School Bus Mechanic Archives

School Bus Auto Chains

Installing auto tire chains on a school bus takes a better part of a day but it’s so worth it! All the service calls I went on to get buses out of a jam during a winter tire spin out was endless. One time a semi truck and trailer spun out on a hill which… Continue reading School Bus Auto Chains

Life As A GM Mechanic

The New Cummins V8 5 Liter Diesel

The Cummins ISV 5 Liter diesel will be going into the Nissan Titan for 2015. The original plan was to fit these engines into the Dodge Ram but that did not happen. The reason was the engine manufacturer for Fiat VM Motori has a 3.0 Liter diesel that is kicking butt in the fuel mileage… Continue reading The New Cummins V8 5 Liter Diesel

Low Power No Codes Maxxforce DT Diesel Engine

Low Power with No engine codes is a tough problem to have because of the lack of information which generally comes from reading an engine code. A lot of times a code will point you in the right direction and give you a general idea what area of the engine to look at. In this… Continue reading Low Power No Codes Maxxforce DT Diesel Engine

Maxxforce 7 Turbo Waste Gate Repair

“No Power” 2008 International MaxxForce 7 Diesel Engine – No Turbo Boost This is what we discovered on our one and only International hybrid school bus equipped with a MaxxForce 7 diesel engine. The complaint was the ever so common “no power” problem so we hooked up the laptop and the diagnostic software and went… Continue reading Maxxforce 7 Turbo Waste Gate Repair

Checking Out School Buses For Sale

Allison Automatic Transmission Wiring

An Over View on Allison Automatic Transmission Wiring We didn’t experience the New World Transmissions from Allison until 1995. The ER Saf -T- liner Pusher buses all came equipped with 3000 series transmissions and for the most part they were very reliable. At least until the wiring problems began a year or two later. Owning… Continue reading Allison Automatic Transmission Wiring

Cat 3116 Diesel Engine Memories

Remembering The Cat 3116 Diesel Engine It’s been a few months since we sold our last bus with a Cat 3116 diesel engine. They were a well built engine but their top end was weak. It was #5 exhaust valve that would blow up in the cylinder and make a big mess. Actually the valve… Continue reading Cat 3116 Diesel Engine Memories

School Bus Pusher Front Brakes

Brake Jobs are a common repair in our fleet and the video shows a steering axle brake job being done on an HDX Thomas pusher bus. They usually last several years since there is a lighter load on the front axle compared to the drive axle which supports the engine and transmission. These shoes are… Continue reading School Bus Pusher Front Brakes

Thomas HDX Rear Emergency Window Tips

HDX School Bus Rear Emergency Window You might be thinking what is there to talk about with the rear emergency window on a Thomas HDX pusher school bus? There’s a lot of information I’m going to share with you concerning the window alarm and the vandalock and some tips on keeping the window from seizing… Continue reading Thomas HDX Rear Emergency Window Tips