old starters don't always die... sometimes they're murdered

[Dallas]

Dallas: That sounds like a great part time business oportunity just crying for somebody to start. You are a young man with the knowledge and ability to train a young person to do the work. If you are anywhere close to a truck stop, there should be lots of work just doing the heavy truck stuff.

Stan,

I've really given that serious consideration. There is a need for an alternator/generator/starter rebuild shop in this area.

Unfortunately, since the last rally, Cat, (my wife), has really hopped on the 'conversion' band bus! Now she's talking about doing this and that and going here, there, hither and yon. Whew, it makes me tired just thinking of the honeydew list she's coming up with!

I don't want to get into building a growler and all the other associated equipment for testing and rebuilding. Especially if we are planning on moving down the road in a year or two. Right now, if I do my own work and something screws up, I can holler at the technician who did the work and make the idiot do it right -- without pay of course.

However, it is easy work and it sure does pay well. I need to talk someone into coming to this town and setting up a shop, for a small consultation fee, of course. And maybe a recurring fee for appreciation! (Preferably in the 6 digit range of course!)

Any Takers?

Dallas

[eglluvr]

Dallas: That sounds like a great part time business oportunity just crying for somebody to start. You are a young man with the knowledge and ability to train a young person to do the work. If you are anywhere close to a truck stop, there should be lots of work just doing the heavy truck stuff.

I don't want to get into building a growler and all the other associated equipment for testing and rebuilding. Especially if we are planning on moving down the road in a year or two. Right now, if I do my own work and something screws up, I can holler at the technician who did the work and make the idiot do it right -- without pay of course.

Dallas

Just Throw it all in your 6th Bay, You Know, The empty one?  And make it a mobile operation.  just think of the curbside appeal   

[Dallas]

Dallas: That sounds like a great part time business oportunity just crying for somebody to start. You are a young man with the knowledge and ability to train a young person to do the work. If you are anywhere close to a truck stop, there should be lots of work just doing the heavy truck stuff.

I don't want to get into building a growler and all the other associated equipment for testing and rebuilding. Especially if we are planning on moving down the road in a year or two. Right now, if I do my own work and something screws up, I can holler at the technician who did the work and make the idiot do it right -- without pay of course.

Dallas

Just Throw it all in your 6th Bay, You Know, The empty one?  And make it a mobile operation.  just think of the curbside appeal   

You bet, 

The poor little bays in my 4103 are so packed now I'll have to haul the extra stuff on an 18' trailer when we get ready to go.

At this point we are also looking at building roof storage to pack up some of this junk!

When we went from a 30' transit to a 35' parlour coach, we thought we'd never run out of room..... Wrong!

Dallas

[Buffalo SpaceShip]

Are they not tied into your master switch?

Shouldn't they have just a short positive lead on them that goes to the power supply in the dash? The wires from the senders are typically grounds, aren't they?

Bad senders shouldn't cause a current leak, only a misreading gauge, and if they're tied into the master switch as they should be, then there shouldn't be a draw when parked.

Craig, I would think what you're saying should be true. But the ring terminals causing the leak ties right into the big feed wire to the dash. It's an OEM wire and goes into their loom and then I lose where it goes... but as best I can tell the only items on it are those aftermarket gauges. Maybe I should dig into the dash and figure this out, eh?

The P.O. used a lot of existing/ abandoned wires to run new circuits, so it's hard to tell what's what.

And you're right, a sender should short to ground to create any kind of resistence measurement... so I'm probably looking in the wrong place for my problem if I'm in the back of the bus.

Hmm...
bb

[gumpy]

Here's an idea.  I've not actually tried this, but there are several on this board that say it works.

Break your positive battery cable and install a test light between the battery post and the cable terminal. If you have a leak, you should see the light glow. The more leak, the brighter the glow.

Now, start undoing circuits (pull fuses and circuit breakers) until the light goes out. There's your offending circuit, now you can focus on that circuit and it's wiring and components.

Someday I'm going to try this for myself.

[Buffalo SpaceShip]

It does work, Craig. I used this trick yesterday to find the offending ring terminal leaking current. The continuity tester with no voltage applied to the coach got me into trouble because of relays, etc. But the test light + to + works great.

The test light to ground was very bright (duh) and the test light to the questionable ring terminal is about half as bright. Bright enough to be concerned about, though.

Boy do I love troubleshooting electrical issues! Beats getting crushed by a bus, I guess. 

bb

[ChuckMC9]

Break your positive battery cable and install a test light between the battery post and the cable terminal. If you have a leak, you should see the light glow. The more leak, the brighter the glow.

I've done this with an ammeter instead of a light on my MC9. There's just a bit over one amp consumed, which I have yet to trace down yet. Probably some hack done by the PO. You can simply put the light or meter between the terminals on the switch if it's off, no wire disconnecting necessary.

The *first* thing I do after killing the engine is disconnect the batts. I'm working on an interior disconnect as well.