4104 Leveling problem

[jjrbus]

Bus's in transit operation are subject to constantly change loads, people, luggage etc so need the ability to constantly adjust the ride height.
Most converted bus's do not experience large changes in weight distribution and do not need to constantly monitor ride height.
I opted to eliminate the leveling valves and am very happy with that decision. I have left the bus sitting for 6 months and it stayed level!
If you are haveing problems maintaining ride height useing gauges maybe your gauges are not accurate?

[asteeleco]

I had issues with my 4106 and it turned out to be the cutoff valve.

[uncle ned]

I am with Jack. Keep the bus valves also use the manual system to lower and level out the bus when parked.

I have found out that the valves need to be used often. If my bus sets for extended periods of time they start to leak down but if driven it seems to cure most of the problems.

And jack i seem to remember a time in Franklin seeing a big MCI setting crossways in the road. Manual valves were great then also.

also if one starts to leak bad you just change to manual and get home to fix. At the wade rally several years ago.

uncle ned

[bevans6]

my thought, reading the original post, was that the bus has had the air beams blocked off, so when that was done did the modifier separate the left and right hand systems or did he re-connect them so that the single ride height valve at the front continued to operate both sides the way it originally did.  As noted in another post, the front ride height valve in stock configuration only affects the height of the front suspension as a system, both sides, so it one side at the front cannot bleed down, both sides will bleed down identically.

As noted, it's the rear suspension in the stock system that does the leveling and it levels out to the road surface that it's sitting on.  It's more of a side to side height control to make the bus parallel to the ground side to side.

I personally like the three legged approach.  It allows the bus to not strain the chassis when on uneven ground, the front suspension is simply one leg of the tripod.  Stories abound of how a bus was allowed to settle on the stops on uneven ground and windshields crack as a result of twisting of the chassis.  I think that tying all the front airbags together so they are controlled by the single front height control valve as originally contemplated would be a useful thing, either to do or to check on.

You can have manual height control using the tripod approach.  What I would shy away from is manual height control using the four corners independently.  I really can see that affecting the chassis at some point.

I would expect the OP has some more checking to do before deciding what to fix.  FWIW  in warm weather my bus stays up for weeks if not months without noticeable leaking, but it leaks down in about a week in the winter.  I just have a compressor hooked to it in my shop and pump it up from time to time.  I keep the compressor in my shop so that it doesn't have to try and start at 30 below zero...

Brian

Edit:  Not sure why we are replying to a two year old thread.  Seems a tad late to offer any help.