Community Forums

feathersjr · 10-20-2022, 01:58 PM

I've decided to go ahead and remove the rear wheels to completely bleed all of the honey colored fluid from the system, and replace the rear shock absorbers at the same time.
My question is does anyone know the exact dimension of the bleeder valves and is it worth getting "Speed Bleeder" replacement valves? This is a 2003 MY with the dual valves per calipers.
Should I purge the air bag suspension before raising the Coach like you do for leveling?
I plan to document this adventure in maintenance for those who may want to try it on their own.
Any first hand input would be appreciated.
Thanks

dynoguy · 10-20-2022, 03:48 PM

So you don't have to have a scan tool hooked up and cycle the ABS motor when doing this?

Old Scout · 10-20-2022, 08:05 PM

Not to my knowledge, bleed fluid may times on Alpines w/o messing with the ABS. Perhaps should have but never dropped the bags--just put jack under axle, not frame [then jack-stand under hub when wheels are off for safety]. Have to get tires out of wheel wells--dropping bags may hinder that.
PS--as mentioned--you can rotate front wheels to align wheel donut holes with outside bleed screws but not easy if you need to open/close bleed screw when bleeding.

andy29847 · 10-21-2022, 11:15 AM

I have wooden ramps, 2x12 2 layers thick that I use for extra height. I extend my jacks without dumping the air. Then I use Jackstands on a part of the frame that carries the axles to make safe. After that, a small bottle jack will lift each wheel as needed. The hard part is getting the lug nuts off. I haven't invested in a 1" impact wrench (yet), so I am using a long cheater bar on a 3/4" socket. This means I need to break the lug nuts loose before lifting the wheel.

I've tried a couple of other methods. Nothing makes it easy.

feathersjr · 10-23-2022, 10:00 PM

Andy was right about the most difficult part is removing the lug nuts. Even after investing in an Aircat 1150 impact gun, and snapping off a 1 foot 1/2" impact extension bar, I resorted to a propane torch to finally get all the lug nuts off the rear wheels. I've owned the coach for only 1 year and did not get much info on previous owners but I'm fairly confident in saying the previous owners did not waste any money on brake fluid flushing LOL. All the brake pads were in good condition and had it has the exhaust braking system, so I wasn't too concerned about stopping. But after seeing the color of the fluid and corrosion that came out while bleeding the system, I know I'm going to have to get back in there and overhaul the calipers and then use a synthetic bake fluid to avoid the water problem with DOT 3.
The shocks were a joke and was a piece of cake with the wheels removed. Fortunately I had a rolling motorcycle jack that made tire removing/installing fairly simple since they weigh almost as much as I do! Using the leveling jacks to raise the front wheels off the ground so as to access the bleed valve on the outside like Old Scout suggested did the trick, and the fronts did not have as much corrosion as the rear calipers.
Not to tough of a job, but you definitely earn your money

andy29847 · 10-24-2022, 05:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by feathersjr

Andy was right about the most difficult part is removing the lug nuts. Even after investing in an Aircat 1150 impact gun, and snapping off a 1 foot 1/2" impact extension bar,

Kudos to you for getting in there!

Observations:

1/2" rachet gear is only good for ~300 ft-pounds. That is why your extension snapped off.

Your jackstand is placed under the air bag. The coach will drop some if the jacks fail.

Careful with changing to synthetic brake fluid. The vases of the different kinds of brake fluid will NOT mic with each other.

You keep working like this and you can give up that membership at the spa.

feathersjr · 10-26-2022, 12:05 PM

One final note. Since it was such a chore to remove the lug nuts and now I need to torque them down to 400 ft lbs (not sure if that is accurate), I've decided to build an extension bar out of an old 1" axle from a truck that I had been using as a digging bar. The chrome moly socket seems to be holding good enough with regular carbon steel MIG welding using CO2 as a shielding gas, but time will tell. I used some 2 1/2" square stock on the other end and a piece of 2" tube steel as a cheater bar about 5' in length. It seems the older I get the longer the cheater bars become. Such is life!
Here is what it looks like.

Old Scout · 10-26-2022, 02:05 PM

So, if you figure out how to place exactly 100lbs of weight 4.5 feet from the socket shaft on your cheater bar, you will achieve the desired spec. of 450 ftlbs. Next question is: "is this a wet lubricated or dry thread spec?" (smile)

andy29847 · 10-26-2022, 07:06 PM

I used a 3/4" rachet and stacked a couple of cheater bars. The ratcheting action made things a lot easier. I was very worrying about scratching my coach with the cheater bars.