Hey all,

The wife brought the 4Runner down to the Chili Challenge on Friday night, and we did Broad Canyon on Saturday. However, about halfway through Broad Canyon, I noticed that both front tires were not turning. After a little checking, we discovered the ARB compressor died. The solenoid on the compressor was getting juice, but the pump didn't want to work. We finished the canyon (pretty easy) in 3 wheel drive.

Anyboy have information on rebuilding the ARB compressor?

 

Was it running but not making pressure, or was it not running at all?

If it was not running at all check the electrical part of it like the pressure switch, relay, fuse, power connections, harness, dash switches and so on. I would not start off by replacing the compressor until everything else was ruled out.

Gadget

 

FYI, the ARB compressor fuses tend to start popping after a while. ARB suggest replacing the old harness with a new HD fuse harness.

 

You might want to PM SMR4runner if he doesn't see this thread, I seem to remember him rebuilding his compressor after it failed a little while back.

 

I knew you couldn't keep the beast off the trail!



I hope you are feeling better too!

 

I have killed two ARB's and a QuickAir2 now Both the ARB's died such that the motor was a complete loss and it was just cheaper to replace it, rather than rebuild it. ARB lists a rebuild kit, but it's not cheap and it only covers parts that they expect to wear. If the windings on the motor are trash, it will be cheaper to buy a new one.

 

Wow, are you using them to air up tires or something?

 

Yes. The ARB's will probably last a life time in a 10% duty cycle, topping up a tank for lockers, but they don't like airing up tires very much. I had high hopes for the QuickAir2, but while it started out strong, it just took longer to die than the ARB's. Yesterday it burst into flame and that was all she wrote

 

I'm hoping me spending the money on a ViAir 450c (100%duty cycle) will last me a while, w/o dying too quick. <knock on prefabricated wood>

 

I have decided to give ViAir a shot as well this time. This morning I ordered up a ViAir 550C Continuous duty and 2.9 CFM That should do the trick for a while

 

Do you guys think these problems are isolated incidents or do you think that the ARB compressor is junk? I am asking because I am going to be purchasing a compressor this week for my ARB locker and I would really like to have one that is going to last a substantial amount of time. I really can't afford having to buy a new one nor do I want to if it going to fail. Do you think that the failure is solely related to it being used to fill up tires, or are there other factors that contributed to its failure.

Also, it looks like ARB offers a 2 year warranty on their compressors, did your compressors die after that 2 year period?

 

They are good and dependable compressors for keeping a small tank topped up for the lockers and the ocasional tire filling. But if you have 33's or bigger or will be filling tires regularly, it's going to die.

Unfortunately, my filling tires on a regular basis was considered to be "abuse" by ARB, so no warranty for me. It's rated at something like a 15% duty cycle, so that means that out of an hour, you should only run it for 9 minutes or so. Running it for 20 minutes or more to air up tires is asking for trouble.

 

I found this chart for air compressors to give an idea of what we are talking about with duty cycles. These are maximum recommended runs times.

Duty Cycle @100psi @ 72*F

10% = 3 min on then 27 min off
15% = 6 min on then 34 min off
20% = 8 min on then 32 min off
25% = 10 min on then 30 min off
30% = 13 min on then 30 min off
33% = 15 min on then 30 min off
100% = Continuous Duty

There seems to be some agreement on these numbers among the major compressor manufacturers. So, on the ARB, you have about enough time to do one tire, perhaps a bit more, then you are supposed to let it sit for 30 minutes. At least that is what you need to do to stay within their duty cycle. Obviously, with my compressors running for 30 or 40 minutes worth of tires at the end of runs, that *might* have taken it's toll.

Another point is that temperature. If your compressor is in an enclosed space or the engine compartment, it's going to be hotter than 72* and thus the duty cycle goes down rapidly. An ARB mounted in the common spot on the fender will be at a lot less pressure than the 100psi listed, but the temperature is going to be a lot higher.

 

If i did decide to go with a diffferent air compressor, how hard would it be to wire it to run my ARB locker? It seems like the ARB compressor is plug and play because it comes with the wire loom and everything. Do you have have a good understanding of circuits to make it work? Anyone know what all is involved in doing that?

 

I am using a ViAir 450C with the ARB rear locker, and the ARB wiring harness, the only odd thing you will need is an adapter to go from your locker solonoid fitting, 1/8bsp i think to 1/4"npt, i know you need the adapter, just dunno the specifics on size...

No problems thus far.

Oh I forgot to mention, if you are putting the fittings straight into the arb compressor, youll prolley need a manifold too.

 

I have been thinking of other ways to fill my tires. I have an ARB compressor that I use to fill my tires after runs. This wasn't a problem when I had the 31's but now with the 33's my compressor gets hotter. Heat kills everything.

For about the same price as a good compressor you can get Co2. I was thinking something like this.



Why not??

 

How long would it take to air up one 31" tire from 20psi to 35psi with the ARB compressor?

Also, is it mandatory to have an air tank?

 

The Relay mounted to the side of the ARB unit was clicking on, but the pump was not engaging.

I do have the PowerTank, and I thinking about plumbing int he PowerTank so that I can rely on that, but dang! I have never used the ARB to fill tires, and it has rarly been used for trail use. I gotta tear it apart and see what is happening.

 

I would go from 15 to 32 in about 5 to 7 minutes. Now it takes about 10+ min. per tire

I don't have an air tank. I don't think that helps air up times though? Just holds air if your compressor fails.

 

It's not a big deal if you are used to working with relays. But ARB does make it REALLY easy with their harness.

REMEMBER: No matter what compressor you run, you are likely going to want to run a regulator before the air lockers in the air line. ARB gets around this by setting up their compressors with a pressure switch that shuts down the compressor at 85 PSI, but most other compressors are capable of 150-200 psi and will destroy an air locker. If in doubt, a regulator is a relatively cheap way to protect your air locker investment. That way if a pressure switch fails, it doesn't blow the seals on the locker, pressurize the diff and force all that precious diff juice out the breather.