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Air Bag Fails To Fully Inflate

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That won't be the case here. Janet is super laid back rolls with what ever I do and just shakes her head wondering why. I have to get this thing functioning with out a hitch like the Zanzibar. Janet's response, "why the Z is just like I want it!". You will see soon enough I told her. For me it is the C12 and the air bags! I took the armor off the front today in order to get at the genset and have a look at those valves. Now I can clean that and change the oil and check the antifreeze. I am not putting that thing back on and will live with the holes till winter. I will paint the roof in the next couple days after I pull the AC units and the I will install the new seals, put them back and install the 6 solar cells and then hit the road...crummy lookin wheels and all. They need a polish like I need a shower.  Nite Nite

 

BillE

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Alright Gentlemen, and I use the term loosely, I solved the problem I do believe. It appears to be the valve on the front that has the rods attached setting the ride height. I jacked the coach up to be sure the bags in fact unroll and they did. Next I let it all back down, fired the beautiful C12 CAT up and brought it up to the 90 psi operating pressure. Right side unfurled just fine and the left not. Unhooked the control rod and began playing with it and found the sweet spot where the left side also began to inflate beyond just tight. Problem showed immediately. It or they began, left side, to inflate but so did the right side and it was already inflated to ride height. I vote Valve!

 

Bill Edwards SAfARI GURU!  HA

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Good find.

Interesting that the single ride height valve that supplies both side's air bags works to fill one side but not the other??? 

Aren't they "T'ed" from ride height valve to both side's air bags?

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Brett, It appears so. I will remove it tomorrow after turning it around and take it apart before replacing it  appears to be the ride height valve and inflater in one unit. It releases air out the bottom to adjust. It has, the coach, 4 deflator/dump valves one each corner. 

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Hmm, if excess line is there swap the left to the right etc.... See if the left side now inflates while the right side doesn't. Also, 90 psi? Is that all you are getting from it? I would normally ask at what psi does the dryer purge, since you don't have one when does the air pressure stop rising? Reason; my coach hardly rises by itself at 90, my dryer purges at 120. Usually over 100 it comes up pretty quick but uses a lot of air. 

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J, I thought of that but alas no extra line...one place on this coach no extra, plenty of wire and PEX though! I have two other friends different parts of the country with same system all run 90/100 psi or very close. Air pressure seems to hold at 90. I am sure it is adjustable, well I know it is. It runs a Bendix 500 and regulator is on the forward side of it.

 

What does your coach weigh, curb weight? This coach maxes at 31K, curb weight around 28K or so unloaded I think, do not remember for sure

 

BillE.

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Bill, I have to get it weighed. The dealer had it weighed and told me the weights but I don't trust it. GVWR 36,0000 and we have pulled over 1000lbs of old technology out. My compressor cut in is at 90psi and my dryer purges at 120psi. 90 seems low for operating pressure but I am not familiar with your coach. 

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When I had the WB 40' DP, it was at 120psi....90 seems real low...my light and alarm would come on at 75.  Current coach is 130 & alarm at 75.

Carl

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Gentlemen,

Ok, finally got the  rig turned around and now can take this apart. 3 lines 1 in and two outand plenty of air. As I stated earlier I could mess with the valve and get it to air up both sides right side faster for sure than the left. Taking the valve out and blowing thru it produced good air out the right side and only a little out the left. This appears to indicate a restriction internally. Valve has no real labeling other than a brand, like a branding iron symbol of a W with a C off the center of the W. The C comes off the right side center of the W facing down. It has a date code of 98 on the back and id made of a hard black plastic.

Bill Edwards

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Bill,

Have you tried taking the valve to a large Truck and Trailer shop? Lots of rigs have air ride suspensions  and may be able to match the valve.

It would be like giving Chicken Soap to a dead person, "It may not help, But it couldn't hurt"    :rolleyes:

 

Herman

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Carl, I will try that right now since I did not think of it. Thank you,  Apparently a wear item as REV/Monaco has fifty of them on the shelf...what am I missing here. it appears to be a fairly common problem. Valve is 136 bucks, probably could have found it in town but a lot to do rather than running all over this spread out area. I will have it Monday and back in in 15 minutes. Maybe I will have the roof painted by then.  

 

Bill Edwards

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Well, we can now just wait and hope problem is solved...don't suppose you asked the obvious question, why only one valve in front? :huh:

Howe's the weather up there now?  Cold down any? (I know Cool, Cold on purpose):P

Carl 

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There usually is only one valve up front that controls both air bags.  There is then one valve for each bag in the rear.  On a coach like mine that's also use as your levelers with the front only able to move up or down and the independent rear airs tilt the coach left and right as necessary.

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Bill, do what Herman suggested. They are common valves. I believe some replacements are all metal also. You will get it faster and much cheaper. Get that thing ready...September is approaching. 

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Yea, I get it.  On mine I can level by jacks or air.  When on air as I am at the moment, I can do each corner independently front and rear and dump all or some air from tag.  At the previous park, the cement slab had a slight slope from left to right, so I used the right front and right rear bag to level...I guess it is, what it is, depending on chassis, that was/is used by Manufacturer. :D

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J, Yes it will be here Monday. I emptied the trailer and put the new "purty wheels" on it this afternoon. It is in the middle of the afternoon rain soon to be clear again. I will get after it this evening again. Needed a break. I will go pull the AC tie down bolts so in the AM I can pull them and get the roof painted. As a matter of fact now would be perfect to rinse it since the storms have past and it will be dry by morning. My boy is commin down to visit and he can help me put the ACs back on Sunday PM...great! Yup Sept 1 is rollin in fast. It has cooled jus a bit but it will heat back up for a short bit.

Yes Carl you have a real coach with even more to go awry than I do. I like my simple little coach with really nice solid walnut cabinetry, even if it was built on Monday after a long hard 3 day weekend. It is that C 12 CAT I like!;) I can straighten the rest of it out easily enough. Janet is beginning to worry a bit, hard when it is out loud...guess I had better get to it

BillE

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Nope not here on Monday, showed up on Wednesday...on top of that the wrong one! of course and as usual. I called back Wednesday PM and spoke with TRAVIS. It was his brother that took the original order. I don't know what happened but the correct part was on the shelf. Travis took a couple pictures of it for me and now I knew what to look for. As Herman said look locally so I did after googling the valve based upon what Travis sent me and bingo found it for $106 at Midwest Truck Parts! I did not know of them until I was looking for the airbags and STEMCO sent me there as a distributor. I asked the about the valve as I was picking up the bags and yes two of them on the shelf. Now they are made by HALDEX called a "ride height control valve"  Same valve is used on the Beaver Magnum chassis.

OK take it to the shop and install it...it works and then it does the same thing, et side inflates to ride height and lft to tight but no additional lift. However I notice this time a fair bit of oil in the bled off air out the bottom of the valve. I don't think that is good or supposed to be like that.

I did find quite a bit of debris in the other valve's intake screen. I did not notice or there was no oil on that valve as I looked a second time...I am going to Google this and see what comes up.

 

Bill Edwards

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Bill,

What do you find when you open the air tank drains-- oil? water? debris?

Do you have an air dryer? I know SMC did build some coaches without dryers! Certainly contributes to contaminants in the air system.

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Brett, 

No drier and you know I have not yet checked. I have one to install-- probably now sooner than I was planning. I will ck that later this AM. First going to take my girl to Breakfast! Thanks for keeping track.

 

BillE

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Thanks for putting that vision in my mind.:rolleyes: Cool mountain air, cup of coffee, looking at the mountains with two eggs over easy, hash browns, sausage with biscuits and gravy. Hmmmmmm!?

Herman 

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1 hour ago, hermanmullins said:

Thanks for putting that vision in my mind.:rolleyes: Cool mountain air, cup of coffee, looking at the mountains with two eggs over easy, hash browns, sausage with biscuits and gravy. Hmmmmmm!?

Herman 

 Herman it is 61 this morning in ABQ. ;)

Bill

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