On Board Air Set-up??

[My85'Runner]

Okay I'm a big fan of "being prepared" I guess it's the Eagle Scout in me. I want to be able to air up my own tires, and posisbly run an impact wrench for quick fixes on the trail. I'll also be running one ARB in the rear, possibly one up front if the funds are around next summer. I've been looking at electric compressor as of today, mostly the BIG ones, Outback Extream air and the Viaire 550C, I figured they could handel what I wanted. I have been turned to look at meachnical ones like the York. I got that recomendation from this BB one day. They also seem to be a bit cheeper compared to the electrics, ($225 York, $300+ electric)

What I want to know is, how is the up keep on these things, is it hard to keep up with and keep running good, does it get expensive. I live in the East, the land of mud, and road salt:puke: so up keep is important. Also does anyone know of a write up with pictures for a York or any other. Any pictures of how and where it's mounted would be great. I don't have A/C so that is not a worry.

Thanks in advance.:Thumbsup:

[My85'Runner]

BTT, any input?

[fourwd1]

Since you don't have AC, get the AC comp and brackets from a junkyard and convert it for use as an air compressor. With a small tank you can run air tools.

For York info do a search on Pirate, tons of info there.

[WildYoats]

Originally posted by fourwd1
For York info do a search on Pirate, tons of info there.

:cuss: Instead of sending folks to do searches on other boards, do some research and help a brotha out! Here's an article I found.......

How to build an On Board Air Compressor
An on-board air compressor is a great accessory to any 4x4. It can air up tires and run air tools. I've also seen an air jack being used on the trail! You can buy a ready to go electric compressor or an engine belt driven compressor but these are fairly expensive. You can build one of your own for quite a bit less.

I haven't seen many articles on how to build your own on-board air compressor so I thought I would show you how I did it using a York style air conditioning compressor.

This was certainly not my idea and I asked a long time friend and fellow four wheeler to show me how to build one. He had been successfully running this style compressor for years.

This modification was not that technically challenging just time consuming like most things I do to my Cruiser.

It was also not too expensive. The most expensive part was the Air Tank at $45.00. I'm sure you could find a used Air tank at a Truck Repair or Supply shop for a little less. And if you only intend to air up tires an air tank is not needed at all. The tank is only needed for air storage so that you can run air tools requiring a larger supply of air than the compressor is able to handle instantaneously. Of course, the tools can only be used until the tank pressure has dropped below a useable level. You must then wait for the tank to refill before continuing. I find that my air compressor/tank will easily handle impact wrenches and airing up tires is pretty quick. Using a tool requiring a large and constant supply of air (like a sand blaster) would not work too well with this setup. I would guess that about 3-4cfm can be achieved with this setup. The cfm will depend on the rpm of the engine.

Here are the parts that I used and their approximate cost to complete the setup:

York Style Air Compressor & Clutch from a Ford or AMC $35
Toggle Switch $4
Air Compressor Mount $5 ( I built my own from scrap metal)
New Fan Belt $10
Adjustable Pressure Switch $18
Safety Valve $4
Brass Tee $2
Air Tank $45
Air Hose $50 (I used Air-Quip hoses and fittings. These are expensive but will last a long, long time)
Air Pressure Gauge $5
Air Intake Filter $15 (I used a K&N Filter)
Other Misc fittings $10
The total cost of all this was about $200. I'm sure it could be done for less. I used all new parts except for the Compressor and Clutch.


Here's what it looks like on paper...
air hose to tools

^ <-- --------
| _____ _|filter| <--Air goes in
| | I I --------
______ | -----
| | | | |
| air | <-- <-- | |A/C||
| tank |---------------- | || <-A/C Compressor and Clutch.
|______| | |___|| Compressor is belt driven
S PS by the engine. +12v engauges
^ ^ and disengages the clutch.
| |
Safety Valve Pressure Switch
Wire from the clutch attaches here to
pressure switch. From pressure switch
run a wire to on/off switch. From on/off
switch run wire to battery.



Here is the wiring setup:

Wire in series as follows:

Ignition
Switched
BATTERY <-------> ON/OFF <-------> Pressure <-------> Compressor Clutch
+12v Switch Switch
Source


Building the mount was the most time consuming part. On my '79 FJ40 I had to relocate the alternator in order to make room for the compressor. The alternator on my 79 is located on the passenger side of the motor. I moved it further up towards the hood and mounted the compressor below it at a 45 degree angle. The compressor should be mounted in as upright a position as possible. This will provide the best position for the crankcase oil to remain in the case instead of in the air supply. A little oil in the air supply should be expected. Just check the compressor oil as part of your regular Cruiser maintenance. The compressor will only be spinning when you are using the unit so actual duty cycle should be pretty low as compared to the engine duty cycle.

I've heard of others making compressors that have a oil/air separator on the supply line and the separator then runs back down to the compressor crankcase. I didn't bother with all of this and my compressor has been running fine for several years.

Another idea I've heard is to run a oil pressure line from the engine to the compressor to keep a constant supply of oil in the crankcase. This is a good enough idea but again I elected not to do this.

My solution was just to add about 1" of motor oil in the compressor crankcase and then just check it on occasion. I do avoid running the motor at high RPM when using the compressor. The higher RPM will cause more of the oil to get into the air supply. If you do run the engine at higher RPMs when using the compressor then just check the oil more frequently. How frequent is based on the mounted position of the compressor and your usage frequency. I checked the oil in mine before each 4x4 trip until I got an idea of how much oil it was using up. Now I just check it 2 or 3 times per year and add oil as needed.

The belt I used to drive the compressor was the Alternator belt. The pulley groove in the compressor is a bit narrower then the Toyota pulley. I found that the with Toyota belt will not work. I used a narrower belt to fit the compressor pulley and this size works ok in the Toyota pulleys (not bottoming out).

As with any high pressure system, SAFETY is a primary concern. Make sure that you DO use the pressure switch and the pressure safety valve. If you do not use these then you are asking for trouble. An A/C compressor can easily provide pressures of 300psi. This could have disastrous results if left to run unchecked!

The wiring is straight forward. From a switched +12v supply run a supply wire to your ON/OFF switch. The ON/OFF switch can be mounted anywhere. I mounted mine in the cab next to an air pressure gauge and an idiot light that tells me the compressor is on. From the ON/OFF switch run a wire to the air pressure switch installed in either the air tank or the air supply line to the tank. Then from the pressure switch run a wire to the compressor clutch. There is only one wire on the clutch. This is the +12v wire. The clutch is grounded through the compressor body to your engine and your engine should be grounded to both the frame and body. If not, then do this too as you most likely have other problems because of the missing ground cables.

If you want to add the idiot light then also run a wire from the output side of the ON/OFF switch to the light of your choice. Be sure to also run a ground wire from the light to the body or chassis.

As I said, the mounting of the compressor is probably going to be the most difficult part of this setup unless you are running a motor that used a York style A/C compressor for an air conditioning option. In this case you can forage the junk yards for the factory mount and it will be a bolt on affair.

Good luck and happy air'ing. Now you can air down and air up whenever you want.

[WildYoats]

Here's even a better one by Wild Yoats member ROGER BROWN specifically for a Toyota:

http://www.4crawler.com/4x4/CheapTricks/OnBoardAir.shtml

[fourwd1]

Originally posted by WildYoats
[B]:cuss: Instead of sending folks to do searches on other boards, do some research and help a brotha out!

Well I pointed him in the right direction where I knew he could get many answers to his question.

If a person can't do a little research on their own, how are they going to be able to build something on their own?

People LEARN by doing, having everything spoon-fed does not help someone learn, it makes them more dependant instead of self-reliant.

That's part of the problem with society nowadays, everyone wants everything given to them.


I am NOT saying this about the original poster of the question, so don't take any offense dude, I'm just responding to the quote above.

[WildYoats]

Thank you for your input and explination. What good does it do our board if we just send everyone elsewhere when they have a question? Yes, Pirate is HUGE, and if that's the case, i'm sure POR would have an answer for every question a person has on this board. How would that be if we answered every single question with, "do a search on......". What's the point?

I happen to know that I alot of folks around here don't care to visit POR.

And hey, this is a toy tech board, not a college exam.... People come here for answers with minimul research...hence the name "Bulletin board"......

Gracias!

[My85'Runner]

Thanks for the input guys, no offense taken. I like POR there is alot of stuff out there, but I for one hate digging through all the results and ending up with some threads that go nowhere because of all the flamming and off topic BS that can go on there. I LOVE WILD YOATS, it's the only place other than POR that has alot of 1st gen 4Runner information. Thanks again for the help.:Rockonman <---WILD YOATS ROCKS

[Toyminator]

Here's (http://www.wheelingadventures.com/Northern4x4/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=2;t=3990;hl=toy+tech) a write-up I did on using a stock Toyota compressor for on- board air. I will never go back to using an electric compressor.

[Kyron]

I'd get the stock toyota A/C compressor and mounts and convert it to an air compressor......

It would be easier to use stock toy stuff with no getto fabbing needed........

The stock compressor will last as long as an inline oiler is used to feed it oil, Thats the only advantage that the york has, that it has a sealed oil system.

[WildYoats]

Originally posted by Toyminator
Here's (http://www.wheelingadventures.com/Northern4x4/ikonboard.cgi?;act=ST;f=2;t=3990;hl=toy+tech) a write-up I did on using a stock Toyota compressor for on- board air. I will never go back to using an electric compressor.

Killer write-up man!

Oh but what would I do in MOAB during the summer 110 degree weather without my A/C. :(

[Kyron]

Originally posted by WildYoats
Killer write-up man!

Oh but what would I do in MOAB during the summer 110 degree weather without my A/C. :(

Thats the best time for night wheeling........ 110 is too hot to be away from the pool :beer:

[My85'Runner]

Sweeet you guys are the best:beer: . Thanks for all the help, I always forget to check Rodger Brown's site. That is the most comprehensive place ever, it would take me days to read and understand just a few pages of what he has there.

Thanks for the awsome write-up that was exactly what I was looking for. The cost of an electric is just way to much for me, I'm trying to get lifted, go hy-steer, and all this at the same time. Oh happy days.:Help: :yes: