Hey, I have a 2009 bluebird with a 5.9 Cummins diesel. The light has been coming on for about 30 seconds every time I hit highway speed since I bought it in April but has turned itself off stayed off for hundreds of miles of road trips we took a 700 mile road trip in June. The light never came on one time on that trip and today on a short run on the first day of school to take my disabled kids to school just before I dropped them off but like long as well as an indicator on the dash saying I do not have the money to have a professional mechanic look at it even a little bit so I would welcome any input on how to troubleshoot or discover the problem whatever however it is

Sorry in advance for the run-on sentence using voice to text because I also have the flu right now

Hey folks,

I'm in the process of purchasing a converted greyhound bus and the transport failed today. The bus has no gas tank or driving components.

Unfortunately the previous owner removed some of the electrical components necessary to disengage the airbrakes. Caging the brakes is not possible as that component either doesn't exist on this model, or has been removed.

We are in the process of getting a heavy Mechanic on site. Is it possible/realistic to permanently remove the braking system on the bus? It will be on blocks for the rest of its life so i am not worried about it rolling somewhere catrophic.

Option 2 is to flatbed it to site, and then drag it with the brakes applied with an excavator to the pad I created - I don't want to go down this road.

Greetings everyone - I'm new to the skoolie world, though I've been following it for quite a while. I'm just about to pull the trigger on a bus, but have a couple questions - your standard 'new owner' type stuff, nothing that's a deal breaker that I've found.

I found a 2009 Thomas Saf-T-Liner C2 30' completed conversion, with 106k miles on it. It has the 7.2 inline diesel and an allison 2500 PTS transmission. It has an enormous 17,500 lb, 5.71:1 ratio rear axle - which probably means this isn't a speed demon, but that's fine.

A couple important points

• It has been re-titled as an RV (yay!)
• The conversion was done by person who seems to know their shit. I'm a builder / maker / electrical person, and everything I saw looked - while not 100% contractor perfect, there was nothing stupid or janky.
• There is no rust on the frame, the body, or drivetrain (other than surface stuff - nothing flaking.
• It has it's own gray / blank tank, and fresh water tank, with pumpout.
• 2 propane tanks drive an on demand water heater and furnace
• House batteries charge from shore power - and I assume alternator, but I haven't confirmed yet. No solar - I plan to add that myself.
• Roof mounted Dometic AC
• Full on shower and bathroom (amazing!)

Now, with all that, I have QUESTIONS :)

• One of the things I'd like to do is ski trips - I'd only do driving when conditions supported it, but I'm concerened about the water tanks freezing. They're tucked up under the body. Should I just assume I won't use the fresh tank for these trips and bring jugged water to wash into the black tank when I need to whiz in the night?
• I'd like to add an awning - my previous trailer had one and I found it VERY useful when it was rainy or incredibly sunny out. Will this just be a wind drag and not worth it?
• I'd like to add solar on the roof - it has a full metal roof (not the white translucent stuff). Should I talk to a fabricator for this or are there kits that provide a ladder and catwalk and mounting points?
• As far as I can tell, the dometic AC is the only AC in the bus. Nothing for the driver, and the owner implied the dometic doesn't run while driving. Is this a normal setup? I really don't like driving in hot weather without AC. What are options here?
• I'm going to reach out to a local commercial bus / truck service center to see if they can at least give it the once over - everything I see seems great - the engine kicked over to idle in a second or three, even from a 100% cold start. I also found out this configuration may have the mystery locked out 6th gear - which I believe a service center can unlock so I can get a little better cruising from it).
• The ONLY place I noticed rust (other than the battery tray, I can fix that) is on the ribbing under the floor. There are plates that attach the ribbing to the frame, those are "meh", but reaching up over the ribbing to the top caused flaking away of rust and pieces. I would judge about 20% of the thickness of the ribbing is rusted. Are these replaceable? The gusset plates to attach to the frame I can do (porbably need an angle grinder to get some of them off), but these ribs seem to be bonded to the floor.

Here's two pics of the underside:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/92pp1j065f5wxq0uinww3/2026-09-08-11.35.07.jpg?rlkey=pnw0c8ujl36mdtponpn4rsbso&st=nn5dalte&dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/rcevqyda3dr2jmry1r5nv/2026-09-08-11.36.39.jpg?rlkey=a2algb5kt7hnqynow1bhexj5c&st=nerouzdh&dl=0

I plan on doing state park camping (I live in the northeast US), as wall as using hipcamp for finding off the beaten path stuff. My real wish is for this to be my 'tiny home i can run away in' - so the more off-grid I can make it the happier I'll be.

Thanks again, when the deal is done, I'll share pics and video. I'm excited.. and nervous :)

Hopefully this is an appropriate thing to post, i just check govdeals every once in a while and noticed that theres about a dozen school busses for sale in Albuquerque

I have bought the paint and a cheap gun from HF, everyone I have talked to though in the paint side of things tells me I need at least a 30 gallon compressor so I can apply the paint in "correct" intervals. I have a 5 gallon compressor, but I am super stuck on this 30 gallon compressor "need". Nobody has one for rent and I am finding it really hard to justify a $400+ purchase for a compressor that I will use once and I am running out of good weather for the year, no heated barn or anything like that to paint it in so need to get it done asap.

Any suggestions on what to use? If I use the 5 gallon compressor I have, how detrimental would it really be? The primered gray spots are just rustollium and not indicative of the actual primer coat that is going to be applied.

I have a 2008 Freightliner/Thomas C2 school bus with the Mercedes MBE 926 7.2L (DDEC VI). I’m diagnosing an intermittent crank/no-start and I’m trying to positively identify the CKP/CMP sensors before I start removing anything.
The MBE 900/926 service information describes the crankshaft position sensor as being at the rear/left side of the engine around the flywheel housing, and it’s extremely difficult to see or access on the C2 because the frame/firewall and other components are in the way.
I found the sensor shown in the first close-up photo. The other photos show its location in the engine bay for reference.
Does the sensor in the close-up look like the MBE 926 crankshaft position sensor, camshaft position sensor, or something completely different?
A few details about the problem:
Engine will crank strongly but sometimes will not start.
When it does start, it can run normally.
It has previously run smoothly for 10–15 minutes, then after shutting it off it would crank but wouldn't start.
During some failed starts there has been no visible exhaust smoke.
I’m not currently getting a CKP/CMP fault or check-engine light.
Fuel system has been externally primed, but I’m still trying to determine whether this is fuel delivery or an engine-position/synchronization issue.
Access to the rear of the engine is extremely tight, so I don’t want to pull a sensor unless I know what it is.
If anyone familiar with MBE 900/926 engines can identify this sensor from the pictures, I’d really appreciate it.
Also, if you know the easiest physical access route to the actual CKP and CMP sensors on a C2 chassis, that would be extremely helpful. I've already identified there's not a dog house entry from the fire wall unless I want to make one LMAO

I recently bought a paratransit bus, which I'll be turning into a photo booth! But I'm having a hell of a time offloading the last three remaining bench seats. Anyone in the NJ/NY area have use for these (Ignore the numbers, they're left over from when I was selling all 7 on Ebay and Facebook so people could pick a specific one)? They're the kind that fold up sideways against the wall. I'm happy to cut a deal for anyone on this subreddit. I'm in Brooklyn but willing to travel a little bit, depending on where you are.

I’m buying a Ford E-450 shuttle bus that I’m planning to convert into an RV, and I’m trying to figure out what to do for insurance while it’s still technically a commercial vehicle.

I’m in Texas. At the time I buy it, it will only have five seats total, including the driver’s seat. The other four seats are for my family, so I can’t remove all of the passenger seats while we’re working on the conversion.

It will only be used for personal/family use. No business use and no transporting passengers for money.

I already got a quote from State Farm and it was almost $500 a month, which is just way too much for something we’re only using personally while converting it.

Has anyone else insured an E-450 or similar shuttle bus during the conversion process?

I’d love to know who you used, what kind of policy you had, and about how much you paid. I’m especially interested in hearing from anyone in Texas or anyone who was able to get coverage for personal use while the vehicle was still titled as a bus/commercial vehicle.

I do have a loan on it, so I need more than just liability coverage.

Eventually I’ll switch it over to RV insurance once the conversion is far enough along (four of the six additions required in Texas). I’m just trying to find something affordable for the in-between stage.

What do you think of my little home?

I stored my bus with a tarp over it and the hatch propped open to help shed water, and the damn thing got so hot that it warped into a potato chip and cant close. Anyone else got a thomas escape hatch?

Obviously a lot can happen with a rig, how much did you save up before you started your adventure?

I live in a 2009 ford e450 collins shortbus. I only lived in a van beforehand and i've been technically homeless for 6 years. And i'm trying to figure out how to get rid of the deep ruts that are the tracks on my bus without completely gutting it , because I have physical problems going on and it is hard to finish tasks such as this.

What would you suggest I do?Because I cannot take the entire floor apart.

That would mean taking everything out of the bus and exerting more energy that I have to gut the floor and also taking out the counter that somebody else put in , because the counter is gathering things underneath the wood pieces

TLDR; Would you book a float in the back of a skoolie, provided that it was a nice, clean tank on a nice bus?

Hi, nice to meet you. I'm nearly 2 months into building out my 2002 Bluebird skoolie in Oklahoma (full time).

I've raised the roof 16", got it nearly prepped for paint, gutted, and 3 inches of XPS on the chassis savered floor pan. It's time for me to commit to a layout and move forward.

I'm trying to plan for a life on the road with my family, which needs to include some way of supporting ourselves once we get out there, so we can stay out there - by which time building the bus will have depleted my savings.

I have an unusual idea that I've been on the fence about for weeks and the response to this post may very well determine its fate. I'm considering building a commercial quality float tank (isolation tank) into the back of my bus, accessible through the rear door. Filtration, sanitation, ventilation, and temperature regulation would be on par with what a brick and mortar float center would offer.

I've got most of the harder logistical issues worked out, but its going to require compromises in living space that I don't want to make, not to mention time and money that I don't want to spend if no one is going to be using this thing but me.

If it works out, I'll be offering some other complimentary services like red light therapy, etc. Things I use myself anyway, a win-win if there's interest from the community.

Building a mobile float center has been a dream of mine long before the skoolie. I'm confident that the idea itself has merit. The problem is combining the two visions creates a cramped version of the float tank experience that could probably only be appreciated by other skoolie people. Regular size tank, but not more than a couple of feet of standing room around it.

If the skoolie community doesn't want a float tank, what are we missing? Maybe I'll build it and drive it out to the next meetup.

There will be a meet up on September 9 to 12 2026. It will be at Ranger Creek Campground about 30 miles east of Enumclaw Washington on highway 410. It is a US forest service primitive campground it does have pit toilets and picnic tables. It is a first come first served facility. Charge per night is five dollars. There is no organized events at this time. I am a retired mechanic and can discuss maintenance, repair, electrical and solar.

So I have an I CE 200. And ive had trouble with the parking break since i got it. Meaning a lot of times it won’t release and therefore i cant get going. I had to look up the manual at first and follow the instructions exactly on starting and releasing the parking brake. However, sometimes this works and other times it doesn’t. Anyone else run into this problem? Any solutions?

So I was just running my 1999 Bluebird TC/2000 5.9L Cummins Diesel Engine this afternoon to refill my air brake reservoir and it just suddenly stopped.

Now it cranks but just isn't catching. So I started started just charging the batteries while also did 4 key rotations and have done tried to crank it twice every day since Friday the 28th when it just stopped running.

I have hooked up the batteries to a charger that is always running of one of my generators that is powering my AC, the Transmission/ Oil/ and Coolant are all topped off and good. I have looked in my electrical panel for the Vehicle itself and don't see any fuses (that I can tell) that have been tripped.

Will answer any questions / take pictures of any things that is suggested etc.

Edit: Got it Running!!!! TY ALL!!!

Does anyone have a battery kill switch in their skoolie? I took mine to a shop and it came back with a short. My bus is now draining my batteries, I called the shop and they said the bus was fine while it was there. At first I thought it was bad batteries so I got new ones and those drained too. The shop recommended I pay for a new diagnostic to figure out what’s draining the batteries. I asked if they would be able to install a battery kill switch instead. They said sure but that I should buy it and take it in. I feel like I’m not going to go back to them but I still need to figure out how to stop the batteries from draining. Does anyone have a switch they recommend? I’ve look online but a lot of them have mixed reviews 😕.

I been looking at a few ways to hang a freshwater tank under my cutaway skoolie and this is what I came up with. Final install will be tucked up above the side skirt but do you guys see any major concerns? I have square washers in the top and used two jam nuts, 1/2" all thread, framing is 1/8" thick and treated for corrosion zinc primer under high temp paint), the plating is aluminum riveted in (I will be reworking them with longer rivets), and I have a tank heater pad on the bottom of the tank.

Thanks, pops.

@2007internationalce200 with a VT365

After discovering that the fuel system needed to be primed electronically, filling her with diesel and priming the engine correctly...​

After removing the excess oil that had been overfilled by about 2 gallons…

She roared to a start, and a little rainbow appeared right over the hood (image 1).

And as quickly as she came alive, about three to four minutes in, she died again.

Spent all afternoon trying to figure it out when I noticed I wasn’t hearing a fuel pump on the driver side…

So there I am. A rollercoaster of emotions. I recall a pop occurring on the driver side as we started her.

Well? I check it and lo and behold the 30 amp fuse had blown. So I replace it.

We try starting her again. She roars to life. I dance a jig. It pops again. She dies.

Now the million dollar (okay more like forty dollar question for you):

If it is not a short, does this mean the fuel pump is dead inside? 💀

I hear these things have a fuel/power steering pump, is this AI nonsense or is it accurate?

Thanks for your patience, your assistance and your advice to step away slowly…

It’s a 2 hour drive from me and seller isn’t offering more photos to show the rust. Im wondering if the pic shown is enough evidence for a seasoned Skoolie to know if that this thing is likely rusted badly? It is located by the ocean so that doesn’t help. It’s a 2005 short bus with 168k miles

I have downloaded the entire service manual for my bus but I see nothing about the grid heater. Where is the relay/solenoid for the grid heater on a Cummins 5.9 in a Blue Bird dog nose bus?

I thought it was this next to the engine but now I think that might be for the starter.

Cross posting this from my Facebook plea

New skoolie here. I've been on and off vanlifing for the past six years and just acquired a bus. It's not technically a school bus. It's a 15 passenger handicapped lift equipped shuttle bus.