Farrar's car blog

[Farrar]

Bill, it sounds like you are having what my mother would call "a time" with that bus and its driver! I think a lot of large vehicles are damaged by people who don't understand a drivetrain that was made for haulage not speed. Sounds like you'd be the solution to their bus woes in more ways than one! I'll root for you. (Listen for the sound...)

A new fuel pump has been ordered and should arrive on Tuesday. I actually ordered two -- in case it fits, I will keep the second as a spare. They're $64 each, so that's most of my "fun" budget for the month gone.

In other news, when I opened up the relay/fuse compartment to run my new wire for the otterstat, my courtesy lights all failed. Somewhere back there, there's a wire disconnected. When I removed the row of relays, I looked carefully at the melted insulation from owners past, the slightly melted relay sockets, the unused relay sockets, and wiring kluges that have been done over the years, and with a resounding sigh said "Eff this. I'm doing this whole compartment over again." So I've ordered 10 relay sockets (price goes down if you order 10 or more) and 100 terminals -- but not a fuse box for obvious reasons -- and will soon be cleaning up that relay compartment.

I was considering using a kit like this one for an entirely new cooling fan circuit --

coolingfankit.jpg

-- but I think by giving each fan its own relay and circuit breaker I will accomplish the same thing that this kit offers. Although its lug-mounted temperature sensor intrigues me, the kit is $133 and I think that's a bit pricey considering what it is. Besides, why would I want a circuit breaker for my cooling fans which I have to reset by hand? I like the auto-reset type like I already have.

Farrar

[Farrar]

By the way, does anyone happen to know if the "lock doors" light should illuminate when my doors are unlocked even if I don't have the door lock module installed? My "lock doors" light has only worked once -- for a couple of days a year or two ago -- and I have no idea why it didn't work before, why it worked then, or why it doesn't work now. The bulb is good.

Farrar

[Bitsyncmaster]

By the way, does anyone happen to know if the "lock doors" light should illuminate when my doors are unlocked even if I don't have the door lock module installed? My "lock doors" light has only worked once -- for a couple of days a year or two ago -- and I have no idea why it didn't work before, why it worked then, or why it doesn't work now. The bulb is good.

Farrar

According to the schematic, it should work without the DLM. The door switches or the inertial switch should turn it on or off.

[Farrar]

According to the schematic, it should work without the DLM. The door switches or the inertial switch should turn it on or off.

"Inertial switch" -- you mean what turns the fuel pump off?

Farrar

[Bitsyncmaster]

"Inertial switch" -- you mean what turns the fuel pump off?

Farrar

Yes. In a crash it forces the door switch contacts to ground. That turns on the light and unlocks the doors.

[Farrar]

Yes. In a crash it forces the door switch contacts to ground. That turns on the light and unlocks the doors.

Fascinating! Thanks, Dave!

Looks like I have another electrical mystery (along with no interior lights) to track down this week as I am sprucing up the relay/fuse compartment...

Farrar

[content22207]

Since you are considering a Mr. Gasket pump, this is how it compares to an Airtex unit:

Mr Gasket pump & pressure:
MrGasketPump.jpg MrGasketPressure.jpg

Airtex pump & pressure:
AirtexPump.jpg AirtexPressure.jpg

Combined pressure:
CombinedPressure.jpg

This is the new tank pickup -- no baffle necessary:
BusTankPickup.jpg

Bill Robertson
#5939

[Farrar]

I already ordered an Airtex pump. Two of them, actually.

The solution for drawing fuel from the tank is a novel one -- or it would be in DeLorean land! I don't think I feel like draining my tank and drilling a hole in it, though.

The Airtex pumps I ordered should arrive at the parts house today; O'Reilly's are open late, so I should be able to pick the fuel pumps up after work tonight.

With my courtesy lights not working, I can't install a new fuel pump after work tonight since it will be too dark outside. I should be able to install it tomorrow morning, if I sleep all right tonight.

Farrar

[content22207]

If you can't change your pump by flashlight, the spare won't do much good if your pump dies after dark.

My pump has never been grounded through the inertia switch (PO mod -- the inertia switch harness connector is melted). I drilled a dedicated frame ground next to the tank about a year into ownership when their radiator bracket ground failed, and it's been there ever since. Perhaps that is why I have better luck with pumps than you do:
- First failure, after 4 years, was due to sucking up a piece of epoxy from Hervey's pickup screen
- Second failure was an honest to goodness failure (bearings: pump jumped around like a Mexican jumping bean)
- Third "failure" probably wasn't a failure at all -- I'm pretty sure Louie and I got spooked by a gust of headwind and just threw the spare into the tank as a precaution (you may remember, I replaced that pump free of charge as a warranty item -- if you're getting a new pump for free, why not use it...)

Bill Robertson
#5939

[Farrar]

If you can't change your pump by flashlight, the spare won't do much good if your pump dies after dark.

Don't need a flashlight if my courtesy lights are working:



Farrar