The Itinerant Air-Cooled stop in Grayslake IL (6/5/2009)

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locoqueso
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The Itinerant Air-Cooled stop in Grayslake IL (6/5/2009)

Post by locoqueso » Mon Jun 08, 2009 6:56 am

The day started with a phone call from Colin. In a calm voice, he asked if I knew where the gas station was on the corner of Hainesville and Shorewood. A couple of the local police had informed him that his license was suspended. They told Colin that he could not drive the blue bus from the parking lot of the abandoned strip mall. I knew exactly where Colin was calling from. It was just around the corner from me. Knowing I was about the drive the blue bus home, I quickly set out jogging to join up with Colin.

I turn the corner and Colin is nowhere in sight. I think to myself he must have parked behind the building. I run around to the back and he is not there. No sign of Colin, the blue bus, or the police. At this point, I am sure they have hauled Colin off and towed the bus. The town and this particular street have a bad reputation for being a speed trap. Four miles over the limit will get you a ticket so I figured the police did not take kindly to finding this bus and its owner in their town, without a valid driver’s license.

I called Colin back, expecting to get voicemail because he’s probably in the back of the squad car, but I was wrong. Colin answered and he was parked on the only side of the building I didn’t check. I ran around to the other side to find Colin already on the phone, trying to straighten out the issue with his license. There were no police in sight. They left him there, trusting he wouldn’t drive away on his own. I was amazed. A few minutes later I was nervously trying to get the blue bus back to my house, with Colin in the passenger seat, so we could begin our day.

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Once home, we reviewed my “to do” list for the day, along with the list of work I had completed since Colin’s 2008 visit. Fuel lines were my number one priority so we hit that first. I purchased the rubber fuel line kit from German supply, along with a couple of their steel fuel lines for my year. I also picked up an OEM rubber filler neck from Bus Boys. I wanted to be prepared for this visit, so I purchased fuel parts I wasn’t sure I needed, just so I wouldn’t be stuck on this day. This turned out to be a good plan because we ended up using them. Some of the rubber and steel lines I couldn’t see, needed to be replaced.

Replacing the fuel lines took a lot longer than I expected. I bought the kit, but didn’t realize it would still have to be tweaked to fit. We pulled apart the injectors and cleaned them. I’m glad I had Colin here to help me with this effort. I would have been stuck on a few spots and it could have easily turned into a multi-day effort if I was on my own. I ended up replacing the fuel pump, the two rubber parts of the filler, all of the rubber lines and some of the steel fuel lines. I expected to replace the fuel tank itself, but that turned out to be in good shape.

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After the fuel system was finally put back together, we reassembled the rest of the engine compartment. I’m glad I paid attention to how it came apart, because Colin had me put a lot of the parts back myself as he worked on another area of the bus. The new foam surround seal was the last part to be installed. I found out how much thinner the new foam is. It appeared to have half of the bulk compared to the foam seal in the blue bus. I’ll have to keep my eye out for a higher quality foam seal, but for now, this will work.

We need to prime the fuel line before we try to start the engine. Colin starts the pump and lets it run for a bit. Then, all of a sudden, the pump starts running again on it’s own. It turned out to be a faulty double relay. Colin was able to remove the cover for the relay and adjust something to get it working again. He noticed signs of possible heat damage, so this may only be a temporary fix, but it should cover me until I can get a new double relay.

Now it's time to fire up the engine. This is the moment I've been waiting for. I jump into the driver's seat and wait for Colin's signal. I turn the key…and it doesn’t start. The engine turns over, but it doesn’t catch. I try that a couple more times before the troubleshooting begins. It is now about 10pm and I get a sick feeling in my stomach. Colin confirms we have spark, so he turns his attention to the fuel supply. A cap full of gas tells us that we aren’t getting fuel. It wants to start when he poured the cap of gas down one of the hoses. Colin’s test light tells us that the injectors aren’t getting power. A closer look at the double relay shows that one of the plugs was not fully seated. Colin has me try the key again, and this time it works. The engine fires up as my bus comes back to life. We finish up with a timing/dwell check and a test drive. It was a great feeling and a perfect way to end a long day.

Thank you Colin!!!

Work Approved by Inspector Otto

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1978 VW Campmobile (P-21) Westfalia - T2 2.0L F.I.- 151,000m
1982 Mercedes-Benz Estate Wagon (300TD-T) - S123 3.0L T.D. - 142,000m
1993 Dodge Maxi Van (190 SLF) InterVec Falcon - B350 Magnum 5.9L F.I. - 70,000m

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skin daddio
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Post by skin daddio » Mon Jun 08, 2009 7:20 am

and you did not forget to return colin to hainesville and shorewood?

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hambone
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Post by hambone » Mon Jun 08, 2009 7:30 am

Great writeup, and o' what a coupla handsome fellers!
http://greencascadia.blogspot.com
http://pdxvolksfolks.blogspot.com
it balances on your head just like a mattress balances on a bottle of wine
your brand new leopard skin pillbox hat

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chitwnvw
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Post by chitwnvw » Mon Jun 08, 2009 7:54 am

You look like a giant next to a leprechaun.

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How do you test the power to the injectors with a test light?

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Amskeptic
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Post by Amskeptic » Mon Jun 08, 2009 10:10 am

chitwnvw wrote:How do you test the power to the injectors with a test light?
Alligator clip to ground. Test probe to the series resistors, any one of them. We had no power. Power to the injectors comes from the double relay:
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So, terminal 88B wasn't happily connected, and when I reseated the plug, it was. The injectors have voltage any time the ignition is on. An illuminated test lamp at the injectors when you trouble-shoot, is but half the story.
The ECU only fires the injectors by grounding them. A steady illumination of the test lamp when you are cranking the engine is evidence of a ground problem, as they should pulse. If the #1 white wire at the coil is not seated, that tells the ECU not to fire, and if the #7 (?) ground terminal at the ECU plug is not seated, you will have no injector ground, ask Soulful66 about that one . . . :cyclopsani:
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chitwnvw
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Post by chitwnvw » Mon Jun 08, 2009 10:22 am

Thanks. I am going to determine what was causing my problems a few weeks back, the series resistors or the double relay.

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