[wil6707]

Hey Folks,

Just wanted to introduce myself.  My name is Wil and I'm here because I've currently got a purchase pending on a 1982 38 ft "Classic" I guess is what they go by.  It's got a Detroit 6v92 engine in it and I failed to get the transmission numbers.  I've already learned a lot from the posts here and hope to be able to learn some more and add a bunch of my own experience to it if this all works out.  I have the following challenges that I know of, if anyone is interested or has experience:

1. It's 3 hours away from me
   
2. Coach has been sitting for about 3 years - last started 9 months ago, before I went to look and got it started briefly.
   
3. Won't stay running at the moment - I think it was probably the fuel filter (I replaced the primary) or fuel prime or a combo, but my batteries (woefully undersized) went dead and I ran out of time before I could really troubleshoot
   
4. Air seems to be leaked all the way down - probably not running long enough or well enough to pump itself back up, but next time I will try to use an air compressor now that I've learned a little about that - It's an air throttle, so you can't even try to keep it running without going back there and moving it by hand
   
5. I'm in NC where we have a limit of 26001 lbs for a regular class C license - I have a feeling this thing is more than that?  So if that is the case, even if I got it drivable I might not be able to drive it legally.  Thoughts on weight?  I forgot to look for a GVWR tag while I was there. 
   
6. At this point - I think I'm leaning towards having it transported/towed the 200 or so miles to my house where I can work on it and don't have to worry about the legalities of driving it, or the maintenance and repairs required to get it safe to drive,  but maybe I'm just being too paranoid.  Maybe I should just go for it?   The owner said she would not have an issue with me letting it sit there while I work on it some after I buy it.
   

Anyway, long intro, but I figured I would just jump right in.  Hope everyone is doing well and had a great Memorial Day!

Thanks,

Wil

1.  

[Mageeacres]

Wil,
I too am new to the Newell world having purchased our classic coach in April. We are in North Texas. There’s so many gurus here that know just about everything... lol.

Have fun with your classic coach. Hopefully you will get your Private Coach road ready soon.
mike-

[Guy]

Depending on how long it has been sitting, you may be able to nurse it home. Often times prior owners  have lost track of how long the bus has really been non op. 

If you can get it to run for a few minutes at a time, you may be able to get in on a "lowboy" trailer for transport. We had to do this last year , when we had an airbag fail, dropping the body down, putting the tires in a rubbing position with a fender well. Towing is a no go for several reasons in my opinon. 

Coach tire failure while being towed  could leave you with a huge towing bill. ( Newells have no spare }
Air suspension failure while underway  would do the same, and then you absolutely would have to get a low boy trailer.

Heay duty towing rates for us were 350 to show up, and 6 dollars a mile. Be safe in this, whatever you do.
Good luck in your adventure.

[Tf175]

Welcome Wil!
I'm thinking you could learn a lot about the coach by getting it running where it sits . Does it have two 8D batteries ?
Regular flooded batteries might not be too expensive , although all battery costs are up at the moment . 
When I had fuel delivery problems (of my own making ) I ended up temporarily plumbing a gear pump into the system between the tank and engine to finally get it primed and running reliably . 
The first thing I did (after new filters) was plumb a small electric pump right into the secondary filter boss ( there's a plug , 1/4 npt ) with a hose from pump into a 5 gallon pail of fresh fuel . Engine ran fine with that , so I knew it wasn't pulling fuel all the way from the tank . The Detroit two stroke has a fuel transfer pump , but no high pressure pump , the injectors handle that . My experience is on the 8V only , but from what I have read the engines /fuel system are much the same . 
Look at the fuel /water separators , could be a water issue .
As to the air system , when the engine is running and compressor working , the brake system will come up first .
Once the brake tanks are at 65 psi (I think) the system tanks will begin filling and supplying the suspension , throttle , etc . An understanding of the air systems is important in Newell ownership . 
Richard advise on breaking it down to subsystems , very good . 
Something to be wary of is the potential for a "runaway " caused by a sticking fuel rack on an engine that has been setting for long period . I haven't had an issue , but I keep a piece of plywood in the compartment near the air intake to block off the air in case of exciting event ! 
Again , I think ten or fifteen minutes of running would tell you about the condition of the suspension , electrics , etc .
Brakes : hold the pedal down while someone listens for air leaks at each wheel . Make sure the old boy will stop before venturing onto the road !
On the '86 the GVWR , etc , is driver's left , lower wall .
Good luck !

[Richard]

You asked for both technical advice and strategy in the same request. At this point of your purchase they are inseparable.

Strategy. Towing is to be avoided, even if heroic measures are needed to get it running. You may find someone with a lo boy, but bridge height could be an issue.

Try to divide the problem into manageable bites.
You are going to need new batteries for the engine, go ahead and get them.
Put on new filters. Buy a 3 gallon garden sprayer, fill 2/3 with clean diesel. Cobble the outlet of the sprayer into the inlet of the first fuel filter. Pump up the sprayer. This won’t solve all your problems, but you can assure fuel flow to the engine this way, and assure the system is primed.

Air.

An external compressor is a great idea. I am guessing that a standard pancake style compressor would take up to 1/2 hour to fill my tanks and air bags if the system were empty. Point being that patience is required. If you can't build very much pressure, then start listening for leaks. Make your self a male quick disconnect to male quick disconnect adaptor to marry the compressor to the QD port on the coach. Put a quarter turn valve between the two males. The first time you use the adaptor you will understand why you need the valve.

If you can build pressure, then let it build to 120 psi. Keep in mind the coach will not raise to travel height, UNLESS the key is on, and the leveling system is in Travel mode.

Take two 20 ton bottle jacks, and adequate cribbing, such as 4X4 treated lumber cut into 1 foot lengths. You are probably going to have to raise the coach to look for air leaks underneath, grease the u joints, look for other fluid leaks. DO NOT get under the coach without placing the safety cribbing in place. The bottle jacks alone are not safe.

Those two things will let you know if you can even get to the next stage of road worthiness. As Chris said, now you have the brake system evaluation.

Look carefully at the tires and the date codes on the tires. Tires that sit for extended periods are the worst conditions for the rubber.

Observe carefully and report your issues back one per thread in the appropriate thread section. You will be happier in the end keeping them separated instead of merging all the problems into one thread. Plus it make it easier for us to help you.

[wil6707]

Thanks everyone for the quick replies! I'm hearing that having it towed or transported on a trailer should be a last resort. After talking to a company today about it I was starting to think that myself. Seems like it's a pretty substantial job and height is a concern. So before I do all that, I'll take your guy's advice and start going through the various systems.

Guy - I agree about the tire situation. The owner said that 3 tires had been replaced. Two on the back and one on the front. I looked at them as best I could and I didn't see any obvious signs of dry rot, but it is also hard to see everything. Apparently there is a garage 2 miles down the road that she used before for tires, so I could always get them checked/replaced there if needed.

Tf175 - Yes I agree, I can learn a lot (and already have) by trying to get it running myself. Yes it has 8D batteries and as soon as the deal goes through, I plan on just buying two new ones - If I can put water in the old ones and revive them, they can be my solar powered shed/HAM shack batteries.

I have a gas tapper, fuel transfer pump that I could probably rig up to prime up the fuel system as you guys are saying. Richard, I like the pump sprayer Idea too that's awesome.

It sounds like these things have some big air tanks, so that explains why it never was able to pump up. I have a pancake compressor and a 10 Gal aluminum air tank I can fill up ahead of time too if needed so I'll throw all that in the van when I go back.

I keep a 20 ton bottle jack in my van, and I think my buddy has one too, so I'll take those and some wood with me next time so I can get under there.

I have a van full of tools that I can sleep in, so maybe she will let me camp out in the yard while I work on this thing.

Seriously guys thanks so much for all the info. I'm a pretty handy ex-mechanic guy, but this big rig/bus stuff and diesel is new to me so I'm a newbie in that regard for sure. I'll be sure to put the next posts in the appropriate technical categories.

Thanks again,

Wil

[kyleb]

I have had several buses towed on a Landoll trailer - these were 1955 ish greyhounds (GM PD4501). The height issue is easy to work around - I drove the route & noted the overpass heights - simple math will let you know if it will fit.

When things fail on the road, it can get mega expensive in a hurry. You have to weigh the cost of the tow with the cost of travel & eating out while you get it road ready.

As for tires - I would likely run the rears, but I would definitely put new ones on the front - I am NOT the least bit interested in experiencing another steer tire blow out.

Before you drive it - make sure you understand the procedures for air brakes . . . .

Also, read up on the 'rules' for driving a 2-stroke -- you drive them differently than a 4-stroke . . . .

Welcome to the crazyness!

[The Bus Crew]

Welcome Wil, we are also fairly new to the coach world. We picked up a 1985 classic about 2 years ago and drove it home 150 miles on the 15 year old tires (not advocating you do the same) Our was sitting 15 years in a barn and it broke down 40 miles from home. We managed to get it started after about 2 hours and drove it to the closest shop (big mistake) as they really ripped us off. This was one of many mistakes or learning opportunities we have made so far. After the shop nightmare we spent several months planning and trying to learn how everything worked or more what still worked. We also asked many dumb questions on here and had several people willing to help us. Along the way we considered selling several times! But after a break from working on it we went back to it. Now after one and a half years of work we have taken four 100 mile trips as test runs. We plan to do several more of these before we really start driving it a longer distance, call it shaking the bugs out. Hope everything works out and you get to enjoy yours.

---

Also you may want to call you drivers license department and check if you need an endorsement for your state. Here in Kentucky I do not and our is 37,000 pounds as long as I do not use it for commercial use.

[wil6707]

Hi Folks,

Thanks again for the comments and information! Quick update - I managed to officially get the coach, so it's mine now. Whoo hoo! I replaced the chassis batteries as suggested. Got a pump sprayer and some fittings and got it set up to prime the system. I ended up having to replace both fuel filters and get it primed. Once I did that, and after a few tries, it finally seemed to get all the air out and cranked up and ran. It smoothed out and ran great after that. The air system pumped up in just a few minutes and all the air bags pumped up and were holding yesterday. I'll see if it has settled back down when I get over there today. I also got the generator running as well although it was smoking a lot. I was smoking out the previous owners truck so I cut it off. It might clear up once it has a chance to warm up.

Today I'm going to try to get the previous owner to walk me through some things. Apparently the guy that had it before her put an electronic shifter on it, but it is a custom control panel that he made himself and the brackets and stuff on the side of the tranny look questionable. She said she was having issues with getting it in to neutral I believe. So that's going to be the next order of business I think. The first thing I need to do is ID the tranny though.

Well I think that's it for now. Thanks again folks. I'll try to keep ya'll up to date on what I'm calling the "Re-Newell" project.

Wil

1983? Newell 38ft Classic?
Need to finish IDing

[Tf175]

Congrats on getting your coach , the adventure begins !
I think the trans for the 6V92 is a five speed Allison . May be an ID tag on one of the trans case bolts .
I found T.H. Anderson Pump Company , Kilgore TX , to be very helpful with information and parts for the Stone Bennett shifter . My four speed has a hydraulic shifter with electric controls , shifted with a toggle switch . 
Glad to hear you got it running and the air built up in a reasonable time . My air compressor would build air fairly quick , but the dryer was venting oil and making a big mess . AD 9 dryer helped , but only a band aid fix . Rebuilt the compressor last year,  no oil venting now .
Hopefully your generator will come around after some running time . Our coach has a Kohler 12 .5 KW with Perkins 4.108 engine . Those engines are known for their durability .
 Sounds like you are ready to make sure of brakes , etc and roll toward home ,
Good Luck !