I think I found my bus!!!

[Gorzie]

I found a bus just like I have been for. I am going to look at it on Saturday. It is a 1997 bluebird with a t444e, 6 window with 213k miles. They say it runs well but might need glow plugs. There is a little rust on the bottom of the door an d a bit on the back next to the back door. New retreads also. It is a bit more than I was planning on spending but not much.

Are glow plugs easy to change? I am thinking they are like replacing spark plugs am I correct? I am new to the diesel engine stuff.

D
How do I check the gearing and determine the transmission type?

Michael

[o1marc]

Hopefully the retreads are only on the rear.Illegal to run them up front. Keep in mind hidden rust will be much more than what's exposed. Where is the bus located?

[Gorzie]

It is in mid Illinois. It is a white church bus the said was maintained regularly so it is not yellow.
I am looking a ways to get it home legally. I am getting quotes from trucking companies I hope today. It is less than 80 miles away from my house so I am hoping it will be cheaper than the commercial as private that was about $350 for a year. Plus I don't have a CDL to legally drive the 35 passenger bus.

I would hope they did no put retreads on the front.

As for the rust I am not too worried. That's what angle grinders and welders are for ;)


Michael

[Johnny Mullet]

Similar to my bus. It might only travel 60-65 mph on the highway, but if you are good with that.

[PNW_Steve]

If you take pics of the shifter and transmission pan we can help you identify it.

I would look closer at the rust. A little bit of visible rust can turn into a big repair job.

[Gorzie]

Originally Posted by Johnny Mullet

Similar to my bus. It might only travel 60-65 mph on the highway, but if you are good with that.

Yea I am fine with 60-65. Might like to get to 70-75. But it is more about the journey.

[Gorzie]

I am not to worried about the rust. I have patched a 2foot x3 foot hole under the drivers seat in a old 1975 fiat brava back in high school. I used think 1/8 "steel. It was the strongest part of the car but the drivers seat did not rock any more

[Gorzie]

Well we bought the bus today. It is a 1997 bluebird witha T444e engine.I took it for a test drive and it seemed to drive well. Steering was tight. It was not a smooth as my Subaru LOL. My wife thought it should accelerate a bit more. Maybe it should honestly I don't know. I could get up to 60mph. Not sure if there is a govenor set.
We are going to bring it home Wednesday evening or Saturday.

Let the madness begin.
I will post some pics later

Michael

[Johnny Mullet]

Congrats on your purchase. There are a few things to do to help it accelerate better, but regardless, it's a bus and it's not a car. Look on the passenger side valve cover and see what the horsepower rating is. It will be marked 175, 190, or 210. This can be bumped up with the proper scan tool and software or done at an International dealer.

There are other mods that can be done to help it some. Mine was a real turd when I first got it and after some exhaust mods and a horsepower bump from 190 to 210, it's a different animal. Here is a vid of it taking off from a start.........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzWTJjN63_M

[upbeat]

Let the fun begin.

[Gorzie]

It looks like it is set at 175 hp



As for the exhaust it is basically straight pipes. An inch or so of exhaust is missing just in front of the muffler.
I dought this will pass the inspectionin Missouri. I will need to see what I can do cheaply.

Like I said before I new to the diesel thing. Gas engines not a problem. I rebuilt a 391 for my truck my senior year in high school for an easy A.

My wife's friend's husband is a school bus mechanic for one of the districts by us so maybe I can get some help from him if needed.

Michael

[Native]

Originally Posted by Gorzie

As for the exhaust it is basically straight pipes. An inch or so of exhaust is missing just in front of the muffler.
I dought this will pass the inspectionin Missouri. I th ends will need to see what I can do cheaply.

Michael

Michael,


As an interim fix, you can use a family-size (50 oz) Del Monte Fresh Cut Green Beans can with both ends (top and bottom) removed. Clamp the ends with 4" U-bolts (available at most any auto parts store). I made a few repairs to our exhaust this way ntil I was able to rebuilt it totally. My wife calls the cans "exhaust pipe repair kits" now.

[Gorzie]

Unfortunately there are many large holes.The muffler is almost in half as it has rusted all the way around the band and I could see daylight through it. I think it just needs replace. While I am at it I guess it will get an upgrade from 4 inch to 5 inch pipe if there is not much involved to do that

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Gorzie

Unfortunately there are many large holes.The muffler is almost in half as it has rusted all the way around the band and I could see daylight through it. I think it just needs replace. While I am at it I guess it will get an upgrade from 4 inch to 5 inch pipe if there is not much involved to do that

Exhaust systems are designed to be efficient, what do you expect to gain by going with a bigger pipe to call it an upgrade?

[Johnny Mullet]

I removed my muffler and just went with a straight pipe..........

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuLew_m98fY

[Gorzie]

Originally Posted by o1marc

Exhaust systems are designed to be efficient, what do you expect to gain by going with a bigger pipe to call it an upgrade?

Well I have been told that diesel engines are more efficient with a larger exhaust. I have not researched this yet. Hence posting it here. I guess I should have posted it asking if it gives any benefit increasing the exhaust pipe size. I do tend to agree with you. The engineers designed the system the way they did for a reason.

So the question is does it really give any significant performance boost to increase the size of the exhaust pipe? Was I given wrong information? I am not the type that likes loud vehicles. I am not planning on going with straight pipes like the guy from the church suggested. As I drive through a national park I don't want to scare away the wildlife.

So any information on the exhaust replacement is welcome. Also anyone have a suggestion on a place e to buy the exhaust system?

Michael

[o1marc]

Diesels like a bigger exhaust, that's why they have a 4" system and a car only 1.5"-2" When I was racing we found that a skinny pipe made more horsepower and fatter made more torque, then the length changes everything. I built systems to make power right where I needed it most.

[Mountain Gnome]

Originally Posted by o1marc

When I was racing we found that a skinny pipe made more horsepower and fatter made more torque, then the length changes everything. I built systems to make power right where I needed it most.

I put a long-pipe header on my 1984 Nissan 2.4L L4 "Naps-Z" (with the 2 spark plugs per cylinder) and (with a Weber carb, mind you) I can't say it had more HP or Torque on the road (it ran so much better with the Weber, though), but off-road it would crawl up a steep steep hill, over big-ass loose rocks and short vertical faces on the way, without needing to spin tires, with just a feather touch on the gas pedal, at 600RPM... Low End Torque! Yea!


The skinny long pipes keep the exhaust gas moving at high-speed, creating a vacuum behind it that sucks the cylinder clear, pulling in fresh fuel as the E-valve and I-valve overlap in their cycles, at the time when the piston is near the top, not pushing out exhaust or pulling in fuel....
If you wrap them in an insulator jacket, the exhaust gas stays hotter, does not shrink in volume, and increases this high-speed flow that way. But it may rust out your pipes sooner!



Fat pipes offer less resistance to the exiting exhaust gasses: more torque at higher RPMs. But slower moving gasses means less at low RPMs.....


2¢

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by Mountain Gnome

I put a long-pipe header on my 1984 Nissan 2.4L L4 "Naps-Z" (with the 2 spark plugs per cylinder) and (with a Weber carb, mind you) I can't say it had more HP or Torque on the road (it ran so much better with the Weber, though), but off-road it would crawl up a steep steep hill, over big-ass loose rocks and short vertical faces on the way, without needing to spin tires, with just a feather touch on the gas pedal, at 600RPM... Low End Torque! Yea!


The skinny long pipes keep the exhaust gas moving at high-speed, creating a vacuum behind it that sucks the cylinder clear, pulling in fresh fuel as the E-valve and I-valve overlap in their cycles, at the time when the piston is near the top, not pushing out exhaust or pulling in fuel....
If you wrap them in an insulator jacket, the exhaust gas stays hotter, does not shrink in volume, and increases this high-speed flow that way. But it may rust out your pipes sooner!



Fat pipes offer less resistance to the exiting exhaust gasses: more torque at higher RPMs. But slower moving gasses means less at low RPMs.....


2¢

Header wrap is a gimmick that while it does improve performance in most cases it is immeasurable. It has far more negatives than the positive. If it was worth it, All the NASCAR guys would run it, none do.

[Mountain Gnome]

Originally Posted by o1marc

Header wrap is a gimmick that while it does improve performance in most cases it is immeasurable. It has far more negatives than the positive. If it was worth it, All the NASCAR guys would run it, none do.

I didn't. Thanks for the info. I won't.