And so It begins

  The trip home was semi uneventful. Started out with the walk around on the bus while air pressure was building in the system. Inside the bus was warm in the Virginia countryside. First switch I went for was the air conditioning. The old owner said No, no air "Drat!!"  It's OK, open up the rear escape hatch for some flow through and turn on the drivers fan to circulate the air from the small driver's sliding window. Then I'm off first thing I notice is that the speedometer didn't even twitch.  Another problem to address. I don't even know the system. is it cable, is it tach, how does it work?
   Now I'm committed 40ft long of 96 inch wide of unknown, unfamiliar vehicle running through the VA country side with no way of knowing exactly how fast I am going. looking for my first stop, An advance auto parts store in Woodstock VA. Things to get: 1 OIL, 2 Seafoam, and 3 a funnel of sorts to administer the required fluids.  After checking the oil in the parking lot I put 3 quarts of the gallon of rotella 30W in the engine and stowed the remainder in the basement. Now to finish my boondoggling and get to the interstate for the trip home. By now the sun is starting to set. As it slowly got darker I turned on the marker lights and head lights.  The dash lights seemed weak so I turned them up and noticed the ammeter was out and the fuel gauge was as well. With a well placed precusson adjustment I got the fuel gauge light to come on and continued into the the night.
  When I picked up the bus it had around a 1/2 tank of fuel. My first fuel stop introduced the entire gallon of Seafoam to the tank along with $200.00 of #2 Diesel fuel. Labeling on the tank states that the capacity of the tank is 170 US Gallons. The gauge didn't reach 3/4 of a tank after the stop. The next fuel stop was inside the Atlanta city limits and was another $200.00 but it still has 1/2 tank when I got home.
  Adventures on the way consisted of a rest stop stop where the starter button was pushed 4 times before the engine would start.  Imagine the panic when you have no tools, have never worked on a Detroit diesel motor before and, are on the road in the middle of nowhere and the starter just spins. At this same stop the following also occurred.  My fuel gauge light refused to re illuminate and the air pressure,  (EVERY THING  runs on air) refused to build over 85 psi.  This was resolved by an adventure under the drivers floor in the spare tire compartment grabbing and wiggling some air lines/valves and pumping down the system with the brakes to allow the pump to sense a lower pressure. Then things began to cycle as they should.

   4:00 am found me backing into my drive with the bus home.  I wasn't right for two days after the 21 hour trip.