richard5933

We've got an Interstate dealer in Milwaukee with a great a/c tech. They work on all makes/models of trucks, buses, and RVs. Best best is to find a shop in your area that services the a/c for one of the local charter bus company's coaches. Next best is a truck repair center with an a/c tech. There should be at least one such place in every major city. I suspect in Michigan you'll find many.

Both are correct. Our bus a/c is r22, but it's been switched to a modern replacement refrigerant. The two basement units are r12. One has already been switched to a modern refrigerant. The other is still running r12. I will probably need to purge/refill it at the end of this season, so I'll send a PM about the r12.

Circuit boards? We don't need no stinkin' circuit boards!

Correct - OTR (dash) a/c is an r22 system. It was recently upgraded to one of the modern r22 replacements. Both of our basement a/c systems use r12. All three have sight glasses. Oh - the joys of older coaches...

I suppose that all this is part of the reason that some states are starting to require an upgraded license to drive the larger RVs. I wasn't able to get the air brake endorsement on my CDL until I could pass a basic knowledge test on the subject. It's probably a good idea for everyone driving a vehicle with air brakes to get a copy of the air brake manual from their state's DOT and learn the material, even if it's not required reading/testing for them.

Is there a sight glass? On our system the tech filled till the bubbles stopped. Did the tech use a leak detector to check for leaks? These a/c systems are closed systems, so if you're low on refrigerant there's likely a leak. Sometimes they are so small or hidden that it's impossible to find them till things get really bad.

That's the way it's done each time our coach needs adjusting. No way to safely get under without blocking the suspension, and there's no way to reach the adjusters without being under the bus. I could jack/block it myself, but fortunately I'm able to take it to the shop. They raise one end, use jack stands to ensure safety, and then go under on a creeper. With brakes released and transmission in neutral it takes just a few minutes to adjust, spin a tire, adjust some more, and then do the final spin check to be sure there is no drag. Then on to the other end. In a pinch when the only way possible to gain access underneath is with a ramp, the procedure would be to fully snug up the adjusters and then back off a certain amount. On our coach it's 1/2 turn. The whole process is infinitely easier with a service pit to drive over, which is most likely how things would have been done 'back in the day' when a coach like ours was in commercial service. Ownership of a bus conversion like ours is not for the faint of heart or those unwilling to either do the work or pay to have it done. Again - I wasn't trying to give instructions on adjusting brakes. I was just trying to point out that every make/model has specific requirements and that following a one-size-fits-all video probably isn't the best approach.

Wow - that tapping thing is unique, at least to older vehicles like ours. Our manual says to tighten till drag is felt and the back off slightly until the wheel turns freely. No mention of tapping anything for sound checks. My point isn't really to tell anyone how to adjust their brakes - my point is just to point out that specifications for each make/model are different. It is vital that the specific manufacturer's adjustment procedure be followed. I think that it's important that everyone have a working knowledge of their braking systems for emergency purposes, but if you're not comfortable doing this and don't have the knowledge and/or equipment to properly block up the vehicle please leave this to a professional shop.

Fuse?

I played my old cassettes until they froze in their cases from overuse. I've got the same music in digital format now, but to be honest it just doesn't sound the same. Maybe it's because I didn't get it through the Columbia Record Club.

Not sure where you're located, but if you have a Freightliner chassis and there's a shop near you they'd be the first place to call. If they can't do the work they'll be able to recommend a radiator shop for you. If the insurance is paying, they might be able to outsource the work for you from their shop. The a/c unit might be a bit trickier. An RV shop is probably the most logical place, but you could end up with a long wait to get an appointment. A residential repair shop could do the work, but they probably won't since it's on a vehicle. My experience has shown me that privately owned refrigeration repair places are more likely to take on the odd job like this, so maybe you can search out the local HVAC repair place or a refrigeration repair place. I found out this week that these are two different animals altogether...HVAC repair is focused on units cooling residential or commercial living spaces, while refrigeration repair places work on anything with a compressor and refrigerant (walk-in coolers, industrial coolers, etc). The refrigeration places have a more broad scope of work, at least in my area, and seem more willing to go outside their comfort zone. In the end though, if you're able to get on the roof and do the work, it will take you less time to straighten out the fins yourself than it will to find a company willing to send someone out. I've spent about 8 hours in the past few weeks trying to track down someone to work on our system. The actual work they did only took 3 hours once they got here. I'd have done it myself if I had the equipment. Your repair is pretty straightforward, and it will give you a chance to inspect the roof while you're up there to see if any other damage was done by the hail.

You might think so, but you'd be wrong. I thought that as well when first trying to get them worked on, which caused no end to the aggravation. It seems that half the battle is just figuring out what you've got and who is best to do the work. When I looked closer I realized that these units have none of the things normally seen on a Cruisair unit - no nameplate, no 3-switch switch plate, and a totally different condensing unit. These units are running Copeland commercial compressors and the HVAC tech working on them today confirmed that they look identical to systems commonly seen in walk-in beer coolers or other medium-temp coolers. That's a good thing, really, as any parts needed are common commercial refrigeration off-the-shelf items. The system was also put together in a manner which allows it to be serviced, very unlike the modern roof-top units that are often throw-a-way units once they break. There are also no circuit boards and no electronics. Everything is purely mechanical. A bit clunkier, perhaps, but certainly more reliable. After all, they've been working for 44+ years and still make cold air (temp at the blower was 50 degrees today with 85 degree outside temps, after getting the service completed.)

After having the problem of the front unit short cycling again, I searched out an HVAC tech that could help. Today the guy came out to look at the system. Just the kind of HVAC guy I needed too - he works on his own in his own company, and he has experience with both residential and commercial systems. Seems that what Custom Coach did was use a commercial split system, just like you'd find cooling a large walk-in cooler, to cool the bus. Actually, two of them. The condensing units in the bays use heavy-duty 115v compressors, which he says are work horse compressors and should last years more. The front system that was shutting down after a while was somewhat of a mystery. Some of the pressure/temps were spot on, others not so much. The one that worried him was actually the high pressure, and his suspicion was that the compressor was shutting down when the compressor reached it's internal high pressure/temp safety shut off point. The system was supposed to have r12 in it as refrigerant, but the pressures (especially the high pressure) were not correct. He tried to evacuate some of the refrigerant to see if there was too much. Didn't help. Then he evacuated the system, blew it out with nitrogen, evacuated again, changed the dryer/filter, and refilled with an r12 replacement that is supposed to be compatible with the oil in the system. His hunch was that there was a "non-compressible" in the system - either air or some other contaminant introduced by someone working on the system in the past. Presence of something like this would act to essentially downgrade the effectiveness of the condensing coil and raise the high pressure. After the work he did, the system has been running with no problems so far. It's making cold (very cold) air and cycling on/off with the thermostat as it should. While he was here, he checked the rear unit. It had bubbles in the sight glass so he topped off the refrigerant. Looks like we might have a very slight leak there, but not one that could be confirmed today. We're going to run the systems on our trip over the next few weeks and see how things go. Good news is that the repair guy says that all the parts are still around, more than we'd need to totally rebuild the system if necessary. He was actually impressed with the quality of parts Custom Coach used to build the system. I know that not many have systems similar to ours, but if nothing else perhaps it's interesting for others to read what it takes to keep these old rigs on the road. Maybe someone will also get an idea or inspiration from all this. That's all for now.

Any good truck radiator shop should be able to handle the radiator fins. I'd start by looking in your area for a truck dealer that works on the make of chassis you have - you're looking for pretty basic work so if they can't do it in house they will be able to recommend someone in the area where they send radiators for repair. It's quite common for radiators to be damaged, so almost every city has a shop where they can be repaired. The ac cooling fins might be able to be straightened using a plastic fin comb. However, if they are severely damaged or if any of the tubes are damaged it might not be possible to fix it. Does the unit still work and cool? If so, then probably you don't have any permanent damage. Be aware though that if the fins are really bent and someone pulls too hard on them to straighten them it's possible to damage the tubes inside.

Really depends on the purpose of getting the radio when deciding ham radio vs CB. I've got both and usually carry them in the bus when we travel. Yes, the ham radio can be helpful in an emergency - much longer distance communications are possible using a repeater. Ham radio is also a great way to be part of another community. However, for practical vehicle-to-vehicle communications while on the highway the CB is really much better, IMHO. First, not everyone traveling with you is likely to have a ham radio license. Secondly, for communication with (or just listening to) truckers on the road you'll need a CB. When traffic or road conditions fall apart truck drivers reach for the CB and it is really helpful to be able to tap into those warnings.

Here's my guess... If the chassis batteries were dead (or nearly so). The solenoid was clicking until the chassis batteries were replaced, indicating that it didn't get enough juice to fully engage. If the house batteries were/are good, that means that the solenoid was getting it's switching juice from the dead chassis batteries. The fact that some of the house systems were pulling power from the chassis batteries is likely what caused the chassis batteries to die early. They are not deep cycle and not designed to be used that way. If you figure out which circuits belong to the house batteries and put those circuits back where they belong, you'll likely eliminate the problem with the chassis batteries.

I think that the most important thing isn't really which radio to get but rather to make sure to match it to a good antenna and to tune the antenna. The goal is to get the SWR (standing wave ratio) as close to 1:1 as possible. This is done by adjusting the length of the antenna, using an SWR meter to take readings. Some radios have a meter built in. If not, an external SWR meter is cheap and worth the money. We were heading back to the Milwaukee area from upstate Wisconsin on Memorial Day. There is great cell reception and great GPS signal strength. Neither of them were any good at all letting us know when the road ahead was coming to a sudden stop due to traffic or accidents. However, the truckers made sure to announce the problems each time they came up on channel 19 on the CB. We wouldn't travel without one. It's often said that the airwaves on CB are dead. This is often the case. That is, until there is a problem on the road which gives truckers need to communicate. At one point during the backup, I heard over and over a warning about a slow moving 'old bus' in the right lane. It was us. I think that the actual verbiage was slightly more coarse. It was fun to joke with them about peddling as fast as we could. Nice to see that they still take care to warn each other of upcoming situations. The radio we use is a Galaxy 959. Our antenna is mounted to a magnetic base which happily sticks to the roof over the driver's seat. Possibly more radio than we need but I like the bells and whistles. If you do get a hand held, a roof mounted antenna is a necessity. We use the Cobra hand held in the car with a magnetic base antenna. They sell an adapter to allow the hand held to be used with a roof antenna and a 12v outlet.

Do you have a wiring diagram for the coach? It will show how things were connected at the beginning, before a previous owner moved things around. Not sure how things in your particular coach are wired, but shouldn't the negative cables all be common to both sets of batteries? If so, then you can install a buss bar and move all the negative wires to that instead of having them connect to the battery itself. If the solenoid was clicking with weak chassis batteries, then I'd guess that the solenoid was switched on during that time and powered by the chassis batteries. Sounds like they didn't have enough juice to fully engage the solenoid, hence the clicking. Have you confirmed that your house batteries are good? Might be wise to take them to have a load test performed.

Have you checked that solenoid on the back wall to see if it's failed and always connecting you house and chassis batteries?

Maybe so - the guy I bought the coach from ran lots of buses in commercial service, so I'm sure he installed what he had on hand when he put the tires on our coach. The FS400 is a commercial tire and that might be why it holds up so well. They're more pricey than other options, but I'd probably install them again unless someone can present a good reason why another tire is a better option. We're not anywhere as heavy as some Class A rigs being sold, so I'm sure that others can benefit from the commercial tires as well.

Never hear much about Firestone tires for RVs. Is it because they're not making RV tires or for some other reason? We've got Firestone tires on our coach and they are nice. I know that our ride takes a larger tire than most - we're running FS400 315/80R2.5 right now, which even for our coach is too much tire. They give a nice ride and seem to be holding up well.

We have a Verizon Jetpack. When we're in the bus it's almost impossible to get a good signal no matter how close we are to the tower. We also use an external antenna which we place in a window with suction cups. It helps dramatically when we otherwise would have been out of luck. If you are unsure of which window to use, there are apps which will help locate the nearest tower to you on a map. Then you can place the antenna in the window facing that tower. If you can't find the app or it doesn't work, don't be afraid to try windows on different sides of the coach till you get a better signal. I think that we paid about $20 for ours on Amazon - the only thing to watch for is that the plug on the antenna will fit the antenna port on your particular Jetpack.

Wayne & Carol - Can you let us know if the 12 amps being drawn is AC or DC?

Have you used the hot water heater before successfully? If so, has anything changed in your plumbing system since you last had hot water? If it's not worked before, have you confirmed that the bypass valve isn't in the bypass mode? Can you confirm that there is water in the hot water heater? Also, if you have an outdoor shower is it turned off? (These can act as a bypass valve in some rigs if left on at the faucet but off on the shower head)

Sounds like something might be plugged into an outlet being powered by the inverter. Try turning off the inverter and see if the batteries still discharge.