Causes for premature internal airbag failure

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Causes for premature internal airbag failure

September 28, 2021, 09:20:56 pm

I replaced this bag less than a year ago and only have a few thousand miles on it. The only thing that I can think would cause it to fail this soon is sitting out in the Phoenix sun all summer long at the shop. Any other ideas what my cause it? Faulty bag? Sitting unlevel with no air for too long? It's an internal failure manifested by bubbling all around the base plate.

Any reason I can't/shouldnt swap this out with a different brand bag?

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #1 – September 28, 2021, 09:28:32 pm

Maybe the bag retainer bolt is too long and ran into the bag , through the nut insert .

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #2 – September 28, 2021, 09:30:35 pm

Defective bag would be my opinion.

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #3 – September 28, 2021, 09:54:34 pm

Get a Firestone or Contitech,havent heard of them failing,could the installer have super tightened them?

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #4 – September 28, 2021, 10:00:42 pm

Didn't you go off-roading in your Foretravel awhile back and afterwards have a bunch of work done on the front end? Maybe the leakage that bag is experiencing is a product of it.

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #5 – September 28, 2021, 10:17:57 pm

Elliott, you are becoming the Beta tester for a lot of us!!!

Sounds like a defective bag to me. Goodyear quit making bags for the old GMC Motorhomes last year, probably for good reason. I have never heard of a Contitech bag failure in our model coach application FWIW. Woody.

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #6 – September 28, 2021, 10:42:59 pm

Quote from: John44 – September 28, 2021, 09:54:34 pm

,could the installer have super tightened them?

I'm confident that didn't happen because myself and Pyolet were the installers.

Quote from: Travelin' Man – September 28, 2021, 10:00:42 pm

Didn't you go off-roading in your Foretravel awhile back and afterwards have a bunch of work done on the front end? Maybe the leakage that bag is experiencing is a product of it.

Possible I suppose but the rear end was largely level and didn't have any issues during the incident.

Quote from: Pyolet – September 28, 2021, 10:17:57 pm

Elliott, you are becoming the Beta tester for a lot of us!!!

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #7 – September 28, 2021, 10:53:38 pm

When you get that mofo off bench test it with air,would love to see where the leak is.

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #8 – September 28, 2021, 11:49:43 pm

Any brand will do.

Pierce

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #9 – September 29, 2021, 04:42:34 am

Looks like Elliot put the bubbles on the air bag and they dripped down to the base and he saw the leak,good catch Elliot,will
check the bases on mine.
Let's do an expierment,as many of us that can and want to check the air bag bases and see what comes up,and when we change/replace a bag bench test to see if air leaks at the bottom bolt area.Agree with Pierce that any bag will do but if all
brands are equal and we mostly have Firestone and Contitech you would think they would be leaking,think Elliot just got a
bad bag.

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #10 – September 29, 2021, 09:51:56 am

Torque for that bolt is only 25ft #s.

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #11 – September 29, 2021, 09:57:49 am

Quote from: John44 – September 29, 2021, 04:42:34 am

Looks like Elliot put the bubbles on the air bag and they dripped down to the base and he saw the leak,good catch Elliot,will
check the bases on mine.
Let's do an expierment,as many of us that can and want to check the air bag bases and see what comes up,and when we change/replace a bag bench test to see if air leaks at the bottom bolt area.Agree with Pierce that any bag will do but if all
brands are equal and we mostly have Firestone and Contitech you would think they would be leaking,think Elliot just got a
bad bag.

Three of the 8 Goodyear bags that I replaced over the last year had failed internally too. I just assumed it was a matter of time before the rest went which is why I have been replacing them all.

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #12 – September 29, 2021, 10:03:03 am

Maybe they work great in the trucking industry but the way our coaches sit for longer periods they are no bueno.

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #13 – September 29, 2021, 10:12:07 am

https://www.firestoneip.com/rr-kit-install-manuals/W217602430.pdf

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #14 – September 29, 2021, 10:15:02 am

https://www.firestoneip.com/rr-kit-install-manuals/W217602430.pdf

Look at page 4 notes.

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #15 – September 29, 2021, 10:35:13 am

I hope these are not the bags for a Foretravel. Page 11 shows only 2,000 lbs. load per pair of the bags that look like the ones I have. and 100 psi. max pressure.

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #16 – September 29, 2021, 11:16:08 am

Those are the "booster type" that you put on a pickup for added support,I researched Elliot's part number and it matches,the number is on the side of the bag in his picture.

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #17 – September 29, 2021, 02:27:07 pm

Sorry about that.

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #18 – September 29, 2021, 02:44:04 pm

Inferior batch of airbags that fail internally within the first 3 years.. I've bought a hundred or more over the years for trucks, trailers and coach.. "Have owned many trucks", and have never had that kind of early failure. Many of us have them last 20 years on our coaches.. Much harder life on 80,000 lb trucks.

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #19 – September 29, 2021, 03:43:39 pm

Maybe the Bags are wanting to give Goodyear the same reputation there RV tires have.

Re: Causes for premature internal airbag failure

Reply #20 – September 29, 2021, 06:57:50 pm

Wow, was I screwed up. I thought they were Firestone.

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