Adding auxiliary air

[Ryan Wright]

Thanks, folks, for the continued replies on this topic.

Jim: There are a few reasons I want to add the auxiliary air. One you
mentioned - raising the suspension before starting the engine. Don
also mentioned the oil top off, which I check before leaving and would
rather not turn the engine on and wait for air to build, and the
annoying low air buzzer which takes a few minutes after every engine
start to go away. I'd also like the ability to run air tools off the
coach when parked without the engine running.

One of the most important reasons for me, however, came to surface
last weekend: We tried to leave from a family's house and the cold
weather (28 degrees) seemed to have an effect on our air system
because we were unable to build air at a normal rate. Ralph
Fullenwider graciously accepted my emergency phone call for help and
gave me some advice but in the end we wound up running the engine over
2 hours on high idle to build up enough pressure to leave. On the
freeway pressure dropped to 70psi several times after braking and took
quite some time to build back up, which caused me quite a bit of
concern. Once we got into warmer temperatures, pressure jumped to 120
and stayed there.

My assumption is there are leaks in the system and/or there was a
problem with the pop-off valve or it's heater as Ralph suggested. I'm
going to go through the coach and R&R the entire air system before
going out of town again, but had we an aux compressor, we would have
been able to assist the engine compressor enough to build up air and
leave earlier. I like the idea of an emergency supplemental air source
on board.

-Ryan
'86 PT-40 8V92

On Nov 23, 2007 8:17 AM, Don Bradner wrote:
>
> I have no need for 1, 3, or 4, but number 2 is a big one for us. I never
> like to sit in an RV Park with an engine running longer than necessary, and
> I very much hate listening to low-air buzzers!
>
> I start my departure morning (which is almost never early!) with block
> heater and air compressor. That combo means that I can release the brake and
> drive away as soon as I have oil pressure.
>
> Items that are also important to us where the compressor is handy are: Dump
> valves (frequently, due to washer/dryer) and oil top-up (infrequently).
>
> In short, the aux compresson is one of the many things I didn't have in my
> SOB that I greatly appreciate in the Bird!
>
> Don Bradner
> 90 PT40 "Blue Thunder"
> Eureka, CA