New owner of Vintage Bus 1980

Hi Everyone

OK, don't know if a 1980 counts as vintage, feel free to weigh in...

Anyway I am going to be picking up my bus this week, waiting for my AAA RV add on to activate before I do. Though the previous owner alleged that he drove it all over for his son's rock band. It has an automatic transmission, so in case it has to be towed I think the drive shaft needs to be pulled? Any other requirements?

Anyway it has a state id number that is not the VIN on the title. It comes with a couple of boxes of paper work and manuals that I have yet to go through as they are with the bus. My insurance company want's the VIN number and I am assuming that I will find it in the paper work. If not where would I find it on the chassis ?

Also it has rubber storage compartment hinges, does anyone know where I can source the parallel door lift kit's or parts?

Thanks everyone!

Fred

Would love to see a picture!

Congrats!

If the coach needs to be towed all professional heavy vehicle tow operators will know what to do.

The driveshaft has to be removed or the drive axles. Drive axles are sometimes easier to pull. The operator should cover the axle shaft covers with something. Many bolt a piece of cardboard over the opening.

They will also need to supply the coach with air or cage the spring brakes. Air is best and the fitting should be in the engine bay on the passenger side. I don't know if your coach has level low to raise and lower the coach. If the air suspension holds air you're good to go. If the suspension doesn't hold air you need to figure out how to get air in the rear bags. That's easy if the wrecker is using a front wheel lift. More difficult if they are raising the coach from the chassis.

I've never seen a rubber door hinge on a Prevost. Joe's seen more. He'll likely chime in.

Here's how to tell what your VIN should look like.

https://cptdb.ca/wiki/index.php/Prev...er_Explanation

Restoring a Prevost that old is going to be a real lesson in perseverance, just for starters. I'll be happy to help you however I can. Can't say I recall bay doors like you're describing.

Hey Joe! Think Gil might be interested in coming to work for me? Sounds like he has towing Prevost buses down pat!

Hey Fred I didn't mean to sound negative but I wanted to prepare you. With a bus that's 35 years old if I were you I find somebody like me who for sure knew what they were doing and I'd have them come out and put that bus up and pull all six hubs right down to the spindles and disassemble it and do an inspection and put it back together. Right out of the box that's what I do. After 35 years only the good Lord knows how many different guys have had their hands on that chassis and additionally there's probably a whole bunch of stuff in there that maybe has never been taken off the bus and if you're planning on keeping it for a while this would be the best way to start. I've had a rash of older coaches this summer I did an 88 in Iowa just like I suggested you do and we found a slew of broken return spring break rollers not rolling anymore huge amounts of buildup and crud tapered screws we had a drill out inner seals starting to leak. Doug is out there he's probably reading this he'll tell you it was his bus. I have a stop tomorrow in Kansas City with an 83 Liberty conversion. This will be an initial inspection to get a parts order going with a new client. This is going to be your vintage the 96 in wide and I haven't seen it yet but I'm pretty sure I know what to expect and I'm going to suggest he do the same thing I'm suggesting to you. I don't know how mechanically minded you are and if you have the aptitude to do these kind of repairs but if you do I'd be happy to coach you through it if you think you can.

Who's the converter? How much service history came with it?

Norm you got to start returning your calls. I tried to hire Gill for a gopher but he wouldn't do it I don't know whats the matter with him. Offered to supply him with a ditty bag and everything. He'd probably want you to have somebody polishing his wheels before he hits the road with it every time or cry like a baby. flyboys u know, prima donnas.

Attachment 15744

Hey Gill, these dont fly, aint that somthin!!! No air conditioning either.

M113, no A/C but will bring serious smoke......

Fred - at the risk of making Joe's head swell, he is probably the best thing could happen with your bus. He will treat it like his own. And....as a bonus....if he comes to you maybe he can detour thru the Portland area. I think he likes it there:)

Tough crowd!

Joe, just know the Air Force doesn't need a truck and trailer to get us to the job. Here's another very important aspect of being an enlisted Air Force member. We are the only service that salutes our officers as they depart for the war front while we remain a safer distance at our forward operating bases. All others are on the front lines being directed by their officers.

Hey military officers, I'm not showing any disrespect especially for my Air Force officers that go into harms way.

You know I love you Gill. I've been gone for 3 and 1/2 Weeks and I think I'll be scratching my dog's belly tomorrow before the sun goes down. Once by Peterbilt starts smelling them Home Fires there's no holding her back

Ah, the command post version the M577A1 was my ride when I was in the Army absolutely loved that vehicle!!!! Eleven tons of aluminum foil LOL!

Attachment 15853

Hi Everyone

Thanks for all the great replies. I have gotten the bus home, after putting on new tires.

Not sure who the original converter was; it looks it has had multiple do overs on the living space a number of times.

It also has a dash conversion that was halted mid stream with just enough working gauges to make it road able.

Lots of non bones system problems that need to diagnosed and documented. The previous owner wasn't big on electrical stuff and tended to bypass things when there were problems.

It has about 140K miles on it, (a guess since the speedometer, stopped working a couple of years ago, according to the seller).

My initial immediate task list is:

1. Fix diesel/prime leak on the Kohler 12.5KW 12.5ACOP63 generator.
2. Speedometer
3. Weak Jake brakes, manual says three position switch off,low and high. New dash just has off/on.


PS. Sorry about the sideways picture, tried rotating it to no effect.

thats a damn good looking bus. do it right.

Hi Everyone

Been doing some research on my bus and reading the forum. I have gleaned from the forum that I should do the following action items:

1. Register as the current owner
2. Open an account for parts
3. Request the manual on CD disk

I have tried calling Prevost multiple times and wind up in telephone tag where they don't know what I am talking about or go into call back limbo.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

Fred

You can download all of documents from PrevostCar.com The older the model year the less likely you'll find clear copies of all of the documents.

Just an update on the Jake Brake problem. It turns out their is level one and level two Jake brakes. I believe the level one (low) position involves a couple of cylinders per bank and level two does all the cylinders.

Anyway when you have level two the low position is to activate just one bank and the high position is activate both banks which requires the three position switch.

The wiring diagram for my bus indicated only one control wire from the front to the back, which is what you need for level one. More wires are needed for level two control. So the operator manual indicating a off/low/high switch was a red herring.

I found the wire from one bank hanging loose and not attached to the throttle buffer switch.

Before reconnecting I measured the resistance on the connected bank and the disconnected bank.

The connected bank was 16 Ohms and the disconnected bank was 24 Ohms.

Simply attaching the wire did increase the effectiveness, however still not a robust response or change in the exhaust sound when engaged.

However when I turn if off while engaged it is more a definite effect/feedback.

https://www.crystalpoint.com/cpdownl...rakeSwitch.jpg

Looking from the back of the engine; yellow is a wire going to the left bank, red is a unused terminal and blue is a wire going to the right bank of the engine that isn't hooked to anything.

Below is picture of the wire coming out of the right bank and there is similar one on the left bank.

https://www.crystalpoint.com/cpdownl...eBrakeWire.jpg

Fixed the speedometer, got to looking at the circuit diagrams and it showed four wires for connections.

Pulled the speedometer and only three were hooked up!!! After tracing wires the missing wire was the power wire, fished around in the dash and couldn't find anything that looked like it would reach.

Anyway the previous owner stated that it used to work, but hasn't for the last couple of years, so a bit mystified as to how it could have previously functioned without a power wire.

Provided a replacement power wire and it immediately started working again.

Fred, great effort. Sometimes you just have to dismiss what a previous owner tells you.

Fred right on, that's a fine looking classic Prevost. I like the older ones the best. Mine is a 96 but that's only cause I insisted on a Series 60. You're hitting the ground running hard, very cool.

Starting to make progress with my DIY hydronic system.

https://www.crystalpoint.com/cpdownl...ronicHeart.jpg

I purchase a used Milwaukee M12 ProPEX expansion tool sometime ago and I have to say that it is a pleasure to use.

The bus YouTube channel "Beginning from this Morning" has a video on using such a tool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siWIgm8EKkY

The not so much pleasure is that you have to visit an actual plumbers store to get supplies and forget any of the box hardware stores.

Also this method you have to use PEX A and F1960 PEX style fittings.

You can order from Amazon, but it tends to be larger quantities and generally not available for prime next day shipping. Start your search with "F1960 PEX", lowest price first.

I unfortunately ordered lots of PEX B parts which is not compatible with this expansion tool.

As part of my design I connect the pumps with 1/2 swivel adapters. So that if a pump goes bad it is easy to replace.

These swivel adapters are only economical in PEX B for about $2.00 each, verses $20.00 each as a F1960 PEX A part.

So I elected to hand crimp them with stainless steel rings. Given that I will be using 12-16 of them by the time I am done.

So off to bus to do a test fit and get ready to start running PEX pipe for each heating zone.

You will be glad you used pex A. Much better product

The thing about pecs that I don't like is if you're going to use it the points were it terminates and you make that crimp have to be in the right place so you can get the Big Tool on it. and do it easily Usually there's a lot that you can't get at once it becomes in the owner's hands and they have to make any potential repairs sometimes that could be really tough so be careful where you put the crimps.

That's an interesting tool.

I can't ever seem to do any kind of Plumbing Leak free it just ain't in me I prefer using all the shark bite fittings.I like the idea of the simple disassembly and reusability.

Attachment 16291

Attachment 16292

They're expensive and I don't have a lot of money but I still think they were worth buying it makes a way neater finished product and there's no leaks and if I ever have to fix something very easy to take apart.

Hi Joe

Well you are well on your way so no sense changing the course now. My understanding is that SharkBites are great to use as long as can get to them to replace if they spring a leak.

The tool is fairly expensive which is why I brought mine used, though I do think at a used price I paid too much for it.

The joints go together so rapidly, maybe it would be something you could rent?

Actually after you do the expansion of the pipe and collar you have about 15 seconds to slip it over the PEX A fitting. So, you can do quite tight spaces by varying the order of assembly.

It could very well be a tool that I use only once maybe twice. This isint my camper in the picture I was tasked with the project. I will not gut mine till the last. First I'm constructing the basement/bays next I'm moving windows and doors and siding it THEN comes the inside.

It is going to remain a small coupe. I'll heat it with candles no need for multiple circulating pumps I'll leave all that to u guys.

Making progress on my DIY Hydronics system and I have the zone manifold and distribution piping almost finished.

As you can see from the attached picture that it looks fairly complicated. But it is really not a lot of work. I really, really love the ProPEX expansion tool type of system as it makes doing this kind of work dirt simple.

https://www.crystalpoint.com/cpdownl...icManifold.jpg

As you can see I had to fit it into a fairly tight area based on all the previous stuff/hacks that have been done on my bus.

I would like to say that I planned it out with every detail accounted for, but hey the flexibility of this type of PEX A/ProPEX system really works. I made the basic layout based on the minimum recommended pipe segment length which is three inches for 3/4 PEX and two inches for 1/2 PEX.

Also by varying the assembly steps it is easy to work in tight quarters as you have about 20 seconds after expansion to jam the pieces together and allow them to shrink back to a tight fit.

I would say this represents about two full days of actual work to have multiple zone heat distribution for the bus living quarters/bays and it will take another 2-3 days (not counting skull sweat time) to finish the plumbing portion of the system.

What's at the connection between hot and cold? Looks great!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gil_J

What's at the connection between hot and cold? Looks great!

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Check valve, when the pumps for the heat zone are not running it permits flow back the cold intake for storage. When the pumps are energized it closes. At least that's the theory...

Making progress of my DIY hydronic system and was able to run a test on Sunday and will first post what worked!

I filled it slowly with water today from a low point and it has 20 gallons of storage and topped out somewhere around 23 gallons which seems right.

Absolutely none of the PEX connections that I put together using the expansion tool leaked!!!

https://www.crystalpoint.com/cpdownl...stallation.jpg

Fired up my diesel heater and observed the following behavior:

1. It sat there for a bit of time while I think it did its startup sequence of warming up the glow plug, testing water flow and fan speed.
2. It started clicking the pump loudly which muted down as the pump filled with fuel.
3. Exhaust pipe output a little bit of white diesel smoke.
4. Internal fan speed ramped up and the exhaust started to roar and the output fluid pipe was about 170 degrees (no muffler at this time).
5. When turned off it went through a shutdown and cool down cycle for about 3-5 minutes before fully shutting down.

So I believe that the diesel boiler is functional.

1. Some of the manual connections that i made had slow drips during the water testing phase.
2. The air purge valve didn't seem to work at all, might have had it adjusted wrong.
3. I think there was problems with the check valves that I used in my design, maybe not enough flow rate to fully close.
4. The diesel heater cycled up and down in heat output which might be:

a. Maybe it was programmed with non-standard settings because it was used warm a generator in an arctic settings and hey if the cold coolant is 80 degrees, job is done. I do have a diagnostic kit that I have to figure out how to use with this heater.
b. Check valve was more and likely not fully closing and allowing re-circulation between the input and output to the diesel heater. Maybe I should do a standalone test with a tank of water. Dang, I gave away a rain barrel last month that I could have used for this...
c. Replace check valve for diesel heater with a automatically closing valve as soon as the heater is commanded to start; forcing all flow to pass through the remote diesel boiler.

5. Circulation/stir pump seems to keep loosing prime as I mounted it too high up.


Anyway I was able to bring the storage up to about 110 degrees though the target was 160 degrees, but hey it was a first run!!!

Thanks for keeping us posted. Good luck!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by freds

1. Some of the manual connections that i made had slow drips during the water testing phase.
2. The air purge valve didn't seem to work at all, might have had it adjusted wrong.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by freds

1. Some of the manual connections that i made had slow drips during the water testing phase.
2. The air purge valve didn't seem to work at all, might have had it adjusted wrong.

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Fred, by air purge valve do you mean a bus air source to blow out water lines i.e. for winterization? If so please keep that air source valved out reliably (i.e. a manual valve) since there's quite a history of electro-mechanical air/water valves failing (BB) and flooding brakes/suspension full of water.

I have never seen a prevo with fresh water in the air system or ever heard of it. I'd be amazed if that's the function of the purge. It's for flow not winterizing.

The air purge valve is for removing air from the coolant. Using water right now until I am confident that the system is functioning correctly and then will make 50/50 with food grade glycol for freeze protection.

The last day and half have been a big wiring project for the DIY hydronic heating system that I have been working on.

Anyway, here’s the layout that I came up with, bit more of a rat’s nest then I originally planned, but hey working on getting it wrapped up and done!!!

https://www.crystalpoint.com/cpdownl...Controller.jpg

Also, I am running out of bay wall space. So, I pre-wired everything up on a one-foot square board with extra-long wiring leads and mounted it to the ceiling of the plumbing/electrical bay.

Your basic Raspberry Pi driving two eight channel relay boards. I went with a left over SSD drive for long term reliability; as the typical SDCard can wear out in 2-3 years or sooner depending on the write cycle frequency. Plus the SSD drive is faster...

The functions that it is currently controlling is:

• Bedroom heater zone pump.
• Bathroom heater zone pump.
• Kitchen heater zone pump.
• Living room heater zone pump.
• Front bays freeze protection pump.
• Rear bays freeze protection pump.
• Stir/circulation pump.
• Pump for Engine preheating and thermosiphon heat recovery.
• Pump for Generator preheating and thermosiphon heat recovery.
• Diesel Boiler remote on/off.
• Electric ball valve to force flow through the diesel boiler when it is on, bypass when off.
• Temperature sensor for hydronic tank output.
• Temperature sensor for Engine coolant, thermosiphon heat recovery monitoring.
• Temperature sensor for generator coolant, thermosiphon heat recovery monitoring.

I still have four relays left over and could add another eight-channel relay board for $10.00 before I max out the Raspberry Pi. All told this could be duplicated for around $120.00

Once all the hardware is installed then it’s software time!!! Something I do everyday in my day job.

Starting with a simple manual over-ride web page with simple touch buttons for each relay function.

Software wise in the long term will be smart scheduling and Alexa voice control integration. Which is easy to do with Internet of Things Node Red software.

Nice work!

That looks like a fun project. What diesel-fired heater are you using for your system?

Hey Fred,
For some reason, I was just rereading your very first post and something jumped out at me that I didn't notice the first time that I read it. You mentioned waiting for your AAA RV add on to become effective. You might want to check on that RV add on. For years I've had AAA and wouldn't be without it and for years I had the RV Plus addition and felt very secure. At some point in time in a conversation with them they made me aware that the RV Plus option didn't apply to a bus. Only a camper. I don't remember the exact limitations on the RV Plus, but it didn't cover a Prevost based motor coach. I dropped the RV Plus option and went elsewhere for roadside breakdown towing coverage. Again, don't remember all of the details but you might want to check on it.