School Bus Mechanic Archives

Cummins ISL G Natural Gas Engine

The video below is one of the mechanics from the Kelowna school district giving us a tour of their natural gas infrastructure. They have 16 buses running on natural gas and so far they are happy with them. About Cummins Natural Gas Engines When we stopped in to the Kelowna school bus garage one… Continue reading Cummins ISL G Natural Gas Engine

School Bus Training Seminar Report

One Day Seminar Thomas Buses The day started off at 6 am with myself and 2 fellow Mechanics driving to Kelowna a couple of hours out of town. A quick stop at Tim Horton’s for a coffee and breakfast made the morning complete. We arrived just after 8 am and met up with one of… Continue reading School Bus Training Seminar Report

Thomas School Bus Training Seminar

Thomas School Bus Training Seminar Tomorrow three of us from the shop are going to attend a Thomas bus seminar which will cover navigation of the accessfreightliner website, servicelink and the thomasbusonline website. The accessfreightliner allows us to log in and enter the VIN of any one of our buses where we can find chassis… Continue reading Thomas School Bus Training Seminar

Air Operated Disc Brakes

Are Air Disc Brakes The Future Of School Bus Braking Systems? After looking at the pros and cons of both foundation drum brakes and air disc brakes I believe the latter will become more popular. How fast it becomes a mainstay when ordering school buses is hard to say mainly because of the cost. According… Continue reading Air Operated Disc Brakes

The First Electric School Bus Unleashed

Good News For Green Energy Advocates The first all electric school bus is running around right now in California. It’s going to be so sweet to be able to knock a block off of the fossil fuel industry wall of power. Even though it will only be one block at a time the fight will… Continue reading The First Electric School Bus Unleashed

School Bus Safety – Unloading Practices

School Bus Safety The 8 Light Warning System I can guarantee that every school district in North America has trouble with traffic passing a stopped school bus when the red lights are flashing. These red lights are the 8 light warning system that starts off with amber lights before the bus comes to a… Continue reading School Bus Safety – Unloading Practices

HDX School Bus Tips

Thomas HDX School Bus Tips and Advice I want to share some areas of the HDX Thomas school bus that our shop has experienced that you may have already dealt with or have not seen it happen yet. They are a very comfortable bus to drive mainly because of the engine weight in the back… Continue reading HDX School Bus Tips

All About School Bus Exhaust Leaks

School Bus Exhaust Leaks and What To Do About Them On a school bus it’s common practice to walk around with a ball peen hammer and tap on all of the elbows throughout the system. These areas are a weak spot because(my opinion)they have been bent from the straight position to an angle position. The… Continue reading All About School Bus Exhaust Leaks

Thomas School Bus Manufacturing Tour

Witnessing The Manufacturing Of Thomas School Buses Thomas school buses are built stronger than any other vehicle on the road with extremely high standards set by the FMVSS (federal motor vehicle safety standards). I found this excellent video covering the manufacturing process. I had the privilege of going down to the Highpoint North Carolina factory… Continue reading Thomas School Bus Manufacturing Tour

HDX School Bus Heater Control

HDX School Bus Heat Control Valve As time goes on as we all know technology changes and this is still true for controlling the heat flow on a Thomas HDX Pusher School Bus. In the old days the heat control was simply a cable attached to the valve which was a throttle plate plumbed into… Continue reading HDX School Bus Heater Control