Leaking air bag valves.

[Photobug]

When I bought my Class C I was told one of the aribags needs topped off each day to stay at pressure.

When I tried to fill the valves they both leaked like crazy from the back side of the valve. I unscrewed the valve and inspected them but could not easily reach them or free them from the hose. Is there a way to take them off and service or reseal them? Or should I just order replacement valves?

How do I get these valves free from the tubing?

Thanks

 

[Photobug]

Photos so you all know what I am working with.

 

[sackettmw]

That is a push to connect fitting. Push the collar on the back in towards the fitting and pull the hose out. Search for push to connect schrader valve. You can get new ones and trim the air line right behind the old fitting to get a clean cut. The new ones just push on.

 

[Photobug]

That is a push to connect fitting. Push the collar on the back in towards the fitting and pull the hose out. Search for push to connect schrader valve. You can get new ones and trim the air line right behind the old fitting to get a clean cut. The new ones just push on.

Thanks that is what I thought. Hopefully I can find the valves in the local auto parts shop.

It will try pulling harder to get them free. It is in a really tight spot. I initially thought it was a threaded two piece connection and tried to unscrew the two parts of the valve.

If the line is cut just perfectly and there is not room to trim the line, can I add a barb fitting somewhere else to add some length to the hose?

 

[sackettmw]

If the line is cut just perfectly and there is not room to trim the line, can I add a barb fitting somewhere else to add some length to the hose?

You can get a push to connect splice. Air line is cheap though so maybe try to get it loose at the other end of the hose and just replace a section.

 

[Photobug]

You can get a push to connect splice. Air line is cheap though so maybe try to get it loose at the other end of the hose and just replace a section.

Yep I am tempted to buy a whole kit with hose to have the parts around when needed. I will have to see how hard it is to get to all the parts before I replace the hosing.

 

[BritKLR]

One other suggestion before tearing it apart. Fill a spray bottle with dish soap and water and spray all the fittings and connections and look for the bubbles indicating a leak, this may help narrow down the leak or locate others. Also, sometimes due to dirt and grime and no dust caps the Schrader valve can get dirty/damaged and leak. Repair/replacement kits are cheap and may fix the problem quickly.Good luck.

 

[Photobug]

One other suggestion before tearing it apart. Fill a spray bottle with dish soap and water and spray all the fittings and connections and look for the bubbles indicating a leak, this may help narrow down the leak or locate others. Also, sometimes due to dirt and grime and no dust caps the Schrader valve can get dirty/damaged and leak. Repair/replacement kits are cheap and may fix the problem quickly.Good luck.

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I know for sure it is leaking out the back of the valve because I can hear it.......... loudly. I will check it out for other leaks. Unless I find something locally today. I will order this kit to ensure I have whatever it takes to fix it unless one of the boots is leaking.

 

[Photobug]

It was really hard to reach in there and remove the old valves with the wheel in place so I waited till I was installing new valve stems with the wheel removed and it was an easy fix. I ended up just cutting the old Schrader valves off and using soapy water to install the new ones on the clean cut lines.

Easy Peasy, and seems to hold air for more than a day. I put 60 lbs just to get me started. It does not look like the boot is fully inflated so how much should I put into the boot? Is there a minimum I should keep the boots inflated to?

FYI I would guess the loaded weight of the vehicle is around 11,000 lbs.

 

[Photobug]

Easy Peasy, and seems to hold air for more than a day. I put 60 lbs just to get me started. It does not look like the boot is fully inflated so how much should I put into the boot? Is there a minimum I should keep the boots inflated to?

FYI I would guess the loaded weight of the vehicle is around 11,000 lbs.

Quick research shows a minimum would be 5 psi even when empty. 70-80 psi at full fill for the air bags.

 

[Bikersmurf]

Experiment with different pressures. I can’t give you a number there are too many variables. Offhand I’d say the lowest pressure that’ll give you the ride height you want, and ride you want. Less is more in my experience.