Onboard air system

[xterrabull]

I've been wanting to do this for a while & finally made the plunge.
The compressor I opted for was Viair 400H ("H"ardmount) air compressor. I purchased it from Central4WD for $210.00 but there is good information on it here at tellico 4x4 website.
It has reasonable power (1.27 CFM @ 100 PSI) yet max current draw is only ~30 amps so a dual battery setup is not required.
The best thing about it is it can mount inside of the ARB bumper right behind one of those orange blinker lights:


The compressor has a remote air intake which is located under the hood so I don't have to worry about excess dirt/water in the air filter.
For air storage the Viair 2.5 gallon tank fits perfectly above the drive shaft (I believe someone else has posted pics of this mounting location for this tank):


But I wanted more air storage so I also have 3.0 gallon tank (purchased at a big-rig wrecking yard for $25). The shape was such that it mounted nicely above the rear diff with only minor cutting/bending of flimsy exhaust heat shielding (sorry so hard to see in B&W picture):


Filling time for both air tanks from 0-120 PSI is ~2:45. Under the hood I have a pressure switch that turns the compressor on at 80 PSI and off 120 PSI plus a blow-off valve that clears the air from the check valve back to the compressor (this prevents the compressor from starting up against a high PSI which could cause current spike & blown fuses).
All high pressure lines are plumbed with 3/8" copper tubing except for some plastic tubing running to the gauge mounted in bottom part of center console (which is accompanied by a master on/off for the system)
Air outlets are (1) under the hood and (2) a rubber hose tucked into the right-rear plastic corner-panel (when not in use, the hose clips in place & out of the way) -- see picture below.
How does the system perform? Great for what I want it for which is mainly airing-up tires, mattresses, etc. & maybe some day for an air locker. Due to the fairly large storage capacity of the system (5.5 gallons), I also have some limited air tool capability (i.e. loosening/removing lug nuts).

Below is a picture depicting the joy of being able to air up 3 Xterras (all with 31X10.5 tires--2 AT & 1 MT) from ~11 PSI to ~27 PSI in ~ 25 minutes total:


All in all I'm very happy with the cost/performance of the system & I highly recommend it, especially if you have an ARB bumper!

[ChiaX]

Looks awseome man. I was thinking of doing something simmilar but i am going to do auto switches and shit liek that.

[rrdstarr]

I was thinking about hiding tanks up there? But I got a PT-10 PowerTank instead. I'd like to find a permanent hard point for it though??????

[O1SalsaX]

Nice write up. Where were you about 3 weeks ago when I did my setup? I used a 1995 Cadillac Air suspension compressor hooked up to a 3 gallon air tank with a a CH regulator/blow-off valve/gauge. I'll be hooking up a pressure switch real soon, once everything is finalized. Right now I have the tanked strapped down in the hatch right next to the Air compressor. Soon I will hard mount the compressor (possibly under hood) with air outlets in the ARB and KMA bumpers. I was able to fill up my AT tires from 15-35 psi in about 1 minute 30 seconds or so, depending on how much pressure was in the tank (obviously). And of course limited Air tool use.
On board air (also KMA install)

[xterrabull]

Originally posted by ChiaX
Looks awseome man. I was thinking of doing something simmilar but i am going to do auto switches and shit liek that.

I do have an auto switch -- automatically turns the compressor "on" when system hits 80 PSI, then automatically turns the compressor "off" when the system reaches 120 PSI. In addition, I have a "master" switch in the center console to turn the entire system off or on (it simply switches on & off the automatic pressure switch).

01SalsaX,
Cool idea using that Cadi compressor; are there a lot of vehicles to choose from that have air suspension? Did you find it at junkyard? Do you know max current draw for the compressor? 1:30 for 4 tires off a 3 gallon tank is very fast. How full can you get the tank (in terms of max. PSI)?
BTW just looking at your KMA pics & thinking about preping it for painting makes me realllly tired....

[O1SalsaX]

Hehehe. I spent about 13 hours total on the KMA that I boguht from Mustard Custard. It was originally pianted with Yellow bedliner. I HATE that Stuff!!! The overall results were pretty good, and I'm very happy with it, and of course the price was right (excluding the time and labor).

And it wasnt 1:30 for all four AT tires, that was for 1 tire...Obviously with more tanks that would decrease significantly. I'll probably bolt in a couple air tanks in the ARB and KMA bumpers.

Where did you get a pressure switch? I was mine to keep the psi around 90 or so, maybe 100psi. I normally keep my tank around 120psi, I try not to push it any further. I dont think it would be safe with the fittings i used.

As far as the current draw, I havent a clue where to find out. I havent hooked it up "permanently" yet. It is just hooked up to two battery clamps for now. I have a 40 amp fuse for it, I dont know if it'll need a 60 amp fuse. The maximum PSI I have gotten out of this Caddy pump is around 130psi or so, I didnt want the compressor to have to work that hard so I set the regulator at 90psi.

I got it from a local junkyard for $30. I found out after I bought it that if I were to find a Range Rover, They had an ARB air compressor option to operate air suspension and air lockers. That would be IDEAL, but pricey. I know that the Caddy one worked before I bought it, I dont know about the reliablity of the Lincoln LSC, or continental pumps, and they can be expensive, ($50 to $100 depending on junkyard).
The reason why I chose caddy, is because you always hear about LSC's blowing up the air bags in the rear, therefore the compressor is always running trying to raise the destroyed suspension.
The main reason the caddy compressor would be in the jnukyard is that the Auto Leveler switch would break and the compressor wouldnt shut off, instead of fixing it, people often Unplugged the compressor and didnt use the ride leveling option, i.e. less use.

[IggyB]

I got my Caddy compressor for 9 bucks, Canadian. That's 5 dollars real money.

Without using a storage tank it fills a 31" MT from 10 to 28 psi in 5 minutes.

[xterrabull]

I got my pressure switch at a place called "Air Tool Store" (guess what they sell?!?) in Sacramento, CA. The switch is the same as used on standard garage-type 120 VAC compressor/tank combinations (you just have to get creative about mounting it). They had absolutely everything I needed for basic plumbing of the system (hoses, quick connects, check valves, etc...) & I suspect any specialty air tool store would be the same; in addition they were very helpful & even had a standard plumbing/wiring diagram for this type of automated system that made everything clear-cut during my install. Possibly Harbor Freight would have the pressure switches but I'm not sure.
Never mind about the current draw -- I was thinking filling all 4 tires in 1:30 meant that Cadi pump was sucking up serious juice and, if not, I was regretting my pump selection! It makes more sense that that time was for 1 tire.