SuiteSuccess Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 How often does your air compressor kick in and recharge your air system while driving down the road? Mine was recharging every 2-3 minutes on 1200 mile trip. No major air leaks I can detect, several small ones. 2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding" 2017 DRV 39DBRS3 2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty" "Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffw Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 I was wondering the same thing. My front tank drops quicker than the rear tank. There are lots of air operated engine accessories (transmission, engine brake, fan clutch and I'm sure other stuff) that will 'consume' air. 2007 Volvo 780 Volvo D12D, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuiteSuccess Posted October 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 I was wondering the same thing. My front tank drops quicker than the rear tank. There are lots of air operated engine accessories (transmission, engine brake, fan clutch and I'm sure other stuff) that will 'consume' air. Yeah, Jeff, leveling valves, brakes, fan clutch etc. eat up air but mine just seemed more frequent than usual. Might have just been bored but I'm becoming more acustomed to the sounds of my truck with time. 2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding" 2017 DRV 39DBRS3 2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty" "Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark and Dale Bruss Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 2-3 minutes is too much unless you ride your brakes. Please click for Emails instead of PM Mark & DaleJoey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel SupremeSparky III - 2021 Mustang Mach-e, off the the Road since 2019 Useful HDT Truck, Trailer, and Full-timing Info atwww.dmbruss.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hone eagle Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 10 minutes at least usually a lot more. 2005 volvo 670 freedomline singledNewmar Torrey Pine 34rskswoot woot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Mayer Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 As Mark said - you need to look for your air leaks unless you are braking. Try a Whisper. All trucks leak air. But when you get to quick cycling of the compressor you really do want to find/fix the major leaks. My 610 Volvo was pretty "tight"....I could go a LONG time driving and not cycle the compressor. You should be going at least 15 minutes or more on a truck while driving....and MUCH longer is not that uncommon. At least that has been my observation.... Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member Living on the road since 2000PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail 2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it) 2022 New Horizons 43' 5er 2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units 2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck -------------------------------------------------------------------------See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar powerwww.jackdanmayer.com Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennWest Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 I bought a Whisper. Love that sucker. Hunted leaks for weeks. Found them in minutes with it. 2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuiteSuccess Posted October 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 Have a Whisper. Good winter project to find all the leaks. Thanks for the help. 2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding" 2017 DRV 39DBRS3 2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty" "Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSeas Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 Not only leaks will cause this "fast" cycling.... don't disregard the other components in the system! 1. Air Governor 2. Air compressor / unloader valves. Head leaking. 3. Air Dryer / Filter assy, Purge valve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toddleti Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 I know the ones we have at work start doing that when they need serviced. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuiteSuccess Posted October 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 Not only leaks will cause this "fast" cycling.... don't disregard the other components in the system! 1. Air Governor 2. Air compressor / unloader valves. Head leaking. 3. Air Dryer / Filter assy, Purge valve Just changed air governor and filter (done by shop) recently. Do you have to have compressor and truck running to check the other things you mentioned? 2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding" 2017 DRV 39DBRS3 2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty" "Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis M Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 Not only leaks will cause this "fast" cycling.... don't disregard the other components in the system! 1. Air Governor 2. Air compressor / unloader valves. Head leaking. 3. Air Dryer / Filter assy, Purge valve X2. Mine was cycling more and more frequently. Had a road guy out for a no start in storage (turned out to be a leak in the fuel/water separator that led to a loss of prime). When I asked him about the frequent compressor cycling his immediate answer was air governor. Put a new one in last week, but no trips planned for a while. We'll see. Dennis & NancyTucson, AZ in winter, on the road in summer.1999 Volvo 610 "Bud" 425 HP Volvo, Super 10 spd.2005 Mountain Aire 35 BLKS2013 smart fortwo CityFlame riding on Bud(Replaced '05 smart first loaded in '06 and '11 smart that gave it's life to save me!)Our Travel Blog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSeas Posted October 29, 2016 Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 Just changed air governor and filter (done by shop) recently. Do you have to have compressor and truck running to check the other things you mentioned?Compressor is best checked with truck running. What is your "cut in" and "cut out" air pressures? Do both of your air pressure gauges drop equally? Did you notice it cycling more often after you had someone do work on it? You guys didn't discuss this during the "air brake" presentation at the Hutch Rally? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuiteSuccess Posted October 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2016 a. 100 psi and 130 psi b. yes c. no, we went from Hutch to Albuquerque then home to Knoxville. Noticed it on way home from Albuquerque ~1200miles so my belief is something changed in that time period but can't swear to it because recent trips prior to Hutch were all short. d. yes, some of this was discussed at Hutch and I tried to take notes but so much info hard to process it all. I changed the air governor myself several months ago. Did not notice a change in cycling to my knowledge. Air dryer filter changed at shop about 6 mos ago. Also did not notice a change. Will try to charge up, fix any leaks I can find then proceed from there. Thanks for the help. 2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding" 2017 DRV 39DBRS3 2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty" "Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewhoknowslittle Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 Also, make sure you charge the air tanks, I use shop air at a schrader fitting on my governor, chaulk the tires and release the brakes, this will test the air lines, and brake pods that set release the spring brakes, you can watch you air gauges to see a drop, if none then press on the brake pedal and hold it, see if a loss of air happens then, you will lose a little air pressure at first, but if it keeps leaking then you have a brake can leaking. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dollytrolley Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 All trucks leak air. But when you get to quick cycling of the compressor you really do want to find/fix the major leaks. It's interesting to listen to a bunch of owners chat about truck-air-system-cycling. A completely different chat is one I had recently with Nephew Josh that is a life-long Freightshaker engineer..... Josh is a well educated kid (late 30's) with Mech & Elec degrees so he does get around at the shaker engineering office. Josh has a different view of truck air systems in that the TOTAL air system capacity has various "air-allotments" allowed and of course one of those allotments is "acceptable-leakage". In a perfect world, truck air systems would have no leaks......in a perfect world there would be no trucks, just Amazon drones delivering whatever.........Josh contends that the "average modern tractor" is designed to deal with substantial air system leakage due to several factors including complex accessory systems that due to the rather "marginal economical constraints" are prone to certain levels of leakage. Modern tractors for a large part are the product of the major truck makers trying to design mass produced units for larger fleets with a rather "limited-revenue-life" (300K to 450K miles) and then the unit is "disposed" of into secondary tractor market for small fleet and a few owner / operators to deal with a life of increased air system leakage management and repair. Plastic / push-lock plumbing for use in tractor air systems have drastically reduced costs for fleet unit manufacturing however you get what you pay for... or... NOT pay for in that as the cheaper components age they tend to leak more and more due to deterioration of 'soft-body-components" (mostly "0" rings and "relaxed-plastic-tube-OD". The fleet operators obtain a tractor at a minimum price and the secondary owner gets to chase and repair more and more leaks as the tractor ages. Not all new tractors are plumbed with plastic air lines, some units are custom ordered with "old-tech" hard lines and metal to metal air fittings that tend to be much more robust and tend to leak less with age and severe operations. Scrap mentioned a couple of months ago that you can a order a new truck with Aeroquip and metal fittings upgrade however he did not quote a upgrade price..... I'll venture it aint very cheep... After leaks Josh mentioned "normal-expended / exhaust air use" of course the first thing that comes to mind is the use of the service brake but other systems exhaust air as well such as the air-bag-suspension on rough roads and the air dryer purge system. I actually see the air suspension system air use when I travel back and forth on a very rough +100 miles of Eastern Oregon highway between La Pine and Lakeview ......when the Dollytrolley is bobtail I will see cycles of 15 to 20 minutes but when I have the 20 ft Morgan cargo box loaded with hay and water I often see cycles of 3 to 5 minutes BUT the drivers are moving up and down a lot in the mirrors and the ride in the cab is much better. I have been toying with the idea of replacing the level valve with a new one and see if it might make a difference. I kid Josh about the silly-complex air-tilt steering column on the Dollytrolley and about the needless potential leakage points.....Josh just smiles and says..."well we just got to keep ahead of those VOLVOs..........." Drive on.........(Whats my air use....today) 97 Freightshaker Century Cummins M11-370 / 1350 /10 spd / 3:08 /tandem/ 20ft Garage/ 30 ft Curtis Dune toybox with a removable horse-haul-module to transport Dolly-The-Painthorse to horse camps and trail heads all over the Western U S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennWest Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 Noticed mine leaking down faster again. Pulled out that trusty Whisper and those cracked up cab bags leaking. Next project. Maybe Thanksgiving week. Some time off then. 2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuiteSuccess Posted October 30, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 Also, make sure you charge the air tanks, I use shop air at a schrader fitting on my governor, chaulk the tires and release the brakes, this will test the air lines, and brake pods that set release the spring brakes, you can watch you air gauges to see a drop, if none then press on the brake pedal and hold it, see if a loss of air happens then, you will lose a little air pressure at first, but if it keeps leaking then you have a brake can leaking. Roger e Thanks Roger. Will do that. 2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding" 2017 DRV 39DBRS3 2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty" "Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Mayer Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 It is my opinion that a Whisper is a tool that every guy that works on his truck should have. It sure does make life easier. It is a nifty tool useful for many other things... Jack & Danielle Mayer #60376 Lifetime Member Living on the road since 2000PLEASE no PM's. Email me. jackdanmayer AT gmail 2016 DRV Houston 44' 5er (we still have it) 2022 New Horizons 43' 5er 2016 Itasca 27N 28' motorhome 2019 Volvo 860, D13 455/1850, 236" wb, I-Shift, battery-based APU No truck at the moment - we use one of our demo units 2016 smart Passion, piggyback on the truck -------------------------------------------------------------------------See our website for info on New Horizons 5th wheels, HDTs as tow vehicles, communications on the road, and use of solar powerwww.jackdanmayer.com Principal in RVH Lifestyles. RVH-Lifestyles.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hewhoknowslittle Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 It is my opinion that a Whisper is a tool that every guy that works on his truck should have. It sure does make life easier. It is a nifty tool useful for many other things... I agree, and I have one, found many a leaks that I could not hear, and soap did not find, but you have to fix the big ones first, so you can find the small ones. My truck will hold air for about 3 days now, not 45 minutes. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickeieio Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 It is my opinion that a Whisper is a tool that every guy that works on his truck should have. It sure does make life easier. It is a nifty tool useful for many other things... Just think, what we could accomplish with a Whisper and young ears? KW T-680, POPEMOBILE Newmar X-Aire, VATICAN Lots of old motorcycles, Moto Guzzi Griso and Spyder F3 currently in the front row Young enough to play in the dirt as a retired farmer. contact me at rickeieio1@comcast.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueLghtning Posted November 1, 2016 Report Share Posted November 1, 2016 Is this what you guys are referring to as the Whisper? - https://www.amazon.com/Inficon-711-202-G1-Whisper-Ultrasonic-Detector/dp/B000TRJA8M Dan (Class of 2017) - 2012 Ram 3500 & 2005 Alpenlite Valhalla 29RK Contact me at rvsolarconsulting.com or Two Wheel Ramblin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrap Posted November 1, 2016 Report Share Posted November 1, 2016 Not all new tractors are plumbed with plastic air lines, some units are custom ordered with "old-tech" hard lines and metal to metal air fittings that tend to be much more robust and tend to leak less with age and severe operations. Scrap mentioned a couple of months ago that you can a order a new truck with Aeroquip and metal fittings upgrade however he did not quote a upgrade price..... I'll venture it aint very cheep... About $1500 for wirebraid lines frame only. Around $3500 for FC300 frame, cab, and fuel lines. $6 for FC300 power steering on a glider and it is 'free' (standard) on new trucks. That's list prices though and nobody pays list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyA Posted November 1, 2016 Report Share Posted November 1, 2016 It is my opinion that a Whisper is a tool that every guy that works on his truck should have. It sure does make life easier. It is a nifty tool useful for many other things... Dog-gone-it Jack....... there goes $200 for yet another tool to carry in my tool/parts arsenal in the Volvo. Oh well, I do have an unfulfilled wish of owning one of every tool made before I leave this life. Time is getting short and I still have a long way to go......... Randy, Nancy and Oscar "The Great White" - 2004 Volvo VNL670, D12, 10-speed, converted to single axle pulling a Keystone Cambridge 5th wheel, 40', 4 slides and about 19,000# with empty tanks. ARS - WB4BZX, Electrical Engineer, Master Electrician, D.Ed., Professor Emeritus - Happily Retired! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuiteSuccess Posted November 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 1, 2016 Is this what you guys are referring to as the Whisper? - https://www.amazon.com/Inficon-711-202-G1-Whisper-Ultrasonic-Detector/dp/B000TRJA8M Yep 2006 Volvo 780 "Hoss" Volvo D12, 465hp, 1650 ft/lbs tq., ultrashift Bed Build by "JW Morgan's Custom Welding" 2017 DRV 39DBRS3 2013 Smart Passion Coupe "Itty Bitty" "Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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