[Bricklin] Air valve problem

[John T. Blair]

At 12:24 PM 10/3/2011, Scott Isensee wrote:

 >One of the valves in my air control box isn't working reliably. If 
I press the door up switch with the car not
 >running, the valve for raising the passenger door doesn't click and 
the door doesn't open. With the car
 >running, the higher voltage causes the valve to work part of the time.

 >I took the valve apart and it looks fine. If I drain most of the 
pressure out of the air tank, then the valve works
 >every time. So it looks like that valve is having a hard time 
working when the system is at full pressure. The
 >other 3 valves in the control box are all working fine. Any 
suggestions what to do?

Scott,

It does sound like it is the air control solenoid.  But before we 
jump on that horse, do you still have the old
electric door latch solenoids?  It could be that they are pulling too 
much current and causing the voltage to be
low on the air solenoids.  You could possibly check that with a volt 
meter.  Connect the volt meter to the
appropriate pin on the 4 pin connector in the air dist. box.  Try to 
open the door.  You should see some voltage
at the pin that fires the up solenoid for the pass side only.  Then 
if you can, disconnect the electric solenoid,
and manually unlatch the door, then try the switch again.  Did the 
voltage at the 4 pin connector pin change?  If
no, the the electric solenoid isn't the problem.

The reducing air pressure really doesn't make much  sense.  The air 
control soldenoids only draw about
1/4 of an amp.  Not much.  But any large draw someplace else could 
cause the solenoid not to fire.

But I don't understand why lowering the air pressure would change anything.

Have you had the air solenoids out of the car for any reason just 
before this problem?  If so, could you have
installed the valve backwards?  Although I'd think it would leak at 
full pressure then.

There is a possibliity that the switch for the pass side is dirty and 
causing a large voltage drop when the switch
is thrown.  Thus not enough voltage getting to the solenoid to fire it.

The difference in the other 3 circuits are:

2 of them are for the down and don't have the electric door release 
solenoids.

1 of them is the up for the dvr side.  But that would be pretty close 
to the same as the pass side.  Except:
   a. The wiring to the electric latch solenoid
   b. the switch for the pass. up.

Does this happen with both the inside and outside passenger up 
switches?  Or does either the inside or outside
switch work?

John

John T. Blair  WA4OHZ     email:  jblair1948 at cox.net
Va. Beach, Va
Phone:  (757) 495-8229

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