So in my last blog I can be quoted saying something along the lines of “driving a truck, it’s not a matter of if something will happen, so much as when?” Funny how words like these can come back and bite your rear! It's times like this I remember when I tell folks that just because I drive a newer truck, it doesn't mean things don't happen to me out there on the road as well. For somewhere around a week I had been chasing an air leak that was one of the most annoying kinds of leaks to have…one that leeches your air 
but does not make the typical hissing sound that accompanies most leaks. It started out slow and has been gaining momentum as the week progressed. I have been purposely making sure my air tanks were full at the end of every day to see how much would leak out overnight and this morning was the tipping point…dead zero! Still as puzzled as the week prior when I began looking and listening for this leak, I figured it was high time to take matters to the professionals.
For most of us, finding leaks like this is like a scavenger hunt with a 25-cent gumball machine toy at the end. We know what we find in the end isn’t necessarily going to be a good thing, but we still find some deranged sense of satisfaction when we nail down that ever-elusive problem. I love the thrill of the hunt and typically take to the airlines when this happens with my trusty bottle of “Leak B-Gone”, which is actually nothing more than a very mild, high-sudsing form of soapy water in a spray bottle. It would really be nice if this did what the name I gave it implied and not only found the leak, but fixed it too! Alas, not only does it not do what I “falsely advertise” by its name, but it was unable to 
detect this particular leak that eluded me for more than a week as well! This solution of a mild soap and water in a spray bottle has been able to detect nearly all other leaks in all my past years of trucking with a fairly high rate of success though and will continue to be part of my standard group of must-have tools that I carry on the truck. I happen to use an all-natural brand of plant-derived soap (pictured here) that I find to be very mild and that creates a lot of bubbles, which is critical in leak detection. I figure that if it’s mild enough for my daughter’s bottles, it must be more than fine for my airlines and fittings.
Sitting on my mechanic’s doorstep before the sun was even up and waiting for them right when they opened was not my idea of how I wanted to kick the day off, especially for a “simple” air leak. I am the kind of guy that prides himself on being able to fix small things on my truck myself, but this one was beyond my level of patience by this point. After using his “Leak B-Gone” and hitting every crack and crevice where an airline existed, he found the problem. The reason I couldn’t hear it was that it was not a large leak, but just fast enough it would leak out the air tanks overnight. It was not one I hit with the soapy water during my checking because it was fairly 
well hidden, up near the inside of the driver frame rail, where the clearance between it and the engine was barley enough to get your hand into. I have to hand it to the “Air Man” over there at the mechanic shop, for truly knowing what he was doing and taking care of the problem for me right away. It is his specialty to run down entire air systems and fix leaks for this mechanic shop in a timely manner. I am never too proud to admit that if you can’t get it done working on it yourself, pay a professional who can do it right for you! Thanks to the “Air Man” for getting me on my way and still keeping me on time for everything else I had to do today!