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air dryer

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by joecitizen, Jul 7, 2009.

  1. Jul 7, 2009 #1
    joecitizen

    joecitizen Light Load Member

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    Mar 15, 2009
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    i have a Meritor Wabco System Saver 1800P air dryer on a '93 freightliner fld 120, not a stock installation. i am looking for a new cartridge, but i keep getting strange looks from the parts guy(s) and get asked are you sure? seems no one is familiar with this model of air dryer, especially the "p" designation. (p = purge tank required) a suggestion has been made to switch to the meritor wabco system saver 1200 (part #r955205 - does not require purge tank) because the parts are more readily available.

    another thing that is confusing mechanics and parts guys is that my truck has 5 air tanks on it. everyone keeps telling me i only should have 3 (wet, primary & secondary) well, i have those 3 and also a purge tank plumbed straight off the air dryer (which is connected to nothing else) and another tank by the fifth wheel.

    if i change the type of air dryer to the one listed above, what problems or safety concerns will i run into due to it being a smaller unit? i want to fix this truck correctly.
     
    Last edited: Jul 7, 2009
    joecitizen, Jul 7, 2009
    joecitizen, Jul 7, 2009
    #1
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  3. Jul 7, 2009 #2
    Heavyd

    Heavyd Road Train Member

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    The 1800's are rare, and the P series are even rarer. The System Saver cartridges between the 1200 and 1800 are interchangeable. The air dryer base is the same. There is no 1800 vs 1800P cartridge. The P is just for an extended purge which requires the extra tank like you said. The other style of dryer has what is called a Regeneration Valve which lets some air come back from the primary and secondary reservoirs to do the purging. Both types take the same cartridge. The 1800 is taller and has higher drying capacity over the 1200. The replacement part # for a 1800 cartridge is R950069. You can down grade to a 1200 cartridge, which will just spin right on, part # is R950068.
     
    Heavyd, Jul 7, 2009
    Heavyd, Jul 7, 2009
    #2
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  4. Jul 8, 2009 #3
    joecitizen

    joecitizen Light Load Member

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    Mar 15, 2009
    Tucson, AZ
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    heavyd...

    thanks for the input, have a couple of questions:

    if i down grade from a 1800 to a 1200 will i have any issues with the air system. not sure what issues i may/may not have, what should i expect? is there an advantage to having an extended purge tank verse a regeneration valve? anything else i should know about that i am not aware of asking?

    i am undoing a lot of "mickey mouse" stuff done to this truck and want to do this right.
     
    joecitizen, Jul 8, 2009
    joecitizen, Jul 8, 2009
    #3
  5. Jul 8, 2009 #4
    Heavyd

    Heavyd Road Train Member

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    The 1200 just has a smaller volume capacity. Sounds like the truck is modified for large volume applications such as multiple lift axles, or multiple air bag trailer axles. The purge tank is just part of the large volume thing, nothing wrong with it. If your truck is built for that then keep it like that. There is SS 1200P out there. So if you want to down grade to the 1200 cartridge I don't see a problem with that, unless you are in a large volume application, then I would try to find a 1800 filter. If you are using the truck for just normal stuff then you can go with the 1200 filter, you don't need to replace or modify the drier. Don't be worried about the extra air tanks, you will just have lots of air capacity which is ok. The 1200 will be able to handle it because you aren't using high volume with just a normal trailer or whatever.
     
    Heavyd, Jul 8, 2009
    Heavyd, Jul 8, 2009
    #4
  7. Jul 8, 2009 #5
    joecitizen

    joecitizen Light Load Member

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    Tucson, AZ
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    from every indication the truck has only been used for otr and i am not going to use it in a high volume application, just pulling a flatbed and running 4 states. i am thinking the 1800p was used cause it was the nearest available to replace the o.e.m. version.


    i want to replace the whole unit due to lack of maintenance by previous owner. i can locate the 1200 w/regeneration valve at a local dealer with no problem, so i am thinking of purchasing this unit (1200) and just taking the existing unit (1800P) and purge tank off and storing it should i need it at a later time.

    is my thinking here flawed in anyway?
     
    joecitizen, Jul 8, 2009
    joecitizen, Jul 8, 2009
    #5
  8. Jul 9, 2009 #6
    Heavyd

    Heavyd Road Train Member

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    Well, there is absolutely nothing wrong with your current setup. Personally, I would leave it alone. I wouldn't spend the money and replace the entire dryer to a different model, I wouldn't waste my time or money removing the extra tank and changing some of the plumbing to accommodate a different dryer. What's it hurting? The system works fine, all you need is the filter cartridge, that is all I would change. Not much can go wrong with the tanks as far a maintenance goes, I wouldn't worry about and leave best alone! But that's entirely up to you.
     
    Heavyd, Jul 9, 2009
    Heavyd, Jul 9, 2009
    #6
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