Air Suspension question

Executive wrote:
First several questions...do you have hydraulic stabilizer jacks or an air leveling system or both? Second, when parking, are you using two feet to move the coach? One on the go pedal and one on the whoa pedal?

When first starting the coach, turn the key and start it. Then turn on the Cruise Control. Press the Set button on the steering wheel. This will increase the idle to about 1500-1800 RPM. As the air pressure builds you'll see the increase on your gauges. When the pressure reaches 115-120 you'll hear the pressure relief valve expel. If you have an air leveling system, press the "Travel" button. Watch your gauges, they should drop to about 95psi or so and then begin to build again as your air bags inflate. Once the travel light turns green and you hear the pressure relief valve expel again, you're ready to travel.

Monaco recommends you have a fully aired coach before deploying or retracting the slides.

If you're using the air levelers, they will automatically dump the air and level the coach. After about 30 mins the computer will reactivate and relevel, dumping any excess air. Leave it on automatic. It knows what to do.

Your air brakes have no effect on your leveling. You will have two ride height valves, one in the front and one in the rear. You might want to have both checked if you think they're not operating properly.

I recommend you read up on the air system on your coach. There are certain checks you should do before moving your coach. The more you know about the function of your air system, the safer you'll be as a driver. Many States require you to pass an air system check before issuing a license. I think it should be mandatory in all 50 States...but that's just me.

Finally, while it's an old military video, (1967), it's very informative....Click HERE....enjoy your new rig....Dennis

Dennis, thanks for the AIR-BRAKE link, I watched the whole clip. Now I know what slack adjusters look like.

Mike and Trish wrote:

dons2346 wrote:
" Then turn on the Cruise Control. Press the Set button on the steering wheel. This will increase the idle to about 1500-1800 RPM."

Yup, how to make friends in a campground

I don't know, which would you prefer -- higher revs/shorter time to air up, or the guy who lets it idle for 20 minutes or longer? The "fast idle" feature is there for exactly that purpose -- get aired up and go.

There is no need to let it idle for 20 minutes either. I can dump all the air in my bags, start the coach and be at ride height in less that 5 minutes and go. I never use fast idle

dons2346 wrote:
" Then turn on the Cruise Control. Press the Set button on the steering wheel. This will increase the idle to about 1500-1800 RPM."

Yup, how to make friends in a campground

I don't know, which would you prefer -- higher revs/shorter time to air up, or the guy who lets it idle for 20 minutes or longer? The "fast idle" feature is there for exactly that purpose -- get aired up and go.

FIRE UP wrote:

dad2aprincess wrote:
We just bought a new 2015 Holiday Rambler Ambassador diesel. I'm not familiar with diesel engines or air suspension / air brakes and am getting different input from different people. Here are a few questions:
1.) How long should you let it idle to 'air up' before pulling away? I let it run 10 or 15 minutes before the first trip; it seemed like an awfully rough ride for the first half hour or so, like it was riding on the chassis.
2.) Should you 'dump' the air when you park for the night? There is a manual / auto switch and the salesman said to leave it in auto. I don't see any other place to dump air.
3.) Do the air brakes affect the ride height in any way? When trying to park inside my subdivision at night (doing a lot of pulling forward and backing up), it seemed to lose a lot of air, which lowered the chassis and caused it to drag.

Thanks in advance for your input!

dad2aprincess,
Well Sir, I will not presume to offer you advice on a coach I know nothing about. But, I will say that, letting a diesel run for as long as you did for your first trip, is:
1, wasting fuel
2. not needed, according to all the newer diesel operation specs and procedures.
Todays engines, diesels in particular, do not require the long "warmup" time for efficient running as they sort of did, in yesteryear.

Now, some will agree and some won't but, absolutely nothing damaging will happen to your engine if you started it up and, let it run 'till the air pressure reached max, on both gauges, usually around 1 minute or so then, take off. Now, unless you're camped next to and on ramp for which you'd need to use to head off in the direction you're headed, cruising through the camp ground, town or city or, country roads as slower speeds will also assist in warming up the engine but, at least you're moving and not sitting still.

Dennis gave you advice on "fast idle" operation using the cruise control. Well, that works on most vehicles only on mine, it's not the "set" button that rises the rpms. It's the "Resume/accell button that raises it. You can turn the Cruise on and then hit the "set" button just to activate the system, as you would if you were driving. But, it's the "resume/Accel button that actually does the rising of the engine rpms, just like it would if you wanted to speed up with the cruise, while driving. No biggie, it's just the way mine works.

Now, again, I have no idea how the intracasies of the suspension and leveling system works on your coach but, in ours, an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT, the brakes have nothing to do with the suspension with the exception of the parking brake.

For example, on ours, you can be driving and hitting the brakes all you want and, it will NOT lower the rig. You will simply lower the air pressure to the point that the low air warning buzzer will activate, usually around 65 psi.

Now, what the parking brake has to do with the suspension is, you cannot dump the air, either in the Automatic Leveling Operation or, the manual one, without setting the parking brake. Conversely, if you are parked and, leveled, (of course all the air is out of the bags and, the jacks are down) and then start the engine, then release the parking brake, the HWH computerized leveling system will then begin automatically to start retracting the jacks and, airing up the bags.

So, on yours, what you really need to do, since the air head sales people did not provide you with adequate knowledge and training on the operation of your particular system is, find the books and manuals, and, see EXACTLY HOW YOUR PARTICULAR RIG operates and what's used for leveling, including procedure's. Good luck.
Scott

How is warming up a diesel motor for 10 minutes a waste? It probably took 3/4 of that to build air pressure.

dad2aprincess wrote:
Toban,

To my knowledge, there are no 'air brake courses' offered in AR. I'm trying to LEARN. That's why I'm on the forum. If you noticed, I just bought the thing. If you have advice, please provide it. That's why I'm here.

You will find commercial courses but they're long and expensive. However, go down to your local DMV and ask for the CDL driver's book. This is just like the smaller driver's book they hand out to get a standard drivers license only the CDL book will contain the info on how to use air brakes which will teach you a lot.

Bill

Toban,

To my knowledge, there are no 'air brake courses' offered in AR. I'm trying to LEARN. That's why I'm on the forum. If you noticed, I just bought the thing. If you have advice, please provide it. That's why I'm here.

Gary and Jan:

It's really scary how many people driving these air brake motorhomes down the same highways and know so little about them. They operate so differently than a hydraulic brake vehicle.

I had to get a commercial truck licence in Ontario which included writing a commercial truck exam and an air brake endorsement test/ road test to drive my motorhome complete with a medical. You have to do this every 5 years up to the age of 80.

People really need to be tested on the operation of air brakes if nothing else.

Toban

It sounds to me like you might have a height adjuster valve stuck in the open position and your airbags are not inflating proper which is giving you the rough ride and dragging to low. Even though Monaco coaches have always road kind of stiff because of the ten air bag system. You also have air gauges that will show how much air you have in the system. I usually will not move until the pressure goes up around 120 lbs on both gauges. Do not drive off with the airbags not inflated, it could cause some damage to the drive shaft U-joint because of too much angle.

dad2aprincess wrote:
We just bought a new 2015 Holiday Rambler Ambassador diesel. I'm not familiar with diesel engines or air suspension / air brakes and am getting different input from different people. Here are a few questions:
1.) How long should you let it idle to 'air up' before pulling away? I let it run 10 or 15 minutes before the first trip; it seemed like an awfully rough ride for the first half hour or so, like it was riding on the chassis.
2.) Should you 'dump' the air when you park for the night? There is a manual / auto switch and the salesman said to leave it in auto. I don't see any other place to dump air.
3.) Do the air brakes affect the ride height in any way? When trying to park inside my subdivision at night (doing a lot of pulling forward and backing up), it seemed to lose a lot of air, which lowered the chassis and caused it to drag.

Thanks in advance for your input!

dad2aprincess,
Well Sir, I will not presume to offer you advice on a coach I know nothing about. But, I will say that, letting a diesel run for as long as you did for your first trip, is:
1, wasting fuel
2. not needed, according to all the newer diesel operation specs and procedures.
Todays engines, diesels in particular, do not require the long "warmup" time for efficient running as they sort of did, in yesteryear.

Now, some will agree and some won't but, absolutely nothing damaging will happen to your engine if you started it up and, let it run 'till the air pressure reached max, on both gauges, usually around 1 minute or so then, take off. Now, unless you're camped next to and on ramp for which you'd need to use to head off in the direction you're headed, cruising through the camp ground, town or city or, country roads as slower speeds will also assist in warming up the engine but, at least you're moving and not sitting still.

Dennis gave you advice on "fast idle" operation using the cruise control. Well, that works on most vehicles only on mine, it's not the "set" button that rises the rpms. It's the "Resume/accell button that raises it. You can turn the Cruise on and then hit the "set" button just to activate the system, as you would if you were driving. But, it's the "resume/Accel button that actually does the rising of the engine rpms, just like it would if you wanted to speed up with the cruise, while driving. No biggie, it's just the way mine works.

Now, again, I have no idea how the intracasies of the suspension and leveling system works on your coach but, in ours, an '04 Itasca Horizon 36GD with the C-7 330HP CAT, the brakes have nothing to do with the suspension with the exception of the parking brake.

For example, on ours, you can be driving and hitting the brakes all you want and, it will NOT lower the rig. You will simply lower the air pressure to the point that the low air warning buzzer will activate, usually around 65 psi.

Now, what the parking brake has to do with the suspension is, you cannot dump the air, either in the Automatic Leveling Operation or, the manual one, without setting the parking brake. Conversely, if you are parked and, leveled, (of course all the air is out of the bags and, the jacks are down) and then start the engine, then release the parking brake, the HWH computerized leveling system will then begin automatically to start retracting the jacks and, airing up the bags.

So, on yours, what you really need to do, since the air head sales people did not provide you with adequate knowledge and training on the operation of your particular system is, find the books and manuals, and, see EXACTLY HOW YOUR PARTICULAR RIG operates and what's used for leveling, including procedure's. Good luck.
Scott

As far as I know, we have hydraulic stabilizer jacks. I don't know about the air leveling system, other than it does have an air ride suspension. I'll have to try and locate the travel button. The dealer didn't seem to know what most of the buttons did.

I have a very tight driveway, so yes I'm probably using two feet to back in, because my wife is constantly yelling "Easy! Stop! Slow!". I can park much easier at a campground without much trouble.

By the way, I've read the manual several times, cover to cover. It's almost useless. I'm convinced there MUST be another manual to this thing. My car's owner's manual is far more extensive than the HR manual. It says things like 'dump the air', or 'air it up' but it doesn't tell you how to do it. I guess they think everyone is experienced. I especially love how the manual refers to using a remote control for the inverter, but no such remote exists.

Thanks everyone for the good counsel.