How often to new bags leak?

[SS317]

Just installed two new rear air bags. Replaced the coil springs in my 66 long bed. The right side has a slow leak I can't pin down. I've replaced the line twice and double checked the fittings.
How often to new bags leak?
Thanks.

[broey]

They shouldn't leak. I can leave my truck aired up for days without any squat. you are gonna need some soap bubbles to find the culprit.

[andrewmp6]

Have you tired soapy water on everything to find the leak?Or maybe its a valve has a slow leak.

[502ms]

Originally Posted by broey

They shouldn't leak. I can leave my truck aired up for days without any squat. you are gonna need some soap bubbles to find the culprit.

Ditto
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[SS317]

Only the right side was down last night, but when I went out this morning both sides were down. I"m going to get some new lock tight and pull the bags off and re do each fitting.
Are you suppose to put anything on the plastic air lines when you push them into the fittings?

[BR3W CITY]

lock tight? you should be using teflon on your brass fittings. Get liquid tef, and use that on your fittings. I had leak issues with tef tape (user error) but switched to liquid tef, and was leak free.

You don't need to put anything on the lines, just make sure your using a tubing cutter to get a flat even cut, and push them in tightly.

[fleetman]

spritzer all connections with weak dish soap solution in a spray bottle. jiggle the connections to check for intermittant problems as you spritzer.
if connections seem ok then spritzer your bags.
be sure to push those lines into self locking connections really well. i pushed one such connection in several different times until.. viola ... it went in further and really seated to its hilt and only then did the slow leak stop.
hth

[Pro Performance]

The bag shouldn't be leaking at all. If you can't get it to seal using teflon tape, you can also use Loctite 545, which works very well. The only thing, is most places don't carry it, but can find it online fairly easily.

[charlie diaz]

"You don't need to put anything on the lines, just make sure your using a tubing cutter to get a flat even cut, and push them in tightly."

X2 on this step. It is one of the most crucial steps. You can almost never get a straight cut using a knife, and without a straight cut, you'll almost never get a proper seal.

In my experience, this is the best type of cutter to use:

http://gravity-werx.com/airlinetubingcutter.aspx

one of the board vendors may sell them, but I just googled it and it was the first one to come up.

[PBFAB.COM]

A major leak spot is the actual end of the airline itself. If you remove the airline from a PTC ( push to connect ) style fitting, then you'll need to trim the end of the hose off after each use. If you look closely at the last portion of the air line, ( say up 1/4" when using 1/4" hose ), you'll notice some small "teeth" impressions in the hose where the fitting sealed down upon it last time it was inflated. Well if the "teeth" don't like back up then it will slowly leak out there. Be sure to trim the end fresh, and square, each time you go to re-insert the airline. Also make sure it's firmly seated into the fitting each time as well.

Another point to remember is that once you get a fitting tight, don't try to back it off slightly or, retighten more. Tighten the fitting to it's final resting point and leave it. If you tighten it, and then back it off 1/4 turn to line up, you've also back off the treat sealant slightly.

Also be sure to check the actual barb fitting on the back of the paddle switch. It can leak there, especially if you use a razor to cut the old airline off and might have put a slight nick in the actual barb, causing air to seep by thru that nick.

No matter what, grab the soapy water and see if you can source the leak. Spray it around every location where the airline has a fitting connection, as well at the component the airline is connected to.

The thread sealant should either be teflon tape which is cheap, or you can use a liquid thread sealant as well suck as Loctite 545 as suggested by Pro Performance. You can also get the Permatex brand pneumatic thread sealant which is the same as Loctite 545 and is a few bucks cheaper. However for your case, I'd simply go with the white thread tape as it's cost effective and you're not doing an entire air system.

Good luck.

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