Air drier issues.

[Busted Knuckle]

Early Friday morning I get a call from an associate that has bus trouble and her drivers is not going to be able to pick up her group at Middle TN State University.
Could I come p/u the group and transfer them to Eps, AL and drop them off?

I told her I could if it was just a drop of @$# I needed the bus EARLY Sat. AM
She said she'd have a driver pick them up on Sunday if I could get them there on Friday.

So, I went down to MTSU picked up and headed to Epes, AL.

Just off I-65 on 59/20 the main guy told me if we found a Walmart they needed to stop.
I got off a ramp to check the GPS for a Walmart an found one 4 miles away so started back to I-20 and hit a huge bump. Well after hitting that bump the door came open and I was losing major air.
I was able to push in the "green" emergency brake release button and get out of the intersection on to the shoulder of the ramp.
Git out and could hear massive air coming out from between the drives, and appeared to be the air drier.

I could not get far enough under the bus to check it out, but the main guy volunteered to slide under and check it out for me.

Sure enough as soon as he put his fingers on the release valve on the bottom the sound changed.
He tried moving it and it would stop but as soon as he took his finger off the air would leak again.

I got on the phone and had my sister call a couple companies I know IN Birmingham to see if they could help me in case I needed to have them finish the trip for the guys I was hauling.

In the mean time I called WW Williams and asked if they had a service truck they could send me. They said they had NO ONE! I begged him "can you send or recommend ANYONE?!" He replied "No I really got no one and don't know who recommend. Where exactly are you again?"
SO I told him where I was and he immediately said "call Adcock he is literally around the corner from you!"

I told him again "Look buddy I ain't from around here an got no idea who who Adcock is or what his # is."

So he gave me a # and I called and he said "Let me guess your the bus I just saw broke down on the get on ramp as I was coming back to the shop?"
I said yes that would be me. So he asked what the problem was and I told him.

He said "I'll be there as soon as I can, but our Christmas parade is about to start so I don't know if I'll be able to come the short way or have to circle around."

So then my phone rings and it's one of the companies my sister called. Turns out she called on I recommended and they'd been bought out by a friend in Memphis.
He said "I got a driver right here that can go, but I need to know right away before he goes home".
I told him I had a guy coming that would be there right away and could say yay or nay in about 10 mins.
He said good enough call me back.

SO here comes Buddy Adcock of Adcocks Truck Repairs, and an assistant.
They ask me again what happened and when I explained it he motioned the assistant under the bus and told him tell me what ya need to unhook the 2 main hoses.
And the guy yelled out wrench sizes and Buddy went to the truck and got 'm.
Came back and the guy told him he would also need a small crescent or about a 9/16th to take the pilot off to get to the supply line.
Well Buddy was ahead of him and handed him a 14mm (same as9/16) and a small crescent.

Well He then asked the guy what size fitting you need to connect them together and the guy told him an 8.
Buddy gave him an 8 and he said this one is too small must be a 10. So Buddy went and got him a 10 and in minutes the guy was handing tools out and said lets fire it up.

Well I fired it up and it built pressure.
So they had me follow them to their shop so they could swipe my cc.

Buddy an I had already talked about replacing the drier @ his place while his guy was under the bus and we both agreed just to bypass it and get my passengers onto their destination and I'd replace it at home.

NOW here is what I wan to mention and emphasize to all of you.
This air drier was just rebuilt about 2-3 months ago by my dad & I!
I told Buddy that and he asked was it rebuilt as preventive maintenance, or was it already leaking like this?
I told him it was leaking so we just rebuilt the whole thing.

He said in 35 yrs doing this stuff every time he's rebuilt one that was already leaking, he found it was better to replace it because it would not last over a couple months!  A new drier $250 verses $75 in parts and time to rebuild it. Plus the aggravation of having to redo it in 3-4 months.

FWIW Guys rebuild 'm now before they start leaking. or if they leak just save time & $ and replace it.
 BK  

Also if ever in need of service in the Birmingham area call:
Adcock Truck Repairs
5205 Commerce Ave
Fairfield, AL 35064
205-786-6753
205-786-6753
205-915-3690 cell
205-477-6754 home

They were quick, knowledgeable and reasonably priced.
A service call @ 4:30 PM on Friday afternoon on a busy Interstate ramp only cost me $202.00!

(oh, and for those that caught it and wondered. Yes I did say Christmas Parade! I questioned Buddy about it when he showed up, and his response was "Well ya have to remember where ya are!!"

[TomC]

Have an AD-9 on my truck that I've rebuilt twice-and that's when it started to kick in and out frequently.  Both times worked perfectly for an average of 4 years before rebuilding it.  You must have something other then the AD-9 if it doesn't work well after rebuilding.  Good Luck, TomC

[Brassman]

That's a good quick fix story BK.

Most of us live in fear of the roadside breakdown. I wouldn't even want to contemplate it with a load of people.

[artvonne]

  Okay, I understand the concept, the drier keeps blowing off air hopefully taking residual water off with it. Water freezes, frozen water in air lines, etc., I get it.

 But do we really need a drier on a rig that only sees sporadic use? If we blow the tanks like were suposed to and run the whiskey sniffer when its cold, we shouldnt have any problems, right??

 And what if we installed electric solenoid valves that let us blow off air from time to time from the cockpit??

 My old Bus dont have a drier, and im not trying to talk myself out of installing one, if its really needed, but its also pretty doubtful im going to be out in the cold with it.

  Great story, its nice when you can get good service when its a bad time, after hours and all.  

[luvrbus]

Paul, no need for a dryer in warm climates drain the tanks you need to do with dryers also some of the guys here that don't post have the Expello Drains with out dryers or automatic drains works for them lol

good luck

[rv_safetyman]

BK, great story and good information.

That said, I really cringed thinking about you and the other folks crawling under the bus and working on an air system as it does not sound like you had a way of blocking the bus.

Jim

[Busted Knuckle]

TomC, it's an AD-4. I've rebuilt lots of AD-2's & several 9's and even a couple ISP's (or '05's have these) but this is the first time I've had any problem with any of them.

But I have to admit that the reason it was rebuilt in the summer was that it was blowing air out the bottom, just like it did Friday on the side if the road before I did it then. (the service guy says if rebuilt before this happens they are OK, but if ya wait ya might as well replace it as rebuilding it is only a bandage.)

I also know that the AD-4 is being phased out by Bendix and will no longer supported by Bendix after this month! (so it may just be an issue with the 4, I don't know)

I'm no expert on this, I was just reporting what happened and what I was told.
 BK  

[Busted Knuckle]

BK, great story and good information.

That said, I really cringed thinking about you and the other folks crawling under the bus and working on an air system as it does not sound like you had a way of blocking the bus.

Jim

Jim it was our "MEXICAN MCI" no worries about it coming down as the only air suspension on a DINA is the tag axles.
  BK 

[TomC]

Even the factory realizes the importance of an air/water separator.  On our (Freightliner & Western Star) the air/water separator is standard.  You can choose what type from Bendix or Wabco, but it is standard.  On our medium sized M2 line (U-haul size trucks) you have to pay extra for it.  But at least here in Los Angeles, I convinced all to order them whether it is a stock truck or ordered (even though it isn't really hot, we do have humidity).  Draining the tanks daily is a big pain.  Plus water will get into the brake parts and cause rust, and during winter freeze up.  You keep the water out, there won't be any freezing problems in winter.  Nothing worse then a frozen brake valve.  Good Luck, TomC