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Uncommanded Air Dump
#1

For the last week or so, the rear of the coach has been a bit low.    Not sure whether it happened gradually or all at once.   

Today, I started the engine, brought the coach to travel height, then leveled and shut down.    Air pressure was 120 throughout.     Then, about a half hour after the reset, a loud air release came from the rear.    I opened the right side engine access where is was happening but couldn't pinpoint the source before it abruptly stopped releasing on its own.   Total release time was maybe 45 seconds. 

Now the rear is a little low again.    I suspect this happened before when I wasn't around.    Air pressure is still at 120.     Any troubleshooting suggestions?

Thanks!
Chuck

2001 #579 ("Chester's Coach")
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#2

Chuck,

This might (or might not) be what is happening. On my coach, I had newish Goodyear airbags on the drive and tag axles. When ever I moved the coach at slow speed into an uneven parking space, the coach would occasionally just decide to vent all the air out of the rear bags. Normally on one side (but not always the same side).

There is a post about this somewhere on here...but I cannot find it.

Anyway, Richard and I fought the battle for several days. Take the bag out...take it apart...put it back in...see what happens. We never did figure it out but we suspected that the Goodyear air springs that were on my coach were the issue.

It happened again last year when I was idling in the alley at Newell. They had Firestone air springs in stock so I had them changed. So far a year later it has not happened again.

The design of the Firestone air spring seems more robust than the Goodyear. (All my air springs were fairly new and several have been replaced even though they did not have any signs of cracking).

If it happens again....make sure the e-brake is on and listen between the drive and tag tires and see if it is an air spring leaking. My bet it is.

For what its worth.
Cheers,
Bill

Bill Johnson
Birmingham, Alabama
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#3

The goodyear bags seat against a bead on the bottom part of the bag. That bead can burp and release some of the air in the bag. It reseats sometimes. I have one that is doing that the last couple of weeks. Torques me. If you ever replace rear bags try to get firestones as bill said. The only way i know to force a reseat is dump all air freshener m the bags amd air it up again. The problem is a function of the airbag design and the extreme angles the ridewell suspension puts on the air bag when you the coach is fully raised.

Richard and Rhonda Entrekin
99 Newell, 512
Maverick Hybrid Toad
Inverness, FL (when we're home Cool )
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#4

i had the same thing on the 99, but when i replaced the bag, the new one from goodyear had a new design that would not allow that to happen.

tom

2002 45'8" Newell Coach 608  Series 60 DDEC4/Allison World 6 Speed HD4000MH

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#5

That's all very very interesting. I just replaced the two forward drive axle bags with Firestones (I assume) from Newell. My mechanic had noted a leak in the left one when the coach was at full height. And I'm pretty sure that the blow-off today happened further aft. And it started and stopped abruptly, as if a valve were opened and closed. In any case, I'll try to make it do it again and make more careful observations. Will also look at each bag to see if just one is involved.
Thanks!

Chuck

2001 #579 ("Chester's Coach")
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#6

just a goofy thought. if you had it on autolevel on the hwh control panel, it might do exactly what you described.

tom

2002 45'8" Newell Coach 608  Series 60 DDEC4/Allison World 6 Speed HD4000MH

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#7

Y'know, Tom, I'm just green enough to not know whether it's in auto level. The red light is on at the upper left of the HWH panel. If that's auto level, when is auto level off?
(goofy emoji here...)

2001 #579 ("Chester's Coach")
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#8

Chuck,

When you are driving and pull into spot and park the coach...you are in travel mode and you will have a green light on the leveling control panel. If you dont do anything other than turn off the key you still in travel mode. However, if you hit the “ON/Auto” button in the upper right part of panel, you will be in either manual mode or auto mode. (The red light will turn on).

In Auto mode, the system will “wake up” every 15 minutes and do what it feel is necessary to level the coach. If you have a slow leak in the front of coach, it will vent air in the back to bring it back to level mode.

In my experience on my coach, it will NEVER add air to bring up a low end...it will always vent the high end.

So...if you have an “On” light on your HWH controller....you were probably in auto level mode and the coach was trying to help you.

To answer your “off” question...There are several different versions of HWH leveling control pads....Do you have an “off” button in lower left? What is the process you go through to get it into “Travel” mode. That is what you want to do to verify if the HWH was the source of the venting air.

Hope this helps.
Bill

Bill Johnson
Birmingham, Alabama
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#9

Bill, I think you and Tom have nailed it. What I didn't mention in my initial post and just recalled was a similar air release happening in the front of the coach some time ago. Just happened once, this same way. Probably the same autolevel activity.

When I use the Off button (also labelled Emergency Stop,) the green Travel light goes on. Pushing again or holding the Stop makes no difference. Pushing the Auto (level) button in the upper right a second time makes it blink for a few seconds, then it's steady. Turning off the key leaves it on, presumably in Autolevel mode.

Thanks!
Chuck

2001 #579 ("Chester's Coach")
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#10

Yes...Chuck. You got it. Once press on the on puts it in manual...second press...auto. If the red light stays on...you are in auto level mode.

Ps. The gizmo that tells the HWH if the coach is level is mounted to the roof of one of your basement bays about in the middle of the coach.

That sound like exactly what happened!

Glad you figured it out.

Bill Johnson
Birmingham, Alabama
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