Air Tanks 1995 American Eagle

[missionusa]

New Member. Just bought 1995 American Eagle. Manual says drain air tanks weekly. How?
Thanks a million

[deputydog]

I don't know your coach, but all air-brake systems have either manual valve(s) or automatic valve(s) that are connected to the bottom of the air tanks. I'd look first for the airtank - if you find it, look for a valve or pipe coming off the bottom of it and follow it til you find the dump valve. Sometimes there is a cord/cable that is attached along the bottom edge of the coach that you can pull.

Automatic systems periodically dump automatically. If you've ever had a big truck sitting next to you and all of a sudden you hear that loud "pffffffffffffff" that's an automatic dump.

Most systems have multiple tanks and usually there is one small one that is isolated from the others by a checkvalve (for emergency braking if the main system fails) so look for that one too. It will also have a valve on the bottom.

[missionusa]

Thanks for the quick reply Deputydog. I'll be checking it out.

[samert111]

Look for a couple cables with loops in the end in the wheel wells. I have one in the right front and left rear wheel wells. These are connected to the drain valves on the tanks. Weekly give them a hard pull and air will purge from the tanks. Look for some moisture or oil coming out of the tanks. If you see this then your air dryer probably needs to be serviced. The air dryer is typically located on the frame rail back in the engine compartment on a Spartan chassis. The air dryer is what purges or spits air every 2-3 minutes depending on air usage.