08Air Brake System Cold Weather Operation Tips130012202018

MIDWESTWHEEL.COM IOWA MISSOURI DES MOINES 1436 E. Ovid Ave. office 515.265.1491 fax 515.265.4120 parts fax 800.314.4329 parts 800.888.0248 CEDAR RAPIDS 200 50th Ave. S.W. main 319.365.4453 fax 319.365.6327 parts fax 877.706.6085 parts 800.332.5435 DAVENPORT 8502 Northwest Blvd. main 563.322.2671 fax 563.322.5940 parts 800.553.1886 SIOUX CITY 1819 E. 4th St. main 712.252.7969 fax 712.252.6149 parts 800.943.3534 CLEAR LAKE 840 Hwy. 18 W. main 641.357.7101 fax 641.357.8190 parts fax 800.548.9674 parts 800.397.5630 KANSAS CITY 5801 E. Front St. main 816.471.1552 fax 816.471.0813 parts 800.821.7402 TRUCK PARTS SUPER STORE TM December 20, 2018 (08Air Brake System Cold Weather Operation Tips) System Leakage Excessive system leakage causes the compressor to “pump” more air and also reduce the life of the air dryer desiccant cartridge. Reservoir Draining (System with an Air Dryer) Daily reservoir draining should not be performed on systems with an air dryer. This practice will cause the dryer to do excessive work (e.g. build pressure from 0-130 psi instead of the normal 110-130 psi). Reservoir Draining (System without an Air Dryer) Routine reservoir draining is the most basic step in reducing the possibility of freeze-up. All reservoirs in a brake system can accumulate water and other contamination and must be drained. The best practice is to drain all reservoirs daily if the air brake system does not include an air dryer. When draining reservoirs, turn the engine off and drain all air from the reservoir. Additionally, open the drain cocks on all reservoirs and leave them open over night to ensure all contamination is drained (reference Service Data Sheet SD-04-400 for Bendix® reservoirs). If automatic drain valves are installed, check their operation before the weather turns cold (reference Service Data Sheet SD-03-2501 for Bendix® DV-2™ automatic drain valves). It should be noted that, while the need for daily reservoir draining is eliminated through the use of an automatic drain valve, periodic manual draining is still required. Alcohol Evaporator or Injector Systems Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC discourages the use of alcohol in the air brake system as a means of preventing system freeze-up in cold temperatures. Studies indicate that using alcohol and alcoholbased products sold for this purpose removes the lubrication from the components of the air braking system. In addition, the materials used for the internal seals of the air system components may be adversely impacted by the residue that some anti-freeze additives leave behind. Both are detrimental to air system component life expectancy, causing premature wear. Because of this, Bendix® air system components warranty will be void if analysis shows that alcohol was added to the air brake system. Alcohol is not an acceptable substitute for having adequate air drying capacity. If the air dryer is maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommended practices and moisture is found to be present in the system reservoirs, more drying capacity is required. Bendix has several viable options including extended purge air dryers, extended purge tandem dryers in parallel with a common control, and air dryers arranged to provide continuous flow as with the Bendix® EverFlow® continuous flow air dryer module. To address concerns with contaminants in trailer air brake systems, the Bendix® Cyclone DuraDrain® water separator and the Bendix® System-Guard® trailer air dryer are available. Refer to Bendix Technical Bulletin TCH-008-042 “Alcohol in the Air Brake System” for additional information. Air Dryers Check the operation and function of the air dryer using the appropriate Service Data Sheet for the air dryer. Bendix® Air Dryer Service Data Sheet AD-2® air dryer SD-08-2403 AD-9® air dryer SD-08-2412 AD-9si® air dryer SD-08-2433 AD-IP® air dryer SD-08-2414 AD-IS® air dryer SD-08-2418 AD-IS® EverFlow® air dryer SD-08-2417 AD-SP® air dryer SD-08-2415 Cyclone DuraDrain® water separator SD-08-2402 PuraGuard® QC system filter SD-08-187B Trailer System-Guard® air dryer SD-08-2416 Log-on and Learn from the Best On-line training that's available when you are 24/7/365. Visit www.brake-school.com .