4104 bus electrical work. Alternator & reverse solenoid. Silversides tour. Cold start Detroit diesel

One step forward, two steps back. This 4104 is very temperamental
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[@BusGreaseMonkey]

Get Surfshark VPN at surfshark.deals/BGM and enter promo code BGM for 84% discount and 4 extra months for free!

[@andrewenglish3810]

Could the paint on the end of the solenoid pin could be causing it to stick? You should take a wire wheel to it and remove it and try it again.

[@DEW409]

That reverse solenoid probably has two windings, like a starter solenoid. Most heavy duty ones do. They have a heavy winding for pull in, and a lighter winding for hold in . There should be a switch in the back that the plunger hits when it pulls all the way in to disconnect the pull in winding. I suspect that switch is bad and is not making contact so all you are getting is the weak hold in winding. See if the back can be taken apart to reveal a switch that might be corroded or bent. Otherwise the pull in winding is probably burned out. Also, check for voltage drop in the bus wiring. Put a meter on the solenoid while it is engaged, should be over ten volts. I doubt if that wimpy power probe could properly test that large solenoid either. A better stand alone test would be connect them directly to a fully charged battery with good sized cables and see what they do.

[@Digital-Dan]

I was about to say something else, but having read your much more informed post, I'll second the vote for a failed pull-in winding.

[@travisallen206]

The khoa the kelly home owners association thats funny

[@GinosGarageUSA]

Thanks for having us Scott. Although it was a short stay we really enjoyed it. I hope I can come up another time and really be of some help on a bigger project. Wish I was here when you were putting that engine in the 4104. You and Kelly have a Happy New Year!

[@Deftonesdsm]

Those power probes are a must for any tech. Such a great tool

[@DEW409]

Very simple test. Hook an incandescent test light up to the positive terminal on battery. Touch the end to the alternator output terminal. If it lights, the alternator is either shorted or positive ground. If no light, you are good to go. This way you are working with low current and won't destroy anything.

[@wallacegrommet9343]

Fantastic interior!

[@garylecount1405]

Thanks, it works well for us. Glad you enjoyed it.

[@TimsWorkshopTJY]

That Surfshark is really cool. Neighbor came over and asked for my help with his car. His battery had 9.44v and wouldn't start. I asked him how old was that battery and he said as old as the car 2001. Haha I told him it's time to head to Les Schwab and get a new one. Wow he got his money's worth out of that one👍

[@petersmith7140]

Look like Montana van seats, they look like they work well, good work!

[@garylecount1405]

They are Montana van seats from the second row. I had a friend that had those in his basement after he wrecked his van. We bought them from him for the bus. They do work well.

[@uliwehner]

interior of the silversides is cool. seems like a good driving well sorted bus. just needs a block warmer. That wanderlodge starts like a champ.

[@183charlesspiva]

I like that fellows little greyhounds holding the cabinet doors shut, 'necessity creates inventions'!

[@garylecount1405]

Thanks, our youngest son 3D printed them. They’re his idea.

[@ericdee6802]

Beautiful 4104, I love the interior "Art deco" vibe. Happy Holidays to The Crosby Family and subscribers.🇺🇸✌️🎄

[@Romans--bo7br]

Eric Dee.... the interior "tour" is Not the interior of a 4104 ("IF"... that's what your referring to - ?). The electrical work he's doing and having trouble with... IS on the 4104, but the interior tour is a "Silverside" aka GM / PD3751 for example.

[@williamt4749]

Looks like your warm batt cable situation could just be the sun hitting the cables. Definitely at the batteries, if the outer wire was warmer than inner wire then the sun is hitting outer wire, not inner. If there was a major short both wires would heat up equally if they are same size. Also. I would expect a major light show touching the alternator positive to batt positive. Any amount of current that could heat up those heavy cables would definitely make a nice spark.

[@BusGreaseMonkey]

It was warm. Even smelled a little like when my flashlight burned a hole in my pocket

[@joestreiff9401]

I get a chuckle seeing all the mud dauber nests, they are also the bane of my existence 😃

[@steamfan7147]

Yes, and if you are working on anything with a hole in it, you can bet it's plugged solid by the little buggers.

[@davidmueller980]

Happy almost New Year! Lot’s of good advice on the electrical problems. Your video’s remind of the photo from the 1940’s where all the young high school mechanics are facing the engine with their heads under the hoods exchanging ideas.

[@brucedickson4666]

Hey Scott great video I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year I hope you have some great projects for January I'm going in for some heart surgery and I'll be waiting to see them looking forward to your future projects my daughter always laughs at me because every time Tyler's on one of your videos I scream Tyler! You have a great family you are very blessed thank you again for sharing your work and your videos with all of us

[@jeffherdzina6716]

Even on the MCI 102's with the defrost on high, could never keep up with the cold of Nebraska or Iowa. Granted the windows are far bigger vs what you guys have on your buses. I can remember leaning forward across the steering wheel. to see out a spot on the windows, while driving at night. Good times !!! LOL....

[@michellejaquez8809]

I hope you had a merry Christmas with your family mine was not a good one we had a death in the family.

[@ronross4288]

I have been viewing your videos for several months. I find them very interesting to me. However I am not a mechanic. I have made my living as and electrician. First in a trade school, then the Navy on an aircraft carrier. Since I got of of the Navy forty years ago, I now design substation systems. I never understood why people use steel lugs on battery cables. Steel is a very poor conductor and will get hot under any size load. Battery connections and cables need to have plated copper lugs of a thick enough wall thickness as to take current with out heating. Generally the cross sectional area needs to be equal to the cable size. Cheap China lugs are just that cheap, please do not use them on anything. Harbor Freight has a hydraulic fifty dollar lug crimper, it works well. At the battery use heat shirk to seal the cable to the lug to prevent corrosion. Critical circuits should not relied on mechanical steel bolts for an electrical connection, run ground wire.

[@chrisrhodes5464]

Look a bus that swipes up behind itself

[@johniewaddle1214]

I live in Tulsa and Auto battery and electric are still here great bunch of guys i think they do all of City of Tulsa's buses generator and charging system's

[@billmoran3812]

Those Wanderlodge with the tag axle are beautiful coaches. I wanted one beck in the 80’s, but way out of my budget. For the reverse solenoid, check the voltage at the solenoid, vs at the switch. If there is more than a volt or two drop, you may have either a bad wire, or a bad connection.

[@stuff6782]

Check the resistance of those coils for the reverse solenoid. That will tell you if the coil is open or shorted.

[@ebutuoyebutouy]

How many ohms should it be?

[@stuff6782]

I didn't know what it should be, but comparing the resistance would determine if one of them is bad. If they are both reading similar, then adjusting the angle of the coil, compared to the iron core should be looked at. If there is any dragging, due to alignment in the coil, the iron core will not pull in cleanly.

[@ebutuoyebutouy]

@@stuff6782 Then which one of them is bad? How u know that both are not bad? How do u adjust the angle?

[@stuff6782]

@@ebutuoyebutouy not being a electrical engineer, I'm a mechanical engineer, I would guess about 10 ohms. The resistance will determine the current draw, the lower the resistance the higher the current draw.

[@ebutuoyebutouy]

@@stuff6782 Is this the angle of the dangle?

[@joehomanick]

Hey Scott I think you need to try the 4th of July test with it running. Just for the hell of it try to get a headlamp bulb and use it to test the ground on the engine block . Positive to the battery and ground to the block and if the bulb is bright your ground is good . The test with the power probe is no good as it does not load the circuit and can take a different path to ground

[@JyrkiPokela]

you can test whether The alternator consumes power. by inserting a 5W lamp between the power source and the alternator cable. if the lamp does not light up there is a problem somewhere else.

[@andrewthomason3857]

6:05 I like those cabinet locks.

[@garylecount1405]

Thanks, my youngest son 3D printed them for us. They where his idea.

[@christopherrasmussen8718]

I got the Leaf 2nd gen battery pack. I want to make Juan's battery. Then I got frustrated and bought a mess of Battle Born battries.

[@GinosGarageUSA]

That would probably be the route I will go as well.. Building a battery bank is just not for me.

[@robertbrady9597]

amazing video you are doing for everyone to see stay safe down by you guys and have a happy new year 2021 i hope 2021 will be a good one

[@Wayoutthere]

Chasing down electrical issues. Hate.....it...so....bad. To make it myself as easy as possible I spend a long time simplifying the setup, dumped half the wiring, cleaned up the other half. Having a old bus also helps, far simpler.

[@lloydrobinson7081]

great video, keep them coming

[@wtbm123]

Cool . was the safety chains for the trailer at the end crossed . Hard to tell from the video . Ticket in some states if not crossed . But that was a very nice buss , so was the First one

[@fredhemi4564]

🇺🇸😎Our mechanic changed a positive ground Mack truck to negative ground. He forgot to change heater and air conditioner fans which now sucked air in. P. S. Driver survived the Arizona winter. 🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@willardway3037]

I see the problem with the reverse lock out. the solenoid is not pulling straight. the lever that hooks to the solenoid is sloppy not allowing a square pull and can't over come the friction. The current (amps) is what engages the lock out. Check the wiring for wear spots clean and lube all connections. check for a voltage drop any where in that circuit.

[@timharrison9060]

I know what the problem is,,,, that darn mud-dabber nest.....LoL be safe, Tim and Cat

[@cmdrdarwin3682]

Wow, that Wonderlodge sounds fantastic! What makes it so different from the old 6v92s?

[@cyrilhudak4568]

Looks pretty bada$$ too. +1

[@rickjohnson1632]

It’s probably a fresh motor. Just from looking at the engine bay I’d would guess it’s set up “ nice & tidy”

[@richardlazarski4553]

Doesn't it have an 8v92t?

[@danielseelye6005]

@@richardlazarski4553 🛎️🛎️🛎️

[@GinosGarageUSA]

It’s a 6v92TA.. 330 hp still the original engine, just has been cleaned and painted. I suspect around 250k miles as my odometer works intermittently. Any of the 92 series engines can be tuned up quite a bit as long as you have cooling.

[@carriebrumley8926]

Hi great video and that silversides was neat on the inside. I was also wondering if the Wounderlodge knelt and then it did. Thanks for sharing!!!

[@waynep343]

page 2 of this manual shows how to check to see if the diodes are good in a 50DN.. shop.pwt.ca/MCI/parts/dmmba000/07b.pdf there are different ways to hook up the diodes .. to make it a positive ground or a negative ground alternator. you have a digital volt meter with a diode test.. hopefully it has enough ability to test that high amp rated diodes.. hooking up directly without looking at amp draw.. if you don't have an AC/DC amp clamp.. you need one.. this is a 1,000 amp rated.. www.harborfreight.com/cm1000a-1000a-t-rms-acdc-clamp-meter-64017.html another is 600 amps but its only 10 bucks cheaper.. this allows you to measure current.. i am kinda upset that the alternator repair guy said.. just touch the output wire and if it sparks.. you have the wrong polarity. if its wrong you will be damaging the diodes .. at least diodes are easily replaced in those. no brushes.. its a brushless alternator.. you also need to make sure you have the cooling oil hooked up.. it takes 2 gallons a minute of engine cooling oil. the reverse solenoid.. clean the mounting flange.. so it has a good engine /transmission connection.. you can hook up a jumper cable laying next to the bus and hook your digital volt meter test lead to which ever you are using for ground.. touch the other meter probe to the mounting base.. then attempt to activate it. i want to know if your plunger assembly is free to move in and out.. it almost looks like the lever is bent down and is binding the plunger at an angle.. which is why is caused so much wear to one side of the plunger plating.. can you manually pull the lever in so the transmission goes in reverse and shut off the engine with it in reverse.. then see how much plunger stroke you have left to bottom the plunger in the bore.. you may have to adjust the plunger to lever length to make the plunger bottom out fully with the lever fully engaged.. if you are making the adjustment longer.. the plunger will be deeper into the winding to allow it to be pulled in fully. i used to only dabble in big alternators... i worked in a shop and did rebuilt alternators for tow trucks that were almost blow up proof. using diodes that were rated more than double what came from the factory..

[@sledhead904]

rear air dump is sweet! can that be added to any bus?

[@Captain_Char]

now im not great with gas or diesel engines, but is the inside of that coul rusted at all? im not sure if it would effect performance of it, I do know on some motors it will effect their performance

[@eddiepatterson5025]

Scott just curious. Have you ever considered doing a performance build on a Detroit Diesel ? Just asking. May you and Kelly have a Happy New Year 🎊🎆🎈

[@victormaggrah1251]

Looks like reverse solenoid is misaligned, binding. Try adjusting it's mount maybe?

[@fredmanicke5078]

The solenoid looks canted, maybe a washer under the back bolts will allow the plunger not to run on the bottom of the interior barrel. Or maybe the camera is distorting the picture in which case.....Never mind. Have a good day any way.

[@jamesshanks2614]

Why not simply replace the reverse electrical solenoid with an air piston? Granted you don’t see them that much but they work reliably. Never heard of an air piston burning out.

[@TERoss-jk9ny]

Bet it rattles going down the road with those lockers.

[@TylersNeighborhoodGarage]

Sounds almost like the batteries are trying to power the alternator like an electric motor.

[@eddiepatterson5025]

Scott on the metal plunger would it help if you use emery sandpaper to smoothing the surface more?

[@indigobr33ze56]

The warm ground cable looked like it was in the sun. Enough to warm it up to what you felt?

[@inmate666]

Make sure batteries are charged then see if it does the 4th of July thing.

[@nightsailor1]

Do the solenoid cylinder/plungers need to be de-gaussed?

[@SteveRivett]

Does the Wanderlodge typically have 3 cat doors on the side?

[@mrmike8568]

Hey Scott. You might want find out if that reverse solenoid is 24 volt. Luke can probably tell you what the ohmic value would be on a 12 volt solenoid. If you know of someone that is a electronics junkie they can probably build up a voltage doubler. It will spike the 24 volts needed to get it to latch and then it will go to 12 volts once it is pulled in. Hope it is just low voltage.

[@BusGreaseMonkey]

They are both 12v for sure.

[@adamtheede2575]

have you hit anything with a hammer ? if that doesn't fix it then im lost haha

[@Drew_379]

That seems like a lot of tounge weight for that bus?

[@scottums5427]

Not for a wanderlodge

[@GinosGarageUSA]

Wanderlodges typically all have 10k towing capacity. They have frame rails. This is my Wanderlodge and it has a 10k towing capacity.

[@Drew_379]

@@GinosGarageUSA thanks for info. I was thinking it was setup like a 4104

[@proluxelectronics7419]

The reverse solenoid looks like it's pulling off-centre, if you could lift the arm up with a washer it should work ok...

[@stuff6782]

The armature must pull through the center of the coil. Any dragging and it will not pull in.

[@geoffjohnson7383]

I agree, it looks like it not pulling center once the armature starts pulling in. Loosen the bolts and then push the arm all the way in the cool almost centers up then tighten the bolts back down. You may also find you may have to raise or lower the cool a bit to get proper alignment. You would be surprised how little of a rub can effect the pull of the coil.

[@josecarlosgrandinetti6195]

🤘🎱🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@marczavier1888]

So Nice 💘💘💘💘💘💘