Hissing from airbag — guessing this isn't normal lol

[skytripping]

I cannot comment much on the air bag replacement itself. But, however you get the thing in the air, you need to properly chock the wheels and block the bus so that it cannot fall on you. The jacks cannot be relied on to hold up the bus without proper blocking. Proper wheel chocks need to be large enough to hold the bus from rolling and not just the little things used to chock a compact car.

Ahh, thank you. I added wheel chocking to the list (1b) and clarified removal of the jacks on 3b.

[eagle19952]

were i you i'd pray for experienced help.

if you need a $1000.00 worth of tools/stuff to do a $1000.00 job...

[buswarrior]

A small diversion, but a necessary one...

The busnut who waits until the bus has been jacked into the sky by manual methods without having FIRST loosened the wheel fasteners on the ground...

Will be cursed with both stuck fasteners and a rim which is rusted to the hub so badly that no human physicality will remove it up in the air...

And down it all has to come so you can break it free with the coach's own weight and the brakes...

These are not the things that a regular shop sees, only busnuts get to experience the foolishness of wheels that have not been removed in years.

Another vote for proper annual wheel end service, if for nothing else than ensuring the #$^& wheels will come off when you get a flat?

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[skytripping]

A small diversion, but a necessary one...

The busnut who waits until the bus has been jacked into the sky by manual methods without having FIRST loosened the wheel fasteners on the ground...

Will be cursed with both stuck fasteners and a rim which is rusted to the hub so badly that no human physicality will remove it up in the air...

And down it all has to come so you can break it free with the coach's own weight and the brakes...

These are not the things that a regular shop sees, only busnuts get to experience the foolishness of wheels that have not been removed in years.

Another vote for proper annual wheel end service, if for nothing else than ensuring the #$^& wheels will come off when you get a flat?

happy coaching!
buswarrior

Amazing. Great advice, and such obvious hindsight in a realization that you saved me from having to make just moments too late. Adding to the list as step 0 now. Bless you for speaking up. 🙏🏻

[chessie4905]

You'll need something to cut the airbag bolts off as they will turn the whole bolt rather than coming loose easily, unless...... the previous service used antiseize. The heads of those bolts have funky heads that set in a recess on the clamp ring. They might start to loosen, then spin. You can't get pliers or a wrench to hold them. This is assuming you will need to replace one of more airbags. Otherwise, nevermind.

[skytripping]

Thanks chessie4905. I'll keep an eye out for that, and return for your suggestions if I end up being unlucky.

[csrddcd]

One other thing to keep in mind is the fact that jacking up and supporting the suspension of your bus does not support the body of your bus. This tidbit of information comes to you courtesy of experience, ie: the school of hard knocks. After raising and supported the front of my MCI 9 at the suspension lift points and axle, I was disconnecting air lines to the suspension to address some leaks, all while working under the bus in some fairly tight conditions. Upon pulling a 1/4" line loose the body started to lower into the area I was occupying and it quickly became apparent I had made a serious error. Praising God for allowing me to squeeze out just in time before getting crushed. Been working on vehicles most of my life, but buses and air suspensions were new to me. The body needs to be blocked if you are working under the bus. Some have mentioned this in previous posts by providing instruction to place blocks at the bump stops, but MCI has 4 location (at least for the 9) designated to support the body and I am now in the habit of using those locations to support the body anytime I go under the bus. Just to summarize.... supporting the suspension and supporting the body are two different things, make sure you have the body supported safely if you are getting under your bus.

[skytripping]

One other thing to keep in mind is the fact that jacking up and supporting the suspension of your bus does not support the body of your bus. This tidbit of information comes to you courtesy of experience, ie: the school of hard knocks. After raising and supported the front of my MCI 9 at the suspension lift points and axle, I was disconnecting air lines to the suspension to address some leaks, all while working under the bus in some fairly tight conditions. Upon pulling a 1/4" line loose the body started to lower into the area I was occupying and it quickly became apparent I had made a serious error. Praising God for allowing me to squeeze out just in time before getting crushed. Been working on vehicles most of my life, but buses and air suspensions were new to me. The body needs to be blocked if you are working under the bus. Some have mentioned this in previous posts by providing instruction to place blocks at the bump stops, but MCI has 4 location (at least for the 9) designated to support the body and I am now in the habit of using those locations to support the body anytime I go under the bus. Just to summarize.... supporting the suspension and supporting the body are two different things, make sure you have the body supported safely if you are getting under your bus.

Excellent advice and kind warning, csrddcd. I will definitely be sure to block both to make sure I'm not the unwitting wearer of a steel corset.