| Author |
Message |
Lin (66.245.216.207)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 09, 2004 - 5:27 pm: | |
Well my recent governor problem has started me on a long-overdue look into the whole airbrake system. Someone had mentioned that I possibly did not have an air dryer, and that would have explained why the air is not dry. But I thought I remembered one,looked, and sure enough it was there. So what is the problem? A closer inspection verified that my Bendix System Guard Air Dryer had been bypassed! My assumption has to be that it is no good and not worth messing with. Will any reputable air dryer do, or are there ones to watch out for? |
TWO DOGS (65.179.209.196)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 09, 2004 - 5:43 pm: | |
bendix is fine...probably needs to be gone thru & new kit put in it..BUT...if you just remember to drain your air tanks every once in a while...you don't really need one...think I have 5 air tanks on my Eagle...just find a nice warm day..drive to a parking lot & crawl up under & there will be a drain on every one...you can even pull up on some 2x4's for a little extra clearance...(your air pressure needs to be up) |
Jim Ashworth (Jimnh) (172.147.187.52)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 09, 2004 - 7:51 pm: | |
You probably have an AD-2 air dryer and it is only a can with a dessicant cartridge inside. No mechanical stuff to go wrong except for the simple valve on the bottom. If the bottom valve body is there, a dessicant cartridge can be had outright for $50. A thorough cleaning of the valve body is recommended and if a piece of hose, rust or other junk is binding it, it is likely that is why it was bypassed by a previous uninformed owner. You could upgrade to the AD-9 but that is big bucks compared to fixing the one you have.
Proper maintenance of an air dryer will result in virtually no water getting past it. After opening the drains on my air tanks on my MC-8 for 6 years and finding zero water, I stopped doing it. $30 for a repacked dessicant cartridge every couple of years is all it takes.
Jim |
Jayjay (152.163.100.133)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 09, 2004 - 11:05 pm: | |
You old dessicant pack has a core charge on it now, so don't scrap it. ...JJ |
Lin (66.245.216.207)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 10, 2004 - 2:51 am: | |
I checked out the Bendix website and they have pretty decent instructions on renewing the media. It does look like the AD-2 in their diagram. However, I found someone that is offering a new AD-IP for around $65. I am thinking that I may be better off going with a brand new unit even if it involves some bracket alteration. Decisions,decisions! |
FAST FRED (4.245.128.242)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 10, 2004 - 5:35 am: | |
For folks with earlier coaches , air system maint can be made very simple.
Your local truck parts store will have tank drains with chains that cost about $6.00-$8.00 or so.
You pull the plug or petcock valve and install these in each air tank bottom. And lead the chain end to the side of the coach.
A simple tug on the chain or cable drains the tank .
A short pull daily should have the tanks last "forever".
For winter driving , there will be a glass jar near the compressor that neads to be filled with Brake Line Antifreez (alcohol) also in large supply at any truck stop.
Be sure to fill it as the temps go towards freezing , no other maint needed.
Works for me,
FAST FRED |
BrianMCI96A3 (69.34.171.129)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 10, 2004 - 11:50 am: | |
Lin...
"I found someone that is offering a new AD-IP for around $65."
I just checked the BENDIX site...I do recognize the AD-IP dryer, it is one of the newest dryers Bendix makes...
Unfortunately, the last time I checked, the cheapest price I found for a remanufactured AD-9 (a much older design) was around $175 and the only
price I found for an AD-IP was $325 for a remanufactured unit.
So if this price of $65 is for the entire dryer, I would be asking a couple of questions...
I pulled this from a website out of an article dealing with counterfeit and knock-off truck parts...
"Sometimes customers assume they're buying a Bendix brand product because the invoice uses a Bendix part number to describe the part," says Dave Schultz, marketing manager for valves. "We know because we get those parts returned to us for warranty. Brake valves and air dryers are the most common."
"While a poorer quality air dryer may simply have a shorter than expected life, a knockoff valve "could degrade brake system performance,"
If this place is selling REAL honest to goodness AD-IP's at $65, If I were you I would run, not walk, and buy at LEAST one of those AD-IP dryers because most places sell the CARTRIDGE for that unit for at LEAST $65 and I've found a place charging $178 just for the cartridge!
Back to your AD-2... The AD-2 is the first reliable mass produced and widely used air dryer ever made, and is at least 40 years old.
Having recently gone through and repaired an AD-2 I can safely say that while it requires a bit more skill than governor replacement, it is still a relatively simple task, and the Bendix site, as you mention, is very helpful.
I bought a rebuilt AD-2 dessicant cartridge here in Vegas for $27 and handed them my core... I would have rebuilt it myself... the only problem was, the counterman was too lazy to check and told me that Bendix doesn't sell the bulk dessicant anymore (I found some a couple weeks later, after I'd rebuilt my AD-2)
There really is only one thing that can make an AD-2 not worth rebuilding: rust-through... and even then if it is not too severe it can be repaired...
So there really is no reason, other than space saving, for replacing an AD-2 with a newer air dryer, UNLESS you find a GENUINE Bendix AD-IP for $65! |
BrianMCI96A3 (69.34.171.129)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 10, 2004 - 12:06 pm: | |
One other thing... just to clarify what FF was mentioning previously...
"For folks with earlier coaches, air system maint can be made very simple."
Any coach that does not have an air dryer can be fitted with one, and will benefit greatly from it.
"For winter driving , there will be a glass jar near the compressor that neads to be filled with Brake Line Antifreez (alcohol) also in large supply at any truck stop."
For any coach WITHOUT an air dryer, using an alcohol system is a good idea for winter driving...
HOWEVER using the alcohol system on a system WITH with an air dryer installed will cause the dessicant inside the dryer to turn to mush and plug up the dryer...
Brian |
Nick Morris (Nick3751) (65.117.139.135)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 10, 2004 - 10:09 pm: | |
My silversides doesn't have any way to put alcohol in the system. Will the truck parts store have them and how hard is it to put in? |
BrianMCI96A3 (65.40.159.155)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 11, 2004 - 12:07 am: | |
That's hard to say Nick, once most systems started getting air dryers on them add on alcohol systems started to disapear, you may find someone with an old stock alcohol system...
Brian |
BrianMCI96A3 (65.40.159.155)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 11, 2004 - 12:11 am: | |
If you can find an alcohol system, it really shouldn't be that difficult to install, but for that matter a used/rebuilt air dryer shouldn't be that hard to install either, would be fairly inexpensive and your need for an alcohol system then goes away.
Brian |
gomez (Unregistered Guest)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, October 16, 2004 - 12:29 pm: | |
bendix air dryer is your best bet model number ad9 goes for $207.94 at napa dessicant cartridge is 47.50 also at napa or go with a haldex purest air dryer which goes for $330 also at napa |