1997 International Short Bus 3800

[Mcmast]

Hi,
New to the game trying to find manuals on my bus so I can begin my conversion. Mechanical operational wiring ect. Having a battery drain can't figure it out. Looking forward to the fun if I can just get started. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I believe it is a Thomas build bus.

 

[coolbus-SKO]

Manuals are usually engine specific, what type of engine do you have?

 

[Robin97396]

It would help a lot if you could fill out your bus information on the left. That way people won't keep throwing questions at you. Photos are always good.

 

[freebyrd]

Hi McMast.....I have the same bus with bluebird body. Also have had an issue with batteries draining. I have three in a series and they will trickle drain over a couple days. Bats are new as well. Not sure if it is the lift in the back that drains them dry or something else. Look forward to hearing from you if you learn anything. Freebyrd in nh

 

[freebyrd]

Ps. I have two buses. The other is a chevy.

 

[Mcmast]

Re Short bus

Oops actually a 1992....have to post engine information tomorrow thanks in advance

 

[Mcmast]

Thanks as soon as I find out I'll let you know...finding a manual seems to be a pain in the neck...not like a car or Truck where you can run down to the local Auto parts place and pick one up or order it and have it in a couple of days. So far found out body and frame with engine are separate manuals and international is crazy complicated to track down...called local school garage...they have no manuals? Lovin it...frustratingly though I'm on a TRIP before I even sit in the seat....will keep you up to date Thanks Pics Soon

 

[PigPen-SKO]

Do you at least have a fuse diagram?

When we had to hunt down a battery drain, we disconnected the battery wire and then held one end of our multimeter probe to the terminal and the other too the wire. This allowed us to measure how many mA were being drawn then pulled every fuse individually waiting for it to drop to 0.

Ours ended up being the flashy light on the roof at the back. Or at least the wire to it.

But if you don't know what the fuses go to, this won't help.

 

[Mcmast]

Short Bus

Nope no diagrams...planning to start working on my own version....taking picks tracing tagging drawing and color coding lol would be a lot more fun with a manual

 

[cadillackid]

heres how I tracked down a battery drain on my old old bluebird years ago..

I used a clamp on fluke multimeter set on its highest sensitivity.. I clamped it onto the main battery + lead and saw I had 300 milliamps or so of juice all the time... so i went to the chassis fuse box on the dash.. I pulled each fuse one by one and noticed no difference..

then I opened up my driver console wiring panel.. and I found that there were 2 big panels, one was controlled by the key, the other was bat+, i disconnected the main feed wire carefully from that panel which disabled all battery + stuff.. my load never changed.. so at that point I had eliminated all accessories easily on both the body and the chassis..

next i went under the hood and unplugged the alternator and watched my load go to zero...

turns out the exciter in my alternator was never shutting down and was draining my battery over a period of time.. replaced the alternator ands done...

but the idea is you monitor your mains and then start unplugging things easiest done by fuses one by one and watc hte differemnce on your meter.. taking out main sections first so you narrow it down t oa section..
-Christopher

 

[Mcmast]

Short Bus

It's a 1992 Thomas International Navistar Engine DT/DTA -360 /466
Was able to jump start
Still looking for manual

 

[Robin97396]

Nice looking shorty.

Personally, the forward WC lifts are a PITA.

 

[Mcmast]

Short bus

I'm having no luck with finding a manual. I called local school bus garage...no manuals....
Engine is 1992 DT/DTA 360 /466 Model C170F
THOMAS Hadicap short bus
Anyone know of a place or someone I can get a manual from
Thanks

 

[EastCoastCB]

I'm having no luck with finding a manual. I called local school bus garage...no manuals....
Engine is 1992 DT/DTA 360 /466 Model C170F
THOMAS Hadicap short bus
Anyone know of a place or someone I can get a manual from
Thanks

Is it a 360 or a 466?
Either way, your manuals are on Ebay. I haven't found them in digital form yet.

 

[cadillackid]

you need to look for 'navistar' or 'international 3800' manuals.. thomas mad the Body on your bus, navistar / international made the chassis (engine, suspension, etc). EC is right you can search Ebay for them and they will be printed.. the pics look like your ewngine is a DTA-360, though somewhere it will be tagged. you can also Call Nasvistar dealer with your VIN if you need parts and they can look about any CHASSIS part up..

chassis being the engine , trans, steering, FRONT DASH, etc.. anything thats part of the "bus" is considered body.. like the floors, seats, windows, windshield, heaters, air-conditioners, the left side switch panel, all that is Body (thomas) parts... and will not be included in a chassis manual...

-Christopher

 

[golfersmurf57]

For your battery drain, here's how techs do it. First either connect an inline or use an inductive ammeter to determine the size of the drain. Milliamps are usually radio memory and won't run it down for several weeks. If it is larger then disconnect either side of the batteries also any on board memory wires radios tv's etc make sure all electric devices are off then put a test light between the battery post and the cable end. If it lights there's a drain. To find it disconnect leads from components till light goes out. If you know where fuuses are start there. Also make sure to check the alternator too bad diode can cause a drain . or bring here and I can solve it for you LoL

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[golfersmurf57]

For all replied : a drain that will kill three batteries is more than 1/3 amp most of these cranking batteries are at least 125 amp/hr each do the math most likely it's alternator or a lamp or fan motor. Could be the relay for a buzzer like safety door warning. My i2 batteries stay up for a month or more and I have a red led on the dash on all the time. Of course I have 2 of those huge 8D batteries but still do the math


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[Twigg-SKO]

On a vehicle this size I'd probably fit a battery isolator if I was planning on being parked any length of time.

That's not to say you shouldn't track down, and deal with parasitic drains, but it does provide cheap insurance for the life of the battery.