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Air Bag Failure [message #106452] Mon, 22 November 2010 12:10 Go to next message
Bob M is currently offline  Bob M   United States
Messages: 100
Registered: August 2005
Location: Carlisle, PA
Karma: 0
Senior Member
Last night (Sunday) after leaving the NFL football game in Philadelphia, the right rear air bag suddenly delated. I don't know whether I hit a pot hole or the bag just exploaded. But it was sudden and loud. After failing to get any assistance from my Insurance company (Progressive)I decided to try and limp home to Carlisle, a distance of 130 miles. I put a litttle extra air in the left rear bag, and drove home on the turnpike at 45 mph. I had no problem but I did hold on to the steering wheel with both hands. The coach, which I love, is sitting in my yard awaiting a trip to my mechanic. I have a spare bag and wonder if I or he will need anything else to change out the bag. You can email me at fums6@aol.com with your replies if you choose not to take up space on the web site.
Bob Moss
77 Eleganza II


Bob Moss
Re: Air Bag Failure [message #106460 is a reply to message #106452] Mon, 22 November 2010 14:00 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Luvn737s is currently offline  Luvn737s   United States
Messages: 1106
Registered: June 2007
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Senior Member
If you have some penetrating oil, a couple wrenches and a bottle jack or floor jack you can do it yourself. Pretty easy and satisfying way to build confidence in your repair skills.

Randy
1973 26' Painted Desert
Ahwatukee (Phoenix) AZ
Re: Air Bag Failure [message #106470 is a reply to message #106452] Mon, 22 November 2010 16:56 Go to previous messageGo to next message
jaholland is currently offline  jaholland   United States
Messages: 565
Registered: June 2010
Location: Sweet Home Alebamy
Karma: 0
Senior Member
Bob;
A few years back I had an AirBag Blow on I-75 ~

# 1 ~ I pulled in the Rest Area and placed One rubber
Chock behind the rear tire on the bad airbag side ~

# 2 ~ Then backed up on that chock giving me space to
put the bottle jack under the bogie ~

# 3 ~ I Chocked Both Front Tires ~

# 4 ~ I removed the T Skirt and sprayed WD40 on the
Air Fittings to loose them ~

# 5 ~ I disconected the Blown AirBag And Replaced it
by reverseing the above order of work ~

At 73 years of age, plus at least three Coffee Breaks
and the Lil Lady informing me of what all I was doing
wrong,I was back on the road within a couple of hours ~
'
YOU CAN DO IT' cause you're a "True GMCer" ~

~ Joe ~



/_]*[__][] *[__|] ~ * '73 TZE063V101887 "
" O----------OO--]* ~ '78 TZE168V100234 "
" " Joe & Lavelle " "
" 'sweet home alebamy'
Re: [GMCnet] Air Bag Failure [message #106488 is a reply to message #106452] Mon, 22 November 2010 20:03 Go to previous messageGo to next message
USAussie is currently offline  USAussie   United States
Messages: 15912
Registered: July 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Karma: 6
Senior Member
Bob,

What did you tell Progressive?

The job of replacing the airbag can be a piece of cake or a PITA depending
on how long that air bag has been in place.

If I were you I would use penetrating oil (Kroil, PB Blaster or SOB) and
spray the nuts that hold the air bag into the bogie arms at both ends and
the fitting for several days before I call in the mechanic.

If you have a maintenance manual you could look up how to do it to ascertain
if it is within your capability to do it yourself.

Regards,
Rob M.
USAussie



-----Original Message-----
From: gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org
[mailto:gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org] On Behalf Of Bob Moss
Sent: Monday, November 22, 2010 12:10 PM
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Subject: [GMCnet] Air Bag Failure

Last night (Sunday) after leaving the NFL football game in Philadelphia, the
right rear air bag suddenly delated. I don't know whether I hit a pot hole
or the bag just exploaded. But it was sudden and loud. After failing to get
any assistance from my Insurance company (Progressive)I decided to try and
limp home to Carlisle, a distance of 130 miles. I put a litttle extra air in
the left rear bag, and drove home on the turnpike at 45 mph. I had no
problem but I did hold on to the steering wheel with both hands. The coach,
which I love, is sitting in my yard awaiting a trip to my mechanic. I have a
spare bag and wonder if I or he will need anything else to change out the
bag. You can email me at mailto:fums6@aol.com with your replies if you
choose not to take up space on the web site.
Bob Moss
77 Eleganza II
--
Bob Moss
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist

_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist



Regards, Rob M. (USAussie) The Pedantic Mechanic Sydney, Australia '75 Avion - AUS - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428 '75 Avion - USA - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
Re: [GMCnet] Air Bag Failure [message #106492 is a reply to message #106488] Mon, 22 November 2010 20:38 Go to previous messageGo to next message
WD0AFQ is currently offline  WD0AFQ   United States
Messages: 7111
Registered: November 2004
Location: Dexter, Mo.
Karma: 207
Senior Member
Bob, I too am curious as to what Progressive told you. If you have towing then they should have been right out to get you off the road. They took me 240 plus miles on a flatbed last year.
Dan


3 In Stainless Exhaust Headers One Ton All Discs/Reaction Arm 355 FD/Quad Bag/Alum Radiator Manny Tran/New eng. Holley EFI/10 Tire Air Monitoring System Solarized Coach/Upgraded Windows Satelite TV/On Demand Hot Water/3Way Refer
Re: [GMCnet] Air Bag Failure [message #106534 is a reply to message #106492] Tue, 23 November 2010 11:26 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bob M is currently offline  Bob M   United States
Messages: 100
Registered: August 2005
Location: Carlisle, PA
Karma: 0
Senior Member
When I got into the air bag area this morning, and thanks to you who sent me information, I found that the air tube had come out of the valve !!! How is that held in there? It appeared to have some white tape, like plumbers dope, around it. Is it just stuck in the hole? I'm presently soaking the valve connection so I can take it out if necessary. Progressive still has not gotten back to me. Here is what happened. I called and they said I had cancelled my roadside service in May 2010. When i told them that was impossible they said they would have to check but their computers were down for maintenance and they would get back to me in 30 minutes. They never did. I called yesterday morning and registered my complaint and they said they would check it out and get back to me. Haven't heard yet 24 hours later.
Bob Moss
77 Eleganza II


Bob Moss
Re: [GMCnet] Air Bag Failure [message #106535 is a reply to message #106534] Tue, 23 November 2010 11:28 Go to previous messageGo to next message
WD0AFQ is currently offline  WD0AFQ   United States
Messages: 7111
Registered: November 2004
Location: Dexter, Mo.
Karma: 207
Senior Member
Wow Bob, That does not sound good. Blame it on computer failure. What were you to do? I carry my policy in my GMC glovebox.
Dan


3 In Stainless Exhaust Headers One Ton All Discs/Reaction Arm 355 FD/Quad Bag/Alum Radiator Manny Tran/New eng. Holley EFI/10 Tire Air Monitoring System Solarized Coach/Upgraded Windows Satelite TV/On Demand Hot Water/3Way Refer
Re: [GMCnet] Air Bag Failure [message #106540 is a reply to message #106535] Tue, 23 November 2010 11:55 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bob M is currently offline  Bob M   United States
Messages: 100
Registered: August 2005
Location: Carlisle, PA
Karma: 0
Senior Member
I had the insurance card with the correct info on it but they wouldn't take my word. Said they had to check the computer when it came back up.
Bob


Bob Moss
Re: [GMCnet] Air Bag Failure [message #106541 is a reply to message #106540] Tue, 23 November 2010 12:13 Go to previous messageGo to next message
WD0AFQ is currently offline  WD0AFQ   United States
Messages: 7111
Registered: November 2004
Location: Dexter, Mo.
Karma: 207
Senior Member
Boy, I am sorry to hear that. Maybe I need to call them to make sure my towing is still good. After the fiasco with Good Sam's last year I cancelled them and only have Progressive now. Let us know what their final word is on it.
Dan


3 In Stainless Exhaust Headers One Ton All Discs/Reaction Arm 355 FD/Quad Bag/Alum Radiator Manny Tran/New eng. Holley EFI/10 Tire Air Monitoring System Solarized Coach/Upgraded Windows Satelite TV/On Demand Hot Water/3Way Refer
Re: Air Bag Failure [message #106584 is a reply to message #106452] Tue, 23 November 2010 18:36 Go to previous messageGo to next message
philipswanson is currently offline  philipswanson   United States
Messages: 282
Registered: January 2004
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Senior Member
Your shock and/or it mount are probably busted too. You will need to buy a new set, not just put another old bag on it. Call Jim Kanamata.

Phil Swanson
77GMCPB
Re: Air Bag Failure [message #106602 is a reply to message #106584] Wed, 24 November 2010 00:07 Go to previous messageGo to next message
jaholland is currently offline  jaholland   United States
Messages: 565
Registered: June 2010
Location: Sweet Home Alebamy
Karma: 0
Senior Member
philipswanson wrote on Tue, 23 November 2010 18:36

Your shock and/or it mount are probably busted too.
You will need to buy a new set,
not just put another old bag on it.
Call Jim Kanamata.

Phil Swanson
77GMCPB





~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Bob;
The AirBag Blew Out At The Fold In Front Of The Cone ~
It was Original, Old and Weather Cracked ~

I replaced it {at the resr area} with a new one
and when we got back home I replaced the AirBag
n the other side ~
6500 miles later I still have no problems with the
AirBags, Shocks or Mounts ~

~ Joe ~


/_]*[__][] *[__|] ~ * '73 TZE063V101887 "
" O----------OO--]* ~ '78 TZE168V100234 "
" " Joe & Lavelle " "
" 'sweet home alebamy'
Vick [message #106606 is a reply to message #106452] Wed, 24 November 2010 07:49 Go to previous messageGo to next message
bukzin is currently offline  bukzin   United States
Messages: 840
Registered: April 2004
Location: North California
Karma: 0
Senior Member


Hope you at least enjoyed the game.

How 'bout that Michael Vick; amazing!


Bukzin
1977 Palm Beach
Re: Vick [message #106607 is a reply to message #106606] Wed, 24 November 2010 07:56 Go to previous messageGo to next message
cbwoodsr is currently offline  cbwoodsr   United States
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Registered: February 2004
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Senior Member
heard he was doing good, but I dont follow basketball that much...

CBWood
77 Kingslay
MWC OK
ONLINE PARTS PROGRAM
www.GMCMHParts.com

Re: Vick [message #106608 is a reply to message #106606] Wed, 24 November 2010 08:45 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Luvn737s is currently offline  Luvn737s   United States
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Registered: June 2007
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Senior Member
bukzin wrote on Wed, 24 November 2010 06:49



How 'bout that Michael Vick; amazing!


Just goes to show what dogged determination can do for a man Laughing


Randy
1973 26' Painted Desert
Ahwatukee (Phoenix) AZ
Re: Air Bag Failure [message #106617 is a reply to message #106602] Wed, 24 November 2010 14:57 Go to previous messageGo to next message
philipswanson is currently offline  philipswanson   United States
Messages: 282
Registered: January 2004
Karma: 0
Senior Member



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Bob;
The AirBag Blew Out At The Fold In Front Of The Cone ~
It was Original, Old and Weather Cracked ~

I replaced it {at the resr area} with a new one
and when we got back home I replaced the AirBag
n the other side ~
6500 miles later I still have no problems with the
AirBags, Shocks or Mounts ~

~ Joe ~[/quote]

If that was a Bilstein, I can almost guarantee you pulled the piston right past the snap ring when the bag blew. That shock is pulled apart when the coach falls. You probably wouldn't notice it unless you pull the wheel and check the shock action. I am quite sure it has lost its charge and/or is jammed. Read Wes Caughlin's article on same in the old Cinnabar newsletter. Bilstein will replace it free if you still have the original receipt.

Phil Swanson
Re: [GMCnet] Air Bag Failure [message #106629 is a reply to message #106541] Wed, 24 November 2010 17:13 Go to previous messageGo to next message
980 is currently offline  980   United States
Messages: 192
Registered: July 2010
Location: United States
Karma: -1
Senior Member
What happened with Good Sam's? I was thinking of getting it. My State Farm says they'll cover towing but I haven't gotten into it with them yet, luckily.

If Progressive failed to assist you because their "computers are down" you have the wrong company. The right company would have served you and reimbursed you later.

DC

On Nov 23, 2010, at 10:13 AM, Dan Gregg wrote:

>
>
> Boy, I am sorry to hear that. Maybe I need to call them to make sure my towing is still good. After the fiasco with Good Sam's last year I cancelled them and only have Progressive now. Let us know what their final word is on it.
> Dan
> --
> Dan & Teri Gregg
>
> http://danandteri.blogspot.com/
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> List Information and Subscription Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist

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Re: [GMCnet] Air Bag Failure [message #106641 is a reply to message #106534] Tue, 23 November 2010 20:30 Go to previous messageGo to next message
USAussie is currently offline  USAussie   United States
Messages: 15912
Registered: July 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Karma: 6
Senior Member
Bob,

Pictures of the valve and connection would help us help you!

If you don't know how to post them to the Photosite you can send them to me
(robmueller@iinet.net.au) and I'll post them.

Regards,
Rob M.
USAussie

-----Original Message-----
From: gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org
[mailto:gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org] On Behalf Of Bob Moss
Sent: Tuesday, November 23, 2010 11:26 AM
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Air Bag Failure



When I got into the air bag area this morning, and thanks to you who sent me
information, I found that the air tube had come out of the valve !!! How is
that held in there? It appeared to have some white tape, like plumbers dope,
around it. Is it just stuck in the hole? I'm presently soaking the valve
connection so I can take it out if necessary. Progressive still has not
gotten back to me. Here is what happened. I called and they said I had
cancelled my roadside service in May 2010. When i told them that was
impossible they said they would have to check but their computers were down
for maintenance and they would get back to me in 30 minutes. They never did.
I called yesterday morning and registered my complaint and they said they
would check it out and get back to me. Haven't heard yet 24 hours later.
Bob Moss
77 Eleganza II
--
Bob Moss
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist

_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist



Regards, Rob M. (USAussie) The Pedantic Mechanic Sydney, Australia '75 Avion - AUS - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428 '75 Avion - USA - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
Re: [GMCnet] Air Bag Failure [message #106733 is a reply to message #106641] Thu, 25 November 2010 17:37 Go to previous messageGo to next message
Bob M is currently offline  Bob M   United States
Messages: 100
Registered: August 2005
Location: Carlisle, PA
Karma: 0
Senior Member
Here is where I am now. After I got into the area I found, much to my relief, that the air bag had not burst. The air line had come out of the fitting at the air bag. I guess it blew out when I dropped in the pot hole. Anyhow, after checking to see if the air bag would hold air, I began searching for the fitting and the plastic insert (compression sleeve?)that fits inside it and draws the air hose tight when it is screwed down. After searching for several hours at all kinds of places, I found just what I needed. When the rain stops, I'll jack up the rear end and replace the fitting, blow up the bag and be sure it doesn't leak. Then I plan to have the rear end checked to be sure nothing broke when the incident happened.
Bob Moss
77 Eleganza II


Bob Moss
Re: [GMCnet] Air Bag Failure [message #106760 is a reply to message #106733] Fri, 26 November 2010 00:38 Go to previous messageGo to next message
USAussie is currently offline  USAussie   United States
Messages: 15912
Registered: July 2007
Location: Sydney, Australia
Karma: 6
Senior Member
Bob,

IMHO The best quality fittings to use in the air system are those used on
truck air brakes.

They have a tube that slides into the center of the plastic tube and a metal
sleeve that compresses into the outside of the plastic tube. When tightened
properly they don't come out!

Regards,
Rob M.
USAussie

-----Original Message-----
From: gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org
[mailto:gmclist-bounces@temp.gmcnet.org] On Behalf Of Bob Moss
Sent: Thursday, November 25, 2010 5:38 PM
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] Air Bag Failure

Here is where I am now. After I got into the area I found, much to my
relief, that the air bag had not burst. The air line had come out of the
fitting at the air bag. I guess it blew out when I dropped in the pot hole.
Anyhow, after checking to see if the air bag would hold air, I began
searching for the fitting and the plastic insert (compression sleeve?)that
fits inside it and draws the air hose tight when it is screwed down. After
searching for several hours at all kinds of places, I found just what I
needed. When the rain stops, I'll jack up the rear end and replace the
fitting, blow up the bag and be sure it doesn't leak. Then I plan to have
the rear end checked to be sure nothing broke when the incident happened.
Bob Moss
77 Eleganza II
--
Bob Moss
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist

_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
List Information and Subscription Options:
http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist



Regards, Rob M. (USAussie) The Pedantic Mechanic Sydney, Australia '75 Avion - AUS - The Blue Streak TZE365V100428 '75 Avion - USA - Double Trouble TZE365V100426
Re: [GMCnet] Air Bag Failure [message #106763 is a reply to message #106760] Fri, 26 November 2010 00:58 Go to previous messageGo to previous message
Ken Burton is currently offline  Ken Burton   United States
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
Senior Member
Robert Mueller wrote on Fri, 26 November 2010 00:38

Bob,

IMHO The best quality fittings to use in the air system are those used on
truck air brakes.

They have a tube that slides into the center of the plastic tube and a metal
sleeve that compresses into the outside of the plastic tube. When tightened
properly they don't come out!

Regards,
Rob M.
USAussie



You should be able to find these at any Ace hardware store and most auto part stores. I have also seen them at Home Depot. Our local NAPA has them at double the price of every one else but even at $3.50 each who much cares if you are only buying one.



Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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