Floor Electrical not working after Jump Start / Coolant Flush

[Champagne]

Hello everyone,

I went to check my bus after a winter of sitting, and surprise surprise the batteries were dead. I was able to jump the batteries with an SUV and got the bus turned on. Everything was working until I started my next project, which was a coolant flush on the bus. I drained out all the old coolant and ran an air compressor through the coolant tubes on the AC unit. I then noticed a kind of high pitched sound coming from what sounds like a belt near the front left of the hood. I stopped the flush to ask some friends that know more than me about this stuff and they didnt seem to think it was a major issue, but when I went to turn the bus back on now the floor power doesn't work.

There is a switch for the floor power and when I turn it on now it seems to do nothing. I don't know a whole lot about the electrical on the bus. I've tried looking at the manual and calling El Dorado with no luck yet. I have two batteries but they are in parralel and everything seemed to work after the jump. One of the other important things that is powered by this auxillary switch is the shifter, so now I am not mobile either.

I took a look at the fuse box, and a green light comes on when I flip the auxiliary switch so I think at least the switch is working, but I don't know a whole lot about the fuse box, so perhaps another fuse is blown? (See photo).

The main power to the vehicle still works,
Which controls the lights, and front AC. The auxillary which is a switch next to the drivers side seems to be doing nothing now. Normally it turns on the back AC, a small fan in the front, and the shifter, and interlock system.

Please go easy on me, I'm a newbie learning as I go. I'm sure i could be very wrong about some of these things, but this is my best assessment of the situation.

Thanks!

[Rwnielsen]

https://alliancebusparts.com/rt-3811...lectrical.html

A quick google got me here.
What you're showing is a all coach added wiring. Circuit breakers along the top and various relays and status lights. You might want to check your vehicle fuses

[Simplicity]

It appears this is a shuttle bus, not a school bus. So, I don't think you have any issues with any of the school bus safety features causing you an electrical issue.

Please clarify what you mean by "floor power".

Per your batteries, you may have jumped it to, I assume, get it started, but charging two very dead batteries with simply the engine alternator would take quite a bit of driving. Yet, you obviously have power coming from somewhere.

It could be you have enough charge for a couple of things to appear to have power, but not enough for other systems.

It also could be you have starter batteries and an auxiliary battery.

What is the voltage of the starter batteries?

Do you have a battery charger that includes a float mode to fully charge your batteries?

Per the coolant, I believe some coolant systems have level sensors that will cause a no crank/no start situation if the coolant level is too low. What is the level of coolant in the tank?

On the 6.0, the coolant system pressure is 16psi max before the system starts venting out the cap. Depending on how much air pressure you were injecting, you may have hurt something.

Are you aware of the issues with the Ford 6.0l engine?

[Champagne]

Originally Posted by Simplicity

It appears this is a shuttle bus, not a school bus. So, I don't think you have any issues with any of the school bus safety features causing you an electrical issue.

Please clarify what you mean by "floor power".

Per your batteries, you may have jumped it to, I assume, get it started, but charging two very dead batteries with simply the engine alternator would take quite a bit of driving. Yet, you obviously have power coming from somewhere.

It could be you have enough charge for a couple of things to appear to have power, but not enough for other systems.

It also could be you have starter batteries and an auxiliary battery.

What is the voltage of the starter batteries?

Do you have a battery charger that includes a float mode to fully charge your batteries?

Per the coolant, I believe some coolant systems have level sensors that will cause a no crank/no start situation if the coolant level is too low. What is the level of coolant in the tank?

On the 6.0, the coolant system pressure is 16psi max before the system starts venting out the cap. Depending on how much air pressure you were injecting, you may have hurt something.

Are you aware of the issues with the Ford 6.0l engine?

Thanks for the reply! I apologize. I was on vacation for a while and did not notice this until just now. I have also been away from the bus for a while. The whole bus is wired to the two batteries in parallel. As far as I can tell, they are the batteries for the starter and the auxiliary power (this is what I am calling the floor power, basically everything in the cabin of the bus and not the dash, except the interlock). There is a switch for the auxiliary power, which appears to be working since a green light in the control box comes on, but the things it usually powers (Rear AC, Floor Heaters <removed>, Wheelchair Lift <removed>, and the Interlock) aren't working. The main problem is that the interlock isn't getting power, and is stuck in lock mode, which prevents me from shifting.

I'm going to get a good battery charger and try to get everything topped off in hopes you are right that it has enough power for some things but maybe not enough for others!

I am aware of the various 6.0 L diesel issues, which was the reason for attempting the coolant flush in the first place, but I am worried I did the classic, "wasn't broken until I tried to fix it".

The engine is starting and the bus will run, but the coolant doesn't seem to be circulating properly. It isn't making it through the heater lines and up into the rear heater/AC split system.

The coolant level is good.

Thanks for the help

[Champagne]

Originally Posted by Rwnielsen

https://alliancebusparts.com/rt-3811...lectrical.html

A quick google got me here.
What you're showing is a all coach added wiring. Circuit breakers along the top and various relays and status lights. You might want to check your vehicle fuses

GOOGLE Champ!

Your googling is the best.

[Simplicity]

Generally, buses have large valves, looks like a hose bib with a round handle or like a ball valve, that turn off the coolant from the engine to the heater hoses and back to the engine.

My understanding is, some require these to be on all the time as part of the cooling process, others, like mine I can turn off the valves and the engine will run and cool just fine.

Since your engine is apparently running fine now, but you have no heat from your interior heaters, you may well have those valves turned off.

[Simplicity]

Crap, pic didn't attach.

[Simplicity]

Hopefully this one took.

[Champagne]

Update on the electrical situation. I traced all the lines under the bus, and found a breaker connected to the line that used to go to the wheelchair lift. I had the wheelchair lift removed by the guy that took it and I didn't see everything he was doing so I was kind of in the dark to what happened. But now I have found that breaker, which was somewhat hidden in the corner of the battery box.

Fortunately switching the breaker, killed that line and also the interlock system. Also have regained power to all the auxiliary system. I also switched out a couple of questionable relays, which maybe played a part in it as well.

Now it's time to try the coolant again. I am hoping that the reason it wasn't circulating was because the rear AC/heater wasn't turning on and perhaps not pumping the fluid through.

Anyone experienced something similar?

[Champagne]

So the AC fans turn on and I found a valve that allows coolant to flow to the back of the bus. However, the coolant lines in the back are not getting warm and the AC compressor on the side of the bus doesn't appear to be turning on. I started a new thread since the electrical has been solved: https://www.skoolie.net/forums/f51/c...tml#post456749