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DP air bag inflation question?

supercub
Explorer
Explorer
If you use the dump switch to dump your air......and don't use the jacks, such as when you store it, and don't put the jacks down. When you start the engine, do your airbags inflate ?? or do you have to hit the retract all button on the jacks, even though the jacks aren't down?
26 REPLIES 26

RayChez
Explorer
Explorer
The airbags will start filling up as soon as the engine starts. I am not sure what some are talking about a lever that they open or close to fill the air bags, but on mine you just press a button and the air dumps. I do not have to do anything else to get them inflated since it is all automatic for the dump valve to close as soon as the air is deflated.

Personally I would not dump the air if I was going to leave the coach in storage for long periods at a time. And I will lower the levelers down to take pressure off the tires.
2002 Gulf Stream Scenic Cruiser
330 HP Caterpillar 3126-E
3000 Allison Transmission
Neway Freightliner chassis
2017 Buick Envision

FIRE_UP
Explorer
Explorer
Ok Supercub,
First I want to appologise for not thinking straight when answering your question. I was stuck on the leveling operation and, how it works pertaining to the jacks AND THE AIR BAGS. Well, what I completely forgot was, the situation that I have on a regular basis. And that situation is, if I park the coach and simply don't dump the bags, and walk away from it, my system leaks air.

So, if I park it with full tanks and full pressure, it's at 130 psi. But, in a few days, it's sitting at 100. And, in a couple days more, it's sitting at 80.

But, if I get into the coach and fire the big beast up, YES it will inflate the bags automatically. That's because I've not triggered it to dump them in the first place. Now, what I've never done is, dump them on purpose, leave. Then, come back a few days later when it's had time to leak down and, see if it will fill automatically without me hitting the store button. The reason is, I cannot dump the bags without turning on the HWH system in the first place.

So, in the situation I just explained, yes, it will fill automatically.
Scott
Scott and Karla
SDFD RETIRED
2004 Itasca Horizon, 36GD Slate Blue 330 CAT
2011 GMC Sierra 1500 Ext Cab 4x4 Toad
2008 Caliente Red LVL II GL 1800 Goldwing
KI60ND

WILDEBILL308
Explorer II
Explorer II
The only constant is their is no consistency between coaches. There seams to be no standard on how they work.
Bill
2008 Newmar Mountain Aire
450 HP CUMMINS ISM
ALLISON 4000 MH TRANSMISSION
TOWING 2014 HONDA CRV With Blue Ox tow bar
A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
-Mark Twain

supercub
Explorer
Explorer
Wild Bill, on mine, the switch is spring loaded. You just push it and the air dumps, as soon as you release it, it returns to the off position. So you can't leave it on.
Brian

Triker33
Explorer
Explorer
WILDEBILL has it right. ๐Ÿ™‚
Larry Full Time Since 99
1999 34Q Discovery DP ISB 275HP 6 Speed Allison
VMSpc | Pressure Pro
14 Lincoln MKS EcoBoost Toad

Click here to see where I am

supercub
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks John.............I believe the shop looked into that........but I'll tell them about the switches under the chassis just in case. I know in an emergency, you can push those to fill the bags.
Someone asked about my dump switch....mine is spring loaded......I just push it to dump the air and when released it goes back to the fill position automatically. Thanks again for the info.
Brian

John___Angela
Explorer
Explorer
supercub wrote:
Hi John, My air bags are not inflating when I start the engine. If I hit the retract all switch then they inflate............jackes can be up or down...........and I have to push the retract all switch. They should inflate when I start the engine and the jacks are up.......and they don't.


Sorry I didn't get back to you. We were out of touch for a couple days and then I forgot to check.

OK. Sounds like a different problem than I had on a friends Revolution. Underneath the coach there are two buttons. They don't look like buttons but they are. Centre of the coach towards the front suspension. His ccoach wouldn't air up either. I had heard of this from somebody else so I slid under and hit the one on the drivers side (I think) and up it went. For whatever reason the brain got out of sync with something or other. Did it once and never had to do it again.

Having said that the problem sounds different although I never tried hitting the retract all Jacks button.

Let us know how it goes and again dorry for the delay in getting back to you.



Anyway
2003 Revolution 40C Class A. Electric smart car as a Toad on a smart car trailer
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but rather by the moments that take our breath away.

WILDEBILL308
Explorer II
Explorer II
supercub wrote:
If you use the dump switch to dump your air......and don't use the jacks, such as when you store it, and don't put the jacks down. When you start the engine, do your airbags inflate ?? or do you have to hit the retract all button on the jacks, even though the jacks aren't down?


Back to the original question. If you move the lever to dump the air bags you must return it to the right/auto position to get the bags to fill. If you leave the lever to the left position the bags will not fill. The air for the brakes will fill but not the bags.
Bill
2008 Newmar Mountain Aire
450 HP CUMMINS ISM
ALLISON 4000 MH TRANSMISSION
TOWING 2014 HONDA CRV With Blue Ox tow bar
A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
-Mark Twain

supercub
Explorer
Explorer
Hi John, My air bags are not inflating when I start the engine. If I hit the retract all switch then they inflate............jackes can be up or down...........and I have to push the retract all switch. They should inflate when I start the engine and the jacks are up.......and they don't.

John___Angela
Explorer
Explorer
mtrumpet wrote:
supercub wrote:
My question is............forget abut the jacks, they're not being used. I dump the air using the dump switch on the left hand panel.............then start the engine........shouldn't the air bags inflate? JACKS are UP.........haven't touched them........pretend I don't even have jacks LOL...........when you start, shouldn't the air bags inflate? Thanks
Brian

I did call Fleetwood and they said yes, they should inflate. I'm just looking for info to share with shop, they seem to think they shouldn't.....and I'm positive they use to. Just need to make sure I'm right before I go back to them. Thanks
Brian


Yes, typically they should inflate.

For example, on my (Spartan) chassis, even if I have all of my jacks down and I start the engine, my air bags will inflate. (Of course, I would have to put up with that annoying "Jacks Down" alarm until the jacks retract to the full stored position.)


Good morning Supercub. I need to clarify something before I give you an answer that may solve your problem. Here goes.

Are you currently in a situation where upon staring your Cummins the jacks are not inflating.

Also, do you have an Iphone as what I need to show you might be simpler demonstrated with a facetime call. Otherwise I'll make you a video. If its what I think it is, it is a simple fix.
2003 Revolution 40C Class A. Electric smart car as a Toad on a smart car trailer
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but rather by the moments that take our breath away.

ncrowley
Explorer II
Explorer II
When I start the engine, the air bags automatically fill up. An alarm sounds until the air bags have reached a set pressure.
Nancy
Newmar Northern Star

FIRE_UP
Explorer
Explorer
supercub wrote:
My question is............forget abut the jacks, they're not being used. I dump the air using the dump switch on the left hand panel.............then start the engine........shouldn't the air bags inflate? JACKS are UP.........haven't touched them........pretend I don't even have jacks LOL...........when you start, shouldn't the air bags inflate? Thanks
Brian

I did call Fleetwood and they said yes, they should inflate. I'm just looking for info to share with shop, they seem to think they shouldn't.....and I'm positive they use to. Just need to make sure I'm right before I go back to them. Thanks
Brian


Brian,
In your original post, you did not mention WHO was/is, the maker of your system. I had no idea who it was so, I explained how MY system, made by HWH, worked.

Now, a bit later in the thread, you state yours is a Power Gear. Well, I have no idea what the priority of a Power Gear system is. I know and understand, how the HWH system works and, thinking that you may have had, the same system, is why I explained it the way I did.

And, because I have no idea what a Power Gear leveling panel looks like, or how it operates, or, if it's tied into the dump system or not, or, if it's tied into the parking brake system or not, I cannot answer you if your coach, SHOULD fill the bags, upon starting the engine, WITHOUT TOUCHING ANY OTHER BUTTONS OR SWITCHES.

The smartest thing you might do in this situation is, find you Power Gear manual and, see if the system is tied into your bags or not, or, has nothing to do with the dumping and or, filling of them. Or, find your owners manual for your particular coach and see if it has information on the air bag dump system.

If, as you say, all you have to do is, "push a button to dump the air", and, there's no other switches or buttons that you have to push to FILL the bags upon starting the engine, then maybe you CAN assume that yours should fill AUTOMATICALLY upon starting of the engine. It stands to reason that, if you have a "dump" switch which dumps the air in the bags when you push on it, but have no "Fill" switch, that your system will should fill automatically after starting the engine.

But, if that was the case, then, what if you kept your engine running while pushing the "Dump" switch? Would it still dump? If it does, then, what commands the system to fill upon starting up the engine? These are thing that I would want to know if it were mine, just so I'd understand the total operation and, be able to analyze it, if it malfunctioned.
Scott
Scott and Karla
SDFD RETIRED
2004 Itasca Horizon, 36GD Slate Blue 330 CAT
2011 GMC Sierra 1500 Ext Cab 4x4 Toad
2008 Caliente Red LVL II GL 1800 Goldwing
KI60ND

Bill-R
Explorer
Explorer
I have a 1989 executive dp mh and when the motor starts up the air suspension starts filling up.
Bill Roop
1989 36'ft DP Executive

mtrumpet
Explorer
Explorer
supercub wrote:
My question is............forget abut the jacks, they're not being used. I dump the air using the dump switch on the left hand panel.............then start the engine........shouldn't the air bags inflate? JACKS are UP.........haven't touched them........pretend I don't even have jacks LOL...........when you start, shouldn't the air bags inflate? Thanks
Brian

I did call Fleetwood and they said yes, they should inflate. I'm just looking for info to share with shop, they seem to think they shouldn't.....and I'm positive they use to. Just need to make sure I'm right before I go back to them. Thanks
Brian


Yes, typically they should inflate.

For example, on my (Spartan) chassis, even if I have all of my jacks down and I start the engine, my air bags will inflate. (Of course, I would have to put up with that annoying "Jacks Down" alarm until the jacks retract to the full stored position.)
Mark & Cherie
2002 Newmar Dutch Star DP 3872, Cummins 350 ISC, Spartan Chassis