Cummins ISB Diesel Engine Ranks At The Top

Cummins ISB Diesel Engine Running from John Whelan on Vimeo.

Just listen to that baby purr...doesn't it sound great? Cummins has won the "who makes the best medium diesel engine contest". These engines excel way beyond all others on the market. Caterpillar and Navistar collaborated with the MaxxForce design using HEUI injection and it could not keep up with emissions and those of us who still operate them are paying through the nose with repairs and labor to keep them on the road. Production has ceased for all MaxxForce diesel engines in the medium duty industry along with the latest shut down of the 9 and 10 models.

Mercedes MBE 900 engine manufacturing shut down years ago because of the same reason not being able to pass the emission standards. We still have several of these engines running in our fleet and are kept on our toes dealing with emission issues. They have a sturdy block and top end but could never keep the engine clean enough to run the way it should have in the first place. Soot and ash is everywhere causing constant driveability problems.

More reasons why my top pick is the Cummins ISB. It has the SCR system developed by Cummins engineers to reduce emissions down to Hydrogen and water. In other words zero levels of harmful oxides of nitrogen that pump directly out of diesel engine combustion chambers. Cummins uses diesel exhaust fluid to inject into a catalyst combined with the original diesel particulate filter design forcing bad emissions to it's knees. Our fleet will be nothing but Cummins ISB from here on in. There will be no guinea pig testing with us anymore with new diesel engine designs that salesman push with their over-enthusiastic promotions.

Sorry guys that's not going to work in our fleet. We've got our hands full trying to keep up with inferior diesel engines that fail constantly and pick away at our operating budget. It's easy to talk the talk but we are the ones that end up pulling our hair out for years. I would like to thank Cummins for designing the ISB diesel engine with the end user in mind. Everything that has to be serviced is easy to reach... your software is excellent and down time is minimal. Think red...Cummins red if you're thinking about buying a truck or a bus. You will keep a lot more cash in your wallet and you'll spend a lot more time on the road.

Crescent Mechanics Tool Set Review

This is a quick review of a Crescent mechanics tool set. The first thing I have to say it's the perfect set for the do-it-yourselfer for keeping in the back of your truck or in the trunk of your car. You never know when problems arise and having a basic tool to fix something is really boss especially when you avoid the tow truck and save a few bucks.

The plastic case is something that would eventually (depending on how much you use it) wear out at the hinges. I'm talking from experience from all the other plastic tool cases I own. Of course, that does not effect tool performance just the convenience of having them in one place.

If you're on the road there's nothing more frustrating than having to change something as simple as your battery and not having a 1/2 inch wrench and a ratchet with a socket to get the job done. I can't imagine not having a toolbox in the car when my wife and I go on a trip. She doesn't like having "that greasy thing in her trunk" but it's paid off at least once.

It doesn't make sense to buy Snap On tools to keep in your vehicle since the chances of getting them stolen are greater and losing them would be more frustrating. So I would say if you're a Pro, this tool kit would be OK for home and the shop truck at work. For you DIY guys and gals this is something that could come in handy.

 

• Crescent 170-Piece Mechanics Tool Set contains a carefully selected assortment of Crescent brand hand tools needed for most industrial, mechanical and consumer applications
• 3/8-Inch drive tools include 72 tooth quick release ratchet drive, 2 extensions, 3/8- to 1/4-Inch adapter, 2 spark plug sockets, 25 12-point SAE and Metric sockets and 10 6-point deep sockets SAE and Metric
• 1/4-Inch drive tools include 72-Tooth quick release ratchet drive, 3-Inch extension, 22 6-point sockets SAE and Metric
• Additional tools include 12 SAE and Metric combination wrenches, 2 Pliers, 8-Inch adjustable wrench, 4 screwdrivers, Magnetic bit driver with 44 driver bits, 26 SAE and Metric hex keys
• All tools contained in a sturdy, folding plastic case

You can see there are both metric and standard sizes along with 12 point and 6 point sockets. Did You Know? A lot of metric and standard sizes are similar  i.e. 14mm and 9/16. I'm sure if you were stuck for metric you would find a standard wrench that would fit.
I hope this Crescent mechanics tool set review has helped you out. If you would like me to review something for you, please leave a comment below.

Used School Bus For Sale Review

Used School Bus For Sale-1993 Bluebird Pusher

Looking for a used school bus for sale can be a lot of work and when searching all over the country for a deal there's some reluctance in most people when they can't touch what there thinking of buying and not knowing the seller's credibility.

I've been using Ebay for years and it's the top "brand name" for buying and selling on the Internet. Sellers and buyers are held accountable with a feedback score from previous transactions that everyone can view, when you click on a product all the seller's history is located at the top right hand corner.

Ebay auctions usually run for 10 days at a time and you are notified by email if you've won the auction item or the it's come to an end.

So I'm going to write random reviews on a used school bus for sale on Ebay that I think meets all the requirements for price and condition.

Below I will make comments on the vehicle description [italicized with the * sign] to let you know what my opinions are either good or bad.

1993 Bluebird Vehicle Description

1993 72 Passenger TC2000 School Bus

6 Cylinder 5.9 Cummins Turbocharged diesel engine

*Cummins diesels are well suited for this application, I like the B Series Cummins even though it will lack that extra power when climbing a steep grade. A Very reliable engine that has a good track record and will serve it's owner well.

4 Speed Allison Transmission (approx 10,000 miles on rebuild- 5/28/04 - 153573 miles)

*The Allison is great for a fleet school bus and is very dependable when maintained properly. It will probably be an electronic 3000 series which has minor glitches with wiring but no "lemon" problems from factory that I've ever experienced. It's had a recent rebuild adding to the value so regular maintenance will be you're only concern.

162,684 miles total

*Lots of life left since we've had buses up to 240,000 miles

Bus Condition

Paint is faded, has some surface rust, however no thru holes

*Easily repaired and obviously no major body rust

Undercarrigage is rusty

*Not uncommon for body crossmembers to show rust, this can be repaired but depending how bad the rust is most times does not interfere with the integrity of the bus structure.

Bus has been used as a fleet spare for the last two years

*typical for older buses to spend their final years as a spare. Very low mileage during this phase.

Has been replaced by a new bus in the fleet

*All School Bus Fleets must retire a bus at a pre-determined mileage and year

Tire Condition - Front 25-30% Rear 35 - 40%

*Above the tire wear bars, no reason to replace tires yet.

Inside of the bus is in good shape

*Looking at the advertisement photos everything looks good. During service years the seats and trim take a beating but have to be repaired on the spot. The floor gets washed a lot through the years and since there is a wood subfloor under the linoleum you might see some lumps.

Seller Comment: I am listing the bus for the school district that owned and operated this bus since new.

*School Districts generally have an extensive Preventive Maintenance Program. This bus should have the service records right from the day it went into service. When our shop sells a bus the log book goes with the bus. This will give you a detailed account of repairs and maintenance.

Email if you have additional questions or would like to view the bus prior to the end of the auction

*Ask your questions directly to the seller who is acting as a middleman for this transaction. There no limit to any inquiries you may have...

Conclusion:

Overall this is a very good used bus with no immediate attention required, the seller has bidding going on right now [just over 1000.00$ U.S.] with a Reserve amount in place. There is also a Buy It Now Price of $ 3500.00. Still a very fair amount...

If you've never used Ebay before registering is free..

You just need a user name & password to start bidding.

Used School Bus For Sale-1993 Bluebird Pusher

Note: Bidding ends Nov. 15/07 at 9:26 PST

View other used school buses for sale Here

just enter "school bus" into the search box

Stay Tuned for my next review on a Used School Bus For Sale