Please Help with Two Questions about Laserwash 4000

[JCS_KC]

I have a lot of frustration and don’t know where to turn for help. I guess I can boil it down to two questions.

1. Does anyone know how to get 4 Low Pressure options on a 4000 with program 19.0.b?
2. Why would the bridge go 4 feet beyond the end of the car on High Pressure cycles only?

Here’s the history of my frustration:

I have spent the last two weeks and a lot of money with two service companies trying to enable a fourth Low Pressure cycle on my LW 4000. The problem started when we started offering Turtle Wax Fire & Ice. Our highest wash was set up as follows:

Soap/Wax LW Cycle Output
Cycle 1 High PH Soap LP Soap #1 Y23
Cycle 2 Soaking (15 Sec)
Cycle 3 Low PH Soap HP Drying Agent Y26
Cycle 4 High Press Rinse
Cycle 5 Turtle Wax Fire LP Foaming Wax Y24
Cycle 6 High Press Rinse
Cycle 7 Turtle Wax ICE LP Soap #2 Y25
Cycle 8 Turtle Wax HP-10 HP Polysealant Y27
Cycle 9 Spot Free Rinse

Cars were having a film left after they went through this wash. The chemical rep said this was because the Low PH Soap was being applied with High Pressure and that we needed it to be applied with Low Pressure.

We have an unused port on the output tree, so he talked to his service tech and they determined that by turning on Triple Foam we would gain an additional Low Pressure output. So I called PDQ and they gave me the Triple Foam option code. Then I was told we needed to add a 7 Board to get the output to work.

The 7 Board was installed, but the output didn’t work. Since the company that installed the board isn’t a PDQ distributor any more, they couldn’t get help with the issue so they told me to call the local PDQ distributor. The PDQ distributor sent a repair person out who determined that the 7 Board won’t work without a Dummy Board in the 6 Board slot and the Plumbing Option needed to be 20. So they changed the Plumbing Option and ordered a Dummy Board. At this point I was told by both companies that the wash should run the same way it always has.

When I ran the wash everything ran fine except the Turtle Wax Fire on the LP Foaming Wax (Y24). When I called the PDQ distributor to ask about the cycle not working they said the solenoid had probably gone bad. I went to the diagnostics and turned the Y24 output on and it ran fine. I called the original service company and explained what was going on. They suggested I should call PDQ myself to get assistance.

I called PDQ and explained where I was in this process. The PDQ tech said that the Y24 output won’t work properly if I turn on the Triple Foam. He said we needed to change the option code back to the original code and then we could use the Y73 Low Pressure output. I wasn’t at the car wash at that time so he said to call back in the morning and I could get the code.

When I called PDQ this morning I got a different tech and he said it will not be possible to utilize the Y73 output when we switch the code back. Our 4000 has the 19.0.b software and when we set the code back there was no additional Low Pressure options. The tech told me that the only way to get a fourth Low Pressure would be to have a series of relays that would change the solenoid that fires based on certain steps in the wash process.

I was able to get the Turtle Wax Fire cycle to run the way it used to by changing the Plumbing Option back to 4. The new problem is that when it is running a High Pressure cycle the bridge runs all the way past the car to to the back of the track. On Low Pressure it stops at the back of the car, but any time it is running High Pressure it goes 3 or 4 feet past the end of the car. I don’t understand if this is happening because of all the program changes or if it is just coincidental.

I am sorry this message is so long. I appreciate any and all help with these issues.

Thank you, Jon

 

[Waxman]

I think you should apply BOTH presoaks at low pressure, then dwell ( after each presoak), then hp rinse. then foam. then wax . then hp rinse . then spot free. then blow dry. then your cars will look nice.

 

[Ontario Car Wash]

I use
lp hph soap
same soap
dwell
3xfoam
hp rinse
wax
spot free
dry
they come out pretty good

 

[chadrpalmer]

PM sent to you.

 

[getnbusy]

I have recently tried to get a 4th low pressure feature also. I believe that you CAN have low pressure wax and triple foam but I don't run tri foam so I cant remember for sure. I was told the only way you could have a 4th true low pressure pass would be to give up one of the high pressure features( drying agent or polysealant). I believe you gotta install a relay to not turn on the hi pressure pump. In my case that defeated the wash cycle I wash trying to create.

I hope you can find another way. Please post it if you do.

 

[PEI]

Question 1: You could use Soap #1 for your High pH soap, Soap #2 for your Low pH soap, Foaming Wax for your Turtle Wax Fire, and use Drying Agent with the water saver valve for your Turtle Wax ICE. Then use the water saver unloader to adjust the pressure down to 250 psi. This would mean that anything else using the water saver would also be applied at 250 psi.

You could instead install a relay to read Y26 and interrupt Y35 when it is on. You would then need to run your drying agent product line up to the overhead manifold and plug its spot on the high pressure intake manifold. This would require adding an additional check valve and plumbing an additional port on the overhead manifold.

Question 2: Check the rear T-bar eye relay in J3 on the bridge. You will probably need to turn up the gain. This will help the eyes see through the extra mist created during the high pressure and prevent it from going long.