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Thu May 03, 2012 3:19 pm

Wildthings wrote: RatCamper wrote: So that's what those knobs look like. My bus doesn't have one, nor the wiring for one.

Edit. I have a very stupid question.

Do the vents on the dash only blow cold air or is there something I'm not seeing?

Nope only cold air, though I have thought about trying to plumb the heater into them. Shouldn't be hard to do.

Shouldn't be. I'm not overly familiar with the arrangement on any other except mine, but I would think the plastic tube section coming up from those big metal "wings" could be replaced by some kind of Y or T piece and some ducting connecting them to the heat.
The only thing that would concern me with such a setup is backflow when the front vent flap is open. But in that situation you probably wouldn't have the heater on and the flap open, would you? My concern would be stalling airflow in the heat exchange in that circumstance.

Thu May 03, 2012 3:21 pm

Quote: I have at least 2 bay window busses on my lot whose engines (still in) will roll only a quarter of a turn. All the other non-running engines are obviously seized and won't roll at all. Is it possible that there is some flash carbon in the cylinders or something obstructing the complete rotation of the crankshaft?

Yes engine can get jambed by carbon falling off the head. If this is the case, what you want to do is remove the plug and blow the carbon out with an air nozzle. If you try and roll it down the hill and pop the clutch, you could well bend a rod or the crank.

You could also be seeing engines with dropped valve seats. It is not uncommon for the seats to fall out, holding the valve open.

Thu May 03, 2012 3:27 pm

[quote="Wildthings"] Quote:

You could also be seeing engines with dropped valve seats. It is not uncommon for the seats to fall out, holding the valve open.

Can you tell me how to look for this, if possible form the outside? I at least know where/what valves are. But can I check from the outside?

Thu May 03, 2012 3:31 pm

MarcusAK wrote: Wildthings wrote:

You could also be seeing engines with dropped valve seats. It is not uncommon for the seats to fall out, holding the valve open.

Can you tell me how to look for this, if possible form the outside? I at least know where/what valves are. But can I check from the outside?

check valve clearance, if to much clearance, the valve has moved toward the piston, if to little, the seat has worn and the valve is moving out toward the valve cover/rockers, or the valve is stretching.

Thu May 03, 2012 4:03 pm

Stuartzickefoose wrote: MarcusAK wrote: Wildthings wrote:

You could also be seeing engines with dropped valve seats. It is not uncommon for the seats to fall out, holding the valve open.

Can you tell me how to look for this, if possible form the outside? I at least know where/what valves are. But can I check from the outside?

check valve clearance, if to much clearance, the valve has moved toward the piston, if to little, the seat has worn and the valve is moving out toward the valve cover/rockers, or the valve is stretching.

I can't get the engine to TDC on the cylinder. Won't that affect the clearance? I assume I only need to check the one cylinder, since thats the one sticking...

Thu May 03, 2012 4:09 pm

I've seen valves stick open on engines that sit and cause a symptom like that, regardless you'll at least have to pull the heads to see what's stuck or risk permanent damage.

Thu May 03, 2012 7:22 pm

you can always remove the rocker arms and LIGHTLY tap on the valve stem heads with a plastic or rubber mallet, to free them and allow them to seat properly after sitting, and then use a straight edge to see if they are level or not. doesn't matter where the engine sits at then, cause the valves should all be closed no matter what.

Thu May 03, 2012 8:06 pm

On the 1800, do you absolutely have to remove the engine to pull the heads?

Thu May 03, 2012 8:08 pm

MarcusAK wrote: On the 1800, do you absolutely have to remove the engine to pull the heads?

no idea....gonna guess in a pinch, you dont have to...but engine pulls are quick...just pay attention to what your doing.

Thu May 03, 2012 8:13 pm

MarcusAK wrote: On the 1800, do you absolutely have to remove the engine to pull the heads?
I would, the contortions required to do it in place will take far more time and back pills than a drop and the quality of the work will be light years ahead of an in place "F' it...this sucks!" job.

Thu May 03, 2012 8:18 pm

Also, Muir's book calls for supporting the transmission when pulling an engine, but I have never seen a engine-out bus with the trans supported. Or maybe I just have not noticed? What holds it in other than the engine?

Thu May 03, 2012 8:21 pm

MarcusAK wrote: Also, Muir's book calls for supporting the transmission when pulling an engine, but I have never seen a engine-out bus with the trans supported. Or maybe I just have not noticed? What holds it in other than the engine?

just leave the top two bolts in the bell housing of the trans case. only undo the four necessary bolts on the engine/trans mounting area. if you undo the two bolts on the top of the trans, and a couple others (i think) and let the transmission hang down, then it can bend the shift rod at the front of the nose cone, destroying the trans....not fun.

then again, iv never actually done it....i can be wrong....;)

Thu May 03, 2012 8:22 pm

MarcusAK wrote: What holds it in other than the engine?
When the engine's out?, just the shift coupler and the CV joints, neither of which are built to tolerate the extreme angles letting it hang produces, use a cheapo ratchet strap under the trans between the frame rails to prevent any issues after it's back together.

Thu May 03, 2012 8:28 pm

It is very hard to get the engine out and back in if you don't remove the two bolts that support the bellhousing. With the bolts removed, you can easily drop the transmission enough to remove the engine without hurting a thing. You do want to remove the wires from the starter before you start lowering things.

You can leave the bellhousing sitting on a pile of blocks or a jack stand, or if you want to move the vehicle, just use some suitable wire or cordage to hang it from the crossmember.

Thu May 03, 2012 8:31 pm

Wildthings wrote: It is very hard to get the engine out and back in if you don't remove the two bolts that support the bellhousing. With the bolts removed, you can easily drop the transmission enough to remove the engine without hurting a thing. You do want to remove the wires from the starter before you start lowering things.

You can leave the bellhousing sitting on a pile of blocks or a jack stand, or if you want to move the vehicle, just use some suitable wire or cordage to hang it from the crossmember.

did not know that...learn something new every day. :)

Thu May 03, 2012 9:17 pm

Thanks everybody! I will take a good look at the job in the morning, and surely be back with more questions soon.

Sat May 05, 2012 2:33 pm

(RE: 76 transporter/custom camper, stuck on one cylinder)

So I took out the plugs and sprayed air then lubricant down in the cylinders, and that got the engine rolling all the way around. (Oil changed and valves gapped too.)
So I hooked up a good battery and tried to start it. It turns over all the way around but won't catch. I checked the points (always my first stop) and they were mangled pretty badly, in a way I have never seen before. However new points have not started the engine. I suspect it is not getting fire (electricity) to the plugs since starter fluid would not even catch. I have not checked the coil yet.
So, next is a full tune up with new disributor cap, coil, plugs and wires... keep your fingers crossed!

Sat May 05, 2012 7:34 pm

My bus (a weekend rather than daily driver) drains the battery if I let it sit a couple of weeks. I will keep trying to isolate the cause, but in the meantime I am wondering if I should get some sort of battery charger to keep on the battery when I am not driving it. Is this a good idea? And if so what do I buy? Something like this Battery Charger / Maintainer http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-BM3B-Battery-Ma...amp;sr=8-3?

My other thought is to get some kind of switch that would just interrupt the power. The kid at the local crappy chain auto parts store showed me a big ugly switch I could splice into the battery cable. Surely there is something more elegant, and that would double as an anti-theft device?

Thanks.

Sat May 05, 2012 7:54 pm

Bentley says .60mm spark gap, but I read here otherwise. What's a correct gap on a 1600 dp? Is my book outdated?

Sat May 05, 2012 8:01 pm

LarryC wrote: My bus (a weekend rather than daily driver) drains the battery if I let it sit a couple of weeks. I will keep trying to isolate the cause, but in the meantime I am wondering if I should get some sort of battery charger to keep on the battery when I am not driving it. Is this a good idea? And if so what do I buy? Something like this Battery Charger / Maintainer http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-BM3B-Battery-Ma...amp;sr=8-3?

My other thought is to get some kind of switch that would just interrupt the power. The kid at the local crappy chain auto parts store showed me a big ugly switch I could splice into the battery cable. Surely there is something more elegant, and that would double as an anti-theft device?

Thanks.

Do you have a radio that has a clock or needs to keep a memory of the the channels? That will run your battery down.

In my 64 bus, I have a radio like that but because I only listen to my iPod or a usb thingy, I have it hooked up to go off with the key, completely off. So it will not keep time or anything, which doesn't matter to me. I don't drive this bus to often so this hook up works well. I also have one of the trickle chargers hooked up in it. Kind of like the one you have shown in the link. I have it permanently hooked up in by the battery. All I need to do is run an extension cord to it and plug it in. As a safety precaution I put a rake up against the front of the bus ( I see the front before anything else when I go to drive it) so I don't forget to unplug it! LOL I can see it now, people will think it is electric when a 20 foot extension cord trailing behind it! LOL

If you don't have a radio that causes the draw, I would be searching for the problem before worrying about keeping it charged! Don't want an electrical fire!! :shock: