Toyota Coaster air bag suspension

Jj · Newbie

Toyota Coaster air bag suspension

Baz421 · Guru

Jj wrote:
Can anyone tell me what the maximum psi should be on rear manually inflated air bag suspension of a 1996 Toyota Coaster motorhome? thank you.

What type of airbag ie polyair / firestone or other??

Is it solely air suspension or combination spring/air???

Jj · Newbie

It's a combination spring /air. Can't find manufacture

Baz421 · Guru

OK I have Firestone bags on rear of Landcruiser ute,,, they can be pumped up to max of 90psi if I recall.

What you could try is to -

1 let air down to 5psi (the minimum)

2 put a marker next to bus body ie block of wood or measure with tape measure to ground

3 note the position of the rear spring hanger (see the LH side of mine in the attached photo - that's the correct position of the hanger)

4 put say 30psi in and measure the rise in body height AND position of spring hanger

5 put say 50psi and measure again

6 repeat at 70 and 90psi if needed.

7 you then need to gauge the best pressure to have the spring hanger in the best location -

ie if 30 psi raises the body enough and you drive it with minimal body roll on corners and it feels firm/good use that setting. If you need 90 psi to stop excessive body roll you should consider getting your springs reset and use the bags to assist only which is what the intention is from the outset.

This is a rough guide, but if your springs are really stuffed ie they sit "flat" with hanger back a lot (in practice this may be only 30-40mm further when the airbag is NOT taking the load) you need to get them reset,,, and this is often the most economical to do.

Here's some info

http://www.ssa.com.au/leaf-spring-measurements.html

and they may be able to provide advice on the condition of your existing springs.

Hope this helps

Cheers Baz

Jj · Newbie

thanks Baz, a fantastic reply! jj

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Could also think about a sway bar if there isn't one fitted to the rear..
Keeps ride and stable on corners..

seabreeze25 · Newbie

Would love to hear from others who know a bit about the airbag suspension on Toyota Coaster. We had a problem with one side going down on our recent road trip, and when we stopped to get it checked, the guy told us that we had a leak in the passenger side air bag. He got under the bus and put his finger over the leak, and it pumped up immediately. He told us we would probably get home and we did, but we have been home for 4 days and both the airbags have stayed fully pumped up, whereas before they would deflate overnight and pump up when we started the engine next day. We are totally confused and don't know what to do next. Can anyone help? Thanks.

Jaahn · Guru

Hi confuse

I will state the bleeding obvious. Take it to a mechanic and get him to look at it. A lot of trucks have air suspension and most have air systems for the brakes so ask around the truck mechanics in the area. It is not rocket science. Easier to trouble shoot than the electronics. biggrin

Some imported Toyota Coasters are equipped with air suspension at the rear as standard equipment. It may be a Toyota factory system. yawn

Jaahn

-- Edited by Jaahn on Wednesday 23rd of November 2016 08:22:53 PM

-- Edited by Jaahn on Wednesday 23rd of November 2016 08:24:00 PM

jlmor · Member

Hello all,

I'm jumping on the subject instead of opening a new question on same subject, even though it's been a while since last replies.

The thing is that I just bought a 'coaster' made in Portugal, which makes it a bit of a strange beast as it's body was made by a local company and only the mechanics come from Toyota, a Dyna 220 or something close if I'm not far from target. We're starting to get it muted into an RV to be cruising European roads for years to come.

I've been searching locally for an air suspension kit, without success, while I see there are various providers in your country. If you think European roads don't need air comfort, think again, not all roads are smooths as the German 'Autobahns'!

THE QUESTION is: How can I specify the kit I might install on my Coaster, if I can't find exact model equivalence with Aussie models?

Or said differently, what kind of paramenters and/or tech information shall I gather to allow a kit supplier to ship me the exact stuff I need?

Hope the air suspension theme is still fresh enough on your minds, and wish you all a great week,
Jorge

Jaahn · Guru

Hi jlmor smile

Perhaps your vehicle, bus, is best described as a Toyota Dyna 220 with a custom body fitted. I am sure that the Dyna name is well known everywhere and the exact model will be shown on a "plate" which is fitted somewhere to all Toyota's and provides the details of the model, chassis type, engine, transmission etc etc. Perhaps the body builder also fitted a "plate" with details of the weights etc stamped on it also.

Your registration papers should have the weights for the vehicle, unloaded and maximum loaded weight. If not you could weigh it on a truck weight scale.

Use all that information to ask for any airbag kits. biggrin

good luck Jaahn

-- Edited by Jaahn on Tuesday 20th of March 2018 10:28:30 AM

jlmor · Member

Thanks for the hints Jaan.

In effect, found the said plates crimped to one of the entry stair steps, see image attached. It carries manufacturer's data (product#, chassis# and motor#) but I could not check to which Dyna type/model it is equivalent.

From licensing papers the front and rear axles loads are 2600 and 4300Kg, maximum allowed load is 6800Kg and net weight is 4400Kg. Also, distance between axles is 3935mm, and Toyota's type/model papers indicate the bus to have the following 'Toyota codes': Model BB50 (the Portuguese vendor called it 43BB50), Motor 15B-FT, and transmission M-155. That's all I could gather...

Does it help to spot to which Dyna it is equivalent, and then to define air suspension kit I need?

Thanks for any feedback from the community :)

-- Edited by jlmor on Wednesday 21st of March 2018 01:22:43 AM

Jaahn · Guru

Hi jlmor smile

We learn something new every day biggrin I looked at Wikipedia and found this there with the other information;

The chassis of the Toyota Coaster was also used on the Salvador Caetano Optimo and sold in Western Europe.
In the listing of various models; BB50, 15B-FTE 4-cyl Turbo Intercooled engine (2003-2006) 6sp. manual or auto.

So the BB50 is a genuine Coaster model chassis not a Dyna. It is not a model normally sold here but is sold in other countries. It is a long wheelbase with the 4 cyl motor and is rated for a heavier maximum load than our models. However the rear axle and suspension will be similar in all the models.

My suggestion is to use the information you have to enquire with suppliers and see what you get offered. I hope this helps smile

Jaahn

PS Toyota uses common parts for all their models when they suit. So the Coasters and the Dynas of similar weight carrying capacity have similar axles and springs anyway, as well as engines, transmissions etc. Caetano also made Dyna trucks and sold them in Europe too. BU100, BU200 ??

jlmor · Member

As you said Jaahn, we learn something new everyday!

To all on this forum: I'm glad that Jaahn has been reactive and helpful, but please feel free to join the talk :)

I just got back from tire/suspension service, and the software used to check wheels alignment and suspension "factory values" takes my "PT-Coaster" as a Dyna 220!

Also, I've found a Toyota website that, somehow, allowed me to get a copy of model/codes/parts for a number of vehicles. And there I've got some codes that effectively assimilates my PT-Coaster to a Dyna, either model BU212 version 32BUM4 or model BU222 VERSION 32BUN5, as both have same engine and same transmission. So it seems the tire software hint is confirmed for a Dyna 220 (BU222) to be mechanically equivalent to the PT-Coaster.

Then, still not clear to me what shall I mention to the parts supplier as the central reference for the selection of an air suspension kit: Coaster model BB50 should be enough, or would it be the version 43BB50 a better mention? And eventually add the "similarity" with the Dyna 220 - model BU222 / version 32BUN5 ?

And last but not least, are there any suppliers of air suspension kits in Australia, other than https://ssa.com.au/ previously mentioned by Baz421 in this post ?

Thanks to Jaahn who've been tracking and acting on my questions to date, and to anyone who may jump in with other hints!

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

I run between 5lb and 20lb at most on my 8m Explorer motorhome . Fitted the airbags myself . Yes they advertise on some airbag companies they can take 200 or so Lb . But at that pressure itâs almost solid . Doing chassis damage if your silly enough to pump that high ! I may fit my air lines to inside and run small elect compressor and regulater so pressure is internally adjustable . This way itâs near impossible to over pressureize air bags .

Jaahn · Guru

Hi jlmor smile

Well you did get one more reply hmm Please note that I am no expert on Coasters or air bags.

I had a quick look at some air bag suppliers here, there are more, and list them below. However they might all sell the same brand or two perhaps. I just searched for a kit for a Toyota Coaster and found they all say it is the same kit for all model Coaster 1986 to 2014. That makes it easy. wink

Then I looked on Ebay UK as that is closer to you and found that there were several suppliers, all Aussie, that would supply there and good prices included FREE FREIGHT. That is a good easy deal. The suppliers were the same as the ones here but looked cheaper there. So my suggestion is look there under 'Air Bag kit for Toyota Coaster'.

Cheers Jaahn.

Some Aussie suppliers.

https://www.airbagman.com.au/find/airbag-man-rr4635-for-a-bus-86-to-18/part-rr4635/cid-999800042/vid-/lfdnr-266231
https://airide.com.au/products/86-16-toyota-coaster-bus-hb-hzb30-50-rb-bb20-bb40-riderite-kit
polyair.com.au
https://www.airbagworld.com.au (not listed on site, but they said they could do a Firestone Ride Rite kit for a Coaster )

jlmor · Member

Thanks to Aus-Kiwi for the tips on inflating pressure.

And thanks again to Jaahn for the detailed research and price comparison with UK, that's probably the way to go :)
I'll dive in the matter this coming weekend, and will share my findings here for those who're following this topic.

Cheers, and a great time to all! :)

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Most U bolts and springs are much the same . I bought mine from US . Universal kit . U clamps either side of leaf spring . https://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fi762.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fxx270%2Fgo2spacebucket%2FSuspension%2520Specialist%2FNEW%2520No%2520Drill%2520Polyair%2520Bellows%2520Airbag%2520Kit%2520for%2520Ford%2520Ranger%2520Mazda%2520BT50%2520-%25202.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fforum.australia4wd.com%2Findex.php%3F%2Ftopic%2F30530-new-%25E2%2580%2598no-drill%25E2%2580%2599-polyair-bellows-airbag-kit-for-ford-ranger-mazda-bt50%2F&docid=FMKWXAXG1MRSnM&tbnid=EpIIb2Tz3OOj7M%3A&vet=1&w=800&h=533&hl=en-au&source=sh%2Fx%2Fim

Jaahn · Guru

jlmor wrote:
Thanks to Aus-Kiwi for the tips on inflating pressure.
And thanks again to Jaahn for the detailed research and price comparison with UK, that's probably the way to go :)
I'll dive in the matter this coming weekend, and will share my findings here for those who're following this topic.

Cheers, and a great time to all! :)

Hi jlmor smile

Any progress to report for our interest and education aww

Jaahn

jlmor · Member

Hello Jaan,
Not done yet with the matter. The vehicle is going through other repair and preparation steps for the conversion to motorhome, so I kept the suspension upgrade for the very end, when final load on the axles will be set. I've been studying the theme, and did locate a few sources for the hardware in Europe, mostly UK and Germany. So I'll have plenty of time to scrutinize specs, application recommendations, and prices, until the action deadline shows up on my schedule. I won't miss sharing the news when they happen, with pleasure.

Cheers to all,