Articles Archives

Pusher School Bus Engine Running Cold – Cummins Diesel ISC Model

I was out looking at one of our pusher buses and checking it out for running cold. The ambient temperature at the time was around -16 Celsius. In the video the first thing to check on these pusher buses is the hydraulic drive engine fan. The have stuck on in the past because of the… Continue reading Pusher School Bus Engine Running Cold – Cummins Diesel ISC Model

Watch Real Grease Monkeys – Literally Speaking

This grease monkey video (I wonder if they’re certified?) promotes Castrol oil which we are using right now. The 15W40 and 5W30 is a semi synthetic with CJ4 specification in the 15W40. As you may already know the low ash engine oil is required for today’s emission controlled engines. If you found a barrel of… Continue reading Watch Real Grease Monkeys – Literally Speaking

Parker Hydraulic Fan Drive School Bus Pusher

All of the school bus pusher buses have hydraulic drive engine fans. They have their advantages which includes cold start override which cuts down on the engine load and decreases warm up time. Fan Drive Fault – Staying on Constantly Right now we have a pusher bus that has an engine fan that stays on… Continue reading Parker Hydraulic Fan Drive School Bus Pusher

School Bus Shop Photos

These are photos I’ve been taking throughout the years at our school bus garage. As you may have noticed some of the technology is older. The Kysor Engine shutdown system was in our mid 1990 models. They served their purpose and was very basic with a coolant temperature sensor and oil pressure sensor hard wired… Continue reading School Bus Shop Photos

School Bus Module and Mercedes Diesel Engine Code Problem

Voltage Leakage with Interface Modules Another problem we are dealing with is the VIM vehicle interface modules especially on the HDX Thomas pusher buses. They are exposed to the elements and attract corrosion and since they have cooling vents to the atmosphere this causes voltage to creep over and energize other circuits. On one of… Continue reading School Bus Module and Mercedes Diesel Engine Code Problem

Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Tire Myths Debunked

As one of the most commonly replaced parts on a car, vehicle tires represent a $23 billion industry, according to IbisWorld.com. Everyone seems to have some kind of advice about proper tire care and replacement, but it can be hard to separate the facts from fiction. Check out these four tire myths: Only Big Companies… Continue reading Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Tire Myths Debunked

Cummins Diesel Aftertreatment System Video

I found this animated video of the Cummins Diesel Aftertreatment system commonly known as SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction). I need to get familiar with this system since we have been buying International buses since 2010. Navistar was only using the EGR to reduce emissions to 2010 standards along with buying credits so they did not… Continue reading Cummins Diesel Aftertreatment System Video

Allison Automatic Transmission Checking Codes

The Allison MD 3000 electronic transmission is a regular component in a lot of fleets. We have been using them for many years and there have been some faults with them including wiring issues and clutch failures but for the past few years they have been bullet proof. I think one factor is the synthetic… Continue reading Allison Automatic Transmission Checking Codes

How The Vandalock Works On An International School Bus

In this video I go through the vandalock system in a conventional International school bus. The key switch is on the outside for a good reason. The operator can disable the bus from starting if he happens to either leave the bus with kids still on or has to park it over night or while… Continue reading How The Vandalock Works On An International School Bus

Hot Rods From The Fifties

Hot Rods started growing in popularity around 1950. After the second world war America was ready for some fun which included it’s love for the automobile. The fifties represented a generation of rebels like James Dean who starred in “Rebel Without A Cause”. The fifties also popularized drive-in movies, Coca Cola and jukeboxes. In the… Continue reading Hot Rods From The Fifties