'Foolish Pleasure' takes to the road again...and Jake comments

[NCbob]

Jackie & I decided to take the bus to a Flea Market with RV parking over the last weekend and it sure was nice to hear that ol' Detroit screaming again. While the selling wasn't that good ..it was good to get the bus out and moving again. One little problem gave me some concerns...the reverse solenoid wouldn't always release to normal...but a poke with a broom handle got me out of a fix. We might take a look at the solenoid at the 'non-rally'.

This was really the first time I was able to utilize the Jakes on a 7 & 8% grade on the trip over and back (20 miles)....but they're gangbusters! I up shifted to 2nd to climb to the top knowing the two grades were severe on the downside and stayed in 2nd and just switched them off and on.  On the 7% I let the RPM's creep over 2100 and had to lightly touch the brakes twice. On the 8% i must have set it up better as I could switch them on and off and maintain my max of 2000 RPM's and a steady 30 MPH...no brakes.

Worth every penny and all the aggravation to install them.  They'll get a bit of use again next week end for the Palmetto Burger Fry and at the end of the month it's off to FL for the winter.  Ah, how I love to drive this bus!

Bob

[Busted Knuckle]

Hey Bob glad to hear yas is using & loving it! Still waiting for ya'll to stop by here! I guess you could stop in on the way to FL! LOL!
  BK 

[wvanative]

Lol Bob, I must be environmentally safe, because I'm green with envy, nice to hear you had a good trip, and with them Jakes, it's just one less hill to worry about. Sounds like the flea market is a nice way to use the bus, and it helps to offset some of the cost.

WVaNative

[Fredward]

Bob,
Did you ever check the oil level in the drop box?

I learned something else while I was under my -5. The drive axels were prone to bending and cracking (and leaking). Many of them were repaired by welding gussets to stop the flex. Mine isn't gusseted but someone did silicone it where it is cracked! I guess they don't break in half or anything, just leak. Mine has silicone all the way up the right side of the pumpkin and around almost to the top. It doesn't leak so I'm leaving it.

-Keep the pedal to the metal-

Fred

[NCbob]

Fred, until just recently I didn't have a run up block for the bus..but now I do so I will 'kill two birds with one stone' so to speak this week end at the Palmetto 'non-rally' where I have all the experts from the BusNut peanut gallery watching my every move.

I plan on taking at least a quart of GO90 with me and a hose to adapt to the squeeze bottle.  I've heard just about enough rattling from the drop box to last me a lifetime.

Thanks mucho for your tip on finding the plug...now I know where it is.  With the help of the 'gallery' I'll be able to solve the reversing solenoid problem as well.

Tip for Spicer operators: Da Book sez: DO NOT attempt to shift the transmission from any other gear but neutral to reverse or the reversing solenoid may be damaged." BELIEVE IT! Any problems I might have are because I tried to shift from 1st through neutral, into reverse to save a bit of gear grinding.  IT AIN't WORTH THE RISK! That solenoid isn't that accessible!

NCbob

[Fredward]

Bob,
Thats kind of strange because it seems to me that the only way that I can reliably get into R is to start in 1st, flip the switch and go thru Neutral, thru second to Reverse. It almost always goes into Reverse that way. If I start in Neutral it doesnt' go into reverse reliably. You think you broke it by doing that? You know there is a relay that operates that solenoid? I is located in the rear Junction box.
Fred

[NCbob]

Fred, what sort of woke me up was that I looked at the Parts Book and it showed 3 shafts for shifting. the 1st and 2nd are on one shaft and 3rd and 4th on another.  Reverse has it's own shaft.  That tells me that it's going to be very difficult for the solenoid to select the proper shaft if I'm in either first or second.

You might want to take a look at it for yourself.

Bob