If it wasn't for bad luck .... I wouldn't have any.

[dbusguy]

I finished my shift today (had a/c), get to Square One where the next driver takes over. I go to leave in the spare bus that he brought out....it stalls. This unit has an air starter. I start it, start to leave again, it stalls again. I start it and get to the traffic light to leave...it stalls. That's it, no more air...it won't start. So, here I am, about to leave the terminal, at the light, units dead and I'm blocking half the exit. No more air for me. So much for the short 10 minute drive back to the garage. Finally a Supervisor shows up, we leave the bus where it is for maintenance to fix and then move and the supervisor drives me back to the garage in his car. 30 (hot and sweaty) minutes of overtime.


For those wondering....some of our buses don't have an electric started (like a car), they have an air starter. A blast of air from an air tank is blown into the air starter to start the engine. The tank only has 120 lbs of air and needs the engine to run for a couple of minutes to refill it. Hence, stalling and starting a couple of times all within 1 minute, I ran out of air pertty quickly.

So, If it wasn't for bad luck .... I wouldn't have any.

[Deb]

Bah...what a bunch of "hot air" :mdn:

[justabitcrazee]

Bah...what a bunch of "hot air" :mdn:
I didnt want to say it. :hst:

[Lee Anne]

That reminds me of the time I was working with my Dad (over 10 years ago now) and the van decided to just stop in the middle of the 401 during rush hour then hearing on CFRB that a grey van was blocking traffic .. lol, ended up waiting about an hour for a tow truck because there was a transport accident a couple of miles behind us which was holding up the tow truck, was a mess of a day

[Les Shaw]

I bet those people in traffic were happy , and even though it was not your fault you got the eyes.
Not to worry we still love you

[sybil]

Sounds like my kind of luck! :teeth: I once had a rear tire blow in the far left hand lane of the 401 in rush hour at Islington with a big truck filling up my rear view window with 3 of my friends in the car. And another time (way back when), I had my husband's Cortina with a crappy clutch stall in the middle of the intersection on Mt. Pleasant south of Lawrence, again in rush hour, and it wouldn't go back into gear................

[Rustynut]

dbusgy, be glad those air starters on busses are muffled! I had one on a truck that was repaired and the wrench forgot to re-install the muffler, well I drove it for the day and had a great time when I needed to start up, I can still see that lady in the schoolyard 3 feet in the air, and the kids around her shrieking in fear. :D

[Ken_ver_1_5]

I have leaned something today "air starter" hmmm

[Just Doug1]

Ahh, the joys of compressed air devices.

One time while driving a 33 ton G.V.W. straight truck on the 401, I had an air brake line snap.

Nothing more exciting than 10 tires locking up at the same time. :(

[Dr.Dan]

Nothing more exciting than 10 tires locking up at the same time. :(
Well at least you know the brakes worked :tooths:


dbusgy, be glad those air starters on busses are muffled! I had one on a truck that was repaired and the wrench forgot to re-install the muffler
I've heard one once... I thought his air tank just exploded... :eek:

[andyman]

no manual pump ?
no battery pump ?
or 3... Hey I just Drive the Dam things :)

[Morning Cabbie]

That's a new one on me DB... I assumed all buses had electric starts... learn something new everyday... :)

[dbusguy]

Only our buses from 88 - 92 are air starts.
Some are being converted over to electric.

I found out today that at 5:15 that bus was still broken down blocking the left turn lane oput of the bus terminal. It died on me at 1:30. Glad I didn't wait for them to fix it so I could drive it back.

[andyman]

I guess that's why I've seen Service trucks with Air Tanks

[dbusguy]

All 3 of our service trucks have a compressor and an air tank. Although this is also used for the mechanics tools. An extra tidbit, if you've noticed your mechanics tools have an easy connector to connect their tools to the air hose, well our buses have the same connector to hook up to an air line. Well, I thought that was cool when I found out. They can even rebuild the air from another bus. Kind of like a jump start.

[freddy here]

Only our buses from 88 - 92 are air starts.
Some are being converted over to electric.

I found out today that at 5:15 that bus was still broken down blocking the left turn lane oput of the bus terminal. It died on me at 1:30. Glad I didn't wait for them to fix it so I could drive it back.

a question more or less on the same subject......Busses...

"How come Mississauga Transit" Busses smoke so much when they take off from

a stop or when they accellerate ?????

Seem to me most all of them emitting the black smoke...


A curious Mississauga Resident :)

[Mouse]

Could be a maintenance issue. Here are some causes.

-Fuel Pump
-Wear and tear on the fuel pump causes the pump to deliver excess diesel to the engine.
-Calibrate the fuel injection pump.

-Fuel Injector
-Faulty fuel injector unable to spray the diesel as a fine mist into the engine.
-Repair or replace the injector.

-Air Filter
-Air filter that is clogged with dirt/particles results in insufficient air supply to the engine. Damaged air filters allows dirty air to go directly into the engine.
-Clean or replace air filter.

-Engine Block
-Wear and tear in the engine block causes a loss of compression or incomplete combustion.
-Overhaul engine.

-Exhaust Pipe
-Soot and dirt deposited in the exhaust pipe will result in soot and dirt being emitted with exhaust gases.
-Clean or replace exhaust pipe.

[dbusguy]

a question more or less on the same subject......Busses...

"How come Mississauga Transit" Busses smoke so much when they take off from

a stop or when they accellerate ?????

Seem to me most all of them emitting the black smoke...


A curious Mississauga Resident :)

I'm a driver, not a mechanic.
If you see one that's smoking too much, feel free to call customer service.
I'm up front and can't see what is doing back there.

I know, not the answer you wanted, but then, nobody likes the truth.

[Morning Cabbie]

Surprised they are even smoking at all... thought buses had to pass Drive Clean just like cars do?


Mousemeat is basically correct in his diagnosis, I worked in the diesel injection/turbo business years ago... black smoke is basically excess fuel being dumped in the exhaust manifold.

Also I would hazard to guess the constant starting and stopping is hard on a diesel engine.:)

[freddy here]

I'm a driver, not a mechanic.
If you see one that's smoking too much, feel free to call customer service.
I'm up front and can't see what is doing back there.

I know, not the answer you wanted, but then, nobody likes the truth.

No need to go on the defensive...i just wondered if you knew the answer,didn't

say it was YOUR fault...:)

[andyman]

every Jetta diesel I see always has black smoke yet mine never has ? (unless I really step on it)

[freddy here]

every Jetta diesel I see always has black smoke yet mine never has ? (unless I really step on it)

A neighbor has one of those (Jetta Diesel). Haven't seen it smoke yet,

but it sounds as if it's gone fall apart any minute :)