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Old 06-06-2016, 01:07 PM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: Cypress, Texas
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Year: 1996
Coachwork: International Thomas
Engine: DT466E
Rated Cap: 71
Bus won't start, help with batteries

Hello All!
I have been busy and unable to work on the three buses recently. I have the newest bus, the 1996 Thomas International,in the warehouse. I was about to crank it up this morning to move it so I could move my RV out and one of the older '88 Wayne International in its place so I could start painting. The Thomas has always started immediately. This morning it would not turn over. The lights came on and the instrument gauges came on and the alarm for the air brakes came on, and then started to get faint and the lights dimmed. I pulled the batteries and took them to NTB. They don't have those batteries, but checked the batteries. They said they looked good according to cranking Amps for a diesel truck,but they didn't know the cranking amps for a diesel bus. I am going to try a place that has diesel batteries.
Does this sound like a battery problem or something more significant like a starter or alternator? I have not run this engine much, but it seemed to run so smooth with easy starting and now suddenly this problem.

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Old 06-06-2016, 01:36 PM   #2
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After you solve the battery problem if that is what it is, you should get something like a battery tender to keep the battery topped off.

Have you checked the bus for possible sources for battery drain? One bus I bought had a light that stayed on because of a broken door latch. Another bus had one of the overhead lights from the 8 ways that stayed on.
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Old 06-06-2016, 01:51 PM   #3
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Because the lights and alarm got faint it does sound like the battery was under-charged, though it's possible there was a bad connection instead. Begin by ensuring the batteries are fully charged and we'll go from there to figure out whether it's a battery, starting, or charging problem. The test result from the parts place may not be reliable: if they estimated what battery capacity should be for a diesel pickup truck, but your bus batteries were 8D size for example, then the battery may not have been tested with enough load to really indicate its condition.
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Old 06-06-2016, 02:20 PM   #4
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Also, check your ground wire connections from the battery to the starter and to the alternator to make sure they are tight and corrosion free. That's what killed my bus on it's trip home.
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Old 06-06-2016, 02:26 PM   #5
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first thing id do is charge em up wit ha good battery charger for a few hours and see if the bus kicks over...

commercial trucks and busses are notorious for losing charge on their batteries... my Bus has a complete battery shut off that kills everything when i flip the knob... you could install one of those as well if you continue to hve issues..

and like others have said, a battery tender is a very small charger that will keep your batteries charged but not over-charged when your busses are parked..

-Christopher
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Old 06-06-2016, 02:52 PM   #6
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Over the years I have observed something else about multiple battery setups. I have had one battery develop a "dead cell" (where it will develop about 10 volts), it had a tendency to kill 3 good batteries as they were tying to charge the dead one. Batteries should be "matched" as much as possible. What does this mean? Well, if you have 4 batteries and one of them is weak, the others will discharge trying to bring the 4th one up to the same level as the rest. Overnight this may not be a problem, after a week or so, you'll have 4 weak batteries. A trickle charger or battery tender can help prevent this.
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Old 06-06-2016, 06:17 PM   #7
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one dead cell can definitely run the other batteries down... since a dead cell causes a battery to actually use itself up.. it will also discharge good batteries.. sometimes to a level they shouldnt be discharged to..

-Christopher
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Old 06-06-2016, 06:29 PM   #8
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Are all the windows up? And emergency exit closed? My bus won't start unless they're closed and safe.
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Old 06-07-2016, 01:03 AM   #9
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Year: 1996
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Engine: DT466E
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Well folks.... Much to my chagrin, I found that the batteries are ok. The rear emergency door was not closed!!!😳

However, one of the two Waynes does indeed have dead batteries. I found this out by trying to steal it's batteries to start the Thomas. Ugh. At least I was able to move the Thomas out of the warehouse and move the RV out to make room to bring the Wayne in for painting. I will be playing battery switcheroo to bring in the dead bus to paint. Called around and two batteries are $700 or I can buy a charger for $100.

What is a battery tender?

Feeling a little stupid, but happy the Thomas is running great.
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Old 06-07-2016, 01:29 AM   #10
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A battery tender is a maintainer. It only puts out a small charge. You leave it hooked up all the time so your batteries are charged up when you want to start the vehicle.
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Old 06-07-2016, 03:21 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HealthyPetsBus View Post
Well folks.... Much to my chagrin, I found that the batteries are ok. The rear emergency door was not closed!!!😳

However, one of the two Waynes does indeed have dead batteries. I found this out by trying to steal it's batteries to start the Thomas. Ugh. At least I was able to move the Thomas out of the warehouse and move the RV out to make room to bring the Wayne in for painting. I will be playing battery switcheroo to bring in the dead bus to paint. Called around and two batteries are $700 or I can buy a charger for $100.
$700 for a pair of batteries sounds *WAY* too expensive. I bought four group 31 batteries for about half that (like $80 each), and they were middle-of-the-road choice for the place I bought 'em.
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Old 06-07-2016, 06:35 AM   #12
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you batteries may not be destroyed.. they may just have been run down... if you have a couple busses that sit outdoors.. think about a solar trickle charger... it will put enough charge into a parked bus to keep its batteries from going dead...

on my old carpenter.. it was ordered wit ha factory main disconnect option... which is just a massive 300 amp capable switch that turns off the wires coming from the batteries when i turn it to off.. its completely mechanical and would be super simple to install one on your dashboard..

sometimes your own alternator can be a culprit of dead batteries. over the years people repairing busses wire and rewire and often mis-wire stuff.. or diodes go "semi-bad" in alternators so the alternator can be a source of battery drain...

a main cut off switch rectifies that situation as the batteries are completely disconnected from everything..

a solar trickle charger is an easier solution... and it doesnt take much power per day to keep your batteries charged up enough that they dont go below the recommended charge level.. and keep your bus able to start...

if its a bus in the garage a battery tender is a nice thing to set up.. they usually will also not allow a battery to over-charge..

-Christopher
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Old 06-07-2016, 05:57 PM   #13
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I checked at Napa just last week & they have 8D's for $235.00
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Old 06-07-2016, 08:57 PM   #14
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Battery Tender Plus: Deltran Battery Plus Charger 1 Bank 12V True Gel Cell - Walmart.com

Great for keeping the battery charged, but take FOREVER to recharge a dead battery. (Get a bigger 10 amp charger for recharge duty).
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