TheSamba.com :: View topic - Urgent: need answers today for 77 Bus purchase

Sun Nov 01, 2009 12:59 am

Well, I made it home. I took the Greyhound down to Orlando. I don't suggest riding the bus to anyone. It sucks the big one. My back is killing me. I left Wednesday and arrived Thursday. The PO came and picked me up and I went and tried to start the bus. He had saved the old gas and it looked and smelled fine. We put four gallons of gas in it and some injector cleaner but, it wouldn't fire up. I checked beyond the fuel filter and the fuel pump and gas was getting through both well.

I reserved a uhaul to get it to my property on Friday but, I decided to call a mechanic instead. They called a tow truck(rollback) and the driver came by for the keys. They charged $171 for the tow and $16 to come by for the keys. The mechanic shop wasted three days on the starter(plus one for Sunday, even though their ad said 24 hour service). There is a tooth or two missing from the flywheel. I told the lady that answers their phone that you had to bump it around to get it to hit but she insisted it was the starter. They had it rebuilt because they couldn't find a new one.

I went Tuesday to pick it up and they couldn't figure it out. The mechanic that diagnosed it was a different one that actually was working on it. When he found out about the flywheel and that I had told her before they started the work he went off and her mouth dropped to the floor. I had also offered up my Bentley manual and she had declined it saying they had all the manuals on computer. He had never worked on anything from the seventies but, he did get it running. They ended up just charging for the tow bill.

I drove it across town and got stuck in a traffic jam. It started acting up like it was overheating. It kept dying, spitting and sputtering, and bucking like a mule. I tried working on it Wednesday morning. I checked all the fuel lines and the filter again. They were fine. I replaced some of the bulbs and a fuse to get all the lights working. We tried to leave again and as soon as I sat at a stop light for ten minutes it acted up again. I took it to a VW specialist. He said it was the injector on number four cylinder had went bad.

So, I got the uhaul and a dolly then towed it to my property. We camped out that night and I got a rental car the next day and we came on home. I'll go back for it later after I save up some more cash. I was wore out and hurting. I didn't feel like tearing into it down there because, I know nothing about fuel injection, I had no way to get anywhere, and I was running out of money fast. Orlando is way expensive on everything. A friend of mine has a V8 truck but, was unable to leave when I needed. He will go with me and tow it home soon.

It was definitely worth the price. The tires alone were worth $500 and its in pretty decent shape. It needs a little body work, a headliner, and some interior panels. It came with lots of extras too, including some of the body parts. It had new wires, plugs, points, cap, and rotor. I loved driving it. It was sweet while it lasted. I can't wait to go back and get it. I promised to take lots of pics but, I didn't get to. I did take a few and some pics of the pond I share with my three neighbors. The rest of the property is all woods so I didn't take any of it. Maybe on the next trip...

The rollback coming to get the keys.

The rollback leaving with my new baby.

The rollback cruising past the Waffle House.

One of it sitting by the road before I drove it back into the woods to hide it. That was an adventure in its own right. Then the rest are all pics of the pond that was dry when I purchased the property last January. The neighbors say it fills up in summer and drys out through the winter. There is some talk of drilling a well to keep it full. I hope so! Its so beautiful down there. Until next time... Thanks for all you guys help and suggestions. I truly appreciate it.

L8tr, TH

Sun Nov 01, 2009 5:53 am

Nice Bus, sorry to hear about the injectors. If you were in Atlanta I would have helped you get it running.

Sun Nov 01, 2009 6:51 am

Nice bus...since you are going to end up changing out all of the fuel lines anyway, send all of the injectors off to cruzinperformance.com and have them all cleaned and calibrated.

There is nothing about this FI engine that you cnnot do yourself better and cheaper than a shop can. I told a girl poster here oncea while back that if she could bake a cake following the directions, she could fix her own FI just by following directions.

And she did.

Sun Nov 01, 2009 11:22 am

purplegodzilla wrote: Nice Bus, sorry to hear about the injectors. If you were in Atlanta I would have helped you get it running.

Thanks for the kind offer PG. I wish I had of had some help.

L8tr, TH

Sun Nov 01, 2009 11:56 am

Randy in Maine wrote: Nice bus...since you are going to end up changing out all of the fuel lines anyway, send all of the injectors off to cruzinperformance.com and have them all cleaned and calibrated.

There is nothing about this FI engine that you cnnot do yourself better and cheaper than a shop can. I told a girl poster here oncea while back that if she could bake a cake following the directions, she could fix her own FI just by following directions.

And she did.

Hey Randy,

I think I saw that thread about the lady fixing her FI. I never fooled with one of those at all. I plan on reading up on it though. All the tin coming off on the engine is a more daunting task to me than actual mechanical things. I never liked messing with it. Why do I need to change the fuel lines? They all appear to be new. It is minus a few heating hoses and a vaccum hose though. Is it cheaper to send off the injectors with postage both ways, than just order a new one? Should I send them all or just the screwy one? Is there a link to the directions or are they here on Samba?

I really wish I had taken my light tester with me. I don't know if one of the sensors could have been causing some of the trouble. Some I understand must be checked with an OHM meter. But I would have liked to have known if all those electronic gizmos were working properly.

I may end up taking my big bus down and camping there and fix it then. I haven't decided. I need to get everything in order here before I can do the whole winter thing though. I am looking forward to the February Winter Jams in Daytona. There is a gathering in Ocala at the same time too. It sure would be sweet to go to both in my new VW. It was really muggy down there. I could hardly get to sleep without the a/c. I have to pay $900+ for the impact fee of a campsite to get the electric put in.

Thanks for the info, TH

Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:52 pm

Quote: Why do I need to change the fuel lines?

Check out the sticky thread above about bus fires. You'll want to change them ASAP after reading that thread.

Sun Nov 01, 2009 2:03 pm

busmania24 wrote: Quote: Why do I need to change the fuel lines?

Check out the sticky thread above about bus fires. You'll want to change them ASAP after reading that thread.

Or Halfmoon's post about his bus burning to the ground last week....

Go to http://www.germansupply.com/home/customer/product.php?productid=16400&cat=&page=1 and get this kit (check for correct model/year tho). You'll install it yourself over a few easy hours so you know it's done right. Don't let others install it for you. When I bought my bus, I knew nothing about it and took it to a shop to have them install this very kit for me (which I had ordered from Scott). They did, charged me good too. But the worst part was two years later, while taking out my gas tank, I noticed the bastards never did the lower lines. But they kept the hose I supplied!

Next up, vapor lines. Fail to do these, and you will burn down. During the aforementioned tank pull, my vapor lines looked fine, but cracked apart in my hands with sounds like celery being chewed. Vaporous gas is far more combustible than liquid gas. Look at this diagram and make the replacements. I added clamps on mine for safety's sake.

Everything else you can let slide for a while, but not the fuel / vapor lines.

Sun Nov 01, 2009 2:08 pm

dude. :-s

Sun Nov 01, 2009 3:29 pm

The real reason to change them out when you first get a bus is so that you will know 1) for a fact that they were indeed changed out on your watch and 2) changed out with the correct hose.

You should send all of those injectors off to cleaning and calibration. < $100 to do them all and they come back with the new short hoses and I think new injector seals. At least then you will know they are all good and one more vairable will be out of the equation.

You want to put 2 hose clamps on each of the short hoses so you will sleep better at night.

Sun Nov 01, 2009 5:38 pm

TreeHugger63 wrote: 73kombi wrote: Blah, Blah, Blah...

Kombi77,

I am gonna try and ignore your posts from now on. Its obvious at this point you can't help yourself. I think you have ASD(Anti Social Disorder). It means you don't work and play well with others. I am sorry you have a problem with me or my posts. However, thats not my fault nor my problem. *If my posts upset you so much what compells you to read them and answer them so negatively?

I searched for a weblink for you. Maybe they can help you deal with your anger management issues and perhaps OCD(*Obsessive Compulsive Disorder). All the Oregon facilities are listed so you can pick the closest one to your home where ever that maybe. Its a job listing but, it has their addresses and phone numbers.

Psychiatric Treatment Facilities: Oregon

http://www.healthcarehiring.com/psychiatric-hospitals/oregon/0/

Good Luck and goodbye, TH

I'm really glad you won the lottery TH...back on page one you didn't even have two nickels to rub together, and now it appears you're flush with cash! Paying tow trucks, mechanics, renting U-hauls, eating steak dinners at the Waffle House, paying drivers to fetch your keys, and staying at hotels all sounded so far from your reality, yet now these things are an every day pleasure. Good on you!

Unfortunately you made some bad choices on mechanics, and neither one seemed to know jack-shit about buses......oh well, live and learn eh?
All that money you spent renting trucks, and paying mechanics probably could have had her driving like new...ah well, it's just money, and you're wealthy now!

Now back to me.....I've been busy traversing the state of Oregon looking into your link. I've been from Astoria, down to Coos Bay, over to Eugene then over the pass to Bend...it's hard work trying to find a good free mental health clinic. I'm now in Klamath Falls and I still can't seem to find any mental health. I'll admit, I'm not looking too hard here in KF, as I plan leaving Oregon in the morning.

I did almost have have a mental breakdown this morning when I saw they had closed the road to Crater lake for the season :shock: and there isn't even any snow yet......damn bastards! Moses and I were ready for a nice chilly dip into the deepest lake in North America, and when we get there it was CLOSED! Luckily Moses calmed me down. (that's not him in the pic)

In any case, tomorrow I'm heading down to Redding, CA or maybe Reno, NV......could you do some more research on my mental disorders? Maybe find me another link or two?

Oh......could you post some more pics of that swamp? I'd like maybe 12 more shots of that fine swamp...MORE SWAMP PICS! Thats the kind of place I would avoid like a $10 hooker, you never know what's in there?

Peace.

ETA: a pic of Moses ( somewhere on the McKenzie river) He's quite the tourist...

Mon Nov 02, 2009 3:39 am

"] busmania24 wrote: Quote: Why do I need to change the fuel lines?

Check out the sticky thread above about bus fires. You'll want to change them ASAP after reading that thread.

Those are some real sad stories. So what I've been reading is the steel better than just the rubber? There seems to be some disagreement.

[quote="Traveling Writer
Or Halfmoon's post about his bus burning to the ground last week....

Go to http://www.germansupply.com/home/customer/product.php?productid=16400&cat=&page=1 and get this kit (check for correct model/year tho). You'll install it yourself over a few easy hours so you know it's done right. Don't let others install it for you. When I bought my bus, I knew nothing about it and took it to a shop to have them install this very kit for me (which I had ordered from Scott). They did, charged me good too. But the worst part was two years later, while taking out my gas tank, I noticed the bastards never did the lower lines. But they kept the hose I supplied!

Next up, vapor lines. Fail to do these, and you will burn down. During the aforementioned tank pull, my vapor lines looked fine, but cracked apart in my hands with sounds like celery being chewed. Vaporous gas is far more combustible than liquid gas. Look at this diagram and make the replacements. I added clamps on mine for safety's sake. Everything else you can let slide for a while, but not the fuel / vapor lines.[/quote]

I went and read that and some others in the bus fires area. I will replace them. A lot look new though. The rubber ones. I read something about threads on the tank outlet? Is that for real? Or were they saying you could add them with a coupler? I tried pulling that when I got there to see if any gas was still in it. But I couldn't get it to come off. The PO said he pumped out the fuel. But he said previously that he drained it. Someone mentioned some other kind of lines too. But I never heard of those. I feel bad for those fellas and their babies.

Thanks for the good advice guys, TH

Mon Nov 02, 2009 3:58 am

Randy in Maine wrote: The real reason to change them out when you first get a bus is so that you will know 1) for a fact that they were indeed changed out on your watch and 2) changed out with the correct hose.

You should send all of those injectors off to cleaning and calibration. < $100 to do them all and they come back with the new short hoses and I think new injector seals. At least then you will know they are all good and one more vairable will be out of the equation.

You want to put 2 hose clamps on each of the short hoses so you will sleep better at night.

Thanks for that link. I went and checked it out. I never knew they were colored and made out of plastic(it looked like). Weird! Which one was the VW one? Just curious. I really liked the steel hoses I saw on some threads. Do they come in steel too? The 78 engine has an oil leak of about a baseball size spot overnight. I am thinking I will pull the engine, replace the seals, Clean the tank, redo the injectors, clean up all the tin, and make it all sharp with steel hoses while I am at it.

L8tr, TH

Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:33 am

The FI busses like mine and yours (both 77) don't have any threads on the outlet or inlet at the bottom of the tank. I believe the earlier tanks had a threaded outlet with a metal strainer sock inside, but ours don't. Just go slow, careful, with the right hose and clamps, and you'll be fine! Tons of threads to read about changing lines on here, and in a pinch, PM me and I can yak ya through it too...

It would be worth looking in the filler neck from the outside (where you fill up with gas). There is a little rubber beak in there to catch fumes, etc. Great, except that (esp with overzealous gas attendants) the rubber gets torn after a while, and pieces can get dropped in the tank. So take a look with a flashlight, poke a finger in it, see if anything looks ripped. And yes, it should look split, neatly, which opens around the gas nozzle, but not torn. Don't ask me how I know...

Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:41 am

I bet the injector is fine and the problem is in the ignition system, namely the points.

Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:15 pm

Traveling Writer wrote: The FI busses like mine and yours (both 77) don't have any threads on the outlet or inlet at the bottom of the tank. I believe the earlier tanks had a threaded outlet with a metal strainer sock inside, but ours don't. Just go slow, careful, with the right hose and clamps, and you'll be fine! Tons of threads to read about changing lines on here, and in a pinch, PM me and I can yak ya through it too...

It would be worth looking in the filler neck from the outside (where you fill up with gas). There is a little rubber beak in there to catch fumes, etc. Great, except that (esp with overzealous gas attendants) the rubber gets torn after a while, and pieces can get dropped in the tank. So take a look with a flashlight, poke a finger in it, see if anything looks ripped. And yes, it should look split, neatly, which opens around the gas nozzle, but not torn. Don't ask me how I know...

Thanks for the info and I will check that out too. I am making a list and will add that to it.

L8tr, TH

Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:25 pm

VDubTech wrote: I bet the injector is fine and the problem is in the ignition system, namely the points.

brand new points and I checked the gap and it was .020 like Bentley said.

I figured it might be an electronic gizmo. There are bunch on FI. I am not real sure what happens when one fails. But it might be that. It definitely wasn't firing on one of them and the VW tech said it was number four.

Thanks for the input, TH

Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:37 pm

Suggestion:

When you get some dough, invest in a decent dwell tachometer.

I am using this one myself with pretty good luck.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_sq_top...TCKYAJXJ2H

Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:26 pm

73kombi wrote: I'm really glad you won the lottery TH...back on page one you didn't even have two nickels to rub together, and now it appears you're flush with cash! Paying tow trucks, mechanics, renting U-hauls, eating steak dinners at the Waffle House, paying drivers to fetch your keys, and staying at hotels all sounded so far from your reality, yet now these things are an every day pleasure. Good on you!

Unfortunately you made some bad choices on mechanics, and neither one seemed to know jack-shit about buses......oh well, live and learn eh?
All that money you spent renting trucks, and paying mechanics probably could have had her driving like new...ah well, it's just money, and you're wealthy now!

Oh......could you post some more pics of that swamp? I'd like maybe 12 more shots of that fine swamp...MORE SWAMP PICS! Thats the kind of place I would avoid like a $10 hooker, you never know what's in there?

Well since you asked so nicely... I didn't have the money to take my truck down so I took the Greyhound. If I had it to do over I would have accepted the offer of money from my Father to cover the gas money. I don't like to borrow fom my Dad. But since we were stuck in Orlando and I was running out of money, I called Dad. Hence the hotel, tow truck(which is all I paid the mechanic for), the uhaul, and the rental car.

I did enjoy having a bed since my back was breaking in two. We had a fridge in the hotel and we ate alot of ham sandwiches. We ate out like three times: twice from the 89cent menu at Taco Hell and once we each got a whopper and fries at Booger King. Wow! Just livin large. I enjoyed a dip in the pool once. Was that wrong? Maybe that was going too far. I was just splurging all over the place. Now I am broke as your lame humor and I owe my Dad.

Now back to you... I have been reading all your posts. Except I'm not stalking you and dis-ing everything you say. I see you attack a lot of people and offend others. You don't offend me. You are just being an annoying jerk. From what I've read we have a lot in common including likes and dislikes. I like to travel and so does my dog. I just can't do it very much because of my back. I don't know what I did to get you going on all this. I may ramble on a bit when I post. I may ask some stupid questions or even make a few stupid statements but, I never claimed to be perfect. And like I said no one is forcing you to read it.

I apologize for the psych comment but, you kinda ask for it don't you. If you weren't trying to be such an asshole all the time, maybe you would have more friends. Then you wouldn't have to question people about the friends they have. I guess since you have a pic of Jesus and you travel to cool places with your dog that makes you better than me. Oh well, I think I can deal with my 'swamp'. Its just fine by me. Give me your address and I'll send you a water moccasin. You should get along, they are members of the pit viper family too. You're a big man running your mouth half a country away. Come to Ohio and run your mouth about my sister and neice you chicken shit wanna be...

I love this site and enjoy reading all the threads from normal people who post interesting topics about buses. Thats why I am on here. I enjoy posting about my buses and my plans for them as much as I like reading about other's buses. I am trying to enjoy myself. But, I don't have to crap in someones cheerios to do it. So why don't you go shove your head back up your ass or blow your dog.

Peace, TH

Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:33 pm

TreeHugger63 wrote: ...or blow your dog.

[south park]Red Rocket! Red Rocket![/south park]

Mon Nov 02, 2009 7:39 pm

I had been wondering why Moses, the dog, seems to have a smile on his face.