jfmusic@me.com
Senior Member
I can tell you. I was very unhappy with the issues I discovered after purchase.
And then, the Duh, idiot move of shorting across two terminals on the back of the ignition switch for a split second which took out the FUSE and THE FUSIBLE LINK. The link was a royal pain to find, as Blue Bird felt the need to actually hide it on the back of a bundle of wires in the Engine compartment fuse box. Once, I found that… through the kindness of others here sharing a schematic that more closely matched my Bus, which mentioned a fusible link in the compartment. I still had to split the tied wires apart and hunt. That link was the cause of the No start from The ignition switch.
Now the good part… spending the amount of time that I did chasing. Reading schematics. Tracing wires and dealing with a fuel leak from the Cummins CAPS fuel pump. I now have a decent understanding of the just purchased vehicle. For the Record, that was about three months (Parked 1.5 hours away and driving back and forth to work on it in 112-degree heat.) of Tracing, Researching, and asking questions amongst the Forums. Etc. But I now have a fighting chance of fixing things when they will eventually go wrong on the road. With Limited Panic.
Compare that to Let’s drive… oops, what the **** just went wrong, and how do I fix it.
As much as I was frustrated and pissed chasing things I didn’t expect, the education was well worth the effort.
I replaced the new-looking Capped Rear tires, which cost 1500 bucks for Chinese tires. Before you bag on Chinese tires. I had the kindness of a professional trucker helping me with the Bus, getting my license and Big rig information. He has 3 decades of experience working way too many hours a week as a pro truck driver who owned his own fleet. According to him, for the amount of driving, I will be doing, as opposed to a pro driving all day every day. The Chinese tires should last until they ozone rot. If I can get 5 years…I suspect I will be happy.
I replaced all the Filters: Oil, Coolant, Diesel primary and Secondary, Steering/fan, transmission, and fluids. (Caveot, the steering/fan hydraulics did not drain the full amount, because I was lazy and had trouble finding the drain at the steering box. For the Record, without draining at the steering box, it only drained half the amount of oil I was expecting to replace.) Roughly 700 for fluids and filters.
I also added a FASS Diesel lift pump and filter 165G Industrial. And a Davco 243. We shall see if the 1400 I put into the fuel system filtering saves me from having to spend on a tow and the cost of replacing or repairing the Cummins CAPS fuel pump. I read a lot of people having issues with the CAPS, primarily because it wasn’t fully protected by the factory Cummins Lift pump and filter setup. The lift would only run for 30 seconds, and then it was just the Caps pump doing all the work. With the FASS System it is pushing fuel through and polishing the fuel all the time, keeping the CAPS lubricated under pressure. I prefer to roll the dice on the insurance of the expense up front rather than rolling the dice on a possible six thousand-dollar tow and repair. We shall see if it was worth the expense. I’ll sleep better for it, if nothing else.
Also replaced the Serpentine belt and the tensioner.
Along with 4 hydraulic hoses, and 2 Header tank hoses.
And had the Header tank welded and pressure tested to get ahead of the drip from the crack in the tank.
Greased everything on the undercarriage.
Replaced the caps on the front hubs that where so milky I couldn't see the fluid level.
Topped off the front hub fluids.
Added two emergency, the key won’t start the bus, Switches just in case the next time happens.
Added three LED lights to the engine compartment.
Found Blue Bird didn’t bother to add the power already in the Box to the Light on the Oil Pressure gauge. Added that power at the same time.
Replaced all the Gauge Lights with LED’S.
Added a new frame for the Gauge cluster at the Dash to raise the Gauges into a better view.
Capped all of the cut wires from The PO.
Welded a broken Tailpipe hanger strap.
Added extra side-mounted turn signal lights for the other guys so they see my intentions.
Replaced all the missing marker lights with LED Lights.
Added spotlights all for sides of the bus.
added 4 cameras.
Added deadbolts on both doors.
Added a new music system for the driver’s compartment. Gotta have tunes.
Added TireMinder for 10 wheels. Including the towed Vehicle.
The list is really kind of endless.
I really don’t want to know just how much I have spent so far… it’s more than I was hoping.
Others may see this as not much done. ME too. But Mechanically sound to me means more than getting the sink and shower put in. I’ll get there.
Hopefully, this gives some insight for the next newbie on what to expect.
And then, the Duh, idiot move of shorting across two terminals on the back of the ignition switch for a split second which took out the FUSE and THE FUSIBLE LINK. The link was a royal pain to find, as Blue Bird felt the need to actually hide it on the back of a bundle of wires in the Engine compartment fuse box. Once, I found that… through the kindness of others here sharing a schematic that more closely matched my Bus, which mentioned a fusible link in the compartment. I still had to split the tied wires apart and hunt. That link was the cause of the No start from The ignition switch.
Now the good part… spending the amount of time that I did chasing. Reading schematics. Tracing wires and dealing with a fuel leak from the Cummins CAPS fuel pump. I now have a decent understanding of the just purchased vehicle. For the Record, that was about three months (Parked 1.5 hours away and driving back and forth to work on it in 112-degree heat.) of Tracing, Researching, and asking questions amongst the Forums. Etc. But I now have a fighting chance of fixing things when they will eventually go wrong on the road. With Limited Panic.
Compare that to Let’s drive… oops, what the **** just went wrong, and how do I fix it.
As much as I was frustrated and pissed chasing things I didn’t expect, the education was well worth the effort.
I replaced the new-looking Capped Rear tires, which cost 1500 bucks for Chinese tires. Before you bag on Chinese tires. I had the kindness of a professional trucker helping me with the Bus, getting my license and Big rig information. He has 3 decades of experience working way too many hours a week as a pro truck driver who owned his own fleet. According to him, for the amount of driving, I will be doing, as opposed to a pro driving all day every day. The Chinese tires should last until they ozone rot. If I can get 5 years…I suspect I will be happy.
I replaced all the Filters: Oil, Coolant, Diesel primary and Secondary, Steering/fan, transmission, and fluids. (Caveot, the steering/fan hydraulics did not drain the full amount, because I was lazy and had trouble finding the drain at the steering box. For the Record, without draining at the steering box, it only drained half the amount of oil I was expecting to replace.) Roughly 700 for fluids and filters.
I also added a FASS Diesel lift pump and filter 165G Industrial. And a Davco 243. We shall see if the 1400 I put into the fuel system filtering saves me from having to spend on a tow and the cost of replacing or repairing the Cummins CAPS fuel pump. I read a lot of people having issues with the CAPS, primarily because it wasn’t fully protected by the factory Cummins Lift pump and filter setup. The lift would only run for 30 seconds, and then it was just the Caps pump doing all the work. With the FASS System it is pushing fuel through and polishing the fuel all the time, keeping the CAPS lubricated under pressure. I prefer to roll the dice on the insurance of the expense up front rather than rolling the dice on a possible six thousand-dollar tow and repair. We shall see if it was worth the expense. I’ll sleep better for it, if nothing else.
Also replaced the Serpentine belt and the tensioner.
Along with 4 hydraulic hoses, and 2 Header tank hoses.
And had the Header tank welded and pressure tested to get ahead of the drip from the crack in the tank.
Greased everything on the undercarriage.
Replaced the caps on the front hubs that where so milky I couldn't see the fluid level.
Topped off the front hub fluids.
Added two emergency, the key won’t start the bus, Switches just in case the next time happens.
Added three LED lights to the engine compartment.
Found Blue Bird didn’t bother to add the power already in the Box to the Light on the Oil Pressure gauge. Added that power at the same time.
Replaced all the Gauge Lights with LED’S.
Added a new frame for the Gauge cluster at the Dash to raise the Gauges into a better view.
Capped all of the cut wires from The PO.
Welded a broken Tailpipe hanger strap.
Added extra side-mounted turn signal lights for the other guys so they see my intentions.
Replaced all the missing marker lights with LED Lights.
Added spotlights all for sides of the bus.
added 4 cameras.
Added deadbolts on both doors.
Added a new music system for the driver’s compartment. Gotta have tunes.
Added TireMinder for 10 wheels. Including the towed Vehicle.
The list is really kind of endless.
I really don’t want to know just how much I have spent so far… it’s more than I was hoping.
Others may see this as not much done. ME too. But Mechanically sound to me means more than getting the sink and shower put in. I’ll get there.
Hopefully, this gives some insight for the next newbie on what to expect.
