?

Originally Posted by cadillackid

all of my busses have
come from 1000 miles or more away.. its a fun roadtrip.. watch the gauges... if you can buy a bluefire device and have an ipad or android tablet then you can watch the digital guages.. navistar gauge clusters are notorious for being broken or intermittent.... temp and oil pressure are key... dont ever let the engine temp get close to 230... 210 is OK .. 220 is Hot and 230 is dont get here...


fill the fuel tank.. and drive... check with a flashlight every so often so you dont get caught out of fuel wit ha gauge that reads 1/2 a tank..

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by JasonHurst.studio

Sounds good! I’ve already ordered a bluefire and I’ll watch them close. Do you think it would do any good to run a diesel additive like power service of Howes? Just to try and clean and lubricate the fuel system on the way home. I plan on a full service when I get back. Filters etc. what is the usual fuel capacity of a bus this size?

I run gray power service all spring summer fall and white power service for winter.. been doing it for years.. no idea if it helps but ive never had gelled fuel or gunked up system in either of my diesel busses...

[PorchDog]

I drove my old bus 2100 miles home, and had a tire with a slow leak. I stopped at AutoZone and bought about $50 worth of stuff to add an air connection to the air brakes to allow me to air up my own tires with a cheap flexible hose-- FWIW.

My other suggestion would be a Harbor Freight infrared heat gun, so you can check your hub temperatures, to make sure they are all similar. You don't want a bearing to get hot and seize. And you can also check temps on the engine/radiator, etc.

My 3 cents... (2 cents adjusted for inflation...)

[skoontz]

As others have said, it probably has cruise control. Looking at the picture, there are 4 buttons on the bottom of the right hand side console. The left 2 of those switches control the little fans above the windshield. On my bus, those other 2 are for a "high idle" control. These allow me to set the engine idle rpm at an rpm of my choosing. Currently the engine returns to normal idle as soon as I hit the brakes, and won't engage when moving, but I believe that behavior can be reprogrammed through the ECM, turning the idle control into a cruise control.


For rear mount radiator vs side mount - from what I have seen, the side mount radiators have 1 huge (literally) advantage - they can be larger than the rear mount radiator. The drawback is that a side mount radiator usually has a hydraulically driven fan, which provides additional failure points.


On the RE, the fan is driven by the engine serpentine belt. It should have a fan clutch. You can really tell when the fan kicks on, you'll hear it, and may notice a loss in power. At least I can, but my engine is the 210hp version of the 466, so I don't have as many ponies. On mine the fan kicks on at the 210 degree mark on the dash. The longest grade I've tested on is about 1.5 miles at 6%. So far, once the fan kicks on, the temperature gauge has always quickly gone back down even on this grade in hot weather.



I will admit, I am curious to hear how yours does. I've been thinking of increasing the hp, but worry about how much I can do so without overloading the cooling system.



My shorter RE300 has a 65 gallon fuel tank. I did drive school bus professionally, including RE300s of that size, and they had 100 gallon tanks.

[JasonHurst.studio]

These are excellent ideas. Thanks . I have ordered a cheap IR thermometer and I’ll look into a possible tire inflation solution if need be.

Originally Posted by PorchDog

I drove my old bus 2100 miles home, and had a tire with a slow leak. I stopped at AutoZone and bought about $50 worth of stuff to add an air connection to the air brakes to allow me to air up my own tires with a cheap flexible hose-- FWIW.

My other suggestion would be a Harbor Freight infrared heat gun, so you can check your hub temperatures, to make sure they are all similar. You don't want a bearing to get hot and seize. And you can also check temps on the engine/radiator, etc.

My 3 cents... (2 cents adjusted for inflation...)

[JasonHurst.studio]

Yeah I am also curious as to how the bus will do. I’ve driven many different large box trucks of this size so I’m curious what the 530e will feel like. I still don’t know the gearing of the differential.
Hopefully the rear fan is adequate and with it being winter that should help. I will be monitoring temps and pressures closely. Thanks for the tips and info

Originally Posted by skoontz

I will admit, I am curious to hear how yours does. I've been thinking of increasing the hp, but worry about how much I can do so without overloading the cooling system.

[kromboy]

My fuel tank is labeled 100 gallons, as I'm pretty sure yours would be too. But I do remember watching a Chuck Cassady video where he mentioned that it's not always accurate and he has seen tanks as little as 80 gallons when it's supposed to be 100.

[Omnibot2000]

Originally Posted by JasonHurst.studio

Sounds good! I’ve already ordered a bluefire and I’ll watch them close. Do you think it would do any good to run a diesel additive like power service of Howes? Just to try and clean and lubricate the fuel system on the way home. I plan on a full service when I get back. Filters etc. what is the usual fuel capacity of a bus this size?

Yes, run that white power service bottle that CK mentioned. I believe your purchasing the bus from California so the fuel might not be blended for the climate your heading too. Then again I can't remember where you are going so I can't say how cold your going to be

For me here where the polar bears roam free I know we blend our diesel pretty good at the pumps. I have run power service grey bottle year round with zero issues but it has nothing to help in a freeze up situation.

[Omnibot2000]

I know others have chimed in and I have not ready anything in detail.

Things to bring on a road trip with an unknown bus.

Bring as many tools or purchase a simple standard tool kit for the bus. Bring tire plugs, air compressor or build an air line.

Load up on fluids.

Are the brakes air or juice?

If air. Look for a caging bolt on your brake pot and make sure it can be removed.

Bring vise grips to clamp lines if necessary.

Bring duct tape.

I suggest purchasing a serpentine belt. Keep as a spare, when you get home you can swap it out and keep the old one as a spare.

If I remember you said you are mechanically inclined. Check brake linings, check pushrod stroke, make sure your brakes are adjusted properly. Check driveline u-joints, hanger bearings, any leaks, check coolant hoses. Check electrical in your battery box for heavy corrosion. Does sound like you might need to buy a battery. Make sure wipers are good. You don't want to find bad wipers in a downpour. Maybe a spare headlight.

Others that I skimmed through also had good suggestions like the temp gun.

If in doubt send a pic and we can help you here or have a shop look it over.

If it has cruise controle and your picking it up at the school, see if they can do you a solid and open it up for the speed and the cruise control if it's disabled. Otherwise you can make the trip home, purchase a nixiq clone and I believe servicemax downloadable for free can change those parameters.

As for the marginal tires, maybe just replace them local. If you loose one on the road.....a service call can get expensive.

[JasonHurst.studio]

Originally Posted by Omnibot2000

As for the marginal tires, maybe just replace them. If you loose one on the road.....a service call can get expensive.

Your list is excellent. thank you.
I am not sure I could arrange the rear tires to be replaced and make it home in time. I have to make this 27 hour trip in a weekend so I'll be pushing.
The brakes are Air.

My plan is to pack as much as I can in my checked bag then buy anything else I need in the local town where I am buying the bus. Ive scoped the area out and they have multiple autoparts stores and a harbor freight. I just need to figure out the exact filter and belt numbers to order.

Here is my rough tool list.

Electrical:
8250A Jump start box
Electrical tape
multi meter
10ft of 10ga stranded wire
Wire nuts
Linemans and wire stripper


Fluids:
Gasket material
Nitrile gloves
10ft 303 stainless hose clamp strap
Self sealing high temp silicone tape
fuel line
Gorilla tape
JB weld stick

Hand tools:
Strap wrench
crescent wrenches
channel locks
vice grips
SAE socket set
wrench set
screwdrivers and miscellaneous

Tire:
Plugs
small compressor? might be limited on weight
valve stem cores
truck tire pressure gauge


Misc:
IR thermometer
Blue fire monitoring and adaptor
battery phone charger
spare fuel filter
serpentine belt
Oil
coolant


Im sure im forgetting something

[Omnibot2000]

Add trans. oil. Make sure it's compatible with transynd. If it's got fresh oil. Let's keep it that way. I just purchased a jug of Valvoline maxlife multi vehicle and it listed the 295 on it for Allison I believe. That's a good trip for 2 days. I would be on edge a little.

Also, you can call in your VIN number to an international dealer and they might be able to give you a belt number but they have been known to be wrong. Maybe a number is there. You could ask for the gear ratio at the same time. Fingers crossed it's a cruiser.

[JasonHurst.studio]

Yeah it is a push for sure. Less than ideal but in order to score this but a sacrifice had to be made.

So you think that giving a dealer my vin is the best way to get the serpentine belt number?

[Omnibot2000]

Originally Posted by JasonHurst.studio

Yeah it is a push for sure. Less than ideal but in order to score this but a sacrifice had to be made.

So you think that giving a dealer my vin is the best way to get the serpentine belt number?

If you can, get ahold of the school division and find what they have on file or at least how old it is.

[fo4imtippin]

Originally Posted by JasonHurst.studio

Your list is excellent. thank you.
I am not sure I could arrange the rear tires to be replaced and make it home in time. I have to make this 27 hour trip in a weekend so I'll be pushing.
The brakes are Air.

My plan is to pack as much as I can in my checked bag then buy anything else I need in the local town where I am buying the bus. Ive scoped the area out and they have multiple autoparts stores and a harbor freight. I just need to figure out the exact filter and belt numbers to order.

Here is my rough tool list.

Electrical:
8250A Jump start box
Electrical tape
multi meter
10ft of 10ga stranded wire
Wire nuts
Linemans and wire stripper


Fluids:
Gasket material
Nitrile gloves
10ft 303 stainless hose clamp strap
Self sealing high temp silicone tape
fuel line
Gorilla tape
JB weld stick

Hand tools:
Strap wrench
crescent wrenches
channel locks
vice grips
SAE socket set
wrench set
screwdrivers and miscellaneous

Tire:
Plugs
small compressor? might be limited on weight
valve stem cores
truck tire pressure gauge


Misc:
IR thermometer
Blue fire monitoring and adaptor
battery phone charger
spare fuel filter
serpentine belt
Oil
coolant


Im sure im forgetting something

Skip the compressor, most of the truck stops have high pressure air at the fill ups.
Home Depot currently has their husky socket sets on their typical christmas pricing. I bought my 290 piece kit and picked it up when i flew out to get my bus, it has pretty much been able to do every bolt on my bus other than some impact sockets for the big stuff. Youll want a set to live in the bus anyway..


bring an assortment of 5/8 to 3in hose clamps.
bring a bit more low gauge wire like 12 or 14 x 50ft

bring some blade fuses, as you should have at least a few.

[JasonHurst.studio]

Originally Posted by fo4imtippin

Youll want a set to live in the bus anyway..


bring an assortment of 5/8 to 3in hose clamps.
bring a bit more low gauge wire like 12 or 14 x 50ft

bring some blade fuses, as you should have at least a few.

Good point about the tools. 🧰
Also I was going to research what kind of fuses that the bus uses and bring several with me. Are they the standard automotive blade fuses that are commonly available?