Cheap bus

[Barfly]

I got hold of a bus for $500 so I'm going to do a bit of a conversion (Nothing to fancy)
The engine runs like a dream but its having trouble dropping out of gear and the front airbags wont go up, but for $500 I didnt expect much.

In all her glory lol.


How it looks now after sitting on a farm for 7 years.


The start.


Can someone tell me what these buttons are for?


Whats this one??


Cheers Max.

[Doc68]

Left black face is engine oil pressure Centre coloured is transmission oil temp

[Barfly]

Anyone know what the 9 switches across the top do and what does that red oil trans button do, push it in and it flashes.

Cheers Max.

[Mr Scania]

You didnt do too bad for $500.00.

[Free Lance]

back in 80's those would have been all light switches in a NSW govie, saloon lights (2), door entry, desto, possibly dash light override, even demister & drivers fan,

[busrider]

I believe that flashing red button is actually for the hazard lights... The oil trans (transmission oil) label refers to the gauge above it. No idea what the other buttons do, sorry...

[rustbucket]

Make sure you don't have a "kneel" function on the front bags, it is a system where the air is dropped from the front bags for passengers to get off and on, hit the switch and bags fill again, I was caught in an embarrassing way by this !

You will have to look under there and trace the hoses going to the front bags, they will meet at a box that will have some wires going to it, that will be the vallve.
OR, just try all the switches with air up and see if they fill, but give it a bit of time, it is not instantaneous.

[Herbert]

There's no kneel function.

Buttons L-R are:
1. nothing
2. retarder - most (all?) were re-wired making this switch obsolete
3. nothing

4. destination box lights
5. saloon lights
6. nothing

7. wipers fast (requires 8 to be on too)
8. wipers
9. windscreen washer

Gears dropping out: make sure the key is fully depressed

[Simes]

You can replace those switch banks with ones made by SWF, the STA over here would fit them when those switches went u/s

[Littledragon]

Make sure you don't have a "kneel" function on the front bags, it is a system where the air is dropped from the front bags for passengers to get off and on, hit the switch and bags fill again, I was caught in an embarrassing way by this !

You will have to look under there and trace the hoses going to the front bags, they will meet at a box that will have some wires going to it, that will be the vallve.
OR, just try all the switches with air up and see if they fill, but give it a bit of time, it is not instantaneous.

Hi there,

We've just bought a Merc O305 and it does appear to have the kneel function, which is throwing the line of the bus out while we're fitting it out as a motor home. Is there a way that we can disable this function even when the bus is turned off? I don't want to have to fit it out with the engine running all of the time. My apologies if this is a dumb question, we're feeling our way along here

[rustbucket]

When the air is completely gone from the system the body should be sitting on the bump stops, if it is still down at the front you will have to block it up to get it level. Or check the bump stops are still intact.
You really need to get it level in 2 directions, it makes all your building work so much easier, having said tat sometimes they are all over the place so a comromise is needed.
Rustbucket.

[rustbucket]

And NO no question is too dumb when you are starting on one of these conversions, there is a wealth of knowledge available, especially here, so it is crazy not to avail yourself of it.
Rb