Wanderlodge #2: Did I make a stupid buy? Will this engine even run?
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Wanderlodge #2: Did the CAR WIZARD 🧙♂️ make a bad decision when he bought this 1977 Wanderlodge RV? It was missing many vital parts and was non-running when bought. What does he find when he turns the key? Don't forget to check out @MrsWizardsWays for an update on what's happening inside the bus: • First setback! I found...
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Don't forget to check out Mrs. Wizard’s Ways for an update on what's happening inside the bus: ruclips.net/video/m4m-oBjv39w/видео.html
Great channel and info
Much thanks. As for your 4 prong rv plug you're right it's 220v 50amp and there are in line surge protectors that also test the feed for correct working state. I have an rv with 120v 30 Amp which look just like an old dryer 220v plug so it's always good to use a tester/surge protector. The best on your new business project. JJl
Congrats Wizard on the engine start!!!!
That Cat engine my be 250 HP but the torque is awesome over 1000.00.....Thank Wizard 👍
Shoe🇺🇸
Wizard, there is 30 amp and 50 amp the connector you had is 50 amp and it’s basically 210 but different phase. It is still 120. You would fry it with 210. Look up the 50 amp RV connector
Sounded good 👍
I was in the ARMY with you, we weren't close friends but I remember you. From your initial video I knew 100% who you were. I cannot explain how happy I am for your success. I was SPC Menta when i met you. God bless brotha, keep it up!
50 amp rv's are 240/120 volt split phase just like you have in your shop. The never plug an rv into 240 advice comes from rv's with 30 amp electrical systems using the nema TT-30 plug and receptacle. Those are 120 volt only with a single hotline. There is a ton of confusion around rv electrical systems caused by the differences between 30 amp and 50 amp rv's and the fact that rv's generally don't have any 240 volt appliances. Any properly installed nema 14-50R receptacle whether it's in a pedestal at an rv park, in a house for an electric stove or ev charger or in your shop for machine tools and heaters is wired identically and is safe to connect your bus too.
Bump it up. Straight forward explanation.
Re: 240 volt appliances, I've seen luxury bus chassis RV's that have ordinary household washers and dryers in them. Dryers are always 240 volt devices in the USA, unless they're the gas model...and I would imagine that converting a gas dryer to LP for RV use is out of the question (I'd be really surprised if the appliance manufacturers even make a kit for that, like they do for stoves...)
@brentboswell1294 they do make 110 electric dryers they are small and usually used in apartments that are not wired with 220 outlets for them they are also most commonly used in rvs
the electrical system is very much the same as any marine setup. personally I would move to a 30 or 50 amp cord with the round hubble type twist lock connectors . they are far safer to use over a dryer type plug.
as for the debate , as a 120v system, it doesn't care what phase. just the neutral is there. . there is such a plug as a 120/240 30 amp.
the only real concern it having a breaker on the inlet prior to the panel with a gfci and having a good digital meter and install a polarity buzzer.
make sure there is a good way to keep the genset power and shore power separate. properly sized breakers for everything.
@@brentboswell1294bullshit I have an electric clothes dryer that is a 110 volt appliance. Always and never are two words you should not use
So what you have is a 50 amp 220 plug. It has two 110 lugs that run 50 amps each. The only thing I highly recommend adding before completely plugging in would be a EMS (electric management system). It will protect against over/under current, bad ground/neutral, as well as making sure the plug you are going to plug in is wired properly. I use a surgeguard by southwire for my RV
Yep. That's a NEMA 14-50P, so 50amp 125/250V
Yes, very common on larger RVs. Just regular 220V split phase, just like your house - 110V from each hot to neutral and 220V hot to hot (the two hot legs have the AC sine wave 180 degrees out of phase, which is why you get that). That's why the plug has 4 prongs - 2 hots, a neutral and a ground. You can get away with that because either large loads run hot to hot, or if you have multiple small loads, they will be split on one hot leg or the other, so the net current in the neutral leg will be small.
Sound dangerous and complicates to someone that lives in a country that only have 220 outlets in a house.
@@JJSmith1100 Think 380V socket. It's their version of that, more or less, only two phase instead of three. Or a Perilex contact that can give either 220 or 400 (380)
That's a north American electric stove plug IIRC
That is a 50 amp 220 plug Both of my birds were 50 amps the power was split into 2 110v legs in the breaker box. The Bird uses a lot of power. 2 and sometimes 3 A/C units Battery charger and so on. The 30amp 110v lines that most RVs are used to would not carry this load. So now the load is carried over one chord with 2 legs. When stopping at camp sights specify 50 amps. In emergencies they also make a 110 v 30amp male plug with a 50amp female male so you can still plug in and get 110 t0 each leg. Just remember that you are now restricted to 30amp total usage,
bump
Bang on sir!
Yeah, and on many RVs that's not enough to supply the AC, etc.
@@NorthernChevJust turn off the a/c and hwh for the few minutes the microwave is on
They also make an adapter from 30/50 amp Rv plugs to a 110 standard wall socket
As a Caterpillar Diesel Mechanic back in 1980 to 1991 here in San Diego I can attest to those old 3208 engines taking some abuse . In naturally aspirated form they were/ are kind of gutless power-wise, rated at around 200-210 hp , but with a bit of fabrication skills and some talent I was THE FIRST person to shoe-horn in a 225 hp Turbocharged version of the same engine into a customer’s Bluebird and we re-geared the rear end & also installed a Jacobs electric retarder (driveline mounted “ Jake-Brake” “ ). He was so impressed with all my workmanship when all done that he took it & his family to Kentucky Blue-Bird plant and showed them what a 25 year old Kid in Southern California had done . They put him & his family into a hotel for one or two weeks & their Technicians poured over all my modifications and parts & stuff I had sourced or fabricated to make it all work as a cohesive unit & thanked my Buddy ( named Mo Mittry) and sent him on his way . I had NO IDEA he had made that trip after all my work to his rig was done , and in less than one year Blue-Bird came out with the Coach using almost Everything copied or duplicated I had done . I was stupid to have not applied for any Patent rights , but hey , when you’re only 25 and just starting out on your career path you sometimes forget about those kinds of things . Anyway so glad to see one of these old coaches still surviving & I am not surprised it still runs . Do yourself a favor though & give that engine a COMPLETE going over now , before installing all the radiator and attendant parts & pieces necessary to button it all back up front end wise , only because if that engine needs to come back out again for overhaul or something major , then it HAS to come out from that opening in front !! We built a plate to bolt to front accessory cover & used a forklift to remove engines with . One last thing , IF that 3208 came with Cat’s horrible design E.G.R. System on it ( look for a metal pipe coming up from exhaust manifold & attaching to backside ,of intake manifold , or just pull off air intake tube on top to look for black soot , then that engine will definitely need some help to survive or be repaired. Our old solution was to get an engine “ Freeze plug “ from Napa in the size the opening is where pipe met back of intake manifold & plug opening COMPLETELY, to eliminate the engines injecting their own waste . It will add YEARS to those 3208’s . Good luck & have fun . And if you want or need any old “ Caterpillar advice “ just message me back here on this video & I’ll see what I can help you with .😎👍
Hard to believe this one is going to take less time than the other bus.
never hahahaha
Its always comforting to know it runs!
If you're using an air clutch I would make sure that it is the type that takes air to disengage if possible, might save it from overheating if there are any supply issue to the clutch
yeah that is comforting
BEcause nothing inside the bus runs on 220. That is a 50A 110V plug. Those sockets are easily found at Home Depot/etc. If you put 220V on that plug keep a fire extinguisher very handy.
I found a video specific to 30-50A plugs for RV. Search for "RV 101® - RV Education - 30 Amp RV vs 50 Amp RV". So basically check how your RV is wired.
Most of a house does not run on 220 volts either, yet we have 220-240 volts on the service drop coming to the house. The reason for that is the phase is split.
lol
@@williamjones4483you know what's more dangerous than not knowing anything electrical? Not knowing anything electrical but thinking you do. Yes it's 220 going into your panel. That bus isn't designed to accept 220 going in like our houses are. None of our appliances in out houses are getting 220 either except for dryer/stove/ac etc. You plug that into 220 and you're going to have some major issues.
looks like nema 14-50 so it is both 110 and 220
RV 50A is electrically identical to Household 220 (for dryers, ovens and such) , 2X legs of 110 opposite phases with comon ground. just different connectors.
Get the numbers from the front axle and you can get the tie rod end from a truck dealer (Freightliner, Volvo, etc.) they are designated by the axle, not the truck. I used to sell the fan clutches 20 years ago. I am surprised they aren't available now. Good luck!
Glad to see that you connected with the owners group. Camper groups are actually fun to connect with as well as informative. You were holding a standard 50 amp camper plug. You'll also want a 50 amp to 30 amp converter plug for campgrounds that don't have 50 amp service.
The 35 and 40 foot Wanderlodges in 1982 came equipped in some cases with 6V92 Detroits. The Bus Grease Monkey has serviced several of those. He kind of specializes in two stroke diesel buses.
Some of the bigger Wanderlodge models also had the 8V92 as well
Id love to have the soundtrack of that!!!! (I have a 4-53 in a machine and I love the gutural rumble... until it SCREAMS!!!)
True, although they are the rear pusher version.
@@patrickcrow5042 Yes, they are.
Those 3208 are a pretty good cheap engine. We used to call them throwaway engines cause they had no removable cylinder liners . Don’t think your gonna get 200,000 hours but maybe like 20,000 hours just keep up on oil and use the correct oil in it and keep the fuel clean cause they can smoke pretty good when the injectors get dirty and worn but they are good on fuel Good luck
I have the utmost respect for Mr. & Mrs. Wizard. I wish I had half their knowledge. That said I do question this purchase. Mr. Wizard has stated previously that he will not work on old cars as original OEM parts are tough to find. So what does he buy? A super old motorhome. I don't know but I'm assuming Mr. Wizard looked into this. Another point is that motorhomes are notorious for leaks, this vehicle looks like it has a few. How much work will it take to fix them? A complete disassembly of the interior? Seems like a lengthy process getting this thing back on the road. A year or two? Or three? I guess I'll let super smart people answer those questions. Good luck Mr. & Mrs. Wizard, your peeps will be following this project.
Working on older cars for customers versus as a hobby or for personal use. That is likely the difference. 🙂
I am really happy that your Bus is coming together even better than you first thought. Hopefully you and Mrs. Wizard will be able to get a lot of use and R & R out of this quality Wanderlodge
Oh my Wizard with all your adventures, you never cease to educate and entertain as well. 🧙♂️
Apprentice electrician here, that's a 240v 50a plug with a neutral, you are right. Personally I would check the voltage of high current appliances(AC, water heaters, etc) and look at their operating voltage( should be a sticker). Also you can follow the cord to the panel it feeds on pull the cover off, they may have installed a 240v plug on a 120v system for convenience and only used one hot and capped the other.
Larger rv's are 50 amp 240/120 split phase like a house and use the 14-50 plug and receptacle. Generally speaking they don't use anything other than 120 volt appliances so they can be connected with simple adapters to the 30 amp 120 volt TT-30 receptical smaller and/or older rv's use and regular 15 amp wall outlets if they are parked in a driveway. There are exceptions but generally if an rv has more than one roof ac its going to have a split phase electrical system since each ac unit needs a 20 amp 120 volt circuit.
I agree with you - the last time I wired anything like that was back in the late 1990s when I was working in FL when I was an apprentice electrician.
Modern RVs are now using the J1772 connector (if you own a BEV and getting a bit stuck on the range the trick is to get to an RV park overnight and let the vehicle slow charge overnight) so could be working an upgrade.
Also seeing how old the bus is I would do a total rewire anyway on safety grounds alone
The 220v 50A plug for a dryer is exactly that plug. The electric panel in rv has only 110 breakers that connect to buss strips to one leg (110v ac) only. The 30A 110 rv plug is the odd bird.
You 'll need standard 50-amp RV receptacle (NEMA 14-50R)
The top round pin is the ground, the bottom pin is neutral (white)
The outside 2 are the hot leads - red and black.
These go to a dbl pole 50amp breaker. You can use these for 110 or 220v
the rv will draw 50Amp 110v 6000watts on each line for a total of 12000 watts. if either line draws more than 50amps it trips the breaker.
If you tell the electrician you'll be using this outlet fir an rv connection He'll understand - hopefully
Plug is 14-50 240V 50A. Likely splits into two 120V legs on board bus. Track it down.
We live full time in our Wanderlodge and have plugged it into 220 many many times. We have stayed in heated shops and unplugged their welder and plugged the bus in. I have unplugged the stove at home and used the 220 outlet as well. Our plug literally says 110 or 220 v on it.
Entire "doghouse and 3' beyond" needs some "BOOM MAT" acoustic dampening to make the cabin MUCH quieter!
Nothing like the sound and feeling of a big diesel when starting a bus.
I had a 62 Bedford streamline, 40ft, back home in NZ.
Loved living and traveling around the country in that thing.
This is such a cool bus. I never knew these existed but it’s like the perfect platform and best of all it looks timeless whereas most RVs look dated in a few years.
The Wanderlodge series of RVs were built by that builder of school buses, Blue Bird, from 1963 to 2009, in three generations. These were based on Blue Bird's All-American bus body.
My grandfather had a 78 Wanderlodge. They aren't like typical RV's, especially from that time period. They were built to be heavy duty, premium products. They were wired to accept 220V, 50A shore power service, and that's what that plug is for. They can also take 120V service, or, at least my grandfather's could. His also had an Onan generator onboard.
Glad to see all these Positive things ! None of us wanted it to be a loser for you guys ! At first it did seem scary !
Pretty simple to find a drive shaft without having to have one custom-made. Check one of your local wrecking yards and see if they have any bluebird buses.
Great news, the engine runs.
As for that connector you need an expert on bus electrics.
There has to be one watching this, so give The Wizard some help if you can.
It just doesn't make sense. You have created such a successful business through your own hard work and integrity. It rewarded you with extreme notoriety through your relationship with Tyler Hoover. Your time seems to be stretched to the limit as it is. Why keep taking on these projects? Why not just buy something new or slightly used so that you can begin to enjoy the fruits of your labor in your spare time?
Maybe he enjoys doing something new??? What else would he be doing?
@@kalashnikov1343 He's already got a full plate, comrade. That's why nothing gets done and gets sold off. How is that enjoyable?
negative nancy@@edwoll
@@edwollhe has employees running his shop. How he chooses to spend his free time it up to him. And as a bonus, we get youtube videos on them too. It's weird that how he spends his time is even a debate for you man 😂
Some people live frugally and love to tinker including myself.
All bigger RVs use that plug (pretty sure anyway) and it has to be 240v. It'd be a gross code violation if it wasn't, to have the receptacle not be wired for 240 as well. You've got 4 wires going from the connector on the RV into its electrical system I assume? Also folks use those receptacles for level 2 EV charging at campgrounds sometimes and they indeed get level 2 speed which means it has to be 240v. The "don't plug into 240" warning is probably for folks who don't know better and get some crappy adapter to adapt their smaller 120v 30 amp RV plug to that larger 240v 50 amp receptacle and blow shit up.
lol
My wife and I watch a lot of motorhome/ RV stuff and RUclips recommended your upload tonight. This is going to be a really useful and interesting series so thanks for taking the time to make these videos. We love your RV and your video style so we've subscribed to you and Mrs Wizard. Hi to you both from the UK 🇺🇸 🇬🇧 🚌
The two of you have no quit in you. God bless you and your family.
Nice to see you outside on such a beautiful day, Mr. Wizard 🧙♂️!!
There's only a handfull of people that have the will and skill to get that bus running. You saved it from the crusher.
let it be crushed, most mobile parks refuse a rv over 20 years of age.. reality.. dont spend much no value..
Lol only vintage RV worth saving are the Airstream trailers
@@peter-pg5ycwhy is that?
YES! YES!! Woo hoo, congrats Wizard! The CAT 3208 is ALIVE! It will likely last longer than us. 😀 That valve noise tho
I just bought a 1994 Odessa Duo detective class a diesel Pusher custom built coach and I love it It seems every one I talk to says the older coaches are built to last! & I'm sure yours is built to last!
and if ya prefer less ventilation and fresh air you can always keep those closed for a real comfy stale air and claustrophobic environment experience😎
What did you expect😂its a cat! They will always run😊
This is true. In the trucking world, cat motors are worth their weight in gold
It takes so much abuse to kill a cat engine the abuser is more likely to check out before the engine.
3208 are workhorses for decades.
You are not that great of an actor, Mr wizard reaction when it started is the best
It would seem that with all those school buses made on this chassis driveline parts shouldn’t be hard to find(?).
What you've got there is a FRED ( front engine diesel ) a little on the noisy side but they are tough and should run as long as you maintain it
Nothing like a good ole diesel that sits for years then fires right up first crank
i would change out all of the coolant hoses and related clamps (yes they do break from time to time) also the harmonic balancer should be changed out every 10 years as the material inside starts to harden with age and then it can no longer do it's intended job. good luck, i'm digging the bus.
You can get an adaptor for that plug that they use to plug display ranges in the showroom, it plugs into that and you can power one leg with 120
Some of us are wondering if this vehicle threw you UNDER the bus... thanks for the video Car Wizard.
Red line to left, black line to right, white nutrual to middle and green ground to ground prong. It's a 240v circuit, 120 on each line prong with a shared nutrual.
I had that same green carpet and sane green chairs in my 1991 Winnebago Warrior on a P30 chassis.
Lots of large campers and rvs are 50a 240v (220 for consumers)
Double check that your interior breaker panels main breaker is 50a 240v or 30 120v. It will be very easy to tell.
Once you're sure it's 240v, plug it into a properly wired 4 wire receptacle.
If it's a 30a 120v for some reason, then I'd just buy a dongle from homedepot, that adapts a 50a cord to a standard 30a 120v.
America uses a split phase system, using a return (nuetral wire) to distribute uneven load for each line input. also, it significantly decreases danger vs full on 240v for everything like many countries do. Still not at all safe. But atleast if you touch the nuetral and hot, the chances of dying are lower than if you were to touch two opposing 240v lines.
Also, to answer the question of why it matters, it definitely does, because if it were 120 and you gave it 50a 240, it would treat everything in the camper that has a nuetral as a heating element and burn up a bunch of important parts, and possibly the whole bus/camper.
Using 120 on a 240 camper is much less dangerous, but it can definitely cause problems. Nothing will work.
I'm an electrician, drawing a lot of the theoretical info from memory, there's plenty of info out there on split phase if you wanna learn more from smarter people
that plug is just like a marine ~50A plug, just more juice. Power split to two banks.
I have to agree with Richfinz on this one. What's nice about that larger plug is that you can run two air conditioners on your motorhome at the same time. They do make what's called a dog bone. It will drop it from 220 down to 110. That's still enough power to run one air conditioner. The air conditioners are typically on the roof but there are some side Mount units as well. We had a Winnebago that used to have the side- mounted air, that would be a good match for your coach. I had some kind of electric management system o Damon Intruder but I don't remember what brand name it was. Happy motoring mr. And mrs. Wizard, motorhome camping is a lot of fun but can get very expensive very quick.
Have fun. , Cheers!
That cat sounds like the IDI diesel in my old f-250 except a bit less rattle.
Actually, I was distracted by your use of the word "actually", but that aside I enjoyed your video. I hope the rig brings you much joy.
I don't know much about motorhomes but I had to buy a special adapter to go from the larger plug to the smaller single 110 for my travel trailer/camper plus I took out any 220v appliances and converted everything to 110
Ah the 3208, one of my personal favs. I don't know how many miles are on this one but at minimum please consider rolling a set of rod bearings in it, preferably mains too. Other than overheating & subsequent head gasket blow, thats really about the only thing that ever goes wrong with them. Keep temps at or under 205, no continuous operation over 2200 RPM & a good thick 15-40 oil and yes, you'll get 20K hours or a half million miles out of it easy! And they start on 1 revolution or less even if it gets below freezing, smokey but keeps the bugs away 😁 warm it up slowly, nothing more than 1/2 pedal until it gets to 180'
They were specced & abused in so many applications where they shouldn't have been but treat them right & nothing sounds quite like 'em. Run the valve lash on it, sounds like one's a bit loose. Hopefully it doesn't have a bad lifter.
MPG ?
Thanks for the update on the mobile home Mr and Mrs Wizard
11:36 You aren't going to find 120v that uses that plug. That is a 4 prong plug. L1 L2, N, GND. Without intentionally dropping one of the power legs, that plug will always be a 240v configuration. (I don't know anything about RV's, but I am a Master Electrician). So I have no clue why you would not want 240v shore power.
Correct sir, people are getting confused because nothing in the RV uses 220 which allows it to run on 110 shore power when that's all that's available. In this case the 50amp/220V service delivers enough so the bus can basically use 100amps at 110V. These units need a lot more than a small trailer that only gets 30amp at 110.
I'm only a hobbiest and maintenance technician but it's clear a lot of people don't understand electrical in the comments. Whether something gets 220 or 110 is determined how things are wired in the RV load center and not the plug end when it comes to the standard 50 amp plugs big RVs use. . I think the confusion comes in when people are talking about the 3 prong 30 amp plugs where you only have one hot a neutrel and a ground, and it's possible to plug it into a 220v outlet that has L1 and L2 instead unknowingly.
On 50amp plug, I agree with others that this a 220v A.C. Plug (2 120v legs 180 degrees out of phase of each other) . As such if you have to do any major rewiring try to load balance the legs, which reduces the load on neutral.
I'd be worried about tracking down your water leak. Going back to the last video, the signs are there. Sealant above the cabinets. Header/wall covering coming lose. Mildew and warped, wavy flooring. As far as the mechanical, go for it. You have the skills. You have a place to store it and do the work. I assume you can handle it financially or you wouldn't have pulled the trigger. As I see it, your only issue is time. What kind of time do you want to put into it vs when do you want to use it. Either way, enjoy the journey! We've had ours for 10 years now and love it.
Ive got driveshafts from a school bus located in north texas. You can have them.
My pop up camper has a 220/240 plug. 3 prong of course, but it is standard. One half of outlets are on one leg, the other are the other half.
You can get a converter for that at any good RV center. My lowly tent trailer had that connector because it was wired for AC which has a higher amperage draw. As others have stated, that plug is for 120v as well. But check, then double check as someone who thinks they know electrical may have 🐒'ed with it.
Many great answers on that RV plug.. Same plug on my RV and my transmission parts washer. 2 leads at 120v each, 2 grounds. Think of the Wander Lodge as a JEEP : Just Empty Every Pocket $$
Looking good, Mr and Mrs Wizard!! Change engine mounts/pads? Should be pretty crusty/hard with the years, you probably want a comfortable/quiet ride!
Our wonderlodge has cat diesel a good dose of marvel mystery oil and power services additives every other tank full of fuel never a issue in 63 k miles you
Made awesome purchase this was made at Blue Bird bus plant near Byron Georgia
They are well built great video thanks for sharing 👍 😊😅
Congrats Wiz you got a good one. The suggestion below to get an EMS is a good idea. RV park electricity is not as reliable or stable as in our homes. Under or over voltage can kill your appliances. I have run into it a handful of times over the decades. They also protect against lightning strikes in the park. A good brand is Progressive industries. Good luck with your drive shafts. Hope they will balance it good for you.
Many RV parks won't even allow RVs that old.
I installed a 240 volt receptacle to the side of my house and plugged in the motorhome with no problems at all. You're right that there are two 110 or 120 volts, a neutral and a ground and those wires go directly to the circuit breakers in my RV where it gets distributed to the Roof top AC units, the 120 volt receptacles and the charging and 12 volt converter. There shouldn't be anything in the RV that uses 240 volts as the AC units are all 120 volts. Good Luck
That steering should telescope also. Pull or push the tilt lever in the opposite direction for telescope. If that doesn’t do it turn the big black horn surround counter clockwise to adjust telescope.
That was first start? First touch of key. Kudos..I built my first engine at 18..455 Olds...my grandmother was in the gsrage when i said..cross your fingers grams..here it goes...that Bugger fired just like the bus...i can relate to that feeling...✌️
@CarWizard FYI you can upgrade to Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries with a DC-DC charger from the alternator, and AC Charger of shore power and some solar on the roof. These newer style batteries allow you to use 100% of the capacity, and they typically have a spec of 3000 cycles to 80% capacity. They will outlast oldschool deep cycle batteries several times over and won't hate you when you run them down to 0%. Also if the ACs are not working anymore, there are 12V units available for cheap that are built out of an EV AC compressor and some automotive AC stuff.
My grandpa always plugged his RV into our 220v dryer plug in the garage. Not sure why you can't as long as everything is wired right and rated for it.
I have had several trailers and with that plug it is for 220 volts. to check find your electrical box for the rig and you should see two 50 amp main breakers If not no 220 volts. With a different plug you may have a 30 amp 110 volt set up. If so a 30 amp breaker in the main electrical box.
Smart about not burning up the coach. Folks who plug them into welder outlet have bad days. It’s been said here so good luck. I added an outlet
Oh, MONEY Bucket, I thought that said Honey Bucket
Should be able to look at the main breaker box and easily determine if the coach ac wiring is 220v. It mostly likely is.
My rv has the same plug. I keep it plugged in at the house all the time. It's a standard plug for your bigger rv's with 50amp service
You ran that b4 this video.
Omg yes it runs.
Ya u ran this b4!!!
Happy for you that it runs
These old diesel engines are as tough as nails unlike the new junk we get nowadays. At my work we have a 1973 Cummins generator that is as reliable as a Swiss watch. The only problem with starting the engine without any coolant is the risk that the water pump seals could become damaged.
Starts better than some relatively new school buses I've driven. Nice.
Walmart sells an NEMA 14-50 220 to a 30 Amp 3 prong adapter. It also makes it 110 by only using one side of the 220. It's in the auto section of the store with the rv stuff.
Sure you will have it at hand. I like watching the "Bus Grease Monkey". These are what he works on mainly. If any questions. Pretty sure Scott will help you out.
Bus grease monkey is entertaining. Made me realize how hard these guys work. So many jobs involve heavy lifting in tight spots.
I'm surprised the tow company pulled the drive shaft. Any bus I've had to have towed, they pulled the axle out of the differential. Owner forums are a great source of information. When I had a 98 Contour, the folks in the forum knew the vehicle better than the Ford techs did!
I'd have to agree with others on the plug, I just bought my first camper a week ago and was also curious about the difference. My camper has a 30a plug & electrical system and I was wondering what the difference between a 30a and 50a were out of curiousity. A search on an "RV/Camper 30a vs 50a plugs" confirms what you had correctly assumed and others have said here about them.
A 50a plug is in fact 220v (4 prong), 30a is 110v (3 prong)
I had a 3208 in a hwy tractor. pulled 80,000lbs daily - wonderful engine
On RVs that I have messed with, there is usually a jumper on the breaker panel inside the RV that shorts the two legs together. That way all circuits can be powered by 110. I could see that being an issue if you forgot that jumper was installed and hooked up to 220.
The beauty of a Blue Bird product, is they've been around nearly a century! "Blue Bird is the leading independent designer and manufacturer of school buses, with more than 550,000 buses sold since its formation in 1927 and approximately 180,000 buses in operation today."
Before they stopped making Bluebird Motorhomes I lived about 10 miles from the factory in Ft. Vally, GA., and it was always a thrill to drive by and dream. They had a private campground on the premises for owners only that were getting their homes worked on or just for a place to camp. I took a free factory tour and it was amazing. On the front of the coach in the display on top was the name of the family that they were making the home for. They made their own chassis on special jigs and the craftsmanship was second to none. Everything was custom to the customers. Had a special design office for picking the finest leathers, fabrics, curtains, etc., etc. Out on the factory floor we saw master cabinetmakers using the finest wood and veneers to make, cabinets, tabletops, etc. I will never forget it. A master cabinet maker was assigned to each unit and he was the only one that did that work. Outside you can see all the complete units with custom paint and some had matching trailers. Even back then they could cost as much as a million dollars. I talked to a mechanic whose job was to fly to a unit wherever it was if broken down and get it on the road again. Even today I would take a used Bluebird over a new motorhome. The folks who own one know quality and are lucky to own one. What a great day I had. Their better than anything else on the road today. I heard they shipped a few to the oil barons in the Middle East too.
Not to mention a few Hollywood celebs...
NO WAAAY!!! It start up in 2 seconds. Amazing...
Your tilt steering is interesting. It must be an upgrade by a previous owner. Bluebird used a residential door hinge which gave you about 3 inches back and forth. I replaced mine with a floating set up from a Volvo heavy duty truck.
"Caught me setting up this cable...." Um, yeah, after setting up the cable, and getting your settings right, and the camera angle, and... yup, just me casually working on my bus here... LOL
I don't know who said to never plug that into a 220v socket. The plug is absolutely meant to plug into a 220v NEMA 14-50 plug. You are correct that it's 110 on each side split by the neutral/ground prongs in the middle of the plug. I literally installed my own RV plug back in the day when I owned a class A motor home. If you look at the AC panel in the bus, you'll find it split just like a residential breaker box. You'll wire the connection you were working on in the beginning of the video exactly as you would a single phase 220 service. Verify your voltage at the mains to ensure you're wired correctly before flipping the breaker to power the house side of the bus electrical system. Good luck on getting the old beast back on the road. These are literal tanks in the RV world, and were built to be the best class A motorcoach you could buy back in its day. The 3208 Caterpillar engine is plenty of engine for the bus. I'd recommend being extra zealous on its upkeep. They are known to wear their cylinders oval, and this cannot be fixed.
I saw an injector puff as you switched the engine off. An item to check before the next start.
That 50amp plug will power everything at once. But not all parks have 50amp service. Get the 30amp adaptor and you will have to limit what you can run.
You should put the radiator on a hinge. That would make front of engine easy to service.
I'm assuming the Wanderlodge RV uses a 50 amp shore power supply. That cord/plug you are holding is for RV 50 amp shore power. RVs using a 50 amp supply have two 120 volt circuits and generally DO NOT employ the use of 240 volt appliances. Some 120 volt appliances/plugs in the RV are on one 120 volt circuit. Some are on the other. (Example: If you have two roof AC units, each one will be one of the two 120 volt feeds.) Buy a 50 amp RV outlet from Lowes (Eaton 50 Amp) and install that at your shop. Use a standard 50 amp double pole circuit breaker in your main breaker box. You'll need to run 6 AWG wire from the breaker box to the outlet. Connect the two hot wires from the breaker to the red and black wires on the new outlet. White neutral goes to the neutral bus in the break box obviously. Ground wire goes to ground bus clearly. Yes it is just two 120 volt circuits but the way it connects at the breaker box is like wiring up a 240 volt circuit. The two hot wires coming off the double pole breaker are actually pulling from each side of the bus bar inside the breaker panel. These two bus bars are 120 volts each but are out of phase so that if you ARE connecting a 240 volt appliance, the two feeds will add together to create the 240 volts. But disregard that for wiring up an RV outlet. There are no 240 volt appliances in an RV. This is the source of the confusion. Another confusing factor is related to 30 amp RVs. They use a single 30 amp 120 volt feed but the RV PLUG actually looks like a dryer appliance plug. Some folks mistakenly wire their 30 amp RV to a 30 AMP 240 volt clothes dryer circuit and fry their power converter. Good luck. Love the Wanderlodge. No I'm not an electrician but have some experience with my Class A motorhome and I have wired the same 50 amp setup at my place.
Thanks for joining us over on the wanderlodge owners group.
If you need anything,you know where we are!
For the outlet: the most important thing is that the neutral wire is connected in your shop. If the neutral is not connected, the 110 Vac appliances get everything between 0 Vac and 220 Vac because the imbalance in the system.
Only when a 110 Vac appliance is powered ON the imbalance starts. So just make sure a multimeter reads 110 Vac between the hot and the neutral and you will be good!
That is a standard 50 Amp plug it is always 240 across and both legs and 120 to common. You should just be able to plug it in and it should work. If not it is not wired correctly.
RE: the plug, in an RV park, the standard shore power plug (with diagonal prongs) is 120 volts, 30 amps. There's also a heavy duty plug in the bigger spaces at some RV parks, which are intended for bigger vehicles like bus chassis RV's, it's a 50 amp, 220 volt plug (probably what you were holding up there 😊). I have seen ultra luxury bus chassis RV's that have a standard household washer and dryer in them, and a household clothing dryer in the USA is a 220 volt appliance (unless you get the wierd natural gas powered dryer!).
You are correct. It’s 2-120 volt legs 180 degrees out of phase making 240 volts when combined. Each leg can be wired with the neutral making 2 separate 120 circuits. The wander lodge chassis parts should be easy to find since they are the same as thousands of school buses built over the years. Good choice switching projects to a factory engineered RV. Will enjoy watching you make this your own.
They sell adapter, so you can plug the RV right into a regular outlet. I believe they have them right at Walmart.
@CarWizard, love the ol' Money Bucket. Gotta return it to the period paint scheme and really make it stand out. Love this better than the city bus. Good work!
My RV is not to be plugged into 220, but it has a three prong 110 30 amp connector (rare). Never heard of a 4 prong 110 - I say to do and add the EMS as others have said.