Please help me bring my 77 bus out of "retirement"

Yes, you can turn it by hand. I don't think you'll need to, however. I would be inclined to hook it up and try the starter. If your connections are all good and the starter actually tries but does not succeed in turning it over, then I would get concerned! If that is the case, then write back and about a dozen of us will offer helpful hints of what to try next!

Somebody went to a lot of trouble to steal that battery if it was a stock one and properly mounted! They are a pain to get out of there and such an oddball size that it would hardly be worthwhile for anyone except another bus owner.

Run it a day (good and warmed up - a long journey) and then change the oil & filter. Check the condition of all your vacuum hoses (still fuel injected, right?) - they "bake" in place and a simple backfire or a bump over railroad tracks will knock them loose and leave you stranded - they look to be still connected but often are just "close." Assuming the '77 FI parts are on the '78 engine, check the throttle position switch and tighten the screws - they work loose oftem.

Common problem is the solenoid part of the starter not engaging. If you hear a click or a buzz when you turn the key to "start" but the starter does not spin the engine, it is usually because there is not enough energy getting to the solenoid to cause it to slam the connections closed to engage the starter. Reasons are mostly age related. Corrosion occurs at all the wire ends and into the wires a distance (maybe 1/4" or more) underneath the insulation. The switch portion of the key switch also corrodes. Last but not least the solenoid itself deteriorates over time. When the battery is fully charged, it will usually have enough wallop to overcome all the resistance along the way. (Be sure the battery terminal connectors are clean and in good clamping condition when installing the new bat!)

I realize you did not ask any of those questions - figured I'd save you the time and answer them 1st!

-BaH

So check the oil and add some if necessary.

Thanks for all of the advice. The solenoid should be fine; I checked that a little over a year ago. The switch, however, is not - when I saw that the solenoid was solid I hotwired around the switch and realized it was shot. So I now have a push button. When I get the bus running again I'm going to get some more wire and place the button in the spot from which a previous owner removed the Euro cigarette lighter.

The battery was not properly installed - I can't recall just how it should be installed, but something (a metal strap, perhaps?) was missing and it simply sat in there. The previous owner had done something I couldn't replicate with a bungee cord; I was concerned, but my mechanic said that it should be fine as it was. Folk have even stolen my orange hand soap from the garage, so I suppose they'll take just about anything they can from this place. I have an alarm, but my landlord had trouble with people stealing from the house while he was repairing it prior to my moving in. I can't say they stole everything but the kitchen sink, but that's only because they stole the kitchen sink - and the water pump

- and the replacement water pump... As I said, worse than the amount of work was the knowledge that I wasn't making much for the work.

Aga> Yes, you can turn it by hand. I don't think you'll need to, however. I would

OOOps! Hit send too soon.

Well, I have a '78 Bus with a '77 engine. So, there...

Your '78 has hydraulic lifters. It *may* take them a while to "pump up". So if you hear a lot of tapping and clacking, don't be overly alarmed.

(Loved the story about the battery!)

Speedy Jim

Not all 78's have hydraulics. Not all of them have FI either. Mine had carbs and solid lifters.

Jan

Just another example of we Americans assuming everybody that has or does is working on U.S. specs!

-BaH

Well, they are American cars!

Kidding.

-Kevin

Well, it's actually not a U.S. bus - I bought it in Vancouver. It does, however, have the FI and hydraulic lifters.

I'm glad to learn that I should be able to just start her up after around so many months sitting idle. I've spent the past few days in fear of tearing the engine apart trying to start it with insufficient lubrication.

They were also available with the T1 1600 engine in 78. carburetted, of course, and with solid lifters. Fitted in the engine bay with special factory made engine tin to make up for the wide gap in the bay, because the T1 is so much smaller than the T4.

But this is common knowledge, right? :)

Jan

Yes. *cough*

So you did have a T4 engine? I suppose I've read that those were available on T2s in Europe, but I've completely forgotten it.

mez wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@news.easynews.com:

Just got through tearing my engine down after sitting in the shop for almost a year without being turned over. I tore it down to the crank with out splitting the case. I found plenty of oil on all journals for the rods and it even had oil in the push rods as they leaked on me as I was removing them and holding them up right. Made a big mess in the floor before I noticed the oil running out the ends.