Tag Axle lift chamber leak

[ajducote]

Last week I developed a massive air leak when I raised my tag that I traced to my right rear tag axle lift chamber. That is a Type 36 single chamber brake chamber. Preovost wants $367.00 for a new one. This is a perfect example of a job that is easy to do and will save you a lot of money. The rubber diaphragm was $7.00 from my local NAPA store. Total time to remove, fix and reinstall was 3 hours, and I went real slow to take pictures and get it right.
1. Start by raising the rear of the bus up on the air bags as far as possible.
2. Use blocking/ jack stands under the rear body support points.
3. The can can be accessed by going above the tag axle tire.
4. Remove the air line, there is no pressure on it unless the tag is raised.
5. Remove the pin that holds the clevis to the tag axle lift arm.
6. Remove the 2 nuts that hold the can to the bus frame.
7. Disassemble the can by removing 2 nuts and bolts that hold the clamp tight. The spring is a very light spring.
8. Install the new diaphragm
9. I used a work bench and a strap to hold it together while I put the clamp back on, I was working alone and needed 2 sets of hands. With a helper the strap would not be needed.
10. Re-install is the reverse of installation.

Leak now fixed.

[Kenneth Brewer]

Thank you. Very helpful. Take care.

[lonesome george]

Good one Andre!

[truk4u]

Nice job Andre, what are you going to do with the other 360.00?

[ajducote]

Nice job Andre, what are you going to do with the other 360.00?

Buy a few gallons of fuel and go someplace nice!!!

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Andre's experience is the essence of what we have been trying to do with POG.

Even if an owner chooses to not do his own repair work, having knowledge of the coach is going to make an owner less likely to be taken advantage of. I recognize Prevost and other service facilities need to make a profit, but that brake chamber, even if bought new would probably be less than $40. Add in 2 hours labor which is more than generous and the total cost should still be less than $250.

While at Parliament and talking to a number of other Prevost owners, none of who were POG members I was blown away at the dollars they were spending for simple repairs. I will not risk embarassing one of them who has indicated he will be joining POG by giving the amount he paid and by explaining the repair, but I can and will say he likely paid ten times what his repair should have cost if he had gone to a reputable shop that was not trying to maximize profits.

Andre has verified that by posting what just the part would cost, compared to what it took to actually fix the problem.

A word of caution.....if anyone is contemplating rebuilding brake chambers, do not under any circumstances attempt to rebuild a dual chamber assembly (with a spring brake). Even the industry has stopped that practice due to the danger of working with those units.

[tdelorme]

Nicely done, Andre. Almost makes you want to have a leaking tag chamber. I said ALMOST!! Needs to go over to the "articles" page.

[Coloradobus]

Wonderful Andre, A great piece of information to add to the list.

[dale farley]

Andre, This is a significant portion of why I'm in POG. Thanks for the procedure and pictures.