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Lost airbags – No way to ride!
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Given the conversation thus far, assuming the bus does get to ride height and you don’t hear a “pop” and stays at the road height I would drive the 80 miles.
Having said that however, I would stop occasionally and get out and measure the height of the bus from the bottom of the bay doors to the level road surface should be about 11″.
As long as that is being maintained driving is OK.
If once you start it drops on a side and air pressure is escaping it has to be put in level low manual position to keep air in what isn’t leaking and to not allow air to go where it is leaking.
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This was my experience with driving with Level Lo Not in the drive or road position.
I was in a city far from home and help. I had the drivers side all the way down for level purposes while parked. When I started the bus, the driver’s side did not come up. I raised it manually, but when I put the Level Lo in drive position, it went down immediately.
The air seemed to be coming from the ride height valve immediately in front of the drive axle tire.
After pictures, video and conversation with Jeff, he advised me to find a place to look at it, raise the bus manually and drive carefully to the shop, checking periodically for too much lowering all around the bus, as advised above.
I found a charter company that had a garage and agreed to look at it. It was less than 10 miles so my wife drove behind me to let me know if something looked wonky that I might not notice.
I pulled in over a pit and explained everything to a mechanic. We were both in the pit when I had my wife put the Level Lo in drive position and the bus stayed level with no dropping and no air escaping.
We tried it over and over and over and it would not duplicate. That ride height valve and several other valves have been replaced since then, but it never did the same thing again.
There were several times in the future when the driver’s side would have to be raised manually, but when the Level Lo was placed in drive, it held and adjust properly.
Keep in mind while you are driving with Level Lo in any position besides the drive/road position, you will need to check your ride height on both sides and front every little bit, if I understand correctly.
Davy
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I forgot to mention on Sunday I also performed a DOT brake check as Jon mentioned earlier, and it passed.
Harry
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That’s very good Harry because you have verified the health of the braking system so if you make the trip that will not adversely impact your safety.
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It sounds “to me” like the pop was simply the air dryer popping off and, for some reason, coincidentally the drive Norgren valve crapped out. If everything works fine while in manual mode it’s most likely only the drive valve is bad. Can’t you swap one of the other valves for the drive valve and get the drive system working again. I was thinking that all the valves are the same.
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On Harry’s coach if a Norgren was to blame it would either be the 5 port on the bulkhead forward of the drive axle under the fender liner, and it would exhaust or vent air in the steer compartment. He said he heard the noise in the rear so that was ruled out.
The other potential failed Norgren would be the one on the frame above the tag axle and that failure would be limited to dumping tag axle air bag air, but locking it in the two drive axle air bags on the side of the failure. His description seems to rule that out.
I strongly suspect no Norgren failure is going to be accompanied with a “pop” but due to their construction the failure is going to be air seeping out past O rings, usually not making any noise that we can hear with our ears alone.
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I’ve been asked if the bus stays up while underway in the Level Lo position and the answer is yes. After a 40 mile run using Level Lo the air bags stayed up and worked well. The only thing I noticed is that the Low Air Pressure light came on during a full stop and went off as soon as the RPM’s came up.
Harry
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Harry, your bus is dangerous and should not be driven until your air loss problem is resolved.
I hope you weren’t kidding about the low pressure light coming on.
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Hi Jon, The recommendation was made to me that before making the 80 mile trip to ETLC, I make sure the bus would run in Level Lo? That’s why I took it out for a run.
As for the low pressure light it came on at the first stop I came to and went off as soon as I started moving again. I pulled over a couple miles later and performed a DOT brake check and it passed. Brakes being the main thing I was concerned with as far as continuing to run the bus.
Harry
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Harry, I am unable to think of anything related to normal driving or use of the coach that would cause enough air pressure drop to the point where you would get a warning. Once a coach is aired up, short of a bad leak somewhere it is unlikely you will ever see anything outside of a 90 to 120 PSI range.
Unless……….you are pumping your brakes.
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Harry keep us posted as I have the same year coach and wonder what it could be. Never experienced anything like that. Something major going on if the low pressure light comes on while idling. Big leak somewhere. What pressure did the gauge show?
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Hi Jon, The only time I pump the brakes is during the DOT brake check. When I got back and parked the bus I left it running and walked around to see if I could hear an air leak and didn’t. I turned the engine off and walked around again and if there’s a leak it isn’t audible?
I can’t explain the light and thought maybe it has something to do with having to use the Level Lo system while underway?
Glen, there was no change to the pressure gauge.
Harry
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Come to think of it, my level low comes on if I forget to set valve to drive height when starting bus for warm up after leveling bus at rv site and forget to put it back after killing engine. Light will stay on when idling.
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Hi Glen, Are you talking about the Level Lo light because that is always on while in Level Lo? Or are you talking about the low air light I’ve been talking about?
Harry
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Sorry Harry, level Low not air.
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