Articles Archives

New Snap-On Battery and Electrical System Tester

The MicroVAT Elite Battery and Electrical Diagnostic Tester From Snap On We recently had to send a Mechanic from our shop to one of our bus garages a couple of hours north. The Mechanic who resides there had to take medical leave for a few months. Our Mechanic was going through the shop tools and… Continue reading New Snap-On Battery and Electrical System Tester

School Bus Walk Gate Repairs

Transpec Walk Gate Repair on a School Bus Today we were working on a walk gate which is attached to the front bumper on a school bus and keeps students from running out into the street blindly. The gate makes them walk further ahead of the front of the bus where they can see oncoming… Continue reading School Bus Walk Gate Repairs

School Bus Fleet Maintenance

Fleet Standards and Preventive Maintenance Plan Maintaining a school bus fleet means a lot of planning is required. Thinking ahead is a daily routine so there is a lot of record keeping on paper and the computer hard drive. Since our fleet is monitored by the CVSE (commercial vehicle safety enforcement agency) all log book… Continue reading School Bus Fleet Maintenance

Setting Valves and Injectors CAT 3116 Diesel Engine

Setting Valves and Injectors on a Cat 3116 Diesel Engine Our fleet starting getting Cat 3116 diesel engines in the mid 1990s and we ended up with 13 in total. Caterpillar delivered a lot of these diesel engines during the late eighties and mid nineties. There are still many of these models running around so… Continue reading Setting Valves and Injectors CAT 3116 Diesel Engine

International DT 466E Engine No Start Oil Pressure Problem

https://youtu.be/8TF3WlIRzTk DT 466E Engine No Start Low Oil Pressure This problem started during the morning start up…. the bus was 30 minutes out of town it was plugged in but it would not start. The bus in question was a 1998 International conventional with a DT 466E diesel engine. It was the middle of… Continue reading International DT 466E Engine No Start Oil Pressure Problem

School Bus Mechanic Daily Routines & Troubleshooting

Another Day In The School Bus Garage You never know from one day to the next what kind of repairs are going to develop in our shop. It could be an air leak, oil leak, coolant leak, brake vibration, front end shimmy, engine complaint you name it. That’s why this job is never boring with… Continue reading School Bus Mechanic Daily Routines & Troubleshooting

School Bus Pusher TPS Code

Throttle Position Sensor Failure Last week one of our highway run Thomas HDX pushers called in with a no throttle’ complaint. I sent one the mechanics out to investigate. He reported back saying that full throttle only gets up to 700 RPM. He hooked up the laptop and it came back with a TPS code… Continue reading School Bus Pusher TPS Code

School Bus Electrical Problem

Friday Afternoon School Bus Battery Voltage Problem It’s very common for our fleet to have a Friday afternoon service call….a real mystery why this happens and can’t be explained. Between 2:30 and 3:00 pm is the most common afternoon run starting time in our fleet and I got a call from one of the out… Continue reading School Bus Electrical Problem

A Peculiar School Bus Service Call

Since this first occurrence there has been two more instances with the same bus model same year. The dealer will be replacing the radiator under warranty and the OEM representative has been notified. Out of three buses 2 of the radiators have been damaged requiring replacement. Spring Load And Fatigue The 2 bars that intersect… Continue reading A Peculiar School Bus Service Call

School Bus Vehicle Inspections and Repairs

Motor Vehicle Inspections A Very Necessary Routine Every month there are a certain amount of motor vehicle inspections. The average number of inspections runs around 6 -8 per month. There are 66 buses in our fleet so the inspections are spread out over the year. This week being the last one of the month… Continue reading School Bus Vehicle Inspections and Repairs