removing air bag bolts

[luvrbus]

Going by chemical resistance charts for various kinds of flexible products, petroleum products under 250 degrees F are not recommended to be on rubber products other than ones such as Nitrile, Hypalon, Silicone, or Viton. From what I have seen, airbags are generally made of a combination of natural rubber and polyurethane. Grease might have less affect than oils, but I suspect that over time exposure to splashed oils would have an effect. I don't think it is accurate to state that airbags are impervious to petroleum products, rather, they may be resistant to oils (and ozone) to some extent.

Engine oil from the compressors takes a toll on air bags from the inside out,most are such a pain to change people get every mile they can from the air springs before changing 

 

[dtcerrato]

The rubber used on air bags is impervious to petroleum products.

Your statement couldn't be farther from accurate.
You may want to review the following links as to the possibility of adverse effects of lubricants on air bags. fwiw

Sneak preview from an air spring manufacturer:
"Although the materials are robust in normal use, the bellows should not be constantly in contact with hydraulic oils, lubricants, solvents, metal cuttings and welding sparks."

https://support.newgatesimms.com/lubricants-and-possible-plastic-or-rubber-compatibility-issues/

https://www.norgren.com/uk/en/expertise/industrial-automation/what-are-air-bellows-and-how-are-they-used#:~:text=How%20are%20air%20bellows%20constructed,depending%20on%20the%20stroke%20required.

[someguy]

Go look at the air bags on an asphalt trailer.

The first link has nothing to do with airbags.   What kind of hose is used for fuel line ?  Rubber.

I've never heard of Norgren air bags.  And the key word is "constantly".  A little bit of oil and grease isn't going to hurt an airbag.

Not a single mention of oil and grease being a problem here:

https://www.truckinginfo.com/156492/maintaining-air-springs-and-shock-absorbers

[chessie4905]

Going to go make some popcorn.

[buswarrior]

Going to go make some popcorn.

Yup, it has taken a long time, but the "good old daze" seem to have returned...

Intollerance has crept into every aspect of life, including hobbies...

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[DoubleEagle]

Going to go make some popcorn.

And I'm going to spritz some oil on someguy's impervious airbags, if he ever gets any, in order to keep him from having to chisel off the airbag bolts. 

[Jim Blackwood]

I'm no petroleum engineer and I wouldn't want to be but I've picked up some useful information over the years. Vulcanization is an interesting process. It is essentially thermosetting combined with polymerization in an incomplete way. So you have this great viscous mass that has some of the molecules locked up pretty solidly and some that are still fluid. The ratio depends greatly on the inclusion of carbon black and plasticizers. Plasticizers are oils, and they continue to outgas during the entire life of the product at the end of which the flexible bonds are gone and the rubber crumbles. So if you introduce a solvent to the product what do you suppose will happen? A solvent in this case is nothing more than a light oil and the lighter the better the penetration, and the more effective at carrying off plasticizers or diluting them.

That's a great simplification and like I said, no P-engineer here, those guys have done wonders with air bags to get such a long life out of them. But completely impervious to oils? Hardly.

Jim

[someguy]

Makes me no difference what you guys do or believe.  Build all the airspring guards you want.

[Van]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7-__aXC4z0

[seafarer]

Too late to help but maybe the next guy that searches this topic may benefit.
Those single nuts up in the 3 inch deep hole gave me no end of grief. I finally
drilled out a piece of round stock with a 1/4 hole to act as a drill guide to drill out the bolt.
I added a little electrical tape to make a firm fit.
They didn't drill out bulls eye on dead center but close enough to drill out the stud and nut.
The rest I cut off with a 3" cut off wheel.
When I installed the new bags Luke had sent me 12 of the longer bolts because he didn't have enough of the regular length.
Turns out using 1 long bolt on each upper ring made them a breeze to install.
YMMV

[benherman1]

I've actually been slacking and haven't even finished the rear bags. I wouldn't have though of that idea. I'll give it a try when the time comes.

[chessie4905]

I thought there was discussion in the past about converting to the new style air bags.

[benherman1]

I saw a website selling a conversion kit a while back but if I remember correctly it was $$$ compared to just replacing bags. It was also marketed towards folks who had to install block off plates advertising a better ride. Since I don't need block off plates I decided to just keep it OEM.

[benherman1]

http://busconversion101.com/air_suspension.htm

[richard5933]

Isn't that a site owned by Sam Walker?

If so, please read the various threads about this before doing business.