Getting on the Bus

[Misi]

Originally Posted by bus-ted

Well, prices are different everywhere, but I just bought a '93 FE Amtran Genisis for $2500- marked down from $3200. It was from a dealer- Harlow's. They were eager to clear out some of their older stock, and I got a sweet deal, imo. It needs nothing (yet), and I don't really foresee it needing anything in the immediate. It starts great, runs great, stops great.
Anyhow, just thought I'd suggest it again, because not all dealers are crooks.
And if you're able, try and look up Midwest Bus. I was seriously considering a bus from them. They had many to choose from, and were willing to make a deal- I just happened upon a better deal. If you sweet talk the mechanic that services the buses, you could likely get him to point you out to a choicer bus!

Oh, well they might be worth checking into then. It's just that the dealer prices I've seen so far are nowhere near what I can afford. As far as sweet talking mechanics though....not really a thing I could get away with and it not be taken the wrong way.

[gbstewart]

I bought my dog nose form school board, they are well maintained and come with service records, personally I like the dog nose, I feel safer, and engine noise not so bad.
Flat nose look more like motor homes, and may make it a bit easier to get into parks, and the rear engine have no running gear to be in the way during your conversion, also on flat nose a lot of them have under belly storage bins, nice to have.
And I forgot to welcome you to the forum
gbstewart

[Misi]

Originally Posted by gbstewart

Flat nose look more like motor homes, and may make it a bit easier to get into parks, and the rear engine have no running gear to be in the way during your conversion, also on flat nose a lot of them have under belly storage bins, nice to have.
And I forgot to welcome you to the forum
gbstewart

I thought the same thing about flat nose and getting into mobile home parks, because that's where I'll have to live and I know the decent ones can be picky. I will most likely be moving it into Springfield (Mo) while I do graduate school, and there is an abundance of mobile home parks, but most are in REALLY bad neighborhoods, so it will have to look nice to get in a good one (where I won't have to sleep with a shotgun IN the bed).

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I find one with under belly storage. I may be having a senior moment, or maybe it's that I just got up, but I can't figure out what you mean about a "running gear." Do you mean the hump in the front?

[Malkieri]

Running gear would be the things under the bus the push the bus forward. Starting with engine and transmission (which are under the hump [known as a dog house]) and ending with the differential (variously known as a pumpkin or jackpot). Also includes the drive shaft which is the part most in the way for conversion purposes.


This is a model (not a bus) but it is the same. The long line down the middle is the drive shaft and the reason that only RE have pass through belly bins.
Hope this helps!

[Malkieri]

Here is another image borrowed from google, that shows the different chassis set-ups.

First is the rear engine, you can see there is nothing between front and rear wheels to hinder conversion.

Second is a front engine, which you can see leaves the space behind the rear wheels open but eliminates the area between the frame rails from the front to the rear wheels as an option for anything to hang down.

Third is a mid-engine...think Crowns and Gilligs mostly.

[Misi]

I just noticed the designations under all our user IDs - mini-skoolie, skoolie, bus nut, bus crazy....LOL

[Misi]

Okay, lol, I'm plenty familiar with the basic mechanical parts, I had to know a lot more than this to pass my CDL test. I just wasn't getting what you meant about "running gears"...I guess it's slang I haven't heard before. I've also never heard a punkin called a "jackpot."

[Misi]

I had initially thought that only a RE bus could have under belly storage, but then I saw a dog nose that had them. I don't see a huge advantage with pass through bins though, unless I was going to use them for storage of something long.

[EastCoastCB]

I plan on using mine for tanks, tools, and a generator eventually.

[Misi]

I have a few ideas on use, in addition to just stuffing my little gardening tools in there, but it will depend on what I get...if the bus I get even has any. If I got a rear engine with pass throughs I was contemplating protection for plumbing and wiring.

[Misi]

I have a new question. I've spotted a bus in Tulsa that's a 98 Bluebird - front engine flat nose 90 passenger. Now I heard that in 96 they started having computer monitoring. I'm not sure if that's something more or different than the ones in cars, or if it's good or bad. Opinions?

[EastCoastCB]

I prefer not to have electronic controls for the engine. Electronic injection is more expensive to fix and can be harder to fix as well.
But if its in good running shape, it will likely live a very long time and from what you've said you aren't planning on driving it much. If its in your price range, I'd say take a look and see about test driving it.

[family wagon]

The on-board diagnostics in heavy trucks (buses) is different from the OBD-II standard for passenger cars. That '98 bus will use J1708/J1587 for its OBD protocol. The truck industry has generally moved to J1939 now, and I think most cite 2004 as the transition time, but as with passenger cars the transition varied among makes and models. The protocol doesn't matter much, really -- it seems pretty universal that scan tools support both flavors.

For me at least, computer controlled isn't a downside. Basic maintenance (change fluids and filters) and minor repair (leaks) are going to be comparable either way. Major repairs like an injection pump could be more costly, but those seem to be rare failures, too.

Do you know what engine and transmission, and maybe axle ratio, are in that bus?

[Misi]

So am I correct to assume that on-board diagnostics consists of more than a stupid check engine light?

Also, second question on this, do the electronic components involved in this system tolerate long periods of sitting?

[Misi]

Originally Posted by family wagon

Do you know what engine and transmission, and maybe axle ratio, are in that bus?

Nope. If I decide I am very interested I will have to get more details on it before I drive down there.

[gbstewart]

Originally Posted by Misi

So am I correct to assume that on-board diagnostics consists of more than a stupid check engine light?

Also, second question on this, do the electronic components involved in this system tolerate long periods of sitting?

I have a scan gauge on my bus, works great it will give you engine codes, will let you clear a check engine light, also gives real time engine info like mpg, oil pressure, temps and more.
as for sitting for long periods of time well I'm not sure but I think the environment would play a big part of it.
gbstewart

[family wagon]

Originally Posted by Misi

So am I correct to assume that on-board diagnostics consists of more than a stupid check engine light?

Also, second question on this, do the electronic components involved in this system tolerate long periods of sitting?

If you or your favorite mechanic have a scan tool, then yes. For example mine has had its ABS brake lamp lit for a long time. Last week I finally got it hooked up to the Bendix software and got the trouble codes out: no signal from the front wheel sensors, and open circuit on one rear sensor. With that knowledge I was able to clean and re-install the front two in 15 minutes and clear the codes. Fortunately the new sensor for the rear is not expensive; unfortunately replacement will require removing both wheels and the brake drum. Ugh! I'm not ready to deal with lug nuts torqued to 500 ft-lb, so I'll live with the ABS light for quite a while longer.

I can't think of any reason why they shouldn't tolerate long periods of sitting. You'll have to something about the battery discharging of course, and it's a good idea to run any engine periodically (the whole powertrain really) to splash a new coat of oil on all the moving parts.

[family wagon]

Originally Posted by gbstewart

I have a scan gauge on my bus, works great it will give you engine codes, will let you clear a check engine light, also gives real time engine info like mpg, oil pressure, temps and more.

If you don't mind my asking, what gauge is it? I'm kind of looking for something like that for mine.