Queenslander
Senior Member
Had a head scratcher recently.
2012 Western Star 4900 blew the air line between the drier and the purge tank one night.
This is a metal braid, rubber coated line with threaded fittings, just like a hyd. hose but had blown apart and was in two pieces.
Found and fitted a new one next morning.
Within thirty seconds the entire length of the line started smoking then burst into flames.
Managed to kick it off with a boot before it damaged any thing else.
Both drier and tank are securely bolted to the chassis rail.
Turns out, the battery cable, which runs along the inside of the rail, had shorted out on a tank mounting strap which, somehow, remained insulated from the chassis.
So the air line became a fusible link, of sorts, as the current looked for a path back to earth via the drier.
2012 Western Star 4900 blew the air line between the drier and the purge tank one night.
This is a metal braid, rubber coated line with threaded fittings, just like a hyd. hose but had blown apart and was in two pieces.
Found and fitted a new one next morning.
Within thirty seconds the entire length of the line started smoking then burst into flames.
Managed to kick it off with a boot before it damaged any thing else.
Both drier and tank are securely bolted to the chassis rail.
Turns out, the battery cable, which runs along the inside of the rail, had shorted out on a tank mounting strap which, somehow, remained insulated from the chassis.
So the air line became a fusible link, of sorts, as the current looked for a path back to earth via the drier.
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