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Old 05-26-2020, 04:03 PM   #1
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Question Off to a dead start

So i recently purchased my first bus, a 30ft Thomas freightliner sf-65. We jumped in with gusto to start removing the internals and in our haste, ok in my haste, I disconnected my batteries without taking a picture. Never the less i have a fairly good memory and have changed a battery in my time so i reconnected the multiple leads as best as memory served. the power was on the lights work, i turn the key. all the power dies. disconnect and reconnect the leads and the same thing happens. turn the key halfway, powers on, turning to crank and it cuts out. what am i missing.
(here is what the battery set up is with the leads disconnected.
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Old 05-26-2020, 04:13 PM   #2
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Did you check the voltage on the batteries? You’ll want to do this separately. They should be somewhere around 13.5 volts. Both should be the same.
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Old 05-26-2020, 04:16 PM   #3
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I see 3 leads disconnected. the 2 on the bottom connect to the positive right? the one in the back to the negative. you are hooking up that little one on the far right in the corner of the tray? post a pic of everything hooked up.
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Old 05-26-2020, 04:19 PM   #4
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Also clean all your connections. And the grounds too. You can use Dish soap and water and a green scrubby, followed by clean water and dry with a rag. If you have corrosion, you can use sand paper to clean that off. If you have that white oxidation, you can use a toothbrush and a baking soda/water solution.
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Old 05-26-2020, 04:21 PM   #5
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When I’m doubt, trace your cables. The negative cables will bolt to the chassis
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Old 05-26-2020, 04:22 PM   #6
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yeah i need to get a voltmeter
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Old 05-26-2020, 04:34 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Rovobay View Post
I see 3 leads disconnected. the 2 on the bottom connect to the positive right? the one in the back to the negative. you are hooking up that little one on the far right in the corner of the tray? post a pic of everything hooked up.
yeah there are several. i just find it odd that i have headlights, heating and everything when they are connected yet it dies instantly when i try and start it. I'm going to check by seeing what sort of charge they have
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Old 05-26-2020, 06:21 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by KodaTheBus View Post
the power was on the lights work, i turn the key. all the power dies. disconnect and reconnect the leads and the same thing happens. turn the key halfway, powers on, turning to crank and it cuts out. what am i missing.
So the power go out and then you don't have any power until you adjust the leads? If so, it sounds to me like you have a bad connection and not a bad battery? Try wiggling each connection, one at a time to see if the power comes back on.
Is that some type of negative fuse/shunt in front of the battery? Connections look kinda crusty.
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Old 05-26-2020, 06:22 PM   #9
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is your bus a wheelchair bus?
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Old 05-26-2020, 06:56 PM   #10
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is your bus a wheelchair bus?
I know that you were asking about Koda and I was wondering the same. I have a Thomas with a lift and it has a 100 amp breaker that is connected on the positive side.

I might add that bad wiring to that fuse would cause a no start.
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Old 05-26-2020, 07:00 PM   #11
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I know that you were asking about Koda and I was wondering the same. I have a Thomas with a lift and it has a 100 amp breaker that is connected on the positive side.

I might add that bad wiring to that fuse would cause a no start.
I disconnected mine when I removed the lift. but I only had the two big main leads and two smaller but still large leads for the wc lift. looking at op's pic I don't know what any of the other wires are for. and yeah that fuse.

I'm not good at electricity but I'd probably try just hooking up the main leads and add the rest back as needed if stuff didn't work.
Scrub the terminals and connectors with a wire brush or sandpaper till they're shiny.
I took a few pics when I was changing my batteries a couple months ago.

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Old 05-26-2020, 07:10 PM   #12
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Every battery connection needs work, shine the lugs up like new.

How old are those batteries? I see sulphation so they are likely weakk, but more so with terrible connections such as they are.
In your pic of the batteries connected, that small wire on the neg post, are you sure that is a neg? Looks red on the other end but hard to follow.
connection to battery try is needing improvement.


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Old 05-26-2020, 07:15 PM   #13
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By the hookup you show it looks like the bus is a 12v start---do you know that it isn't a 24v start? If so, the battery hook up is wrong to get 24v????
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Old 05-26-2020, 07:53 PM   #14
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Pretty sure if its a thomas school bus its 12v. Isn't 24v just coaches and military stuff?
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Old 05-26-2020, 08:20 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by EastCoastCB View Post
I disconnected mine when I removed the lift. but I only had the two big main leads and two smaller but still large leads for the wc lift. looking at op's pic I don't know what any of the other wires are for. and yeah that fuse.

I'm not good at electricity but I'd probably try just hooking up the main leads and add the rest back as needed if stuff didn't work.
Scrub the terminals and connectors with a wire brush or sandpaper till they're shiny.
I took a few pics when I was changing my batteries a couple months ago.

yes mine also has a lift. The batteries have sat unhooked up for about 3 weeks, i wouldn't think that that has too much potential for them to fail but ill clean and scrub everything then try and troubleshoot where the cables go.
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Old 05-26-2020, 08:54 PM   #16
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Pretty sure if its a thomas school bus its 12v. Isn't 24v just coaches and military stuff?
Even some 6.2 Detroit engines were set up for 24V start. (CUCV military applications mostly). This came up in the process of identifying the correct starter for the other P20 motorhome I have, as it was a 6.2 Detroit.

Not too far out of the realm of possibility for a Freightshaker FS65 to have a 24V start setup.
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Old 05-26-2020, 10:03 PM   #17
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I cleaned off the contacts, charged up the batteries, and got it started. probably will have to replace them at a point, but for now it will allow me to drive it to get titled and registered. Thanks everyone!
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Old 05-27-2020, 04:31 AM   #18
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Even some 6.2 Detroit engines were set up for 24V start. (CUCV military applications mostly). This came up in the process of identifying the correct starter for the other P20 motorhome I have, as it was a 6.2 Detroit.

Not too far out of the realm of possibility for a Freightshaker FS65 to have a 24V start setup.
Hmmm I've not seen a 24v school bus.
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Old 05-27-2020, 04:33 AM   #19
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Originally Posted by CHEESE_WAGON View Post
Even some 6.2 Detroit engines were set up for 24V start. (CUCV military applications mostly). This came up in the process of identifying the correct starter for the other P20 motorhome I have, as it was a 6.2 Detroit.

Not too far out of the realm of possibility for a Freightshaker FS65 to have a 24V start setup.
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Hmmm I've not seen a 24v school bus.
I said possibility, not certainty. You'll notice I said these were mostly CUCV military vehicles.
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Old 05-27-2020, 08:07 AM   #20
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Pretty sure if its a thomas school bus its 12v. Isn't 24v just coaches and military stuff?
Pretty much. It's also privy to some ag and construction equipment.

Very little on road stuff will run 24v.

And connecting a 12v vehicle to 24v will let the magic smoke out of a lot of devices.
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