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Air leveling slow air leak


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I am experiencing a slow air leak in my 2009 Dynasty that results in the driver's side dropping down. The air compressor that normally keeps the coach level does not appear to be working. The engine air compressor will air up the system and the Power Gear system will level out the coach. However, the air system looses pressure resulting n the driver's side lowering. When I restart the engine the air gauges are registering empty and the engine has to air up the system.

I am traveling in the Birmingham, AL area.  What resources are near me to diagnose and fix system?

Thanks,

Ray Murley 2009 Dynast7y

 

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Wow, a 2009 Dynasty.  You have one of the last great coaches Monaco Coach Corp made. 

Almost any shop that works on heavy truck air ride systems should be able to diagnose and repair it.  The problem will be convincing them to work on it.  

Many of us have made ramps out of stacked 2" x 12" boards.  We drive the coach up onto the boards and crawl under there with a bottle of spray soapy water and start searching.  There will be several leaks.  Some are very easy to fix as you just snip 1/4" off the end of the plastic air line and reinsert it into the air fitting.  Some are more difficult and require rebuilding the 6-pack air solenoids with new o-rings.  

Good luck!

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3 hours ago, rtmurley said:

I am experiencing a slow air leak in my 2009 Dynasty that results in the driver's side dropping down. The air compressor that normally keeps the coach level does not appear to be working. The engine air compressor will air up the system and the Power Gear system will level out the coach. However, the air system looses pressure resulting n the driver's side lowering. When I restart the engine the air gauges are registering empty and the engine has to air up the system.

I am traveling in the Birmingham, AL area.  What resources are near me to diagnose and fix system?

Thanks,

Ray Murley 2009 Dynast7y

 

First tings first.  Your air compressor switch is defective.  Look up the following in Amazon.  Viair 90100 Pressure Switch

Next… The switch is easy to replace.  The usual culprit, other than age, is water or corrosion of the contacts which np comes from poor installation  placement.  The switch MUST be mounted HIGHER than the compressor and/or the air tank.  There are drains for your system and maybe a drain on the small reservoir tank for,that compressor.  There is a procedure in your manual for annual draining of the tanks.  Monaco was in the throes of shutdown and/or bankruptcy when your MH was made and they shuffled personnel around. Use zip ties to put the switch higher.  You can use a U shaped paper clip to jumper the terminals.  Odds are, the compressor will come to life.  I had my MH for over 5 years and the compressor never ran.  OPPS…replaced the switch and said….what’s that noise.  Simple fix, but the issue is the “droop”.

it is NOT necessary to have a pit under the MH to find and fix air leaks.  Folks do the work all the time here.  You DO need to be careful in that when you disconnect a line to repair or reseat the fitting that you have blocks or a Jack under that portion of the chassis.  I have a similar problem, but when my tanks drain to zero, the air bags do not deflate due to the check valve arrangement.

Find a reputable OTR truck shop and get them to water/soap spray the hoses and fittings.  Obviously, start with the front two air bags on that corner and then follow the hose back to the air tank up front.  YES, some have had an air bag with a leak, but typically, it is a hose fitting issue. Google and there are YouTube’s on how to remove the fitting, cut off a short piece of the hose and then reseat or reinstall the fitting.  Rarely does a fitting go bad, the hose vibrates or is abraded and the seal is broken.  new fittings are stocked by all OTR repair shops as they do the DOT certification of the brake system.  

You can probably, if you are able, get under there and find the leak.  You need a spray bottle and some water and something like Dawn dish detergent.  You can buy commercial sprays, but most shops make their own.  This is more of a OTR issue than an “RV tech”, but most RV techs that deal or understand auto leveling systems can do it.  If you find a front end shop that understands your system, then you might want them to check and, if necessary, adjust the auto level system.

Call around to the RV shops and ask who does their auto level work….if you head towards Florida, go to Josams in Orlando.  I am almost certain that .Barry, the shop manager, has many techs that work on these and they also work on air systems and bag replacement.

Good luck.

EDIT….  Additional info and thoughts.  We have the SAME Valid - Powergear system.  Several Camelot and Dynasty owners will level using the manual method (or the auto) and THEN turn it off.  After I got my pump working, I got annoyed with the “auto level” tweaking when someone walked or in the middle of night.  The MH never “droops” so you may have a problem.  BUT…try this also.

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Tom, thank you for your response. The issue started a couple nights ago when we heard a loud air pressure release coming from the engine compartment. Since then the coach looses air and droops down on the driver’s side.

The auxiliary air compressor for the air leveling appears not to be working. I have attached a photo from the generator compartment. Is the the yellow arrow the aux air compressor and the part with the red 3DD04A1E-66D9-4FF0-9F4D-4C9F96398D5F.thumb.jpeg.8347ddcf3636f06709a19744a7e6a26f.jpegarrow the pressure switch?

 

 

 

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Ray, if your coach is like mine, your aux air compressor is mounted to a shelf welded to the driver's side of the front axle H frame.  Raise the coach and with a flash light look from behind the passenger side tire through wheel well over to the driver's side tire and you will see it.

It does sound like you have a significant air leak and you should do an air brake pre-trip inspection to determine if your coach is safe to drive.  If you lose more that 4psi in 2 minutes with the coach off or you can't go from 50-90 psi in under 3 minutes, you should call a mobile mechanic to fix the problem.

 

 

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20 minutes ago, Frank McElroy said:

Ray, if your coach is like mine, your aux air compressor is mounted to a shelf welded to the driver's side of the front axle H frame.  Raise the coach and with a flash light look from behind the passenger side tire through wheel well over to the driver's side tire and you will see it.

It does sound like you have a significant air leak and you should do an air brake pre-trip inspection to determine if your coach is safe to drive.  If you lose more that 4psi in 2 minutes with the coach off or you can't go from 50-90 psi in under 3 minutes, you should call a mobile mechanic to fix the problem.

 

 

Ray,

I asked Frank to look at this and comment as I had a concern about hearing air escape when you were leveled and at night.  Do what he says.  THEN address the compressor.

He directed you where you will find the auxiliary compressor.  It will have a small cylindrical tank under it with a drain valve.  You will see the switch on the end of an air line, hopefully above it.  Take a bent paper clip and pull off the electrical terminals and put the paper clip between the two terminal to short or make the circuit.  It will probably run…. If not locate the fuse using your manual or wiring prints. If you order the switch, drain down the fittings in the Genny compartment like you manual says….pictures are there.  Also bleed off the auxiliary compressor tank.  Remove and replace the switch and reconnect.  Then it will start and you should start the engine to totally “re air up” the system.  The pressure switch is ON @  90 psi or when it drops below that. It will shut off at 120 PSI.

YOU REALLY SHOULD HAVE A OTR Tech do a complete leak test of your entire air system.  I have mine done every 5 years or so, but do some spot checking from time to time.

keep us updated….that is how we learn

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Had similar problem with my 2002 Windsor. The aux air compressor and its components were basically shot. Bought a new Viair compressor, relay, solenoid and pressure switch. Works like a charm now. Being exposed to the elements under the coach takes its toll on all the components.

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Tom and Frank, thank you for your responses. I have contacted Coach Net and they are working on finding a mobile mechanic. The concern for safety while driving has me concerned. Hopefully, a mechanic can fix the leak and/or give me OK to drive.

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32 minutes ago, rtmurley said:

Tom and Frank, thank you for your responses. I have contacted Coach Net and they are working on finding a mobile mechanic. The concern for safety while driving has me concerned. Hopefully, a mechanic can fix the leak and/or give me OK to drive.

Good call.  If your site is level and maybe concrete, a good tech can just as easily do an air check there.  BUT, he should also be able to recommend a shop for the complete "once every 5 year" inspection package.  I would do the test of the compressor by shorting the terminals. If it works, you can easily swap out the switch or have the tech do the test for you.  this ain't Rocket Science, assuming you can or are comfortable under the MH looking up.  

Let us know....

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Ray, if your Dynasty is like mine, the auxiliary air compressor will be on the front axle H frame like I mentioned but the actual small auxiliary air tank will be above the drive axle on the driver's side up high next to the frame rail.  The vent for this tank is at the rear of the coach next to the vent for the rear air tank.  If you open the rear engine cover you should see both vents down low on the driver's side.

Here is a picture of my aux compressor.  Note the zip ties.  This was because the mounts broke and I made temporary repairs to get home .  I also attached a picture of the aux air tank.

IMG_20150803_103550026.jpg

IMG_20150801_125104949.jpg

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I can feel your frustration but it will all work out with time. The 'black cap' at the rear regulates pressure in tag airbags. If it leaks constantly, it is easy to replace. Once you figure the make of your air leveling, there are manuals on this site to help you understand the system and troubleshooting. You mention leaks around the 'screw in valves', this is very likely the cause for the bus leaning to one side. I would not even worry about the little compressor at this time. If you post a pic of the leveling touch pad, we will know what system you are dealing with.

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I have the same system.  Something allows going on with it.  My air leaks change with outside temps.  My aux pump runs more in cold weather.  I have fixed leaks, replaced the pump, re-plumbed the factory set up which caused the pump to never shut off, first clue is previous owner pulled the fuse for the pump and it laying at the bottom of the FRB.  Fix the leaks as you find them, move the pressure switch up as high as possible.  I also shut the system off after leveling.  In spite of all this, I still get a leak here and there and have to re-level from time to time.  I did install a switch in the cockpit to turn the pump off at night.  I carry spare connectors and tubing with me to fix leaks on the road.  If you can travel with a really short skinny mechanic with you that's a plus.  In the front I can put the gen out, jack the front up and block and sit in that "pocket" where the gen was and get to a lot of the system.  We did travel about 2,000 miles with the control pad beeping the whole way due to a bad controller, that was fun.  It is tough finding shops to work on the Roadmaster Chassis, but it's nothing special concerning the air system, just compressors, hoses, valves and connectors.  Any truck shop can fix the air leaks if they'll work on it.  Good luck.  By the way, the RV repair shops are no better at fixing air leaks than a truck shop and I have found the truck shops do a better job and at a more reasonable cost.  After Cummin's Coach Care gets done making love to me, I'll get about 1,000 miles before I have to find an independent truck shop to fix what Cummins did or didn't do.  Keep that in mind.

Woody Miller

09 Dynasty

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On 5/25/2022 at 9:49 PM, Ivan K said:

These are probably the valves you are talking about, a six-pack per axle and this is what they do. You can download HWH manual from the file section.  

Screenshot_20220525-215749_Chrome.jpg

 

 

Does anyone know where I may find the o rings that I need to replace on my HWH leveling system..looks like I am over a year out from HWH... I thought somewhere someone fount them aftermarket...Any help would be greatly appreciated..

 

Thanks

Michael and Terry Powell

2004 Princes Dynasty  with Tag axle...

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9 hours ago, Michael Powell said:

 

Does anyone know where I may find the o rings that I need to replace on my HWH leveling system..looks like I am over a year out from HWH... I thought somewhere someone fount them aftermarket...Any help would be greatly appreciated..

 

Thanks

Michael and Terry Powell

2004 Princes Dynasty  with Tag axle...

I got my spares from the place in pic. Haven't actually had to use them yet so can't 100% confirm.

Update: I used them now and they are correct sizes.

732355191_Screenshot_20220404-160853_AmazonPhotos.jpg.a90f584617aedc66e1d52c3140321814.jpg

Edited by Ivan K
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14 minutes ago, Michael Powell said:

Thank you so much Ivan..Have a great Memorial Day..God Bless..

Michael and Terry Powell

Hi Mike,

  There appears to be 3 O-Rings in your pic, aren't there only 2 O Rings on the valves?

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Guest Ray Davis

It's strange that if you order o rings from HWH you'll only get 2 orings but you'll find 3 inside.

On IRV2 there was a Mike Canter that did some great write ups with pictures.  Here are 2 links,  theremay be more.

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/air-leak-in-chassis-leveling-system-160935.html

https://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/air-leveling-and-air-tank-pressure-165649.html

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