Community Forums

OldForester · 05-17-2012, 09:21 PM

Dan,

Don't worry about bothering me with a call. I know how frustrating it can be when you can't leave the RV park because it's cool outside and your low air suspension warning buzzer and indicator won't go off because you don't have the air up. So call me if you have any questions.

I'm glad you told me your coach was 75563, since mine was 75561. Really makes me think WRV got a couple or a few bad roto-chambers and didn't know it, putting on our coaches at or nearly the same time. I think E-Mike's 2006 coach was only 1 or 2 different from mine, and I don't think he had the problem, so it really could be we just got the luck of the draw on that one. I would really check that roto-chamber for oozing of sealant, like in the picture.

I had a very oily air dryer cartridge the first time I changed it on this issue, as well. Did not make a difference on the low air suspension problem, or any other issue, from my viewpoint. Determined that the air compressor was not leaking oil into the air dryer, and the only thing we could figure is that the air dryer picks up a lot of engine blow-by.

Again, don't be afraid to give me a call if you have any questions. This is a very annoying problem, and if I can help you with it, I don't mind talking to you about it. I only sold the coach a month ago so my memory is pretty good about work I did to it.

EngineerMike · 05-17-2012, 10:40 PM

Mine was 75562, right in between your two. Although I never had the problem, I traded the coach w/low miles, so no telling if the current owner has an issue.

prater · 05-20-2012, 08:30 AM

Hey Engineer Mike, you asked me angle of cable attachment in your last post and I was to get right back. I think that was the 14th. I've got my batt. bx. dismantled and in complete restoration. 10 yrs. of water & acid took its toll. Anyway--finally while grinding in the bay I looked @ the cable.
My cable does come in at the 90. There is a box aprx. 8"x3"x2" mtd. to frame with aprox. 12 - 18" long-1/2"od sheath leading to brake yoke. This makes the 90 degree turn at an attachment bracket mtd. to frame where a the cable exits the sheath. The cable is about 3" long at this point then attaches to the yoke with the pin & cotter key.
I have not traced forward for any other components.

What manuf. do I have and am I electric or air??

I think I remember that my 99 36MDSS had an elec. but owners( including me ) complained about no air sound when activating & deactivating the brake at the dash knob so they added the "testeronal hiss" at the dash in my 02 and I believe that it just that and I'm elec. I forget the guy's name I was talking to during one of my factory visits.

I want to find a drawing of the system and the whole chassis like you would see in a chiltons for a truck or car etc.

Thanks for any help you can give. Don P. 2002 38FDDS 350 cummins.

prater · 05-20-2012, 05:05 PM

Engineer Mike, that was supposed to be "testosteronal hiss"

prater · 05-20-2012, 05:55 PM

joebrunold,
Did you get the parking brake name after yours was replaced ? My request was 5/ 12 or 13 or so. Tks. Don P.

joebrunold · 05-21-2012, 09:34 AM

They are still awaiting parts. Hopefully this Tuesday or Wed as I need to pack for my Alpine Rally in Temecula. I'll post as soon as I get all the info back. I along with you am tried of the waiting.

Joe B

JacobsCanyon · 06-11-2012, 11:55 AM

Hey guys, finally got the air dryer cartridge. I installed it and it actually seems to make a conciderable difference building up the air supply. It hasn't gotten cold enough to cause the problems I was having with the emergency brake warning and low air warning. But I was beginning to get the same problem just before I put the coach in the garage when I returned from my last trip. The temp was up in the 70's and I got the same problem which I had not had other than when it was below 50. Hopefully its fixed. Thanks again for your responses, I didn't even know that there was an air dryer, nor, that the cartridge had to be replaced every three years. I let you all know if it happens again. If it does its probably the roto chamber.

Thanks Again, Dan

Old Scout · 06-11-2012, 12:49 PM

Hint--for as little compressed air as our Alpines use [no air brakes], our dryer cartridges should probably last 10-15 years. To my knowledge, the only source for excessive oil in the cartridge is that it is by-passing the compressor [not from an outside source].

Ref some earlier posts, the compressor regulators on some late model Alpines [Cummins product] are sticking an allowing air presure to build in excess of 150 PSI--causing the emergency dump valve [not the sniffer valve] to release continously. Ironically, once the emergency dump valve wears out--you actually have lower pressure as the value is continously dumping. Anyway, at continuous pressure of 150 PSI, I imagine all kinds of things can go wrong, including a lot of oil by-pass from the compressor.

Bottomline--you shouldn't need to replace your dryer cartridge every 3 years but if you do need to [ie, do to excessive oil], you better start checking around for other problems--like your compressor regulator.

Algoma · 06-11-2012, 03:11 PM

According to Haldex a vehicle with air suspension is listed as a high air usage vehicle not just one with air brakes so I think it reasonable to change the cartridge every 3 years as they suggest.

Prater, the '98 & '99 model had hydraulic release on the parking brake (not electric) so there was no sound of air escaping when you pushed the button in.

EngineerMike · 06-11-2012, 04:45 PM

Life span of air bags will be partially dependent on dry air to the inside of bags. Excessive moisture in the bags will help break down the inside rubber faster.

Old Scout · 06-11-2012, 09:07 PM

OK--your money but despite my attempts to buy something from a Haldex tech, he insisted that unless I saw some sort of tell-tale sign in the daily tank draining [ie water or oil], you are wasting your time and money.

JacobsCanyon · 06-12-2012, 01:31 PM

Thanks guys, I'm in a wait and see mode to see if the air dryer was the problem with my warning lights, so far so good. The cartridge is a conciderable exspense for sure, but the air system seems to be working smoother. I hope it isn't my imagination, but I feel better after seeing how bad the old cartridge looked. I have spent allot of time in severe humidity in the past, for longer periods than I cared too, so maybe ?

Dan

OldForester · 06-12-2012, 02:05 PM

Dan,

My old cartridge looked bad; and had lots of oil in it as well when I changed it. I felt like it helped a little bit, but it didn't solve my problem. I did lots of checking to see if I had oil passing the compressor, including removing the air line from the compressor, holding kleenex over it, revving the engine, etc., and found no oil coming from that line. We concluded it was getting oil in the cartridge from engine blow-by. We checked the blow-by and it was and is well within tolerances, but it does produce some residual oil. I've also checked the moisture coming out of the air tank when I pulled the drain valve cable on the air tank, to make sure it didn't have oil in it, and I never saw any. So the air dryer was not letting oil past it.

The pressure regulators on the side of the compressor are known to stick; sometimes a light rap or two with a hammer on them will help them release. That trick didn't solve my problem, either.

Neither did changing the quick release valves, which sometimes cause the problem, because they control the flow of air to the roto-chamber on the parking brake.

But all of these are worth checking on yours if the problem continues. I will be curious to see if your suspension issue is something other than the roto-chamber, like mine was, perhaps worn diaphram inside the chamber instead of a leak in the outside chamber.

Algoma · 06-12-2012, 03:32 PM

Dan, I am surprised you said the cartridge was an expensive job. I have changed them myself twice, an easy DIY job, and I got aftermarket remanufactured cartridges at about $35 each. Maybe later coaches use a more expensive dryer than the AD9.