Sinking Coach

[Joe Camper]

Jim after rereading the thread I realized its starting date.

Let me pontificate some and try to be of help.

If your camper were new to me Id start it up air it up and shut it off. Then Id begin to go around and open up all the bays and the engine doors and under the driver and Id be looking and listning. As I did, Im sure with your rapid loss of air, Im going to find a few biggies right off.

Then before getting too detailed and isolating things Id check certian components go right to them next, the ones that I know often leak air.

If U have a chassis that leaves the belt tensioner bellows energized with the key off those little bags and the regulator above the door in the engine compartment. If the seat is air the buttons for the lumbar control leak put your ear to them. Never saw a air door lock leak air horns are never leaking. There are lines feeding your air pressure gauges on the dash they will often leak and on both ends. Thats the start on the chassis air common stuff a good start.

House stuff. Yes U have a 1 way check valve on the output of the auxilury air compressor soewhere and when they leak they leak out the air filter for the thing. The air can go right across the compressor head if the reeds are lined up right and ya wont hear it. Seporate the line right at the backside of the valve to soap it and check it.

Common house side air leaks go right to the components themselves first. The generator air bags and their 2 regulators the step slide (put out and look underneeth and soap where the ram comes out) the bed lift if you have air dumps and open the rear wall in the bathroom closet to inspect all the air fittings in there for the pocket doors and such.

If U dothat I am pretty confident that will bear additional fruit.

After I did that then Id go down ito the stearing bay where all that air originates and check all that and begin to determin what if anything in there needed additional attention. In the end when your almost tight thats where U will end up isolating things 1 at a time to find the toughest final repairs. Its also often where U find some biggies right off.

I got my camper to the point where the aux air compressor only cycled 3 or 4 times a day some folks are luckier than other in these terms it is something I managed. In Chicago the bus leaked down quicker in cold yet in the summer it held air really good so its also a moving target U will never stop chasing air leaks as U stop old new will come so get good at it.

Then after U have done that U can go back to the suspension and put it up note the change hopfully completly fixing the ccurrent condition and only then begin to determin what is good and what is bad with those components.

Nother thing too when it goes down Id note the brake tank pressures AND the aux air pressure and Id also verify after it dropped if just the tag air bags dumped or the drive bags dumped with them or are still holding air that is important to helping to isolating the cause.

During the inital process when Im finding the easier big ones U han hear someting leaking from the rear suspension or chassis, when its bad and your leaking good. If u have leaks there thats gonna require putting it up and probably pulling some wheels to help find leaks in that area.

Good luck and have fun.