Overkill onboard air (ARB Twin) install turned out to be a good idea

So I was driving around the other day and noticed that my compressor was kicking on after 5 -10 minutes and normally it kicks on once in the morning when I start up and then good for the bulk of the day. Just as a refresher I have an ARB Twin mounted in the DV8 Storage box along with a 2 gallon air storage tank.

When I got back home I heard the air leak and took out the spray bottle with soapy water and saw that it was leaking heavily from the air/water separating filter blow off valve. I pulled it, cleaned it, swapped the schrader valve core and put it all back - still leaking. Pulled the polycarbonate bowl that houses the valve and separates the water from the air - and noticed a hairline crack where the valve core is screwed in...oddly enough I was at the gun club over the weekend and it's pretty much a dirt/gravel road for a a mile or so to get there - definitely heard a few rocks pingingn off the bottom, inner fenders etc and then the Frank Costanza moment must've occurred - "million to one shot doc" a rock must've hit the bowl and cracked it right at the relief valve.

Luckily in my crazy OCD install, I added a couple of relays to allow me to turn off the air system easily from an Aux switch and revert everything back to factory (incl air horn back to factory horn). So now while I wait for my metal bowl replacement from Pneumatic Plus, i don't have to do any extra work or take anything apart to temporarily shut things down. Honestly I was not expecting to ever have to use this "feature" but glad I built it in.









If you look at the 1 o'clock area below you can see the cracked/shadowy area.

Nicely done, your install has convinced me to go with the ARB, rather than the Viair in the tailgate.

Johnny MOOOOOOOOO!!! Your install is sick and glad you found the problem. I went with ARB in the suitcase lol and its been a godsend. Happy Holidays man!

I'm curious why your ARB was always powered on in the first place? You NEVER want to keep the compressor powered on 24/7. It pulls power and can drain your battery. Plus it's not good for the compressor to be on 24/7 straight.

4x4TruckLEDs.com said:

I'm curious why your ARB was always powered on in the first place? You NEVER want to keep the compressor powered on 24/7. It pulls power and can drain your battery. Plus it's not good for the compressor to be on 24/7 straight.

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It's not powered constantly. It is wired to an ignition on circuit via relay, then using the ARB factory pressure switch it turns on or off to fill the tank and keep it at pressure. The Aux switch is a way of interrupting the entire air system and reverting the airhorns back to factory. THe ignition switch I used was off the rear cargo accessory plug and then I forscand it to only remain active for 20 seconds after turn off instead of the default 30 minutes it was stock.

DuneRunner said:

Nicely done, your install has convinced me to go with the ARB, rather than the Viair in the tailgate.

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You're gonna want this then:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JK9DzkcMWQaB368UA

Johnny Mo said:

It's not powered constantly. It is wired to an ignition on circuit via relay, then using the ARB factory pressure switch it turns on or off to fill the tank and keep it at pressure. The Aux switch is a way of interrupting the entire air system and reverting the airhorns back to factory. THe ignition switch I used was off the rear cargo accessory plug and then I forscand it to only remain active for 20 seconds after turn off instead of the default 30 minutes it was stock.

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So it's on when the truck is on. That's still not a good idea. If you drive on a long trip you are powering that compressor the entire time when it's not in use.

For airhorns you still want the compressor on a switch so you can fill the tank up and then you can turn the compressor off.

DuneRunner said:

Nicely done, your install has convinced me to go with the ARB, rather than the Viair in the tailgate.

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You can't fit an ARB twin in the tailgate. We offer a few kits for the ARB twin

Under Hood mount: https://www.4x4truckleds.com/kr-off-road-air-compressor-engine-bay-kit-for-2021-ford-bronco/


Rear Storage Box: https://www.4x4truckleds.com/dv8-arb-air-compressor-mount-kit-storage-box-for-2021-ford-bronco/


Tailgate Mount: https://www.4x4truckleds.com/ags-tire-carrier-kit-for-arb-twin-air-compressor-for-2021-ford-bronco/

4x4TruckLEDs.com said:

So it's on when the truck is on. That's still not a good idea. If you drive on a long trip you are powering that compressor the entire time when it's not in use.

For airhorns you still want the compressor on a switch so you can fill the tank up and then you can turn the compressor off.

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The pressure switch turns of the compressor. There's no significant draw running power to it until it turns on. If I use my air horns, why would I want to have to remember to turn on the compressor to refill the tank? That's a bigger safety issue if I were to forget - I'd potentially have no horn when I needed it.

Johnny Mo said:

The pressure switch turns of the compressor. There's no significant draw running power to it until it turns on. If I use my air horns, why would I want to have to remember to turn on the compressor to refill the tank? That's a bigger safety issue if I were to forget - I'd potentially have no horn when I needed it.

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Well the reason you don't want to have it powered up is for that very reason... air lines leak. They all do. They all eventually leak.

That's the down side to running air horns. You periodically want to make sure your tank has air.

I mean it's your truck but take it from someone who does this for a living, it's NOT recommended to have it setup so that it's powered on at all times, relying on the pressure switch. It's best to have it on it's own switch so that you can turn it off when you are not using it OR between topping off your air tank.

This is different then a semi-truck, which always has the air compressor going when it's driving as they use it for breaking AND horns (additional horn).

This is not a requirement of your truck, as it has a built in horn. So it's not a safety feature, it's more of a convenience. It's your truck, so you can do what you like. But as a professional, I would never let a truck leave my shop with a compressor powered on at all times. In fact, we have more complaints from people coming in where their compressor didn't work and the fuse blew BECAUSE they forgot to turn it off.

The Broncos have finicky 12V systems and there is a documented report from ARB about this and the issues people are having with blown fuses. Leaving your compressor on with a truck that has a known problem with their batteries AND a known issue with 12V systems like air compressors... not a good idea.

And btw i am NOT giving you a hard time, so if you think that I apologize. I'm just adding my professional opinion because we get a lot of customers who call and say "well I read on this website or bronco group that you could do this" and we just want people reading this to be aware that your particular setup is NOT recommended.

4x4TruckLEDs.com said:

Well the reason you don't want to have it powered up is for that very reason... air lines leak. They all do. They all eventually leak.

That's the down side to running air horns. You periodically want to make sure your tank has air.

I mean it's your truck but take it from someone who does this for a living, it's NOT recommended to have it setup so that it's powered on at all times, relying on the pressure switch. It's best to have it on it's own switch so that you can turn it off when you are not using it OR between topping off your air tank.

This is different then a semi-truck, which always has the air compressor going when it's driving as they use it for breaking AND horns (additional horn).

This is not a requirement of your truck, as it has a built in horn. So it's not a safety feature, it's more of a convenience. It's your truck, so you can do what you like. But as a professional, I would never let a truck leave my shop with a compressor powered on at all times. In fact, we have more complaints from people coming in where their compressor didn't work and the fuse blew BECAUSE they forgot to turn it off.

The Broncos have finicky 12V systems and there is a documented report from ARB about this and the issues people are having with blown fuses. Leaving your compressor on with a truck that has a known problem with their batteries AND a known issue with 12V systems like air compressors... not a good idea.

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I get it - and if the air line leaks and the compressor starts running (like it did) I will know, and use the switch to shut it down, not sure how that's much different from what you are trying to convey. When the truck is turned off the air compressor is turned off.

4x4TruckLEDs.com said:

So it's on when the truck is on. That's still not a good idea. If you drive on a long trip you are powering that compressor the entire time when it's not in use.

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I think he runs it like a standard garage air compressor - it keeps a tank pressurized. The compressor only runs when the tank needs topped off...

Not sure what he uses the air all for, but doesn't really matter. If you had air lockers or wanted to pressurize a water tank or anything - nothing at all wrong with the setup.

Brian_B said:

I think he runs it like a standard garage air compressor - it keeps a tank pressurized. The compressor only runs when the tank needs topped off...

Not sure what he uses the air all for, but doesn't really matter. If you had air lockers or wanted to pressurize a water tank or anything - nothing at all wrong with the setup.

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It's still pulling power... it's not recommended. As I said, it's his truck but we DO NOT recommend customers actually do this.

4x4TruckLEDs.com said:

It's still pulling power... it's not recommended. As I said, it's his truck but we DO NOT recommend customers actually do this.

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No, it isn't pulling any power. Unless the tank needs to be topped off. The pressure switch turns it on and off - it's the same as flipping the upfitter switch.

Brian_B said:

No, it isn't pulling any power. Unless the tank needs to be topped off. The pressure switch turns it on and off - it's the same as flipping the upfitter switch.

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Yes, it is. Call ARB. They will tell you the same thing. That system is still pulling power. The pressure switch is just making sure that the compressors don't turn on. But the system is still pulling power.

Don't believe me? Call ARB and ask them...