From Freightliner ambulance to RV - we hope!

[Ozrockrat]

I have a spare seat mount if you are considering putting a 3rd seat/console in the middle. I should of thought of it earlier and you could of checked it out. I am fairly sure the captive nuts will be under the floor and you would probably just need to drill the floor skin off the top of them.

 

[rossvtaylor]

I have a spare seat mount if you are considering putting a 3rd seat/console in the middle. I should of thought of it earlier and you could of checked it out. I am fairly sure the captive nuts will be under the floor and you would probably just need to drill the floor skin off the top of them.

Thanks Oz, but I think we're going to stick with just two seats in front. I did like your office setup, though!

 

[rossvtaylor]

Oz, for those of us with Cummins powerplants, would you share what you told me today? Since I wasn't taking notes, I lost some of that... The short summary is that you have a display module that shows you some engine data and also gives you fault codes. And, you also have a tablet you use for displaying data (with a software that I forgot the name of). I want to know more and copy you!

 

[patoz]

If anyone's got a couple of red single-hole Whelen lenses they'd be willing to part with, let me know.

View attachment 345860

Don't tell Kara I tried this in the kitchen sink...

Those are the Whelen 9E Series Lens and I have a box full of those that I can't use, so let me look and find the best two and I'll send them your way. I'll shoot you a PM later on when I find out exactly what I have.

 

[rossvtaylor]

Those are the Whelen 9E Series Lens and I have a box full of those that I can't use, so let me look and find the best two and I'll send them your way. I'll shoot you a PM later on when I find out exactly what I have.

Well, thank you sir!

 

[patoz]

No problem, they were given to me but I can't use them, so now I'll give them to you!

 

[Ozrockrat]

Medium duty Freightliner trucks (usually the ones with electronic injection) have a data bus that you can hook up monitoring devices. In the case of both our trucks it is a J1708 (6 pin port) or something with those numbers and the later ones have J1309 (9 pin port)

For basic monitoring and reading some of the diagnostic codes plus MPG etc the Scangauge Diesel works OK. Usually you can pick them up for around $150.

The other system I use is from Silverleaf Electronics and is called VMSpc . It costs around $400 and you also need a Windows tablet or laptop to run it. With this one you setup your own dashboard to show graphs, gauges, or set alarms. It will also read the diagnostics.

http://www.silverleafelectronics.com/node/6

 

[rossvtaylor]

Patoz - still, that's kind of you! Let's talk, when you're ready. I can send you a couple of fun coffee mugs and a shipping label.

Ozrockrat - oooooooh!! <wipe drool> That's fantastic! There's so much more information than the gauges offer, it ought to be a requirement. It seems like a small price to pay if it helps identify issues as they creep up. Just having the turbo boost and manifold temp is worth it. Thanks for the great info! Is there anything else "must have" that we need to know?

 

[rlrenz]

And the learning curve continues---

Of all the used lenses that are out there, red and blue are definitely the most common (and most reasonable to buy, since the PDs get upset with red & blue), but amber and clear are the hardest ones to track down unless you want to spend about $40 each for new lenses.

The wiring in the console is always a blend of manufacturer, and radio shop wiring. The manufacturer's wiring is neatly installed, with tiewraps and cable clamps as needed. Radio shops tend to be a lot less fussy about what they do - the guys who upfit cars and SUVs into police vehicles take as much pride in their installations as radio shops do not.

When you start snipping old radio wiring, you might want to save the antenna leads. Ambulances usually use a type NMO (New Motorola) antenna base/connector - that's the threaded brass base on the top of the module or on the top of the cab roof that measures about an inch in diameter and that is about 1/4" high. It has a brass contact point in the center that mates with the antennas. The cable from the antenna will terminate either in the driver's console, or in the vehicle radio cabinet. Even if you don't think you will ever need one, it's a lot easier to leave the antenna leads than to re-do them in the future. My own ambulance came with 3 NMO antenna mountsl. One of mine presently mounts my Sirius satellite radio antenna, one will be used for an AM/FM antenna for a Panasonic radio in the module, and the third will be used for another Sirius antenna for the module. I will probably install at least one more for my UHF radio.

 

[rlrenz]

If you remove equipment and leftovers from your ambulance, don't automatically assume that it is junk - in many cases, what you remove may be something that someone else is looking for. In my own case, I removed my suction pump and IV bag heater, and gave them to a volunteer fire department near me.

 

[patoz]

Patoz - still, that's kind of you! Let's talk, when you're ready. I can send you a couple of fun coffee mugs and a shipping label.

That sounds cool!

Here's what I've got and you can have all four of them. I have a bunch of clear ones also, but they are in really bad shape unless you just wanted something to paint.





I washed these so I could make sure they didn't have any cracks or crazing, and they don't. The insides are still glossy and the outsides are a little dull, but these just have vertical grooves so they will be fairly easy to polish. The top two are flipped over for a view of the insides.

 

[rossvtaylor]

Rlenz, thank you for the helpful info! I've read your entire thread, plus every other "ambulance" thread I can find. But I keep learning new stuff. And I like it that way!

Patoz, those look fantastic and will do very nicely! Can you PM me an address and I'll send you a little care package, with a USPS shipping label in the box for the lenses? I've got plenty of painted ones now, so I don't need of the clear ones. GEV was quite decent about this and they replaced my scene lights with clear lenses from their stock. Knowing how rare those are, I thought that was pretty damned nice of them.

 

[patoz]

OK, doing it now...

 

[rossvtaylor]

An update, from Arizona

Okay, the drive back to Arizona from Philly was long but uneventful. The ambulance drove really nicely and continued to surprise and impress me. Every system worked flawlessly (even the cruise, once I found it...) except for an ABS light that came on at about the 2300 mile mark. I was driving through a rough construction zone and everything got rattled hard - that's when the light came on. I stopped and after starting back up again, the light went off. But, the next day and another bump, the light's on again. One more time and now it's on for good. The ABS system is working (I tried braking on a dirt road and it's working well, actually). So, it may be a wire that got jarred loose or a sensor. If that's all we've got to worry about, we're in good shape.

Here are some more random photos of things I'm still learning, or need to learn more about:



The Hoseline thermostat is pretty basic, as is the fan switch. The system blows, but I wasn't getting cold air during my brief test. I'll check the compressor on the engine and see that the clutch is activating (I think it's got a separate one, from what I've read) then check the other bits down the line. The heat works great, but the department that had it added shut-off valves in the heater lines (under the hood) so I had to turn those on first. There are actuated valves in the cabinet, in the box, but I'm guessing those leaked hot water into the core or something... since this rig was in Florida, I'm sure they didn't use the heater much.



One of the switches is marked PANIC. Of course, I had to press it.... Now I know that the red light is, on the dash by the steering wheel. The PANIC button in the box illuminates the red light up front, which is accompanied by a nice buzzer. Interesting.



This is the generator remote start and info panel, also located in the right-rear corner of the box where the Hoseline thermostat and the radio are. And, of course, the PANIC button.



On the other side of the box, there's the control panel for the CruisAir air conditioner. It's a 120 system, so I haven't yet tried it out.



Here's our fancy stove! Thanks, Ozrockrat, for the idea. Our ambulance already had 3 of the Arizona-required items, a water system (with exterior connection, a sink and faucet), air conditioning, and a generator. We could have added a toilet (with external discharge), a gas or electric refrigerator, or a stove to make the required 4. I double-stick taped this stove in place. It was permanent tape, but I was able to pry it off after I got home. We're not really planning to cook inside - instead, we're going to put a propane burner/grill unit on a pull-out in the left rear compartment. But, our ambulance is now officially a class C motorhome with Arizona registration. It's got a standard plate on it now, but we also ordered our personalized veteran's support plate... the ambulance is now officially christened KETO 1 - break out the champagne!

 

[rlrenz]

Some thoughts from another Freightliner owner: RE: the ABS light. Mine comes on as soon as I start the engine, but once I'm moving about 5 MPH, it goes out, and stays out, so there may be a loose wire.

RE: Air conditioning. When I picked mine up from GEV, I noticed that the AC didn't get the cab very cool. I eventually saw a switch on the driver's console that said HEAT/AC. Once I turned that switch on, I had plenty of AC and heat. Apparently, the vehicle is set up so the module (the ambulance portion) has the priority for heat/AC, and the cab follows what the module is doing. Look for a Heat/AC switch before you start digging into things. It is also possible that the truck just needs a pound or ten of R134.

I tried fiddling with the under-hood valves before I figured out what the setup was, then I opened the under-hood valves again, and I've left them that way. As you said, the truck being a FL truck may have caused them to close the valves as part of normal operation. If you want to go nuts, sketch out the heating hose arrangement, and try to make sense out of the layout. Once I found that I had a Hoseline circulating pump, everything made sense.