What if our Routemaster Bus Bar does not make it to its location!?
My father asked me: So is your entire business model based on the fact that this old bus has to reach a certain destination? I had no answer. He was right and you could say that it COULD be the weak point of my operation. This became ever so clear when, upon the return of our first gig ever the the bus refused to start.
Why won’t it start?
I am very fortunate that I share my bus parking location with a mixture of very talented mechanics and bodywork people. Within 5 minutes of me trying to start our dear Routemaster Bus Bar a crowd had gathered around my workshop of nosy neighbors. Amongst them a very talented diesel repair man and a race car builder with international acclaim. Non of them could get it going…….
When the pros worry, you need to worry!!
All the different scenarios were discussed and then a load of jokes were made (Obviously) and in the end I was told to ring some guy called Diesel Dave…… Yes, his name suggests that he would know what to do. I called and he turned up. He diagnosed the bus’s engine and said: It has got to be the pump and the injectors, we’ve checked everything ells. For those of you that don’t know much engines, these are key bits of a diesel engine and always require a specialist. I started to worry at this point because when you turn to specialists one thing always happens…..It becomes pricey!
Once all the injectors were taken off and the pump was removed I sent the lot off and from that point it was a long and painful wait. A few days went by…..
So what was the damage on our poor Routemaster Bus Bar?
It never rains but it pours!!! It turns out it was bad, really bad! The pump was full of sludge (What turned out to be diesel bug) and the injectors were just as bad. The next problem was the fact that the that pump is no longer manufactured. This means repair. In the modern world labor for this is usually more than the purchase of a new item.
In the end the cost was almost £2000…..OUCH! When your business is well established and up and running a cost like this can be budgeted for but not when you’ve just spent nearly £65000 on a build and have just finished one measly gig. Desperate time call for desperate measures and the old credit card came to save the day.
So, what had caused our Routemaster Bus bar to stop?
Our engine is not THAT old. The Cummins 6 cylinder unit that lives in our Routemaster Bus bar is generally reliable and all parts are available. This unit was not what caused the pump and injectors to fail. The fuel system attached to that engine is probably from 1965. What happens is that when these vehicles don’t get used, lots of nasty stuff builds up in the tank and then once used gets sent straight to the pump and ultimately to the injectors. The nasty stuff tends to lurk at the bottom of the tank and guess who had let it run low upon return of the first gig he ever went to? yours truly! So as of this moment the rules are simple. I now fill up every journey and never have to put more than £50 in at a time. I always say: The vehicle is fine, it’s me that’s the problem!
Good thing too, because now it had to work!
In the end it was a blessing in disguise because later that year the phone rang and the dream call came through. It was a major drinks company wanting to use our lovely bus for a whole line up of trade shows across the country. It involved a 1000+ miles and had me staying aboard for days at a time. At £1500 plus expenses per event day this paid for my poor pump and injectors over and over again. My thoughts where:
I had a major breakdown that was expensive and in my workshop! I did NOT have a major breakdown that was expensive and on the road with a customer waiting!
When another such tour was proposed to and my beautiful Routemaster Bus Bar I put the following in place to maximize reliability.
- Bus to be serviced like clockwork. Correct, on time, every time.
- Diesel bug solution being used as additive on every fill up to stop clogging.
- Check list complete before every longer journey that include: Diesel filter drainage, tire pressure check, batterty health check and oil and water top ups completed (if needed)
- Have the best roadside recovery service
- Alert my mechanic (poor guy) when I set off for bigger trips, you never know..
All in all I can not complain. I’m in my second year of Routemaster Bus bar fun and I have (touching all wood known to man kind and then some…) not had any major issues.
What’s next for our Routemaster bus bar? Crash damage? Surely not! Find out next time!!
