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B. Busguy33
Top Member
USA
3444 Posts |
 Posted - 02/04/2005 : 08:14:44 AM
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My bus went up to the main garage for a state inspection sticker and a PM on Monday afternoon. It came back to me yesterday (Thursday) afternoon. I was very happy to be back in "my" bus. It drove great, just as it did before it left on Monday.
This morning I was driving my elementary route. It was driving fine, except when I pulled away from one stop up a slight hill to go to another stop, about the time it was supposed to shift from 1st to 2nd gear, I hear a loud clunk-clunk-clunk-clunk. I stopped and then I was unable to go anywhere. The bus just stopped. Sounded like a transmission failure to me. I saw what appeared to be transmission fluid all over the road.
Looks like I will be stuck with a spare bus for awhile. There is another bus down with a failed tranny and another bus for the school I drive at that was out for a failed tranny for a couple months. She just got it back last Friday.
I will miss "my" bus, that's for sure! It's one of the best running older buses we have that I have driven. |
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thomas86_a
Top Member
USA
4413 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 10:54:50 AM
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| Does your bus have the 545 transmission? |
If you have an International, you NEED customer service. |
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92FrdCarp#11
Top Member
USA
1455 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 2:07:45 PM
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| What kind of bus do you drive? What kind of spare bus did they give you? I hope you get your bus back soon. |
Johnny
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DJBUSMARK
Senior Member
USA
184 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 2:26:51 PM
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Sorry to hear your bus broke. Hopefully you won't be in the spare bus for too long.
Mark |
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Thomasbus24
Administrator
USA
4547 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 4:11:19 PM
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Want me to come up and fix it...I have some spare time on my hands! |
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B. Busguy33
Top Member
USA
3444 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2005 : 5:46:57 PM
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After seeing the mechanic this afternoon, he told me he never saw anything like what happened to my bus. I mentioned in my first post that I couldn't move at all. Well, he tried putting it in neutral to roll back on the slight a hill a little bit to get it further over to the side of the road, but he couldn't even do that. Usually you would be able to. I guess something happened that caused a mechanism to get locked into place which prevented the bus from moving, even in neutral. Like I said, he had never seen anything like it before.
The bus has 90,384 miles, and like I said, it runs better than some of the other buses from that same era in our yard.
quote:
Does your bus have the 545 transmission?
Yes, it does. All of our buses except the six 2002 TC/2000s have the 545. The TCs have the Allison 2000. What a world of difference!
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What kind of bus do you drive? What kind of spare bus did they give you? I hope you get your bus back soon.
I drive a 1996 International/Blue Bird, DT466, hyd. brakes, 71 passenger. It was new when I was in high school, and it was part of the last group of brand-new buses my company received until 2000.
Today I drove another driver's bus. He was on a trip in a newer bus, so I used his. I will be driving the same spare I drove in the earlier part of the week when my bus was up at the garage. That bus is a 1996 International/Blue Bird (identical to my bus, with the exception of the spare bus having a left side emergency door). This bus manufactured a few months before mine was. And, it has about 114k miles on it.
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Sorry to hear your bus broke. Hopefully you won't be in the spare bus for too long.
I didn't mind too much driving that bus as a spare, so it won't be too bad driving it again. The front header has the name "Cheryl" written on it (who is the driver who drove it last year), and the kids were wondering about that. But, it is a decent bus, so I think I should be able to manage. 
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Want me to come up and fix it...I have some spare time on my hands!
You are more than welcome to come up here to fix it. I will even make sure you are paid well for your work!  |
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BlueBird16
Top Member
USA
501 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2005 : 2:05:06 PM
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| I have one question. Do you pre-trip your bus and check the fluids? The system I used to work in required that we do it each day and we even had logs to check off that we turned in at the end of week. I'm not saying that would have prevented what happened to your bus, but it's a good habit to get into and it would keep you off a crappy loaner. I know all too well what that feels like. |
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SchoolBusFan
Top Member
USA
1769 Posts |
Posted - 02/05/2005 : 7:21:32 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by BlueBird16
I have one question. Do you pre-trip your bus and check the fluids? The system I used to work in required that we do it each day and we even had logs to check off that we turned in at the end of week.
Our vehicle's fluids are inspected (washer, fuel, oil, etc.) daily, but they're trucks. |
Check out my new Yahoo group:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/ccsdschoolbuszone/
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IC
Top Member
USA
3413 Posts |
Posted - 02/06/2005 : 1:51:11 PM
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I hope you get your ride back real soon, Bob!
Hey, your post reminded me that my bus('89 Ford/Wayne)is still in the shop. It went in on Jan 26 for it's regular service....and what's this Feb 6? Oh well, who cares....the good thing about being a rookie driver here is that the spares are as good, and sometimes BETTER than your regular bus! LOL |
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B. Busguy33
Top Member
USA
3444 Posts |
Posted - 02/07/2005 : 3:24:20 PM
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quote:
Do you pre-trip your bus and check the fluids? The system I used to work in required that we do it each day and we even had logs to check off that we turned in at the end of week. I'm not saying that would have prevented what happened to your bus, but it's a good habit to get into and it would keep you off a crappy loaner. I know all too well what that feels like.
We are required to pre/post-trip our buses each and everyday. We are also required to turn in our DVCR (Daily Vehicle Condition Report -- the name of our "pre-trip logs") each and everyday. We are not allowed to check anything under the hood, whether it be fluids, belts, hoses, filters, etc. We are not even allowed to open the hood! (Unless, you're in training for your license or the mechanic asks you to open the hood.)
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Oh well, who cares....the good thing about being a rookie driver here is that the spares are as good, and sometimes BETTER than your regular bus! LOL
My location serves a town that requires all their buses to be 2000s (since those are the newest buses we have). Some spare buses of the same model year (2000) are in better condition than some of the drivers' regular buses! |
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B. Busguy33
Top Member
USA
3444 Posts |
Posted - 02/18/2005 : 08:21:33 AM
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Update:
This update comes a little late, but better late than never!
The transmission was replaced that very weekend (on Saturday, 2/5). I got the bus back last Thursday, 2/10 and I have been driving it ever since then. I was amazed at how fast it got repaired and brought back into service! Like I mentioned, there was a bus out for 3 months due to a transmission failure.
My bus has been driving great. I have had it for a week now and I am happy to be driving it again. Just thought I would let you all know. I am so happy I didn't have to wait 2-3 months before getting it back. |
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IC
Top Member
USA
3413 Posts |
Posted - 02/18/2005 : 6:52:13 PM
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Glad you got her back!
Our shops turn a tranny job around pretty quick too. They just grab one of those brand new rebuilt Jaspers off the shelf and jam it in there. |
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Topic |
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My Bus Broke
