| Author | Message | ||
| Chris (Thequagmireman)
Registered Member Username: Thequagmireman Post Number: 3 Registered: 8-2007 Posted From: 75.49.6.63 Rating: N/A |
My bus wants to do a detroit lean to the one side and I was wondering has anyone ever run into a problem like this? I am going to start by going over it with soapy water looking for leaks starting from the rear bellows and working forward. My manual shows an adjuster lever, but it doesn't say where it is at... and I have never seen it. I am assuming it is in the middle under the bus. Is is possible to get under the bus without a pit? I think I might try to jack it up and put the engine on cinder blocks.... any hints and tips would be great!! thanks a bunch! | ||
| Don Evans (Doninwa)
Registered Member Username: Doninwa Post Number: 75 Registered: 1-2007 Posted From: 65.61.96.82 Rating: N/A |
Does it lean while aired up, or only after it has leaked down? It has two leveling valves in the rear and one for the front. Yes the valves are under the bus and NO you can not get under it without blocks. Always remember if the bags go down you only have a few inches of clearance. Make a set of run-up blocks and drive it up on those first. Mine are high enough that I can safely get under it with the air bags down. Saves jacking and more blocking. Did I mention I really need a pit??? They need to be substantial blocks. Your life depends on them. Don't jack or block the engine. It is not designed to hold the bus up. I would not use cinder blocks. They tend to fail suddenly. Get some good hard wood blocks. Remember too, that you must be on solid ground so your blocks don't sink or tip. Good luck Don 4107 | ||
| Chris (Thequagmireman)
Registered Member Username: Thequagmireman Post Number: 4 Registered: 8-2007 Posted From: 67.37.24.119 Rating: N/A |
It is on a flat concrete floor so I could build these run-up blocks. Do you have a set of dimensions for yours or ones in general? It is after the suspension has aired up, the one side doesn't go up. It used to be intermittent, but now it looks like it might be down for good. | ||
| Chris (Thequagmireman)
Registered Member Username: Thequagmireman Post Number: 5 Registered: 8-2007 Posted From: 67.37.24.119 Rating: N/A |
 Would the run-up look something like this? | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 719 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.117.21 Rating: N/A |
That can be from a leaking air bag or a malfunctioning leveler. once you have good ramps made, you can disconnect the line going from the leveling valve to the tee to the two air bags on the one side and rig up a fitting combo with a tire stem valve, which you can air up with a hose. You don't need to put more than 30 or 40 lbs. of air in and listen for leaks or wait overnight. Be sure to soap check your connections to make sure the leak isn't in your fittings or lines. If they go down, then you can separate the bag lines at the tee and test each one to see which one is causing the leak. If you don't have bags leaking, then the problem is in the leveling bag. BTW, wear ear plugs while you are under there airing them up... if a bag blows, your ears are going to ring for a long time. If any of those bags are cracked or in poor shape, replace them now instead of on the road. Get a shop manual for your coach. Available from one of the advertisers on this site. On the ramps, don't make the slope too abrubt, and put a good stop at end, because you can easily go off the other end. You can make them from 2x6 or 2x8, or 2x10 on edge bolted together, just for the outside tires. Just don't skimp on width; make them at least 4 inches wider than tire tread for good stability, and 6 foot in length. Of course, some here have made an empty soda can do the job, but it, of course depends on how much of the work you are going to do yourself and where you are going to store them when not in use. I started out with ramps, but now I have a building with a pit. Much nicer. | ||
| Chris (Thequagmireman)
Registered Member Username: Thequagmireman Post Number: 6 Registered: 8-2007 Posted From: 12.75.84.66 Rating: N/A |
Empty soda cans? What do you mean just for the outside tires?... dont make it wide enough for both tires? | ||
| john w. roan (Chessie4905)
Registered Member Username: Chessie4905 Post Number: 721 Registered: 10-2003 Posted From: 71.58.117.21 Rating: |
If you prefer, although the outer ones will more than support the weight and allow a little more room. Also you'll need a lot wider ramps or four. Soda cans refer to someone saying they used a lot less less of everything to accomplish the same thing. You'll see what I mean after reading a couple hundred posts. Sometimes the flame wars start as a result. Adds flavor to our site.  The first ramps I made were to raise a Brill to work underneath. 12x12x5 feet-four of them. Ramps were too short and steep. Was a chore to get it up on all four, and then stop. Once, I went clear over....coach dropped 12 inches and bounced some. Fortunately it had enough ground clearance that it didn't hurt anything. Afterwards, I put stops on the ends of ramps and was a lot more careful. Much younger and less careful. | ||
| Tom Caffrey (Pvcces)
Registered Member Username: Pvcces Post Number: 1117 Registered: 5-2001 Posted From: 65.74.67.130 Rating: N/A |
Chris, there is a drawing on both the Yahoo MCI and GMC groups files section that shows construction of some very useful runup blocks made of fir. Yellow pine will do, as well. For a standard shift GM parlor coach, they are cut so that you can easily idle up onto front blocks, both sides, or one rear side, using both blocks, one for each tire. They also work fine for autos and we even stepped over the end of one without any problems. I do NOT recommend any sort of cleat at the end of the block. I found that with some use, it is easy to stop when on top of the blocks, just by the feel of the coach. Good luck. Tom Caffrey PD4106-2576 Suncatcher Ketchikan, Alaska | ||
| Gary Pasternak (Cessna5354)
Registered Member Username: Cessna5354 Post Number: 33 Registered: 2-2007 Posted From: 64.12.117.73 Rating: N/A |
Chris, Welcome to the board, I must emphsis what has been said that putting the bus on ramps will still allow the chassis to drop if there is a loss of air. I would just be very wary of the height of the ramps and the "bottom" travel of your chassis without air. That is to say 4" ramp and a 4" chassis drop without air may not yield safe space beneath the bus. Good luck, John, I still love the look & paint everytime you post. Gary | ||
| Brian Brown (Blue_velvet)
Registered Member Username: Blue_velvet Post Number: 420 Registered: 6-2005 Posted From: 72.19.152.144 Rating: N/A |
Chris, maybe these ramps I built a long time ago will give you some ideas. http://www.thefamilybus.net/projects/blocks/ I now use a 4-ply version, with handles. I also use 3" tall, 4x4 steel squash blocks to put under the rubber body-to-axle bumpers to keep the body up in case the bags deflate. Between the ramps and the squash blocks, there's a LOT of room under there. HTH, Brian Brown 4108-216 w/ V-730 Longmont, CO USA http://www.brownland.org/blog/ | ||
| James Stacy (Jimstacy)
Registered Member Username: Jimstacy Post Number: 97 Registered: 1-2001 Posted From: 75.40.231.50 Rating: N/A |
Chris, There are 3 leveling valves in a typical air suspension coach. These valves are mounted on the bus structure over the axle and have an arm with adjustable link connected to the axle. This allows it to sense the height and add or delete air from the bags under it's control. There is one valve over the front axle which regulates all four front bags at once and controls the front to rear level. There are two valves over the rear axle (one on each side). These each control only the two bags on their side, and together control the side to side attitude of the entire coach from the rear. This shows how stiff the bus structure is. Few vehicles would put up with this treatment. These valves have a mechanical delay built in so they don't attempt to adjust every time someone moves in the coach. This delay is usually accomplished by silicone fluid through an orifice. Most folks don't have good luck servicing these units themselves, and are usually replaced with a "reman". These valves are often the cause of a coach suspension settling shortly after parking as the check valves fail. It sounds like one of your rear valves is failing. BTW, although some owners disagree, I have had great luck with a manual leveling system. This eliminates the levelers completely and addresses each corner of the suspension with a push/pull valve (such as are used in an air seat). A pressure gage on the output of each valve tells where each corner should be for proper ride height. Since a conversion doesn't have 40 to 50 people getting on and off, it isn't necessary to readjust the suspension constantly. My coach will sit for 6 months or more without a change in ride height or attitude. It sure beats having the whole thing settle in a few hours. FWIW Jim Stacy | ||
| Chris (Thequagmireman)
Registered Member Username: Thequagmireman Post Number: 11 Registered: 8-2007 Posted From: 24.31.182.153 Rating: N/A |
Thanks for the heads up James and thanks for the plans Brian. I will get into it this weekend and see if I can be a little more descriptive. | ||
| Chris (Thequagmireman)
Registered Member Username: Thequagmireman Post Number: 13 Registered: 8-2007 Posted From: 167.239.215.166 Rating: N/A |
I took the valve off cleaned it up and now it works! Now i just need to get it so both sides are level. |
