I have been working on a IH truck its a 20?? model that is used to pull a fuel transport trailer. It has over750.000 on it . The driver wanted me to fix some air leaks before winter so i soaped it up and found several small ones around the junk cheap quick conect fitings. Its high presser switch on the ac went bad so when i replaced that i look at the air leaks. I replaced some fitings and found 2 lines under the cab that were 2" apart with a line with the plastic sleave runing between them had rubbed a hole in both of them. But the bigest leak was on top of the trans were the 3/8 runs to the block that feeds the shifter. I could hear but i had alot of trouble figureing it out becauce you are 4 feet away from it at best.I aired it up and left it seting with the brakes released over night. It didnt lose much air so i was happy and the driver was also after he started useing it agin. He told me that it holds good over night and going down a good road but on a ruff road it will not hold as steady. The truck and trailer have air ride. Is there a stethoscope that could be used to hear air leaks?
In my experience, most air suspensions do not have a delay in them so when going down a rough road that arm is constantly going up and down, adding a little air to the bags and then releasing it, and that is just the truck. Who knows what the trailer is like. So if you can get it to hold air overnight with the brakes released you are far ahead of 99% of the trucks out on the road. Even the valves are allowed to leak through a little bit by the manufacturer.
Using you to learn sorry, can you smoke test that air system like I would other places or would you avoid/can't air brake/shifter components?
http://www.exair.com/en-US/Primary ... Detector/Pages/Ultrasonic Leak Detector.aspx Seems to be a few companies making this type of thing. Never tried anything like it myself. d.d.
I wondered if the air ride vale would change that quick and it probably does. I think a smoke test would work if you could get it in close. I have been thinking about some kind of a smoke test for my house. I will try to look in to this more. d.d that would be a great deal if it works like they say but i bet it is high dollar. But it got me to thinking about some thing maybe radioshack may have some thing that could be used to hear better. I happened by were the truck was today and i have a bad memory i had put new air tanks on it. One had a very bad leak but the first time i looked for leaks i didnt spot it.
Poor mans stethoscope = a length of garden or heater hose. Works dandy. Usually if you can reach in there and run your hands around you'll either feel the leak or hear it as you run your hand over it.
I tryed that. I have used this to find out were noises were comeing from but it didnt work for air leaks as good. One resone it didnt work and also why you cant fill were air is leaking you cant get very close to air lines under the cab on this newer trucks.
the air ride will fill and exhaust going down the highway. They make a delayed response valve if its a huge problem but it sounds like normal operation