Monaco Air Bag Suspension Leak Down

[dusher]

I just went over and started it up again, but this time the bag came up. I'm thinking there has to be a sticky valve upstream someplace. I gave up on it and took it down to my favorite RV shop cause I don't have time or patience to mess with it further.

What really bothers me is that when the thing isn't running, the driver front corner sits very low. The RV load is pretty well balanced (slideout is on driver side but counterbalanced by 7000w generator on the other side) so it should not do that.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[moisheh]

DCtent: Does your Dynasty have the Power Gear Valid leveler system? Either air leveling only or air and jacks. You could try calling Valid and you might get some help. There is a check valve in the system that is not needed. This check valve leaks a lot!

[MSHappyCampers]

Originally Posted by Mike Canter

Two things here. If the HWH was leveled before you shut everything down then as long as there is more than 105 psi in the main air tanks it will keep on leveling as needed. If the tanks get below 105 psi then a small auxiliary air compressor supplies enough air to maintain the MH at a level position. So my question is if you are shutting off all the power either before the system has completed its leveling or you are not leveling it before you walk away or you are shutting off all the power to the auxiliary air compressor OR your auxiliary air compressor is not working.

The way to test the air compressor is to first level the MH then pump the air brakes until the air tanks get down to around 80 psi then go to manual on the HWH control panel and push and hold an UP arrow. When that system is calling for an UP in one of those bags the little compressor will start up and you can hear it running. Sometimes you have to be outside and have somebody push the UP arrow inside because it is not that loud. Mine is located just about two feet forward of my drive axle but a lot are located up front also.

If I do not have that aux compressor on then in about 2-3 days after my tanks get below 105 psi my MH will not stay level because it has NO air. If that compressor is on my MH will stay level forever.

Mike, do you know if my 2002 Windsor 40PBT has the aux air compressor?

[Papa_Jim]

Originally Posted by dusher

I have 1997 Monaco Windsor with 8 bags Firestone CB1. It loses air in about 2 hours and the whole RV drops down. The driver side front is always low and won't come up at all. The shock is all the way down on that side.

It has one sensor arm up front and in the center to detect height. I'm not sure this has a level sensor -- the valving and hosing appear to do the whole front at the same time.

Do the shock absorbers provide any lift or is the lift entirely from the air bags?

Dusher, your '97 Windsor should have the same air system as my coach.

You have one air ride height control valve up front, sitting dead center of the coach above the front axle. All it does it controls the general height of the front of the coach.

You have two air ride height control valves at the back axle, one inside each rear wheel. Those valves control the height at the back, and the level of the coach side to side.

If your coach is sitting low at the left front corner, I'm guessing that it is also not sitting level at the back. If that's the case, then possibly you have a problem with one of the rear ride height control valves, either not working, or out of adjustment.

[Mike Canter]

MSHappyCampers, do you know what model air leveling system you have?

Dusher, a question here.....does you system only leaks down when in auto leveling mode or in Travel Mode. It makes a big difference. The Height Control Valves are only used in Travel Mode when the mh leveling system is configured to drive down the road. The auto-leveling mode does not use the Height Control Valves. In Travel Mode with the motor running you should have enough of an air supply to keep the MH level while it is using the Height Control Valves. In auto-leveling what happens if you have a leak is that for a period of time you have enough air in the tanks for the air leveling to keep you level with a leak. After the air pressure in the tank gets down below around 100 psi it cannot raise that corner that is leaking so the computer drops all three other corners to make it level. Then after a while that corner leaks down and the computer lowers the other three corners again and it will keep doing this until the mh is resting on the bumpers inside the airbags. The sure way to find out what is happening is to raise the suspension bags up has high as you can get them and then turn off the auto-leveling or the whole system. Now go and measure all four corners of the MH from the fender well lip to the ground and write the measurements down. Do this measurement every 2-4 hours and not which corner is dropping. That is the corner you need to first find the leak on.

When you get under the MH with a soapy spray first check the "Six Pack" on the overhead. Normally all the airbags have air lines that run into it and that is where the solenoids are located. To tell if a solenoid is leaking internally you spray the small exhaust port hole next to the solenod. If no bubbles from those holes the solenoid is sealing inside. Then spray around the base of the solenoid to see if the sealing orings are leaking. Then spray both ends of each air line at the fittings. Then spray the bags.

[Sofar-Sogood]

Im going thru the same issue now, my 8 bag system will let the drivers side all the way down in 12 hours or so. Ive changed the drivers side rear leveling valve and it slowed the rate but it still goes all the way down. Out of frustration, I adjusted the rear passengers side leveling valve down about 1/8 of an inch and its been holding level on both sides for 2 days. Im hoping that its going to last. I never did find a leak even after hours of searching. Must be gremlins?

[dusher]

Problem solved: I gave up and took mine to a good rv shop.

One of the brake valves on the rear driver side was leaking or bypassing air, and this affected the air bags on that side. I heard it hissing before when i was back there but didn't think that could have anything to do with the front bag levelling situation.

The also tech said that my rear air tank had a lot of water in it, and thinks that the moisture jammed up the brake valve. This is quite possible since this RV doesn't get driven a lot. The same thing happens to RV hydraulic braking systems -- the moisture gets in there, sits there, and eats out (or locks up) the master cylinder and/or brake cylinders.

I got a new valve installed and am keeping the old one to see what's up and see if I can recondition it as a spare for the next time around.

I will pick it up this weekend and see if that did the trick. This RV shop is real good so I'm confident its fixed. If I need to adjust one of the rear the height arms to get it perfectly level, I will.

I will be draining those air tanks on a regular basis -- via the stopcock on the bottom. Apparently the air dryer doesn't get all the moisture out of the air.

Also, when I run it once a month to keep the engine and generator happy, I will be pumping the brakes to keep the brake control valving from freezing up. That is also what I did with my winnie (a mostly-restored rare collectors RV that happens to be for sale if anybody wants one of the 12 Chalet Limited models made in 1987 with lots of chrome and other goodies on it).

Note: if you jack the thing up on the hydraulic jacks, the height control valves open up and let all the air out. Moral: when you retract the hydraulic jacks, start the engine so the air system gets pumped up again.

[walt2137]

Dusher have you serviced your air dryer it should be a Pure Air plus if it has not been changed and take kit DQ 6026, on my coach it is located up over the Allison trans. I am surprised the dryer didn't get the moister out as that is a good dryer just cost a lot for the kit.

[Skip426]

dusher, you need to get an air diagram for you coach, either the tech is doing a poor job of explaining the repair or he doesn't fully understand the air system. Beyond the tanks there should be no interconnect between the air brakes and the air bag /auto leveling system.
I suspect that the valve that was leaking and was replaced was part of the auto leveling system , because there would be no air supplied to the rear brakes of your coach when the unit is parked, so any hissing you heard, in that area would only come from the air suspension, or the air dryer during the purge cycle.
As Walt states in his post, any water in the tanks is an indicator of air dryer operation , and the dryer requires service if water is found in the tanks. I'd also question the tech , for not recommending the service.

[dusher]

I got the air diagram from Monaco. Its pretty simple, no computer, no "travel mode". I'm going to check out the air dryer when I get it back. I suspect the moisture has been building up for years. I'm also going to check out what got replaced. I am familiar with pneumatics -- I used to do some pretty complicated pneumatically-controlled computerized fountain shows years ago, so this is not a strange subject to me. There is no direct linkage to the brakes from the levellers, but it all feeds off the same tank. There are safety issues involved, and we are headed to Iowa the middle of May, so I figured it best not to experiment the first time around.

[SteveSkinner]

My drivers side also drops a little overnight.

My air drops so as to cause the aux compressor to run spasmodically.
Besides finding the leak I have another problem
I notice that the windscreen frame distorts as to expose some white paint toward the top on the pax side.
Is the rubber supposed to be glued to the frame or is it just a form fit
Do I need to have the windscreen reset?
HELP. I'm in Vegas at the moment and could take the coach for repair if it needed it

[Skip426]

Originally Posted by SteveSkinner

My drivers side also drops a little overnight.

My air drops so as to cause the aux compressor to run spasmodically.
Besides finding the leak I have another problem
I notice that the windscreen frame distorts as to expose some white paint toward the top on the pax side.
Is the rubber supposed to be glued to the frame or is it just a form fit
Do I need to have the windscreen reset?
HELP. I'm in Vegas at the moment and could take the coach for repair if it needed it

The rubber windshield gasket is a form fit and will travel slightly with body flex. Rather it move a little than crack the glass.

[azpete]

dusher, if you are headed to iowa, why not stop by hwh, and have your system checked out? exit 267 on interstate 80. they have free overnight electric hookups, and you are always welcome.

[SteveSkinner]

Originally Posted by azpete

dusher, if you are headed to iowa, why not stop by hwh, and have your system checked out? exit 267 on interstate 80. they have free overnight electric hookups, and you are always welcome.

Following advice here I have taken multiple measurements from the front bumper for 24 hrs
The measurements change quite a bit. Currently pax side is 1" below starting point and drivers is 1 1/2" lower.
Ill measure it continuously again today to see if it picks up that 1/2"
The aux compressor is still doing its job.
Apparently the rubber is supposed to be glued to the frame and the glass siliconed to the rubber. The glue has failed in that area.
I spoke to my service facility. They said not to worry. They'll reset it on my return.
However I still need to establish if the HWH is operating correctly. If it re levels continuously
1/2" low on one side maybe I have a problem.
Unfortunately I'm not going anywhere near HWH