Picture this. It’s Monday morning. You hop in your bus and then the bus won’t start. You take out the keys and try again and again, but nothing helps.
This scenario is quite common for bus drivers, whether they’re picking up students or shuttling seniors to another city. It’s also quite costly. Reputations are damaged, schedules are less reliable and driver hours go down. Replacing critical parts that face wear and tear can prevent this all too common scenario. But how can you tell which parts are causing the problem? Your dashboard lights are a great place to start, but they don’t catch everything.
To help clear things up, we at Rohrer Bus have looked at our sales data to identify six of the most commonly replaced bus parts in the past year. You’ll also learn some subtle warning signs that can let you know repairs are needed.
The most commonly replaced parts vary significantly by region and manufacturer. At Rohrer Bus, six of our most purchased bus parts and consumable items are:
If your bus can’t start, odds are your 12V battery is the culprit. Buses are especially prone to battery failure because they run through more stop-start cycles than most other vehicles. This can wear the battery out quickly or lead to loose connections. School buses may also spend summer and winter breaks sitting idle. The summer rain and humidity can easily lead to battery corrosion, as can melting ice and snow in the winter.
Signs that your battery may be wearing thin include:
In some cases, these issues can be resolved by charging the battery or cleaning the battery terminals. In many, though, the battery needs to be replaced entirely.
Bus flooring gets replaced all the time. Between all the dirty shoes, spills and trash, it’s no wonder. And even the cleanest shoes will wear down the flooring over time. If the roads get salted in the winter, abrasive road salt can pile up on the flooring as people board and exit. Even UV radiation from sunlight can wear the flooring down over time.
This isn’t just a cosmetic issue. Ripples in the aisle and peeling edges at the stairwell can lead directly to trips and falls. Grimy floors also just make for a bad time. Riders prefer their space clean and comfortable, after all.
To prevent these issues, heavy-duty floor coverings often get replaced. Be careful, though! Replacing them can be time-consuming, so plan accordingly. Many schools will schedule bus repairs during the summertime, for example.
Brake cleaner is an underrated workhorse when it comes to keeping buses running. It gets grease, oil and grime off of brake pads and other components. If your brakes aren’t cleaned periodically, they will start to grind, and you may notice your bus taking longer to slow down.
Unlike the other items on this list, brake cleaner is consumable. Some bus drivers need to buy it multiple times a year. Some brake pads, calipers and drums may also be dirty enough that multiple cans are needed. Mechanics also use brake cleaner to degrease engine blocks, clean electrical contacts and prep gasket surfaces.
Fuel filters are complicated, but their purpose is simple — they protect the fuel in your engine from contaminants. Modern diesel injectors are extremely high-pressure systems, operating at thousands of PSI. Multi-layered fuel filters protect this environment. The primary filter catches large debris, and its water separator prevents even the smallest water droplets from mixing with the fuel. The secondary filter catches any microscopic grit that gets past the first layer.
Over time, these filters wear out. Some common wear signs include:
These are serious issues that can cause irreparable damage to your diesel injector. In some cases, it may be enough to drain your water separator. In other cases, the fuel filter needs to be replaced completely. Once it is, make sure you regularly empty the water separator to prevent future issues.
Blocked oil filters are an extremely common issue for bus drivers. Engine oil cleans soot and other deposits off your engine so that it can run smoothly. Then, the oil filter removes those contaminants so that the oil can keep flowing. Over time, the contaminants will clog the filter, impeding flow. Oil filters have a bypass valve that can let the oil through, but this will expose your bus’s bearing, cam and cranks to the contaminants it’s supposed to protect them from. This can quickly wear out the engine.
If your bus’s oil light comes on, don’t just settle for an oil change. Check your filter to see if it’s blocked. If it is, you need to replace the filter entirely to improve your engine’s health and the long-term quality of your engine oil. This is especially important if your bus has a diesel engine.
Because of their length, buses need a rear heater in addition to the standard heater in the front. Long heater hoses connect the two, allowing the engine to pump coolant back to the rear heater. These hoses often run along the outside of the bus and are directly exposed to road debris, salt and the bus’s vibrations. This can result in rub-holes and rips that cause the coolant to leak and the engine to overheat. Rubber heater hoses may also dry out and crack from the heat cycling.
If either issue occurs, you can patch the heater hose, but we don’t recommend it. This is only a short-term fix that won’t last. Instead, consider replacing the heater hose entirely. It will last far longer and ensure that your bus can heat and cool as needed. You can also upgrade from rubber heater hoses to silicone ones during bus maintenance. They are more flexible and resilient, and their lifespan is significantly longer as a result.
If you’re facing any of the issues we’ve talked about, Rohrer Bus has your back. We have been supporting our communities for almost a century now with accessible transportation, repairs and parts services. We have a vast inventory of buses available for rent and purchase. Our bus repair and maintenance specialists are highly skilled and want nothing more than to get your bus back on the road. We also provide parts from a wide range of brands, such as Freightliner and Thomas Built Buses.
To learn more, fill out our contact form or reach out at 1-888-287-1538.
