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06-17-2007, 04:41 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: mesa, az
Posts: 1,375
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air compressor questions
hi all, i have had my coach for 2 weeks now and have put on 4k miles and am learning and fixing a bunch. i have ordered the laptop cables and software from silverleaf, fixed a number of little things and figured out how most things work. stopped by the newell factory and they helped me with some lights and i bought some parts. they were great to help a drop in. so....not all my airbags go up and down. i do have a schematic that is hand drawn on them. i have a manual leveling system. there is a 110v compressor in the front drivers side compartment. does this compressor service the entire air system just like the engine compressor? also, i will check the voltages at the solenoids to see if each is working since a several bags will up but not down and one will go down but not up. is there any tricks or info i should be aware of? also, another unrelated but air question. there is an air port at the back and front of the coach. is there enough air to pressure up my front tires to 110 psi and do you guys use the coach air system to pressure up tires? thanks. i have other questions i will post as well.
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06-17-2007, 04:55 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: mesa, az
Posts: 1,375
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followup question
the airbag system has 6 solenoids in the rear passenger side engine compartment and the 6 more behind the drivers side headlights. the schematic i have labels them as front left up, front left down, front right up, front right down and then left and right travel. the same for the rear. what does travel mean? is it the ones that level the coach when you start it up to get it to traveling height? the hand drawn schematic i have shows the solenoids having air from them to the height control valves and the travel solenoids show the airlines coming into them as a return.
also, where are the height control valves for each airbag and how would i know if they are malfunctioning?
thanks everyone.
tom
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06-17-2007, 06:02 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,558
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Your Newell uses two independent sets of leveling valves. The 'travel' set controls the ride height as you are in motion. That system keeps the coach parallel to the road regardless of the slope of the road and is controlled by rods between the body and the axles. The 'level' set of valves uses a level sensor typically suspended from the top of one of the bays to keep the coach level even though the surface of the ground is sloped.
If the coach returns to 'normal' ride height, the travel portion of the system is working properly. I had all the solenoids replaced on my coach as a maintenance item (one of them was beginning to stick).
On my coach there are three control rods that operate and adjust the travel system. One rod is located on each side of the coach by the drive wheel. The front control rod is in the center of the front axle. The ride height control valves are at the upper end of the control rods, just follow the rods up and over.
Make sure that your coach is well supported before messing with the air leveling system. 45,000 pounds dropping on you can ruin your entire afternoon. Working from a pit is optimal.
There is enough air pressure in the system to air up the tires but it can be tedious without a air pressure multiplier (available from Newell Parts). When the engine driven air pump kicks in it will run until the system pressure reaches about 125-130 psi. That is sufficient to air up the tires. Unfortunately, as the tires begin to air up the pressure will start to drop and the air pump will not kick in until the pressure is the 100-110 psi range. The air pressure multiplier will boost the pressure to the point that you are still getting over 130 psi when the tank pressure drops to the point that the air pump kicks in again.
The 120 volt air compressor does air up the entire system BUT will typically keep the system at a lower pressure. My 120 volt compressor kicks in at about 73 psi and shuts off at about 95 psi.
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06-17-2007, 07:22 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: mesa, az
Posts: 1,375
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thanks
michael, thanks for your reply as always. the coach returns to level when driving. we just checked the voltage at all of the solenoids for the leveling and found that the two front "down" solenoids have voltage but are not working. i was a little baffled where the air release was on the front but found that there is just a hole drilled in the air manifold where the air is release unlike the rear where it comes out of a separate pressure regulator. i dont need to know for now for what i am doing, but i sure would like to understand the pressure manifold and what does what for the 5 air lines that come off of it. is there a place to order the solenoids or do you have to get them from newell?
thanks
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06-17-2007, 08:59 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,558
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I got mine from Newell.
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06-18-2007, 06:38 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: mesa, az
Posts: 1,375
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we totally rewired the front 6 solenoid harness to make sure we had good grounds and took apart the two solenoids that didnt work and they kinda worked...we verified they were bad and i just have to get 2 more to replace them. at least i know how now.
i tried finding them on the internet, but no luck.
nothing a 20 ton bottle jack cant help ya fix.
my system is all manual and looks like completely done by newell. i am trying to find out if i can get a hwh automatic leveling control panel to put in. should be able to since the system is all there and it just needs to have a controller.
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06-18-2007, 06:49 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,558
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Newell supplied either the manual system you have with individual toggle switches or, as an option, the HWH automatic system in the early 1990's.
You should be able to install (or have installed) the HWH system but it will not be inexpensive. In addition to the key pad, there is a large control box (mine is in the bay behind the left front wheel) and a level sensor (located in the center of the coach in the ceiling of the bay behind the entry door). Valley Detroit messed with the inside of the control box on mine and shorted it out. They said they paid close to a thousand dollars for a new board.
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06-25-2007, 10:57 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: mesa, az
Posts: 1,375
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i got the two new solenoids and installed them today. pretty easy. it fixed my front left and right not going down problem.
i checked the price of the solenoids from hwh and they are about the same price as newell. pricey little things....
later
tom
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