A picture of a new problem with 2000 model Thomas FE units. Fairfax has had a few fuel lines chaffing near the frame rail as pictured.

Cracking on Thomas Frame Rail

Yesterday in Fairfax, they found this on one of their '94 Thomas rear-engine 78-pax buses. It's two cracks in the lower flange of the frame rail by the left front spring shackle. It appeared that the cracks had not broken through to the top of the flange yet,. Also, the vertical portion of the frame was sound. All that said, it's not what they wanted to see.

They are now in the process of looking at the rest of their Thomas's of the same vintage. So far, they've only found this one. They are also going to be looking closely at the rest of their Thomas's as they come in for service.

Sonny Merryman has been notified of this, as has Don at the PTS.

If you have any of these buses, you might want to look for this when they are in the shop for something.

Serious problems with Amtran and Thomas buses

Click for PDF files discussing serious with fuel line chafing in rear engine Thomas buses and steering column boot problems in Amtran buses.

Cracking Welds on Carpenters

Click here for updated information on problems with cracking welds in the roof structure of Carpenter buses

Accelerator Cables in Bluebirds

Wil Dupuy, of Newport News, reports that they have found the accelerator cables on 1989 and 1990 FE Bluebirds are rubbing into the outer edge of the housing. They had a mechanic test driving a 1989 Blue Bird and the accelerator pedal stuck to the floor. They checked the cable and the plastic coating on the cable had rubbed through and cut into the cable housing. They found one bus with problem at both ends. Further checking showed that they had the problem in 9 out of 44 buses.

Wil has provided pictures, showing what he found.

Bus Fire in Fairfax

One of our 1998 Thomas 78-pax rear-engine buses caught fire the other day. While the engine is a cinder, the bus itself is still in pretty good shape - so much so, in fact, that we are going to replace the engine and repair the bus. The fire wall did it's job, so the interior sustained very little damage.

In looking for a possible cause of the fire, we noticed that one of the heavy leads from the alternator was burnt in half (see the arrow in the picture ). While we are no experts, it seems likely that this lead shorted to ground and burned, creating the source of ignition.

In looking at an identical bus we saw that there are two leads that run from the alternator along the right side of the engine (as viewed from the rear). They are secured to a coolant hose with wire ties for a part of the way, but not the whole way. Ultimately, they drop down over a bracket that is (we believe) attached to the right-hand side of the engine. The wires are wrapped in wire loom, but if they abrade long enough against the edge of the bracket, the wire loom could be cut and one of the wires short to ground on the bracket. This is what we believe happened.

We have a bunch of rear-engine Thomas with Cat engines. We plan to go through all of them and secure these wires away from the engine and away from the bracket. The circled areas in the picture show possible locations where these wires could be wire-tied to keep them away from the engine and bracket. This has not been "blessed" by Thomas yet, but we think that it is a reasonable solution, at least for the time being.

From Wayne Hopkins - Baltimore County (MD) Fleet Manager

"We took delivery of 145 new International IC conventional buses this summer. So far, they look like they'll be good. The only real problem we have seen so far is the routing of the wiring harness behind the alternator and down to the starter. We specify "hard plumbing" of the heater hoses between the engine and the shutoff valves. International routed the harness between the engine and the outlet pipe, and the harness is about 1/4 inch away from the right exhaust manifold. The International factory rep.says this is "acceptable" and won't correct it! We are re-routing the harness ourselves, just to be on the safe side."

"Regarding Vince's problem with brake calipers, we have had some problems with premature pad wear on International buses with their Diamondlife pin slide brakes. The factory rep. provided a workbook for our technicians (participant workbook # TMT-3425). Following their procedure seems to work, so far."

AT545 Fill Tubes in Bluebird TC-2000 RE's

Gene Bryson, one of our "Brothers in Grease" from Crowley Texas wrote to say, "We have 20 TC2000RE Bluebirds and we are having pan cracking problems at the fill tube flair on the pans. Don't expect much help from the vendors. I have been successful at brazeing them and adding another support to the long tube. Adios, Gene Bryson - E-mail Bigboy76028@yahoo.com"

AMTRAN Turn Signal Switches, Bluebird Slack Adjusters, and Internarional Turbo Hoses

Will Dupuy, Of Newport News sends a couple of notes:

We have had to replace numerous turn signal switches on 1998-2001 FE tilt-wheel buses. If you purchase them through AMTRAN they cost about $156. However, you can purchase a Standard switch DS-301 for about $30 or a Standard switch for about $24.

I'm also working with Crewson Bruner concerning slack adjusters on 1996-1998 Bluebird. I found a point of contact to discuss our problems. We have replaced approximately 80 in the last year. Their slacks are warranted for 2 yrs. There will be a representative here April 15 and 16 to do some training.

I'm also working with International on turbo hoses. We have replaced quiet a few of these rubber tubes; they all all crack in the same place. We keep replacing parts on some of these buses that should never be replaced, but when you talk to the bus sales folks "you're the only ones with that problem" syndrome takes over. I have had better luck if I contact the manufacturer of the part to deal with.

Holes in Transmission Pans

Rudolph Gray, from Caroline County, reported that they were having a problem with their 2000 and 2001 Freightliner conventional buses equipped with Allison AT-545's. The transmission fill tubes are routed so that they rub against a frame member. Not only is this rubbing holes in the fill tubes, but the vibration is actually breaking holes in the transmission pans, as well.

Freightliner Fuel Line Crack

A school bus fleet in PA reported that they have experienced cracks in the fuel line leading between the fuel pump and injector #1. This has occurred on 16 of 60 2001 Freightliner bus chassis with the 5.9 Cummins engine. The build dates of all these buses was late March 2000 to Early April 2000. The failure occurred within a period of 8-18 months.

IMPORTANT

FS65 Freightliner Air Brake Bus Chassis

We have found front wheel air brake hoses leaking on Freightliner FS65 bus chassis. The leak is located at the hose-to-fitting connection at the front brake chamber. Have someone hold the foot pedal down while another person holds hands around the hose at the fitting where it enters the chamber. If a leak is detected, replace it with a new hose and notify Vince.

Cracks in Driver's Seat Frames and Rails

The following is from Will Dupuy in Newport News. His shop found cracked seat frames and rails on C.E White driver's seats in a bunch of his 1998-2000 Amtran buses. He found 20 seat frames and 56 seat rails with stress cracks. He recommends that you check your C.E. White seats for these stress cracks.

Regulations Governing Pupil Transportation Including Minimum standards for School Buses in Virginia

Approved School Bus Specifications for use in Virginia

2004 Minimum School Bus Type Specifications

Again, as you come across tips that everyone can use, just write them down and either mail, e-mail, or fax them to my buddy, Bianca Rohland. Please explain it clearly enough so that even an administrator like her can understand it. Let's face it. If she can understand it, anyone can!

Mail

Stafford County Tranportation
33 Enon Rd
Stafford, VA 22554
Attention - Bianca Rohland

Fax

1-540-371-5305
Attention - Bianca Rohland

Email

Bianca Rohland