Holy balls, getting the bus here was insane.
We paid $800 to have a delivery driver bring it from Maryland to Chicago, which is pretty damn good considering that covered the cost of gas as well. We had them meet us in Chicago because we wanted the delivery guy to be able to easily get to the airport and get a cheaper flight, plus it was just overall cheaper to have him drive there and then meet him.
Long story short, the drive should have taken the driver 16 hours with stops and the slower speed thanks to the 55mph governor on the bus, but he ended up not arriving until well over 28 hours with no explanation as to why. We ended up getting a room in Chicago and staying the night, expecting him to be there early in the morning, and ended up not leaving until well after 8pm the next day.
Why so late you ask? The reason is both ridiculous, and exhausting.
The delivery guy goes over the bus with us - it's in GREAT shape. Like, amazingly good shape compared to the ones we've looked at previously. Little to no rust, and everything looks good. There are a few minor electrical problems that need addressed, but nothing major. We drop the guy back off at the airport and go back to the bus to leave... but, the bus won't start. Like, at all. The key turns the lights and the alarms on, but won't turn over or even engage the engine at all.
Ed calls the guy back, figuring it's something we're missing, and he offers to come back and help us figure it out. We should have had him show us how to start it before he left but we were in a rush to beat afternoon Chicago traffic.
We go back and pick him up, and he and Ed go all over the bus, trying like hell to figure out why it won't start. Batteries dead? Starter solenoid out? Electrical issue? Ignition switch malfunction? They spend 2 hours basically taking the bus apart, calling Ed's mom who has worked on cars her whole life, googling what exactly might need to be replaced.
I finally take the guy back to the airport so he can catch a flight while Ed continues to dive in to what's wrong with the bus. At this point, we're completely exhausted and the fact that we have just purchased what essential constitutes a giant paper weight, is weighing heavily on both of us.
Ed calls for a tow. It's $550, and the $75/hour to diagnose what's wrong with it. I get online to a Skoolie group we're a part of and ask for recommendations of good diesel mechanics in the Chicago area, all the while freaking the freak out because we have no idea how we're going to afford this. The awesome folks on our Skoolie page start throwing out ideas of what the issue could be and how we might be able to fix it ourselves.
A few minutes after I posted and we were trying all of the recommendations, I read this reply from a guy named Keith:
Does it have a small thumb lock on any emergency exit door or windows? If it does those thumb locks ground the bus which will not allow it to turn over
Why yes, yes it fucking does. I run on to the bus where I distinctly remember the kids and I setting said locks after we opened the emergency exit doors. The moment I disengaged the locks, the alarm stopped. The alarm. That we didn't realize was an alarm that wasn't at all a normal sound for starting up the bus.
*head* *desk*
Ed yells up from the back of bus engine bay, asking what the hell is going on and I start screaming to move, that I'm going to try to start it.
A simple turn of the key and she fired up without hesitation, purring like a cat in the sunshine.
Relief, ridiculous, giddy relief. And feeling completely and totally ridiculous. Of COURSE you wouldn't want emergency exits locked when kids are riding in it! *duh* And none of us ever imagined it would be tied into the starter as an additional preventive measure.
We have SO MUCH to learn about bus living, as this has shone us in spades. Holy. Hell.
Suffice to say, we made it home perfectly fine, the bus drives like a dream, and we're insanely thankful that we found such an awesome deal. And we still feel like idiots. lol
We paid $800 to have a delivery driver bring it from Maryland to Chicago, which is pretty damn good considering that covered the cost of gas as well. We had them meet us in Chicago because we wanted the delivery guy to be able to easily get to the airport and get a cheaper flight, plus it was just overall cheaper to have him drive there and then meet him.
Long story short, the drive should have taken the driver 16 hours with stops and the slower speed thanks to the 55mph governor on the bus, but he ended up not arriving until well over 28 hours with no explanation as to why. We ended up getting a room in Chicago and staying the night, expecting him to be there early in the morning, and ended up not leaving until well after 8pm the next day.
Why so late you ask? The reason is both ridiculous, and exhausting.
The delivery guy goes over the bus with us - it's in GREAT shape. Like, amazingly good shape compared to the ones we've looked at previously. Little to no rust, and everything looks good. There are a few minor electrical problems that need addressed, but nothing major. We drop the guy back off at the airport and go back to the bus to leave... but, the bus won't start. Like, at all. The key turns the lights and the alarms on, but won't turn over or even engage the engine at all.
Ed calls the guy back, figuring it's something we're missing, and he offers to come back and help us figure it out. We should have had him show us how to start it before he left but we were in a rush to beat afternoon Chicago traffic.
We go back and pick him up, and he and Ed go all over the bus, trying like hell to figure out why it won't start. Batteries dead? Starter solenoid out? Electrical issue? Ignition switch malfunction? They spend 2 hours basically taking the bus apart, calling Ed's mom who has worked on cars her whole life, googling what exactly might need to be replaced.
I finally take the guy back to the airport so he can catch a flight while Ed continues to dive in to what's wrong with the bus. At this point, we're completely exhausted and the fact that we have just purchased what essential constitutes a giant paper weight, is weighing heavily on both of us.
Ed calls for a tow. It's $550, and the $75/hour to diagnose what's wrong with it. I get online to a Skoolie group we're a part of and ask for recommendations of good diesel mechanics in the Chicago area, all the while freaking the freak out because we have no idea how we're going to afford this. The awesome folks on our Skoolie page start throwing out ideas of what the issue could be and how we might be able to fix it ourselves.
A few minutes after I posted and we were trying all of the recommendations, I read this reply from a guy named Keith:
Does it have a small thumb lock on any emergency exit door or windows? If it does those thumb locks ground the bus which will not allow it to turn over
Why yes, yes it fucking does. I run on to the bus where I distinctly remember the kids and I setting said locks after we opened the emergency exit doors. The moment I disengaged the locks, the alarm stopped. The alarm. That we didn't realize was an alarm that wasn't at all a normal sound for starting up the bus.
*head* *desk*
Ed yells up from the back of bus engine bay, asking what the hell is going on and I start screaming to move, that I'm going to try to start it.
A simple turn of the key and she fired up without hesitation, purring like a cat in the sunshine.
Relief, ridiculous, giddy relief. And feeling completely and totally ridiculous. Of COURSE you wouldn't want emergency exits locked when kids are riding in it! *duh* And none of us ever imagined it would be tied into the starter as an additional preventive measure.
We have SO MUCH to learn about bus living, as this has shone us in spades. Holy. Hell.
Suffice to say, we made it home perfectly fine, the bus drives like a dream, and we're insanely thankful that we found such an awesome deal. And we still feel like idiots. lol
We were completely oblivious to both the box and the sign....
Offending lock and switch box in question
Suffice to say, we are now official Skoolies, and have already started this crazy adventure before we even got the bus home!
With no further ado, meet:
Broken Compass ~Not All Who Wander Are Lost~
Glad you were able to figure that out. Did you get a manual with it? If not, get one. They will tell you everything about the bus. :)
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