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04ICCE
Senior Member
USA
74 Posts |
 Posted - 02/13/2006 : 5:11:57 PM
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| we have an 05 thomas conventional that has atleast 1-2 blown exterior bulbs per week. also the eight way light controler has been replaced twice in 35000 miles. sometimes the driver reports the smell of burning electrical but never sees any smoke. is ther a common problem or do we have the runt of the litter? |
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Thomasbus24
Administrator
USA
4547 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2006 : 03:31:58 AM
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| We had a 2000 Freightliner doing this...the alternator (leese-neville) was spiking the voltage periodically. Has the driver noticed the volt or amp needles rising? ABS light activation? |
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hastings
Senior Member
USA
162 Posts |
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ModMech
Top Member
USA
948 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2006 : 3:11:34 PM
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| Which lights are you having troubles with. Since you say the 8-lamp controller was replaced twice, are they all 8-lamps that are burning out? |
If you want customer service, you NEED an International! |
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04ICCE
Senior Member
USA
74 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2006 : 3:52:35 PM
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lights blowing are clearance, marker, stop and directionals. though the controller has been replaced twice the eight way lights are fine.
its a variety of lights with the problem, though some have had more than one replaced.
the driver has not seen the volt meter spike, not say it hasn't and no abs light but it has gone into limp mode due to low coolant once.
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Scott
Wakefield Country Day School
Rappahannock county VA |
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Brad Barker
Administrator
USA
874 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2006 : 11:45:06 AM
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Bulbs will blow for various reasons. Common causes are excessive continuous voltages. I have not experienced or heard of voltage spikes causing problems unless it is excessively high such as above 16 volts. To the best of my knowledge most lamps and components will handle occasion short voltage spikes. I would be more worried about a continuous high voltage. A mechanic should test the system unloaded and loaded under various operating conditions to see if a problem exists. Normal high voltage should never go above 14.5 volts for extended periods.
Another failure cause may be defective components. Usually you will not find more than a few on one vehicle, however.
Loose, dirty connections, or undersized wiring especially in the ground circuits can also cause muliple problems. |
Brad A. Barker |
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cowlitzcoach
Advanced Member
USA
325 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2006 : 10:57:27 AM
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On our Crowns and Gilligs with the old style D-R alternators you had to rev the engine above 1000 RPM to get the alternator energized. If you had the lights on, particularly the clearance lights, when you first energized the alternator every morning you ended up replacing a lot of clearance and tail lights.
Since your bus is a fairly new bus with relatively low miles I am inclined to think you are spiking the voltage.
There was a discussion on this forum recently that discussed alternators. If the alternator isn't sized correctly for the load it isn't going to do the job properly. End result could be voltage spikes and drops.
What is your alternator putting out at idle with all of the lights on and blinking with all of the heaters and blowers blowing at full blast? If you are dropping below 12 volts you could be going way to high in the other direction when you get going again. If you do that on a regular basis you will end up with bulbs going out.
Mark O. |
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BLOWING BULBS
