Air tanks

[Mtrdrms]

Hi! I just got a BB all american and I love it! My question is, since it has air brakes do I need to drain the water out of the air tanks occasionally? Does the air system need any other maintenance?

Thanks!
Andy

[o1marc]

Drain the water from the tanks every single day.

[david.dgeorge07]

If it has an air dryer you only need to before freezing weather.

Just make sure your air dryer is working and has a fresh element.

[Mtrdrms]

Ok, so the tanks that I found are under the front of the bus. Do i have to climb under there everyday? How do i know if there is a dryer?

[o1marc]

There should be a pull cable coming off the tank attached to the outer skin of the bus. Just pull the cable a few seconds every time you get in to drive

[david.dgeorge07]

Depends on your bus. Mine has no pull cable. You have to climb under and there are 4 tanks with brass valves that twist 1/4 turn, but like I said I do this only once in a while since I have an air dryer.

Mine are roughly mid-ship close to the fuel tank. They look a little like scuba tanks.

My air dryer is just in front of my rear axle, but my bus is a pusher. I’m sure it varies by make and model.

Crawl around following the air lines for a while and everything will start to make sense.

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by david.dgeorge07

Depends on your bus. Mine has no pull cable. You have to climb under and there are 4 tanks with brass valves that twist 1/4 turn, but like I said I do this only once in a while since I have an air dryer.

Mine are roughly mid-ship close to the fuel tank. They look a little like scuba tanks.

My air dryer is just in front of my rear axle, but my bus is a pusher. I’m sure it varies by make and model.

Crawl around following the air lines for a while and everything will start to make sense.

I'd definitely replace the valves with pull valves ($7) if I had to climb under every time they needed draining.

https://compressor-source.com/collec...-style-drain-1

[ol trunt]

My MCI had one and it worked just fine. However, if the pull is at much of an angle the release valve can be bent which will cause the tank to leak down quickly.
Jack

[o1marc]

Originally Posted by ol trunt

My MCI had one and it worked just fine. However, if the pull is at much of an angle the release valve can be bent which will cause the tank to leak down quickly.
Jack

I thought of that and noticed on this one it actually pulls to the side and not straight out.

This valve drains when the connected cable pulls the pin in the center of the valve to the side.

[Mountain Gnome]

My BlueBird TC1000 has a door just in front of the front tire, under the driver's side window and the electrical panel, behind which are three air-tank drain valves. Each tank has a tube feeding to a valve. Super nice.


One leaks a bit when it is really cold outside. I bought a new valve from a Peterson dealer in Eugene like the one on the far left in the pic, but the old is installed with what looks like that white liquid/gel Teflon stuff that comes in a tube like RTF silicone for your water pump. It hardens solid. I tried to torque it off, but it was straining the valve's mount! I decided it might be best not to deal with it on the road, as an air-tank is behind the panel of valves, and would likely need to be removed to fix the valve if things break trying to unscrew the stuck fitting. Maybe if I heat it just a bit with a mini-torch?

I've used that stuff before. No more! Stick with Teflon tape.

[Mtrdrms]

Thank you guys for the helpful info and pictures. Its raining but I'm going out in a few to check it out. I didn't see any access panel for manual valve release but I'll look again.
Also, the front air bags will go down overnight so when I start it up in the morning it takes a minite for the tanks to fill. Is that normal?

Thanks again - I'm learning and I love it!

[Mountain Gnome]

Most of us here it seems have to wait a few minutes for the air-brakes to pump up in the morning. In the winter, the pressure may drop to near 0 (as shown on my dash gauge) overnight. Lately, it has held at just below 60psi for several days.
60psi is minimum; I wait till it reaches the top (about 120psi) before driving. Gives the motor time to warm up a bit also.

[Brad_SwiftFur]

Originally Posted by Mtrdrms

Also, the front air bags will go down overnight so when I start it up in the morning it takes a minute for the tanks to fill. Is that normal?

Yes. Very common.

[oleman]

Tech sheet says to drain air brake tanks daily. On our low floor transit bus the tanks are in the bus overhead?? but lines go to the battery compartment where there is a tank-drain-door to allow the tanks to be drained easily. Drain valves are 90 degree cocks,