ttbikes Report post Posted March 31, 2020 The right rear of my 2006 Airstream 396XL does not settle down as fast as the other 3 corners of the motorhome. After about 2/3 days it does settle down. Can anyone tell me what is wrong? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted March 31, 2020 Air leveling? Jack leveling? What leveling brand and model? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
campcop Report post Posted March 31, 2020 Are you dumping the air or just letting it settle? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted March 31, 2020 If that is settle, you have either a leak in airbag or bad shock or both. If you dumped the air, I would guess an obstruction in the line. If it's on Jacks, that rear side did not go down. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ttbikes Report post Posted March 31, 2020 Well to be honest I am new to all of this. I not sure what you all mean by dumping the air and jack leveling. I engaged the air brakes. I did not put down the leveling jacks. It appears to just be the left rear and it does go down over time but slowly. If you stop and use the leveling system it levels but the right rear may be a little slow reaching level. It is a 2006 Airstream 396XL, diesel pusher, on a Freightliner X line chassis. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted March 31, 2020 OK, if you just park it and do not dump air OR deploy jacks and one side goes down over time, there is a slow leak in that side's air bag, line to ride height valve or the ride height valve itself. Soap in a spray bottle will likely show the leak. If going under the coach, make sure you have safe clearance (like drive the coach up on 2X12's) or use safety stands. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted March 31, 2020 What Brett said. If one side is leaking down, you likely have a leak in the lines, an air bag, or maybe inside the leveling valve itself. Especially when you're messing with the air suspension, you need to make sure that the body of the coach cannot fall on you as you check things out. One line lets loose or you move the wrong "thingy" and you'll find that there might not be enough room for you underneath. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted March 31, 2020 Good grief! What the Captain really said... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted March 31, 2020 Double "T", does it come back to level when you crank up the engine and the air builds up? If yes that as has been said you have a air leak on the right side. If no then it is in your ride height valve. Your coach has three valves. One up front in the middle and two in the rear ,one on each side. The right side valve arm may have slipped or broken or there is an air leak. If you are not comfortable and safe working under the coach then by all means take it to a service center. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ttbikes Report post Posted April 1, 2020 Thanks all. It does come back to level I crank up the engine. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted April 1, 2020 Air leak. Bag, line or valve. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ttbikes Report post Posted May 6, 2020 A little up date. I tried spraying soapy water on lines etc. and found no leaks so current plan is to have Freightliner have a look. However, I did do one thing that made a difference. I took the air pressure release off of auto and manually let out the air. It settled to level right away. Thoughts? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted May 6, 2020 Want to make it clear-- you do have leveling jacks?? If so are you using them? An air leak that happens over days (vs hours) may not warrant a lot of effort. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted May 6, 2020 1 hour ago, ttbikes said: A little up date. I tried spraying soapy water on lines etc. and found no leaks so current plan is to have Freightliner have a look. However, I did do one thing that made a difference. I took the air pressure release off of auto and manually let out the air. It settled to level right away. Thoughts? I am confused. I re read all the post. What exactly is the problem and what does your owner's manual say. Every manufacturer has a different procedure to level/store the coach. Is it fairly level where you are doing this? Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ttbikes Report post Posted May 7, 2020 A. The leveling jacks will level it up. B. In the picture the leveling jacks are not down. I just came to a stop and put on air brakes. C. As you see in the picture, when you stop and put on the air brakes the left rear stays up but over a couple of days it goes down also. The other 3 corners go down right away. D. There is a switch that has an auto setting that I believe automaticly dumps the air bags when you apply the air brakes (except in my case the left rear stays up longer). E. The other day I parked the motorhome, set the air brakes and flipped the switch from auto to manual and all four side went down at the same time. This was something I had not tried. F. If you leave switch set on auto and start the motorhome all the air bags come up and stay up until you stop and apply the air brakes. G. I do not have a complete set of manuals. There is nothing in the Airstream manual and I have not found it in the Freightliner info that I have so far. H. When I asked the fellow I bought motorhome from about the switch he said I did not need to mess with it. At least that is the way I remember it and unfortunately he is no longer available. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted May 7, 2020 41 minutes ago, ttbikes said: B. In the picture the leveling jacks are not down. I just came to a stop and put on air brakes. Ok, when you say you "put on air brakes " are you saying you pulled the knob to set the parking brake? 46 minutes ago, ttbikes said: The other 3 corners go down right away. What kind of time frame? 1 minute or 10 minutes? 51 minutes ago, ttbikes said: E. The other day I parked the motorhome, set the air brakes and flipped the switch from auto to manual and all four side went down at the same time. This was something I had not tried. That sounds about right. Do you have this https://www.airstream.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2001-touring-coach-390-series-xl-diesel-pusher-owner-s-manual-36.pdf Nice coach by the way. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ttbikes Report post Posted May 7, 2020 b B. In the picture the leveling jacks are not down. I just came to a stop and put on air brakes. Ok, when you say you "put on air brakes " are you saying you pulled the knob to set the parking brake? Yes. 1 hour ago, ttbikes said: The other 3 corners go down right away. What kind of time frame? 1 minute or 10 minutes? 1 minute. There could be some settling over time (not sure) but there is a big release right away. 1 hour ago, ttbikes said: E. The other day I parked the motorhome, set the air brakes and flipped the switch from auto to manual and all four side went down at the same time. This was something I had not tried. That sounds about right. Do you have this https://www.airstream.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/2001-touring-coach-390-series-xl-diesel-pusher-owner-s-manual-36.pdf Nice coach by the way. Bill Thanks for the link. I do have that one. Of course I still have no idea why the left rear stays up on automatic or if I should be releasing it in that why. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted May 7, 2020 I just came to a stop and put on air brakes. What you are saying is that you are setting the PARKING BRAKE. By dumping the air bags you are just allowing the coach to settle down and if you have jacks it help the jack by reducing the amount of travel before the jacks touch the ground and can begin to level your unit. One safety caution, "Never try to level if it takes your wheel/wheels off the ground, especially the rear wheels." Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted May 7, 2020 Do you have a valve in the bay, to turn on and purge the air system of moisture? Or does it purge automatically....if it's auto you'll hear a whoose sound, from the back of coach, when it's on idle! Have you had your "Dry Air" filter replaced? If not, do it. The only time the coach dumps the air is, if your going to level it by Jacks or Air (if you also have that system), not when you apply "Air Brake" (Parking Brake)! Do you have HWH, Lipper "Power Gear, or Atwood leveling System? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dickandlois Report post Posted May 7, 2020 TTbikes, This is a link to your chassis general specifications information. The chassis was built by Freightliner. https://cdn.fccchq.com/specsheets/5b7abd023abc44584cf0db3c/2006-Airstream-Land-Yacht-390.pdf A good starting point would be to contact Freightliner Custom Chassis. Give them the last seven charters of you Chassis VIN number and ask them to send you the Chassis Air Plumbing PDF files. Phone Number for Gaffney , Factory service is 1-855-253-0421 You might not understand the information, but if you attach the information to your / this thread the members can offer some info on how and what might be the issue. At this point we are all kind of in the dark. Rich. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted May 8, 2020 21 hours ago, ttbikes said: Thanks for the link. I do have that one. Of course I still have no idea why the left rear stays up on automatic or if I should be releasing it in that why. The left rear staying up may just be a sticking valve in that location. The manual release is a different set of valves. I would call Gaffney Factory service 1-855-253-0421 like Rich recommended. Ask if the airbags should dump everytime you apply the parking brake. I would also ask for a copy of the proper instructions for leavaling the coach. By the way the big release of air you hear when you apply the parking brakes is normal it is the air keeping the brakes from applying when going down the road. If you lose air preshure in the braking system it automatically applies the parking breaks. I know it sounds backward. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ttbikes Report post Posted May 17, 2020 Thanks for all the information. I will be diving in and be back. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ttbikes Report post Posted October 22, 2020 (edited) So I think I have got to the bottom of my problem. I took it to Freightliner and they found a leak in air line fitting of the air ride system at the driver side rear. Now I have the problem of finding the part. It is not a Freightliner part. It is not listed in the Airstream parts book. I contracted Colaw Salvage and they don't have the part. I have included a picture. Any ideas where I can find this part? Edited October 22, 2020 by ttbikes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted October 22, 2020 Can you tell what function that part does? Almost looks like an inline air filter. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ttbikes Report post Posted October 22, 2020 It is not a filter. The repair guy thinks it is a check valve. He can see a spring inside. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
