Need Help Detecting Air Leak-'95 Monaco

[DonBaja]

I apparently have an air leak in my air bag system. After a day or so shut down I have a very noticeable lean to the right. I got under the coach after I had gotten the air up to 100# and could hear no leak (I am hard of hearing). I also sprayed a soapy soluton on the ride height adjuster and the rear air tank connections but found nothing. I was thinking about using shave foam or some sort of smoke bomb to help detect the leak.

Question #1
How do the pros look for a leak in a noisy garage?

Question #2
How do you adjust the ride height on a '95 Monaco? The ride height adjustment info that I have talks about an eccentric slot that I couldn't find. Does this Monaco require adjusting the length of the rod?

Question #3
Assuming I have a leak should I be able to detect a pressure differential in the front and rear air tanks resulting from the leak?

Thanks for the help.

[Phil R]

I had a slow leak too, looked everywhere but no luck. I lived with it and until one day I heard a noise from behind the front cap. It wasn't a hissing noise, sounded liked a faint buzzing almost a squeeking noise. After many times sliding up between the cap and the front panel I found the footbrake was slowly leaking out the relief valve. It wasn't easy to find a replacement and took me hours to relace it.
Hope your fix turn out to be an easy one.

[arrowhead]

I'm all ears on the ride height specs too

[Diplomat Don]

DonBaja.....I would think that you would need to start at the front of the coach and spray every air line from front to rear. It can be anything from the line to the airhorns to the brakes. It may be chafing on a frame rail.

I don't know what they used in 1995, but you should be able to follow the rod from the axle to the valve. There should be an adjustment where the rod meets the air valve. I adjusted the neighbors 08'. It had what look like a school pennant (flag) where the center of it had a bolt and the arm (pennant) was adjustable in the center.

Mine has a bolt that loosens and the rod is adjusted.

[walt2137]

I dont know the specs for your 95 coach but I will attach a file that will show you the eccentric slot and also the procedure that I use, it was a write up for a 99 dip but will work for you.

[DonBaja]

What I do not understand about the above responses is - how does a leak to the air horn for instance cause only the air bags on one side to deflate. Shouldn't the problem is such a case be directly related to that side's specific air plumbing? Thanks.

[Jimmy F]

Just a thought... check to make sure that there isn't a slow leak at the dump valve.

Soapy water in a spray bottle sprayed on fittings etc. works good for finding leaks. No bubbles... no troubles.

Jimmy

[LewF]

DonBaja

What model coach do you have? I see '95 Monaco but assume there was more than one model then, it might help with troubleshooting to know. I am assuming you have hydraulic leveling systems with a system that dumps the air bags. On the newer models like this there are three solenoid operated valves, one in front and two in back, that dump air from the suspension. If that is the case with your coach I would look at the dump valve on the side that loses air - you could have a bad dump valve that is leaking. Lots of soapy water on the outlet for the two rear valves should show you if they are tight or not.

Jimmy F has very good advice - get a large spray bottle and soak every air joint you can find with lots of soapy water. The air systems are sometimes interconnected in ways that might not make sense to you and I so an air leak at the air horn might sound far fetched but if they choose to take the pressure from a line running to the air bags it could cause a problem.

For info we had a similar problem with our 2009 Camelot and a tech at the Wildwood service center tracked it down and fixed it. He soaped every joint for every system that used air, even the door inflatable seal. He found the leak, it could not be heard, on an air distribution manifold. It solved the problem and we no longer list.

Lew

[DonBaja]

Lew, I have a 1995, 36' Monaco Dynasty Baron. Thanks for the insights.

[jimkate]

I also have a 1995 Monaco Dynasty. It has always lost air pressure slowly and as a result will slowly lean as the pressure goes down. Frustrating to diagnose, especially since it will not always lean the same way every time.

Finally, I got into this habit: When I park it, I press the air bag dump switch for a moment or two and lower the air pressure to about 70 lbs. This lowers the coach a couple of inches. Then I lower the front jack until the front lifts just a little. Then I lower the back jacks until they just touch the ground. That's it. It sits like that for as long as I want it to. The next time I start the coach, within a couple of minutes air pressure is up, the coach has lifted off the jacks, I lift the jacks, and away we go!

Walt's info re: the ride height is right on! I've had mine adjusted, haven't done it myself yet. I plan to learn how to do it, because I've found when you have the "pro's" do it, they never get it "right on". Your ride height spec should be 9 1/2" front, 11" rear. That's the distance between the upper and lower frame members at the air bags.

[smokeater75]

I don't know if this will help but I had a similiar problem on our 2003 Windsor. I took it to a suspension shop and they found air leaking from a little manifold by the passenger side front wheel, the tech told me he had seen this before and asked me to load and dump the system a few times. During this process a fine piece of metal filing blew out and hit him in the googles he was wearing . Presto no more leak . The tech said that when they are drilling these manifolds that even though they blow them out sometimes years later they come loose preventing a complete seal. Good luck Smokeater75

[Rex]

Be sure and wet down the air bags with soapy solution and watch for bubbles, if you don't find a leak in the air lines or MAC valves.

[moisheh]

http://www.valuetesters.com/Robinair...711360385083//

First and most important: Please do not climb under your motorhome to find or repair an air leak without supporting the unit via the frame! This especially applies to adjusting ride height. The above link is for an Ultrasonic leak detector. Our other MH is a 1988 Bluebird. They are notorious for air leaks. Some of the air tanks have fittings on top that you cannot see. A Bluebird forum member tipped me off to this leak detector. Works fine in a noisy environment. I never travel without it onboard!