Newbie needs help

[Joe Cannarozzi]

I would make them stop the leak before I bought it. That should be the first thing on your list.

[dalej]

Scott,

Welcome to the POG site.

We all have different ideas about bus's, as you will soon find out. I'm the kind of owner that would work the price to where it should be and fix all those items that you talked about myself. I just like the peace of knowing it was done the right way, not just to satisfy a PDI.

Air leaks, for the most part are just annoyances until you get them found. If its a bad one, it's easy to spot.

The best to you and welcome abroad!

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Welcome Scott.

There are many here that fix our own, will you be one of us?

If not follow Joe's advice.

I doubt very much that the leak would be caused by a cabinet screw, Prevost converters are way beyond doing anything like that. When the first owner took delivery I seriously doubt that there were any suspension leaks.

Describe the leak and how it effects the bus.

JIM

[sawdust_128]

Welcome and congratulations on finding two new hobbies, travelling in the bus and chasing air leaks. Hopefully, you will be able to mostly do the one you want.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

The reason most of our coaches have so few miles is because we will not drive them when there are air leaks. So for the most part they sit in our garages while we spend days chasing down leaks. Or we lie and say our buses are leak free and we just drive them.

What you did not state was the nature of the leak. How fast does air leak down, is it from the brakes systems, the suspension (the leans), or from the aux system. Once you have narrowed it down then isolating the leak is a matter of further isolating the sub system that is leaking. I can make leak detection sound simple, but all the old timers here will tell you that air leaks are frustrating and at times very difficult to locate. Other times they are easy to find and fix.

For now I would make fixing the leaks a condition of the sale. You will get enough practice later on finding them yourself. No sense starting out chasing problems.

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

Scott T, I agree with what everyone above has told you about the importance of having KNOWN problems fixed before you take ownership. All of the issues you know about need addressing and fixing to your satisfacation before you drive away.

Now you stated something about new Satellite system and reciever Upgrades. That can be very long and drawn out as well, depending on just what your bus has in it currently. I see a nice flat screen TV upfront which I am sure is relativily new to the bus, but if you would like to talk Off Line more, email me privately or call and I will confuse you as much as I can about all I know about our A/V systems. I just upgraded all of my stuff.

gstevens7@comcast.net or 713-252-2599 when you have some time, and good luck with your bus.

Gary S.

[nrhareiner]

Good morning,

I have had my bus (Vantare) serviced by Parliament Coach for the past two years. They have done an excellent job over that period of time. Prior to that I had Vantare service the coach, and was VERY unhappy with the results.

Needing upgrades to the TV and receivers is normal if it has not been done since 99. Directv and Dish network have moved there signal to different satellites, and have added additional services.

Air leaks do cause many people to scratch their heads when pondering the problem. Rick and his people at Parliament are very good at tracing the problems, but they can be elusive.

Jon is one of the best people on POG to discuss the possible causes of the air leaks and the methods of isolating the problems.

While I have no knowledge of the particular bus you are referring to, do not hesitate in recommending the people at Parliament, they are some of the "good guys" in this business.

[Scott T]

Jim C
The compressor is running every 5 minutes for about 1.5 minutes when the bus is sitting. My concern is the constant running of the compressor, which could cause the seal to leak, throwing oil on to the manifold, which could catch fire. Jim here is why I think like this. Life Lesson Air Compressor 101- I spent a couple of years putting together a 1968 Fargo 3 Ton truck to tow my 3 car trailer with the 68 Fury's. Put a sleeper on it from a 87 Freightliner, it was not a power house. So I needed the compressor to run as little a possible, save H.P. and fuel. I developed an air leak ,while on the road to Englishtown N.J. to a car show. The leak got worse the more we drove, and soon the seal was spitting oil onto the engine exhaust. Stopped at a truck stop west of Chicago and tore apart the Bendix remanufactured compressor. Went to phone for a seal or a new unit and my cell phone would not work.-The local provider and mine did not have resciproicity- This was 1999. Then I go get 2 rolls of quarters for the pay phone. Get to the phone and the phone book has half the pages missing, any case, finally find a match for the compressor in Chicago. Unload one of the cars and head for the guys shop. I had gone to great details in describing what I needed and he was assuring me he had it. On the way to his shop I got lost, and was late, he took my money and passed me the box, as he headed home. The girls ( my daughters 14 and 16)and I decided we would stop for a nice restaurant, do the fix early in the morning and be on the road. The next morning I opened the box to find the compressor with NO pulley. It is saturday morning and he is not answering his phone. Oh well wait till monday; monday comes and we are there at 8:00 am sharp. He now has to order another unit,as the shaft size on the old one and the new one are different sizes, therefore we can not use the old pulley. Get the new unit tuesday afternoon. We are done and out of time,turn back for home; hoildays over. The girls were upset as we planned a trip in to NYC and Philly for a philly and swiss. In my current situation Linda will not be as forgiving as the girls. She will call a cab to the nearest mall and then on to the airport to head home. That will leave me eating hot dogs and visiting on the CB, instead of eating her home cooking and visiting as we drive. More than anything I do NOT NEED the frustration. Thus my question on the air leak.
Scott T
Just a Rookie

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Scott, I would definitely make the air leak repair a condition of sale.

If Linda doesn't like the bus, you will not like it either

JIM

[Jon Wehrenberg]

If your bus air compressor (not the aux air compresssor) is running that much I seriously doubt if it would take more than a few minutes to find the leak.

Just to throw out some ideas, it could be the overload valve, you could have a leak in the emergency brake air lines or one of the diaphragms or a leak in the air dryer for example. It could be as simple as an air tank valve partially open.

If the leak occurs with the bus parked and the emergency brake on you can rule out the emergency brake since there is no air pressure on the system at all. That would let you focus almost exclusively on the aux system but with a leak big enough to cause the compressor to run that much you will definitely hear the leak.