ARB with pneumatic switch &/or toggle switches

I was wondering how to hook up the arb compressor and front or rear switch without using the arb wiring harness. I'm having problems with getting my comp and switches to work with the arb wiring harness. I hooked up my comp to the battery and got it to work, so I know that my comp works. I think I could hook up a toggle switch to power the comp, but what about the solenoid and the pressure limit switch. I have put about 5 hrs or so in trying to get my arb harness to work and still cannot. Any suggestions? Could I just run 2 plain toggle switches: 1 to the comp & 1 to the solenoid, but that leaves the pressure limit switch. I just running 1 front locker. Please advise.
thanks...Troy

Because it's a closed system, you have to have the pressure switch turn off the compressor when the pressure gets high enough or you'll damage the compressor. It will also turn the compressor back on if the pressure drops. If you try and do this by hand, your compressor will die and early death and your locker will unlock on you at the most embarrassing times.

As for running straight from battery to compressor via a switch, the switch will probably burn out. I think the compressor draws more power than you want to pass through a switch. You want a relay to be actuated by the switch, I would think. (I've not seen the ARB diagrams, but that is standard for high draw devices of which a compressor is one.)

bburge

bburge said:

Because it's a closed system, you have to have the pressure switch turn off the compressor when the pressure gets high enough or you'll damage the compressor. It will also turn the compressor back on if the pressure drops. If you try and do this by hand, your compressor will die and early death and your locker will unlock on you at the most embarrassing times.

As for running straight from battery to compressor via a switch, the switch will probably burn out. I think the compressor draws more power than you want to pass through a switch. You want a relay to be actuated by the switch, I would think. (I've not seen the ARB diagrams, but that is standard for high draw devices of which a compressor is one.)

bburge

Click to expand...

Yeah, you'll want the pressure switch wired to the relay so that it turns the compressor on and off. Then screw the solenoid... just put the pneumatic switch inline to the arb.
Billy

I'm very curious as to why you can't get the ARB harness to work......do you have the instruction book? Have you read it closely?

It's designed to literally plug and play, everything is even pre-terminated.

Do you have a multi-meter or test light to check for power at various places along the line?

CRASH

I'm running a front ARB off a non-ARB air system and it's pretty simple. Look at it as two systems; the compressor and the locker.
To run the compressor you need a switch running to a relay. The relay takes power from the battery to the compressor pressure switch. The pressure switch will cycle the compressor when needed.
To run the locker all you need is a switch to engage the locker solenoid. The solenoid had 2 wires coming from it; a hot and a ground. Just ground one and run from your switch to the other.
In short you just need a switch and a relay for the compressor and a switch for the locker solenoid.

CRASH said:

I'm very curious as to why you can't get the ARB harness to work......do you have the instruction book? Have you read it closely?

It's designed to literally plug and play, everything is even pre-terminated.

Do you have a multi-meter or test light to check for power at various places along the line?

CRASH

Click to expand...

I have the directions that I download off the ARB internet site. I have looked at it quite a few times and don't see that I wired it wrong. I'll get a test light and see if there is a short or something and where.
Troy

kid4lyf said:

I'm running a front ARB off a non-ARB air system and it's pretty simple. Look at it as two systems; the compressor and the locker.
To run the compressor you need a switch running to a relay. The relay takes power from the battery to the compressor pressure switch. The pressure switch will cycle the compressor when needed.
To run the locker all you need is a switch to engage the locker solenoid. The solenoid had 2 wires coming from it; a hot and a ground. Just ground one and run from your switch to the other.
In short you just need a switch and a relay for the compressor and a switch for the locker solenoid.

Click to expand...

I have a portable compressor with a dial in psi setting on it. It says that it has a 100 psi limit, so that is within the range of the arb psi requirement of 80-100 psi range. Could I just hook up the air line up to the compressor and just run the portable compressor off of my power inverter? I have a Optima Yellow top deep cycle so it should be able to supply the juice. I called ARB and I know that I don't want more than 100 psi because this can ruin something in the diff and then it the arb needs to be reset up in the diff.
Will a portable compressor work if I hook it up to the ARB line? 1st though I will get a test light and see if I can find the disc in my wiring harness.
Troy

kid4lyf said:

I'm running a front ARB off a non-ARB air system and it's pretty simple. Look at it as two systems; the compressor and the locker.
To run the compressor you need a switch running to a relay. The relay takes power from the battery to the compressor pressure switch. The pressure switch will cycle the compressor when needed.
To run the locker all you need is a switch to engage the locker solenoid. The solenoid had 2 wires coming from it; a hot and a ground. Just ground one and run from your switch to the other.
In short you just need a switch and a relay for the compressor and a switch for the locker solenoid.

Click to expand...

Maybe my relay is not working or not the correct 1. Isn't a 12 volt 5 prong relay needed? It plugs into my wiring, but maybe it is defective.
Troy

I strongly suspect that you have not got the wiring just right. I'm pretty good with wiring diagrams but I looked at the ARB one for quite awhile as it was a bit misleading when looking at the actual switches. Something didn't quite look correct. I'm surprised that more people haven't had problems. It's been awhile since I did mine but it seems that the pix was somewhat mirror image. At least to my dislexic eyes! :anon:

Danno said:

I strongly suspect that you have not got the wiring just right. I'm pretty good with wiring diagrams but I looked at the ARB one for quite awhile as it was a bit misleading when looking at the actual switches. Something didn't quite look correct. I'm surprised that more people haven't had problems. It's been awhile since I did mine but it seems that the pix was somewhat mirror image. At least to my dislexic eyes! :anon:

Click to expand...

I tried different combos and such with no luck. It is very straightforward though the wiring labeled and such, but I still cannot get mine to work. I'll try the test light 1st to see if I have a short somewhere.

i just installed an ARB in the front and the wiring kit worked fine for me.
when you testing it make sure your key is turned on to power it up
i'm using the second port for an airline to air up tires.

The later ARB harness only allows the front locker to be engaged after the rear is engaged first, have you tried swapping to the rear plug of the harness instead of the front? Another thing; the switches won't work unless the compressor is turuned on also. TC

steinjeep said:

I'm having problems with getting my comp and switches to work with the arb wiring harness.

...

I just running 1 front locker. Please advise.
thanks...Troy

Click to expand...

A few points to make. The ARB harness (both old and new) is wired so that you must have the rear locker switch engaged before the front locker switch will work. If you're wiring just a front locker, the easiest thing to do is plug the switch and solenoid into the connectors intended for the *rear* locker. If you plan on running both at some point in time, it is fairly easy to jumper the ARB harness so that the front locker switch can be engaged without the rear one engaged first.

Also, not sure what you have for parts, but...

Are your switches the newer rocker type, or the old push-buttons?
Does your harness have molded connectors for the switches, or individual pin connectors (6 each I think)?

The harnesses are different. You need to used the harness with molded connectors with the push-button switches and the harness with the individual connectors with the rocker-type switches. The wire colors and what they are for are *not* the same in the two different harnesses. Make sure the wiring diagram you're downloading matches your harness.

From memory (not 100% on this), the older push-buttons I think have a 6 pin connector, but only 5 pins/wires are used. The newer rocker type buttons use 6 pins and wires.

--Dan

steinjeep said:

I have a portable compressor with a dial in psi setting on it. It says that it has a 100 psi limit, so that is within the range of the arb psi requirement of 80-100 psi range. Could I just hook up the air line up to the compressor and just run the portable compressor off of my power inverter? I have a Optima Yellow top deep cycle so it should be able to supply the juice. I called ARB and I know that I don't want more than 100 psi because this can ruin something in the diff and then it the arb needs to be reset up in the diff.
Will a portable compressor work if I hook it up to the ARB line? 1st though I will get a test light and see if I can find the disc in my wiring harness.
Troy

Click to expand...

That should work fine