Does anyone know anything about diesel school busses?

[87e30]

My friends and I want to buy a bus. There are a bunch for sub 2000 dollars. Are we crazy? What are the costs of running one of these things? Besides a lot of gas money and having to buy a lot of oil what's the deal?

I've never worked on anything but small cars.

[emoshun]

What would one want to use an old bus for? Banging?

[DREWHALL]

I have experience working on light and medium duty diesel trucks as well as some tractor trailers. Maintenance is relatively straight forward. Only thing that is really different is changing the fuel filter more often. Obviously you never need to change spark plugs.....lol. Stay on top of greasing all of the grease points. Regularly check the driveshaft for play at the u joints. When you first get it make sure all the grease fittings actually accept grease, if not replace it immediately. If it has serviceable u joints make sure the grease comes out of all 4 caps. If not save yourself a headache and replace it. Brakes are heavy! Keep an eye on axle seals, king pin play, and adjustment of the parking brake if it has the drive line style. A lot of vehicles do not have a Park postition on the gear selector, just neutral plus the parking brake. It may or may not have air brakes..I don't know what comes on buses. If it does that's a whole other system you need to know about.

[87e30]

What would one want to use an old bus for? Banging?

Road trips, ski hill, general awesomeness.

I have experience working on light and medium duty diesel trucks as well as some tractor trailers. Maintenance is relatively straight forward. Only thing that is really different is changing the fuel filter more often. Obviously you never need to change spark plugs.....lol. Stay on top of greasing all of the grease points. Regularly check the driveshaft for play at the u joints. When you first get it make sure all the grease fittings actually accept grease, if not replace it immediately. If it has serviceable u joints make sure the grease comes out of all 4 caps. If not save yourself a headache and replace it. Brakes are heavy! Keep an eye on axle seals, king pin play, and adjustment of the parking brake if it has the drive line style. A lot of vehicles do not have a Park postition on the gear selector, just neutral plus the parking brake. It may or may not have air brakes..I don't know what comes on buses. If it does that's a whole other system you need to know about.

Hmmm. Not familiar with how to add grease to something, I sure that can easily be researched. All very good information, thank you!

Hadn't even considered how expensive brakes are...

[DREWHALL]

Just get a hand pump grease gun unless you have an air compressor. The grease fittings(zerk fittings) basically look like the bleeder screw on a brake caliper. You just click the grease gun over top, holding the nozzle on, and squeeze grease into it until you see all the old grease come out and new grease start to. Then just clean the area up of all the grease. It's messy but it's not easy to screw up. If the grease just wants to come out between the nozzle and the fitting you have a bad/stuck fitting. You can remove it and try to free it again but they're cheap enough to just put a new one in.

[AbsorbantNut]

I work on diesel trucks a little and they all for the most part have grease fittings, box trucks and semis. I imagine a schoolbus should to, and these are important to keep greased, youll get a lot more life out of things. You can but a manual grease gun, you wont really need the electric one. It's basically a caulk gun with a hose at one end to attach to the grease fittings, which are little metal nipples.

Change your oil as often as you can afford along with the filter. If you have any big problems, just search around, most likely someone else on the internet has run itno it at some point or another.

[87e30]

Just get a hand pump grease gun unless you have an air compressor. The grease fittings(zerk fittings) basically look like the bleeder screw on a brake caliper. You just click the grease gun over top, holding the nozzle on, and squeeze grease into it until you see all the old grease come out and new grease start to. Then just clean the area up of all the grease. It's messy but it's not easy to screw up. If the grease just wants to come out between the nozzle and the fitting you have a bad/stuck fitting. You can remove it and try to free it again but they're cheap enough to just put a new one in.

Gotcha, and I should see 4 of these on the driveshaft (all the U joints) and where else commonly?

Man this is a crazy idea...

[Stephen]

God dammit Clayton. Its retarded idea. Study or come play pool.

[DREWHALL]

Grease fittings are often at the leaf springs in the rear, however many u joints are on the driveshaft(one on each joint), some have one at the slip yoke on the driveshaft, top and bottom of the kingpin, tie rod ends, steering box and linkage, steering column, maybe a couple more it's been a while since I worked on anything heavy. Make sure all your lights work, if a cop feels like being a dick you can get a ticket for a single marker light being out whether it's some ghetto aftermarket crap or factory installed. I'm not sure about buses but a lot of the heavier trucks will go almost double the miles between oil changes of normal gas vehicles, some times more but that's mostly on road tractor trailers. When you first get it check the trans fluid and gear oil in the diff. Might as well plan on changing the diff oil. Overall it should be pretty trouble free. The ones going that cheap may need some extra TLC right up front but as long as the owner has had regular PM services it should last a long time.

[87e30]

God dammit Clayton. Its retarded idea. Study or come play pool.

I am studying. If it was any other class I'd just not study, but this is the only class that counts for me.

[freeride53]

Are you a gay homeless man?

[87e30]

Are you a gay homeless man?

Why do you always come into my threads?

[chrisesteschiro]

Wouldn't the driver need a CDL also? I wonder how much it is to insure a bus. Even for collision you would think that thing could do some major damage!

[freeride53]

Why do you always come into my threads?

Because I'm the resident e-douche.
jay kay. Have fun with your school bus.

[87e30]

Wouldn't the driver need a CDL also? I wonder how much it is to insure a bus. Even for collision you would think that thing could do some major damage!

Holy shit. How did I forget about insurance... that's the deal breaker right there. Damnitttttt.

And no special permit needed as long as you aren't shuttling around children, as far as I can tell.