need immediate help

ruthi · January 16, 2009, 08:21:02 AM

We are working in Kentucky. Right now we are in Paintsville, Ky. We have a 1974 GMC conversion. We started up this morning, and it appears the airlines, or tanks are frozen as we have no air in the tanks. Any suggustions on what to do? We have a job in Hazard we need to get to. Thanks

zubzub · January 16, 2009, 08:36:32 AM

It will help the others to know exactly the model of GMC and engine you have.
Off the cuff, putting a wind break up all around the skirt of the bus and blowing some heat in there, construction site heater would work. Make sure you don't catch anything on fire! I have been reading all about freeze ups in the air lines recently so I'll pass on what I've read. Once you have the bus warm and pressure back make sure you drain all your air tanks of water, also the air muffler thing thing just after the compressor.
BTW you might get lucky and the freeze is in the engine bay, so then there is a possibility that the heat of the engine will unblock it. If you don't have spring brakes (MAxis etc) or DD3s please be very careful before moving the bus.

ruthi · January 16, 2009, 08:40:43 AM

It is a 4905. The back air tank has air now, but not the front. Dont know if it is safe to run with out it .

ruthi · January 16, 2009, 08:43:10 AM

We have a propane heater running under the bus now.

Don4107 · January 16, 2009, 08:44:31 AM

With the engine running for at least a few minutes, touch the output line of the compressor a few inches away from the compressor to see if is cold or warm. Cold indicates the compressor is not working probably because the Compressor governor is stuck of frozen. If so try tapping on the governor. Warm or hot indicates the compressor is pumping and the problem is elsewhere.

If the compressor is putting out air, check the dryer purge valve by finding it and feel it with the engine running to see if it is stuck open and dumping all the air. It can be difficult to hear the air with the DD running and the fan blowing in your face. But then I am half deaf.

If you have a way of hooking up shop air try that to see if there is a major leak.

Good luck
Don 4207

ruthi · January 16, 2009, 08:52:04 AM

Thank yall for your help. We got it going. We have a few more nights to be here in the cold, and then we can head south. We will try draining it when we get to Hazard. Again, thanks for taking the time to help.

FloridaCliff · January 16, 2009, 10:14:05 AM

Ruthi,

Do you know where all the drains are on your 4905?

In this weather I would make sure and drain them before shutting down each day as well as part of your daily pretrip checks.

Best of luck and be safe

Cliff

ruthi · January 16, 2009, 10:50:15 AM

Yes, we have a webasto heat system running 24/7 to warm the engine and coil fans to keep the inside warm. So, it keeps the water and holding tanks ok, plus, just to be on the safe side, we keep an electric heater running in that basement area too. We have 12k power tech gen that we also run 24/7 when we are on the road too, which can be anywhere from 3 weeks at a time to 2 months at a time. Of course, regular maintaince goes into it also. We are in the process of building another bus conversion, but, time at home to work on it is limited. It is a 1998 Dina. We just raised the roof and skinned the sides. We had all the wiring redone too. When we get home, we have to start working on the floor plans, plus, we have got to make our own fiberglass enclosures for the opening on the front and back since there arent any pre made ones for a Dina.

NJT 5573 · January 16, 2009, 10:50:32 AM

Keep in mind draining air from the tanks can get you crushed with air suspension.

Runcutter · January 17, 2009, 07:44:56 AM

Ruthi, you might also want to check for an alcohol bottle in line with the air system. Alcohol (methanol, if I recall) serves as a drier. Back when I was a bus fueler and cleaner in New England, we always kept the alcohol bottles topped up in the winter. It should look kind of like a plastic pickle jar.

I believe truck service places carry methanol, ethanol, or whichever is correct - as some kind of air line drier.

Arthur

TomC · January 17, 2009, 08:09:42 AM

Should seriously consider installing an air/water separator. I have always run them in my trucks and have never had a freezing problem-and that's after 21 years on the road in temps down to -21. Then you'll only have filtered dry air in your system with no moisture to freeze. Good Luck, TomC

Dreamscape · January 17, 2009, 08:17:29 AM

TomC, Where is the best place to install one?

I installed a Bendix AD-9 so it should help, but another water/seperator is not a bad idea. Maybe between the ping and the wet tank?

Actually never thought of that and we use them all the time in our industry, DUH!

Paul

buswarrior · January 17, 2009, 10:33:43 PM

Brake alcohol/methyl hydrate is an antifreeze for whatever moisture is in the air system.

If the air system is moist, it can't be "dried out" without introducing air that is drier into the system.

Air drier maintenance is job one. Regular draining of the tanks is job two.

No air drier, you need to be religious about draining every time the bus gets used, and you need some antifreeze for winter conditions.

And, come spring, we'll forget all about this until it's all frozen up again next winter....

happy coaching!
buswarrior

JohnEd · January 18, 2009, 01:35:42 PM

Be extremely careful when using "methanol". It is a highly toxic and dangerous substance and there are strict safety rules. And I don't care if "the guys" at the track slop it around every Friday night. Splashed in the eyes you will be permanently blinded as the stuff destroys NERVES in humans. Splashed on the skin it gets absorbed. Inhaled it goes directly into the blood and KILLS your liver. Don't even talk about enjesting the stuff as it is the reason that people say you can go blind drinking "shine". That this stuff is treated so lightly is spine chilling.

If you get a strong whiff of this stuff or get a lot spilled on you (shuck everything you are wearing), CHUG A BEER STRAIGHT DOWN then head for the emergency room. Every BioD maker uses meth and every BioD maker has a couple bottles of beer on the wall....chilling isn't neccessary. Eye contact you flush with water and pray for the best while on the way to the ER. The beer puts ethyl alcohol in your blood and the liver gets busy with that cleanup and puts off the meth which is slowly taken care of by other body tissue while the liver is busy, and surviving.

Hey, if you save only one life or set of eyeballs...,

John

John316 · January 18, 2009, 04:27:05 PM

Just be careful with the alcohol. I have heard that it can start on fire, when it come in contact with the heater that is on your dryer (if you don't have a heater it might be good to get one). One of our local bus lines had a bus burn to the ground because a new mechanic decided to "dry" the lines out with some air brake anti-freeze...they lost a bus over that.

Just a thought (JAT)

God bless,

John