[ZUNDFOLGE!]

So I've been working through the few niggles on my recently acquired '02 HSE after a year away from Rangies. So far, all is well, and is the typical stuff.....heater core o-rings, headliner, etc....but I do, for the first time in a succession of three P38s with EAS, have an air suspension issue. When the rig sits overnight, she'd leak down to her bump stops by morning. No EAS faults logged so the first thing I did was fire her up and get everything pressurized. I then sprayed the fittings on the valve block with soapy water and found two sources of leaks, as shown in the attached photo. I actually had swapped the valve block for another one because the fellow I bought the truck from said he thought the valve block was leaking, which was causing her to sink down overnight. Well, after doing the swap (and foolishly not verifying the supposed leaks on the original block), I still have the problem and I'm wondering if my original block was in fact ok, and that it's just these two air lines that are the culprits..

So, if you were in my situation, would you suspect the seals in the block around the lines or would you think the lines themselves are leaking? Can I just replace the seals in those two connections without major hassle and see if that cures the leaks? Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and I wish I'd have checked the original block to see if it was just the air lines that were the problem. Of course, I'm starting to think that might be it, since the truck has the exact same symptoms with two different valve blocks installed. Thoughts gentlemen?

 

[leftlanetruckin]

I would try to cut back the leaking lines a little and see how they seal up first. A lot of the time, just that has cured some issues for me.
If they still leak, new o rings in those ports will fix it.
If it is the o rings, I would be tempted to just go ahead and rebuild the whole thing though, myself. My thought is that if 2 o rings are leaking now, how long will the rest last?
Either way, in no way a major deal IMHO.

Martin

 

[kmagnuss]

That's a common (and easy to fix) spot for the o rings to go bad. You dont' even have to take out the valve block to fix it.

But....you might as well if you haven't yet. The inside o rings will start to leak shortly after the outside ones.

 

[ZUNDFOLGE!]

Thanks guys. I'm definitely in agreement that the entire block needs to be done, but the Rangie is my daily winter steed so I can't lay it up, even for a day, at the moment. That being said, how does one retrieve the o-rings from the ports for a quick replacement?

What I'll probably do is rebuild the rig's original block when I have the time, then swap it out one evening...

 

[Keijo]

Clean the area thoroughly first.
To remove the air line , push down on the collar of the collet and then simultaneously pull back on the air line.
Once the air line is out, you can remove the collet.
I found that it needed quite a lot of force to get the air lines out on some of the connections.
Then use something like a crochet hook, to prise and pull out both the O rings, but made from plastic so that you dont damage the seal seats.
I custom made one by whittling and filing a small dia' piece of hard plastic rod.
There are two O rings and they come out fairly easily.
Insert the new ones in and the will also also go back in fairly easy.
Shupack can supply all the O rings you will need for the EAS.
Then put the collet back in.
Cut back your old airline slightly with a very sharp blade to get rid of the old collet bite marks and chamfer the end lightly. It will then push in nicely all the way to the bottom.
You can't sand the chamfer, it needs either to be cut back with a very sharp knife or Rave recommends a pencil sharpener.
Just make sure that the airline has no nicks and cuts at the sealing point.
Once inserted fully together with the collet, pull the air line back a little bit to lock it in and you are away.
It wont fully seat however until you are back up to pressure.

Good luck and cheers,
Keijo

 

[ZUNDFOLGE!]

Keijo,

Thank you for that writeup. I'll tackle it tomorrow as soon as I've hammered through the heater core o-ring leak! By the way, approx. how much of the air line should I cut off?

 

[leftlanetruckin]

@1/4" to try to reseal it.

Martin

 

[kmagnuss]

Rebuilding the valve block isn't an all day affair. I did mine in about 3 hours on my sister's kitchen table with limited tools.

 

[leftlanetruckin]

Rebuilding the valve block isn't an all day affair. I did mine in about 3 hours on my sister's kitchen table with limited tools.

I agree, My first time was @2hrs from start to finish on the breakfast bar! :thumb:

Martin

 

[viperover]

A dash wee little tip from me.

When inserting the pipes back into valve block lightly coat them with vaseline (petroleum jelly)or sikicone paste (like grease)
this prevents pipes from trying to flip O rings around.

Also use a long nose pliers (grabbing pipe) to aid in making sure pipes are seated all the way in, easier and works well

 

[MrAce]

Rebuilding the valve block isn't an all day affair. I did mine in about 3 hours on my sister's kitchen table with limited tools.

I have done it 3 times and the first time took about 3.5 hours on a Sunday watching football and drinking beer. :dance:

Last time was a little over 2 hours.

MrAce

 

[kmagnuss]

Oh yeah? Well when I say limited tools I mean a wrench, dental pick, and a snorkel. So there.

 

[shupack]

But you only need the snorkel if you're doing it through the air-dryer line......

 

[kmagnuss]

exactly