DT530 Road Trip Readiness Guidance

[JasonHurst.studio]

Hello Everyone,
WE Finally bought a BUS! from a California school district.
https://www.govdeals.com/asset/312/11084
Its an 2001 International 3000 177,478 Miles
Engine 530E HEUI 8.7 liter 275 Hp,
Engine Ser. # 530HM2U1253477
Engine Family : YNVXH0530ANA
Transmission : Alison (MD3060)
I will be flying out to pick it up and driving it cross country back home about 1700 miles. I will be avoiding the northerly route through the mountains and sticking to the southerly route.

I am a decent mechanic but I am not familiar with the 530E platform. I am currently preparing for the trip and learning all I can about the engine and drive train. I am downloading manuals and packing a significant tool kit to handle everything from electrical problems to fluid leaks and more severe problems.
The engine was serviced 3000 miles ago and the transmission was serviced 14,652 miles ago.
I will be checking fluids, filters and temps immediately but I want to hear what you more experienced people would look for. What are common problems or concerns with this platform that I should make sure I pay close attention to?
I just don't want to miss something specific to this engine that might kill it on the way home. I realize that the rear tires are marginal so I will be going easy on them on the way home.
I thank you so much for all your help and sharing your experience with me. I selected this bus with your guidance and experience.

[ewo1]

nice Bus !

congrats!
Going cross country on your first trip, AWESOME!

Go to this thread for a service manual for your motor.

SERVICE MANUAL
INTERNATIONAL® DT 466E, 530E, 466, 530, and HT 530
DIESEL ENGINE
Model Year 2000 and Up
EGES-210-1

[nikitis]

A 530 and 3060 trans.

A great combo.

Bus looks a little long but not a dealbreaker.

You picked well. May I ask how long you searched for it?

Also where are you driving home to?

[JasonHurst.studio]

Thank you very much/ I have downloaded that manual. I will print a hard copy just to be safe.

Originally Posted by ewo1

nice Bus !

congrats!
Going cross country on your first trip, AWESOME!

Go to this thread for a service manual for your motor.

SERVICE MANUAL
INTERNATIONAL® DT 466E, 530E, 466, 530, and HT 530
DIESEL ENGINE
Model Year 2000 and Up
EGES-210-1

[JasonHurst.studio]

Thank you very much. I am pleased with the bus so far: I watched ads and auctions for around 3 months waiting for the right one to come up. It was either the DT530 or the Cummins 8.3
I’ll be driving home to just north of Kansas City

Originally Posted by nikitis

A 530 and 3060 trans.

A great combo.

Bus looks a little long but not a dealbreaker.

You picked well. May I ask how long you searched for it?

Also where are you driving home to?

[Omnibot2000]

I love that bus. They have nothing like that local to me.

I also like my bus big.

Mine is a dognose but they can't get any longer then mine. Rural country......they wanna pack the kids on them so really no other choice.

[JasonHurst.studio]

Thank you . Yeah I’m having to drive 1700 miles to get this bus. All the buses in my area are rusty from snow and salt.

Originally Posted by Omnibot2000

I love that bus. They have nothing like that local to me.

I also like my bus big.

Mine is a dognose but they can't get any longer then mine. Rural country......they wanna pack the kids on them so really no other choice.

[kromboy]

I made the trip to OR to get my bus back home to CO, it was a 1300 mile journey.

Seems like you're beyond my abilities mechanically so no advice there, I would recommend going to a walmart and picking up some camping gear, sleeping bags, blankets, and a buddy heater. I used about 2 of those coleman propane tanks per night, since it's colder now I would plan for maybe 3 a night.

I also bought an inverter generator so I had electricity when I needed, didn't use it too much but it did make the trip a lot more bearable/fun and I would need a generator for the bus anyway. Actually ended up returning mine after I got back because it wasn't a big enough genny, even though I really liked the form factor.

Also, one big thing I would recommend is blue fire, which is basically a digital dashboard for all your gauges and can even pull codes if you need to. I was kinda forced to get one myself because my bus was missing the tachometer and I wanted to keep an eye on it as I drove it home.

You can get one here
https://www.bluefire-llc.com/store

and I bought a new android tablet to use it with because I didn't really have a suitable tablet. It works with ipads, android, and fire tablets so if you already have one you won't need to buy that.

I think most of what I did was overkill but I justified it saying I'd need them anyway once the bus was built, and I have for the most part kept everything I bought from that journey.


Oh, and consider signing up for coachnet, it's like AAA but covers skoolies, I signed up before I left, took it on two trips since and luckily haven't had to use it yet. But if you ever get stranded, it'll be a nice backup plan.

[JasonHurst.studio]

Thank you Kromboy
This is exactly the kind of advice that I am looking for. I’ve never heard of blue fire and I will be purchasing one. I’ll just need to see what kind of connector my bus has. Also I appreciate you mentioning coachnet. I was researching roadside assistance and this sounds perfect: I appreciate your advice. I will be bringing camping gear and possibly I’ll buy a stove. I have to pull this stunt off over a weekend so I’ll be pushing hard to get home in time for work. I’m sure I’ll be taking naps here and there.
Thanks again
J

[JasonHurst.studio]

Well it looks like my bus is right on the date line of it could be a 6 pin or a 9 pin connector. Any insight as to what connector pin it might be?

Originally Posted by kromboy

Also, one big thing I would recommend is blue fire, which is basically a digital dashboard for all your gauges and can even pull codes if you need to. I was kinda forced to get one myself because my bus was missing the tachometer and I wanted to keep an eye on it as I drove it home.

You can get one here
https://www.bluefire-llc.com/store

[Omnibot2000]

Originally Posted by JasonHurst.studio

Well it looks like my bus is right on the date line of it could be a 6 pin or a 9 pin connector. Any insight as to what connector pin it might be?

Get ahold of the seller and ask. You can also get a 6 and 9 pin adapter that does both.

[JasonHurst.studio]

Yeah I went ahead and just ordered both adapters. The information is too important to not have it on a trip this length. Thanks for the advice I appreciate it

Originally Posted by Omnibot2000

Get ahold of the seller and ask. You can also get a 6 and 9 pin adapter that does both.

[JasonHurst.studio]

May be a dumb question but on this style of rear pusher are there engine access panels inside the bus? I see the 2 side panel but there doesn’t seem to be a clean, easy way to access the engine. It may be just something I have to deal with.

[skoontz]

No there are not access panels inside the bus. Although with the right tools, anything can become an access panel!



The exterior doors open large enough to be able to step into the engine bay, and you can access pretty much anything from there. There is a hump in the middle rear seat that on mine could be removed to access the top front of the engine, but it is screwed and sealed in place.



While probably not a problem on a trip, keep an eye out for debris building up on top of the engine. I had leaves build up on top (possibly a rodent nest, not sure) that caught fire and damaged some wiring. The mechanic was able to repair all the wiring from the engine bay without going inside the bus.


Good luck with the trip!

[JasonHurst.studio]

Thank you for your help.
I’m sure things will be fine. Since the bus has been sitting for a while I do a thorough inspection of the engine bay and keep an eye out for rats 🐀 nest and bird nests. Thanks for the tip

Originally Posted by skoontz

No there are not access panels inside the bus. Although with the right tools, anything can become an access panel!



The exterior doors open large enough to be able to step into the engine bay, and you can access pretty much anything from there. There is a hump in the middle rear seat that on mine could be removed to access the top front of the engine, but it is screwed and sealed in place.



While probably not a problem on a trip, keep an eye out for debris building up on top of the engine. I had leaves build up on top (possibly a rodent nest, not sure) that caught fire and damaged some wiring. The mechanic was able to repair all the wiring from the engine bay without going inside the bus.


Good luck with the trip!

[kromboy]

My bus is a 2005 blue bird All American RE.

So it may be different from yours, but just for reference:

The engine is accessed from the outside, on the inside however; when you take the seats (bench) at the very back, there's a little panel that gets you access to the top of the engine, but it's more for giving you clearance when you access the engine from the back so you can work on the thing, probably not suitable for working on the engine from the inside.

I brought an adapter just in case, but didn't need it, my bus has a 9-pin connector. That said, my bus still runs off J1708 protocol so it took me a while to get the app working because I'd assumed 9-pin = J1939, not always the case and chances are your bus runs off J1708, I would err on the side of caution and get an adapter since your bus is a few years older so it could be a 6-pin.

You may be able to ask for a pic of the port to determine if you need an adapter or not before you head out there.

Originally Posted by JasonHurst.studio

May be a dumb question but on this style of rear pusher are there engine access panels inside the bus? I see the 2 side panel but there doesn’t seem to be a clean, easy way to access the engine. It may be just something I have to deal with.

[JasonHurst.studio]

Thank you. For the info:
Since your bus is similar, do you feel that the engine cooling package on this style of bus is superior vs a side mount radiator? It looks like a big fan shroud on the rear and I can imagine that it pulls decent cooling air.
The school district has already done more than I could hope for so I’m not going to pester them any further. I just went and bought the adapters and I’ll just return it if I don’t need it.

[kromboy]

Blue bird REs actually have side mounted radiators, where your side door is missing, I have a vented door and the radiator is attached to that. The other side door is also vented but doesn't have much there since my bus has no AC and that's where the compressor would be if I had one.

That said, I do believe rear radiator setup is more robust or at least have heard people say that but I don't have any actual experience to know first hand. My bus in particular does overheat if I push it up a mountain pretty hard over a long stretch of incline but if you're taking the southern path I don't think you'll really have to worry at all assuming your cooling system's doing its job properly. As far as the overheating issue, I can go uphill around 35mph all day and maintain 190-200 degrees, it's only when I really try to push it that temps will go over 200.

[JasonHurst.studio]

What engine / transmission does your bus have? If you told me and I missed it, i apologize.

[JasonHurst.studio]

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