Articles – Page 28 – Mechanics Hub

Cat 3116 Diesel Engine Memories

Remembering The Cat 3116 Diesel Engine It’s been a few months since we sold our last bus with a Cat 3116 diesel engine. They were a well built engine but their top end was weak. It was #5 exhaust valve that would blow up in the cylinder and make a big mess. Actually the valve… Continue reading Cat 3116 Diesel Engine Memories

School Bus Pusher Front Brakes

Brake Jobs are a common repair in our fleet and the video shows a steering axle brake job being done on an HDX Thomas pusher bus. They usually last several years since there is a lighter load on the front axle compared to the drive axle which supports the engine and transmission. These shoes are… Continue reading School Bus Pusher Front Brakes

Thomas HDX Rear Emergency Window Tips

HDX School Bus Rear Emergency Window You might be thinking what is there to talk about with the rear emergency window on a Thomas HDX pusher school bus? There’s a lot of information I’m going to share with you concerning the window alarm and the vandalock and some tips on keeping the window from seizing… Continue reading Thomas HDX Rear Emergency Window Tips

School Bus Body Wiring Modules

The video shows you where to find the wiring control modules for this bus model. The modules are a printed circuit and can’t be accessed but through the years we have replaced very few of them. The location of the fuses and relays for all the body components is located on the the inside of… Continue reading School Bus Body Wiring Modules

The Cummins ISB 6.7 Diesel

I have to admit that the Cummins ISB 6.7 Liter diesel engine is the superior model for medium duty power in our school buses. The fit and finish we found with the new international buses we received this year is second to none. The IC people are listening to their customers with new changes made… Continue reading The Cummins ISB 6.7 Diesel

The Basics and Keeping Up With Technology

Staying On Top of Your Field Finding ways to analyze problems more efficiently that don’t take up a lot of time is like gold to me. The one thing that always wins over mechanical and electrical problems is experience. Once you’ve been through the “stumbling around” phase the second time around is always easier. Going… Continue reading The Basics and Keeping Up With Technology

4L80E GM Transmission TCC Failure

We recently had a 2006 one ton cube van with a slipping/shuddering transmission (4L80E). The transmission code indicated a torque convertor problem. The first step was to remove the transmission oil pan and check the filter. It was advised by one of the transmission shops to tear open the filter and see what’s inside. We… Continue reading 4L80E GM Transmission TCC Failure

School Bus Conference Vancouver

School Bus Conference in Vancouver In the first week of July myself and 2 other Mechanics went down to Vancouver to attend the annual ASTSBC (association of school bus transportation services of BC) conference. It attracts managers and support people from school districts throughout the province to find out the latest and greatest technical and… Continue reading School Bus Conference Vancouver

School Bus Wiring Problem – RH Signal/Marker Lights

The video explains what is going on with the right hand side signal and marker lights on this Thomas C2 school bus. It just happened out of the blue as with all electrical faults so we needed to find out where the wiring originated and see if there was any output from the source. I… Continue reading School Bus Wiring Problem – RH Signal/Marker Lights

Multiplex Wiring Troubleshooting on a School Bus

Whenever we had wiring problems it was a hunt down from the beginning but once you find good information showing you how to carry out a step by step process it’s much easier to be successful to find the fault. We were working on a Thomas C2 conventional school bus at the time and what… Continue reading Multiplex Wiring Troubleshooting on a School Bus