andyshane Report post Posted September 4, 2019 Lest readers think I'm throwing rocks at Freightliner, let me tell you that my mechanical guru, FMCA member and pilot extraordinaire Captain Kenneth Marczak, steered me to Freightliner when I was pondering a new RV to replace my aging Patriot Thunder. I like the design of the XC chassis, love the factory support. But, I can visualize the chassis' experience, rolling along the assemblyline with you people dutifully slapping on their respective parts, layering on wires, tubes. No regard to how this tangle would age, interact, over the life of the vehicle. I dove into the front end initially to find the three air drain lanyards our friends at Freightliner suggest draining regularly. As a technique, I'd begun draining the air tanks daily: it was the only way to keep the tanks absolutely dry. To date, I've only found two: one behind and inboard of each front tire. So, along the way, I found wires that could be disconnected and routed more neatly and with less strain. One of the hood-release cables was drumming on the underside of the cockpit floor. The other was rubbing against the steering shaft dust boot. An air line was bent to accommodate a tank drain, crimping the nylon tube immediately outboard of the tank fitting and setting into motion material failure. One unclaimed electrical connector was dangling in the generator bay, and the control wiring for the generator was hanging loose. None of these affected the operation of the chassis systems today, tomorrow, next month. But, years from now, they all could lead to serious problems. Owners might want to equip themselves with some zip ties, dykes, a drop light. Take time and go over every inch of your chassis, securing and re-routing as you see fit. In the movie clip below, we address just one of these issues, easily securing two items that might over the years be damaged by normal steering wheel movement IMG_9089.MOV Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted September 5, 2019 Would be VERY surprised if you don't have an AIR DRYER on your air system. If you do, the tank drains are little more than the "report card" for the condition of the dryer. Said another way, if you ever get anything but clean dry air from the drain, the air dryer has FAILED! Air dryers are a service item. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
elkhartjim Report post Posted September 5, 2019 FYI...the hood release cable and the unclaimed electrical connector are not chassis related. Brett, he has an air dryer and most likely has three drain lanyards. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andyshane Report post Posted September 5, 2019 5 hours ago, wolfe10 said: Would be VERY surprised if you don't have an AIR DRYER on your air system. If you do, the tank drains are little more than the "report card" for the condition of the dryer. Said another way, if you ever get anything but clean dry air from the drain, the air dryer has FAILED! Air dryers are a service item. You know, I'd always heard that; yet, the Beaver went through periods of some water on the wet side. In the last years of ownership, I drained all four stepcocks daily, to achieve perfect ops. Of course, the XC chassis has a dryer; it's just danged hard to reach. Bendix varies in terms of dessicant replacement interval; based on experience, I'm guessing that individual units' usage call for replacement inside the prescribed window. To answer your question, the XC can come with a Haldex PURest cartridge system or the WABCO System Saver 1200 we've always dealt with. I'll step away from the 'puter and do a little dawn spelunking to see which this has... 😉 ================================================= Well, the news is good and bad. It is our familiar WABCO unit, but upright high between the frame members between the tags. Owners have to reach over the slip joint to access, meaning it will become the dirtiest part of the chassis. A question: what tool is recommended to reach upward 24" through a narrow gap and muster enough torque to loosen the dessicant filter? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted September 5, 2019 A question: what tool is recommended to reach upward 24" through a narrow gap and muster enough torque to loosen the desiccant filter? Andy, Thinking of something like this, the proper size and a-will it fit up into the space ? Adjustable Filter Wrench Manufacturer: Lisle Manufacturer Part No.: 53100 Our Part No.: LIS53100 Adjustable Oil Filter WrenchFor trucks and tractors. Fits John Deere, Case, Caterpiller, Mack, Detroit Diesel and others. Tough, stainless steel band with special "teeth" for extra gripping power, won't slip. Professional quality. 1/2 inch square drive. Range 4 3/8 inches to 5 5/8 inches. Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andyshane Report post Posted September 5, 2019 Right direction, I think. 'Problem is, that cartridge is one fat item 😀 While I fell out of the WABCO Customer Svc phone tree, I'm guessing that I'll need a 7" wrench. Even the beefy Lisle 60200 has a small strap, only goes to 6 1/2" diameter. I ordered a Lisle 53100, I can manufacture extension arms to accommodate the WABCO girth and retain the offset -- you gave me this idea -- needed to cinch tight without binding against the dryer body. Most likely, I'll mount the wrench on the end of a 3' piece of square tubing and drive it from below. I believe it was a new Anthem on which I saw that the dryer cartridge was behind a basement door. That is ideal! Air Dryer Service Guidance.pdf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted September 5, 2019 Andy, wabco does a good job of hiding the physical dimensions. I have a flexible scale that works to wrap around circular items to get there circumference measurements. Small and picked it up a a fabric store. Most of the industrial flat tapes cost an arm and a leg. Do not use it very often, but when needed it works fine. The Lisle wrench's use a 1/2 in. socket extension in many cases and slandered handle . Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andyshane Report post Posted September 8, 2019 Another binding/bending issue to help others in the future. I noticed a drip from the macerator pump outlet, nothing serious. Leak is shown in the video below. My guess is that the glue was still wet on the hose end when the pump was screwed to the flow while mashing the hose against the forward wall. Rather than drill additional holes, I reglued the inside and the outside of the joint with Black RTV, shortened the cuff by an inch. You can see now in the attached photo that the curve is not so abrupt.' Drip_from_Macerator.m4v Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
