Author Topic: Leaking Air  (Read 5314 times)

Mel Griffin

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Leaking Air
« on: March 10, 2010, 06:15:39 PM »
My 2000 Patriot is setting in my driveway, it seems about every two-three weeks it leans to the right, both the front and the back, I"d say about a 4-6"
drop. Upon starting the engine it levels off, or the right side goes up even with the left side. Probably something is leaking air, but what's leaking and can I fix it. Will it not leak enought to hurt anything while driving the unit?  All help is welcome.
                                                                                                                          Miami Mel-40'-2000-Patriot

Jay and Raylene Todd

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Re: Leaking Air
« Reply #1 on: March 10, 2010, 06:24:35 PM »
Two to three weeks is pretty good. It usually only takes my coach about 5 days to start the "gangsta lean". On my coach, it's just a matter of the air system slowly losing air and the air bags deflating. Generally because of uneven weight distribution as well as sticky valves for the air bag system, all of the bags do not deflate evenly or at the same time. Since I don't really like to look at the thing leaning like that, I generally just dump the air after it's parked and that takes care of the problem. You may have an air dump button to do that or you might use your leveling system - which dumps the air prior to lowering the jacks - to dump the air, then turn it off before it lowers the jacks.

Joel Ashley

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Re: Leaking Air
« Reply #2 on: March 10, 2010, 08:29:08 PM »
I agree with Jay on all points he makes, and in that I've discovered it best to simply dump air all around for storing the rig next to our house.  That rids me of the annoyance that comes from watching it gradually sag on one side or one corner.  Plus, there can be more than an annoyance involved if the sag puts a twist in the coach frame;  such a twist contributed to, but wasn't the root cause of, the cracking of our windshield the first winter stored next to our house.  So a word of caution here, even though all bags end up even after full air dump, be sure your parking spot is not too unlevel to begin with.

We don't have hydraulic or electric jacks, though our old coach did, and I found them problematic over 21 years, so didn't want them on our Beaver.  However if you have them, they certainly are an option, and can help "unload" tires a bit during storage.  Our Monty Rae is just a smidge off level on her pad, because I've found that at a certain "level point" rain water enters through a gap in the windshield surround seal over the driver's corner.  Loren at Bend looked at it a couple years ago (months before I noticed water on the dash one day), and pronounced it okay;  so I've got to get it back to Bend for a fix.  In the meantime it' fine as long as the rig is imperfectly level.

That's a bit off-topic, so as previously advised, Mel, I'd simply dump all the air for storage.  Techs don't like looking for microleaks in the air system as they can be time consuming and difficult to pinpoint, and labor can be costly.  If the leak point isn't obvious and its effect isn't callamitous, most people don't fret it much.  If you leave your battery switches on in storage, the auxilliary pump can help keep things level, activating when the rig sags off-level as prescribed by your air level controller, but most of us turn off main switches for storage.  Full dump is just easier.

If the rig comes to level upon engine start and tank air pressure builds to full, then you likely have no worry regarding Travel Mode;  the leak is not significant enough to overcome the coach air supply, esp. since you said it takes weeks to deflate.  Driving the coach should keep plenty of air available to maintain comfort and handling characteristics.  There is likely a microleak somewhere in the components or lines involving the right side module, since you say the whole right side drops, not a corner, which would zero in on a bag or its lines.

If it still concerns you, depending on your locale, I'd have the guys in Bend check it, or at Alliance Coach in Wildwood, FL, or have it checked by a tech while at the FMCA convention or BAC rally this summer, or even at HWH in Moscow, IA.

Joel  
« Last Edit: March 10, 2010, 08:41:55 PM by 77 »
Joel and Lee Rae Ashley
Clackamas, Oregon
36.9 ft. 2006 Monterey Ventura IV, aka"Monty Rae"
C9 400HP Cat

Richard And Babs Ames

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Re: Leaking Air
« Reply #3 on: March 10, 2010, 09:21:45 PM »
Most air bag leaks seem to happen to the ride height valve. Dumping the air as mentioned seems to be the best method to keep stored level and causes no harm to the air bags.