| Author |
Message |
Christopher Goodwin (Cgoodwin)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 3:56 am: | |
1985 Neoplan Citiliner. After it has been run the air bags inflate and all is well, after about 2 hours it settles back down on to the stops. I am doing the interior and have to consistently run the engine to keep the coach hich enough to open the doors without hitting the curb! I have copied the system at http://www.frybrid.com/neoplansuspension.htm it seems that my bus does not have the kneeling option it has a level valve at each front wheel and another at the rear axle, the tag has a switch on the dash which will deflate the bags and another which will free the tag to steer as dragged by the driven axle, above 30 mph this "steering" stops and the rear axle locks in centered position.
What I am wondering is:
Is the coach designed to drop to the suspension stops in only a few hours or do I have a leak.
How can I find the leak short of climbing under with a spray bottle filled with soapy warer?
How long should a bus of this type stay Up before deflating?
Where do I go from here? I am buying a leveling system from "Pete RTS/Daytona" so that i can level when parked, perhaps this will solve my issue unless it is in a bag rather than a valve or line after the bag.
Any help appreciated.
PS. My bus also smokes white (incomplete combustion) when below 1/8 tank, is this a stuck check valve in the return? 6V92 TA 1985 |
FAST FRED
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 5:18 am: | |
You have an air leak.
With NEW leveling valves (the usual problem) many coaches will stay up for a few weeks.
FAST FRED |
shawn bennear (Lilneoplan)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 9:58 am: | |
My neoplan does the same thing. I can hear little bits of air coming from the rear, and the wipers. I may convert them over to electric. there is a kit i saw somewhere.
my airbags dump out and then it just sits there. I doubt if i will worry about it for now as it builds up rather rapidly.
shawn |
Jim Stewart (H3jim)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 11:04 am: | |
One way check valves installed just before the leveling valves may also help, depending on where your leaks are. If the valves and bags are leak free, this is all you need to stay up. If your bags or valves are leaking, they should be replaced anyway. |
Christopher Goodwin (Cgoodwin)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 11:31 am: | |
What is the best way to locate a leak, I can not hear it so I have no idea where to look. The bags all look good, I have sprayed them with soapy water and found no leaks. What next? I have tried to follow all the lines but the disappear into the front suspension.
Chris |
Jim Stewart (H3jim)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 6:33 pm: | |
As far as I know, a spray bottle with soapy water is the only way. Its the way the dealer does it. You can find / see a much smaller leak than you acn with your ears. the smaller the bubbles, the smaller the leak. Just make sure the bus is well supported and can't come down on you if something lets go.
I have never really found all the leaks in my system, but I did put check valves in. The bus used to settle down to the stops in less than a day, now it stays up for weeks. |
Chuck Newman (Chuck_newman)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 11:25 pm: | |
Jim and all,
Do you put the check valve between the dryer and leveling valve, or between the leveling valve and the bag?
Thanks,
Chuck Newman
Oroville, CA |
Chuck Newman (Chuck_newman)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, October 16, 2005 - 11:27 pm: | |
Forgot to ask, will the addition of check valves affect the coach leveling system?
Thanks again.
Chuck Newman
Oroville, CA |
FAST FRED
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 - 4:59 am: | |
If you have access to a pit or a good depression next to the road , where you wont get flattened if the air is lost, borrow a freon leak detector.
From years of installing /repairing refrigeration in boats we have a very sensative unit with a tiny fan that sucks into the probe.
Use the service valve and hook a bottle to the coach air supply , install about a 1/4 pound and pump up the coach.
The leak checker screams with the tiniest sniff of freon , but will accomidate a flooded area by leaving it on.
This will find the tinyest leaks , down to the molecular level.
Probably far more than you would care to fix .
This system is only avilable for those that don't have the Religon of the "Ozone Hole".
I dont.,
FAST FRED |
Jim Stewart (H3jim)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 - 2:34 pm: | |
I put mine right at the valve, just upstream of it. Threaded them into the supply side of the valve. The valve will add and release air normally, it just can't leak back to the rest of the air system where most likely the leaks are.
If you put them between the valve and the bag, it would either not fill or not release air, since the air would only go one way. |
Chuck Newman (Chuck_newman)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 19, 2005 - 10:32 am: | |
Fast Fred,
The 1/4 pound or so of freon -- can it be either R12 or R134. I have both and an electronic sniffer that will detect both?
Once you get it into the system, does it take a while to get spread throughout all the air components? About how long?
If some freon is left in the air system, will it have any long term detrimental effect on hoses, seals, bags, etc.?
Thanks,
Chuck Newman
Oroville, CA |
FAST FRED
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 20, 2005 - 5:49 am: | |
AS you won't be willing to fix ALL the leaks the freon will be gone rapidly, and does no harm anyway.
If you blow down all the wet tanks , when you put in freon and then air up , that should get the stuff everywhere.
MY old sniffer is for F12 , and we have a cheap source when visiting the Bahamas , so havent tried the newer freon mixes.
The F12 is about 20% better refrigerant , so we have never changed boat mechanical eutetic systems over to the new junk.
FAST FRED |