CTIS issue..Cant find the problem

[almalo1ny]

Hi everyone. So I have a A3 and it's been great other than a few expected issues that I fixed. (Altornator upgrade, added a 12 V fuse panel, bulbs) anyway, Here is the issue and I'm baffled. PLEASE help. I'll start from the beginning.
1. Had a leak in one of the air tanks. Bung was leaking.
2. Removed tank to weld but too rusty. Parked truck.
3. Found new tank. (NOS)
4. installed new tank.
5 CTIS would start to work but could not charge air. It was bouncing around at 3-7 psi. then after a while flashed "FLAT"
6. looked at air lines and found two leaky connectors which probably started leaking from me messing around removing tank.
7. Replaced fittings.
8. Same issue....
9. Cant find a leak anywhere else and tires actually have around 27PSI. No Flats.
On a side note I did have the truck running for a while (25 min.) when the tank was out and I had forgotten to turn off CTIS. Did I ruin it? I looked for codes but no blinking on buttons.

 

[trukhead]

Welcome to the site. I had a cracked line to the left front wheel. It kinked and cracked. I have one wheel that deflates over the period of a week to 2 weeks. The CTIS will inflate the tire after a bit of button pushing. After the engine is warmed up, set the cable throttle to some RPM over1,300 to let the air system keep up and inflate the tire.

 

[almalo1ny]

I tried that also today. Also cycled the CTIS over and over but once it goes to "FLAT" it stops trying to inflate.
Here's something else I noticed.
Lots of brown goo dripping from air dryer. Could this cause the issues if the filter is bad?

 

[goodguyzy]

Both my A3's do the same thing but never use it so I keep it off. I was assuming that I have a manifold issue.

 

[almalo1ny]

Both my A3's do the same thing but never use it so I keep it off. I was assuming that I have a manifold issue.

What do you do about tire pressure? Did you remove the connections at each tire? I'm considering this but there is a bit of a cool factor to CTIS

 

[glcaines]

This should be in The Deuce forum. There are a lot of threads / posts on similar CTIS problems. The CTIS system on the A3 is actually very simple. Since you live in BC, you should know that you shouldn't engage the CTIS in cold weather until you have driven a number of miles to warm up the seals in the hubs. Using the CTIS when cold will cause premature failure of the seals in the hub. If you have brown goo coming out of the dryer, you need to service or replace the dryer. I found an NOS air dryer on Ebay for a reasonable price. When you drain the air tanks, does clean air come out, or does any of the brown goo or oil come out? Check the manifold and make sure it is clean inside. If not, remove and clean it. The manifold is a very simple construction and easy to clean. If the pneumatic system and tanks are not clean, you need to clean the entire system. Once you are sure your air system is functioning properly, then it's time to troubleshoot the CTIS. Read the TMs on the CTIS system. The TM is very good in troubleshooting problems with the CTIS on the A3. Go over the entire system and look for air leaks. There are a lot of lines and connectors on the system. Mix up some soapy water in a spray bottle and cover the entire system.

As an aside, my CTIS works perfectly, but I never use it. The max highway pressure for the CTIS is 45 PSI. I leave the CTIS turned off and run 60 PSI in my tires because the truck drives considerably better and the death wobble is minimized.

 

[almalo1ny]

That's great Info glcaines.
No goo in tanks. Clean air. There was some moisture but not as much as I expected. I will order a dryer tune up kit from Eric's. Thank you and I will go through the system tomorrow. I also like the idea of running at 60PSI. That should help with fuel econ. also, not that anyone driving these is holding their breath on that one. Makes sense about the cold weather. Probably what provoked the failure as this truck is out on the coldest nights as a work truck.

 

[juanprado]

cool paint job. Is that a Canadian military pattern?

 

[glcaines]

That's great Info glcaines.
No goo in tanks. Clean air. There was some moisture but not as much as I expected. I will order a dryer tune up kit from Eric's. Thank you and I will go through the system tomorrow. I also like the idea of running at 60PSI. That should help with fuel econ. also, not that anyone driving these is holding their breath on that one. Makes sense about the cold weather. Probably what provoked the failure as this truck is out on the coldest nights as a work truck.

Once I replaced my air dryer, I have never had any moisture in my tanks. My original air dryer was in very bad shape and the heater was burned out.

 

[almalo1ny]

cool paint job. Is that a Canadian military pattern?

Paint is just something I came up with. I use the truck for my snow removal company and thought it would suit the winter work. I also plan on using it for my Hunting trips. Gonna pull a hot tub behind it and build a removable camper too. I am in construction so I thought of using some refrigeration panels and painting them to match the truck.
Also, Thanks for the tips everyone. I think I will start on monday and get into it. I'll post my results once I see what's up.