TheGrrrrr
GOLD Star
I think you already found the issue with the loose connections and my bet is a blown fuse on the ARB as a result.
ARB Dual Air Compressor and a Lithium LiFePO4 aux Battery
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- #22
its wired to the start battery as well
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- #23
I'll check the fuse for sure. Currently obviously the loose connections are an issue, but.......the compressor issue dates back to the day he delivered my truck post install. So, unless all those connections were loose from the start, then I dunno. I'm assuming they came loose over the past month the truck saw a lotta dirt in that time.
TheGrrrrr
GOLD Star
I think its unlikely that all those connections started out nice and tight and then ALL of them rattled loose. They may have loosened up but I think they started too loose. Would be very easy to blow 1 of 2 fuses during install and not realize it, because it would seem like the compressor was running, even if only half of it is.
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- #25
Yeah i bet you are spot on with that guess. I had quite a few of his screws and sticky zip tied cable tie mounts all loose almost immediately after i got the truck from him. So, not a stretch at all to think these were not properly tightened from the beginning. Also yeah the compressor his testing went no further than "does it turn on and make noise", never actually tested it as far as I know. So, if 1 of the 2 fuses was blown during install, that's quite possible he wouldn't have noticed
RET2
SILVER Star
Sure hope he makes it right with you.
I know it's already done, but I would run the compressor off the start battery. The compressor is going to be a pretty big drain on your house battery and then forcing your DC to DC charger to work harder and more useless cycles on your lithium battery. But one 10 min run of your ARB compressor will use 12% of your 100ah battery (Assuming 70amp*12v @ 10min = 134.4 wh/1200wh = 11.6% -- please don't check my units). None of these calculations including voltage loss over the long runs of cable.
Also, just spraying these smaller OBA compressors with no tank isn't a great test of functionality. It won't be anything like hitting the trigger when it's connected to a 20 gallon air tank sitting at 100psi. If you've left the trigger off long enough to let the pressure build up in what little hose you are using enough for the compressor to shut off, then you may get a very brief high pressure wisp, but then it will just be a slow breeze once there is no excess pressure.
I assume the compressor is shutting off when you aren't asking for any air? That alone is pretty much proof it's building pressure. Otherwise the pressure cutoff switch wouldn't be turning it off.
Also, just spraying these smaller OBA compressors with no tank isn't a great test of functionality. It won't be anything like hitting the trigger when it's connected to a 20 gallon air tank sitting at 100psi. If you've left the trigger off long enough to let the pressure build up in what little hose you are using enough for the compressor to shut off, then you may get a very brief high pressure wisp, but then it will just be a slow breeze once there is no excess pressure.
I assume the compressor is shutting off when you aren't asking for any air? That alone is pretty much proof it's building pressure. Otherwise the pressure cutoff switch wouldn't be turning it off.
bloc
SILVER Star
That’s what I was gonna say. Somewhere it was mentioned letting it run for two minutes.. if this is done while not actually flowing any air, and the compressor doesn’t shut off, something isn’t right.
Julian73
SILVER Star
The compressor can easily run off a starter or auxiliary battery, however with your auxiliary batt. in the back long cable runs could well be a problem from too much voltage drop. You don't say what size cables were run, but they will need to be sized much larger than the amperage capacity needs; length in the equation is the addition of both positive and negative, thus about 35 ft. Other voltage drop issues could be loose cable connections.
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- #30
Not sure on if the compressor is shutting off when I'm not asking for any air, but I'll check when i get the truck back. Good advice, gives me some stuff to try though.
I don't really see any advantage of leaving it connected to the lithium battery, other than thats how it currently is connected. I'd rather preserve my 100ah for the fridge and stuff that i need to run off it. The whole time the shop had my truck I assumed it was going to be off the start battery. But, sounds like the long cable run, combined with the fact that I can almost be sure the wire is not fat enough, is probably where the issue is coming from. If I'm back to having to redo the wiring for this anyways, might as well just go connect to the starter battery for a much shorter cable run. I can leave the Switchpros as my on/off, but use main the battery for the power and a much shorter cable run. I always carry a large NOCO jump starter, and would always have the truck on (and hood open) when using so not worried about it killing the main. Appreciate all the advice, thanks.
I agree there's some questionable wiring choices. But that's not the root of your problem if you're asking about inability to build pressure.
Whether partially powered, fully powered, of completely off, it should never loose air pressure. That's an issue with the plumbing or compressor internals. Though question, does the compressor support anything else? Locker? Tank? What happens if it's off and you hookup the fill nozzle to the tire? If it's loosing pressure, you should be able to hear where the leak is.
Onto the electrical - some of the wiring and configuration is honestly scary. Lithium batteries are no joke and can start fires in a flash with inadequate insulation. Seems like quite a few exposed terminals and connections that would be all to easy to short.
To the point on others with the high amp draw of the Arb - SwitchPros highest rated circuit is 35amps. Hopefully your original installer use an external relay to switch the Arb. Additionally, as it's an induction (motor) load, it should definitely be powered with a relay.
Whether partially powered, fully powered, of completely off, it should never loose air pressure. That's an issue with the plumbing or compressor internals. Though question, does the compressor support anything else? Locker? Tank? What happens if it's off and you hookup the fill nozzle to the tire? If it's loosing pressure, you should be able to hear where the leak is.
Onto the electrical - some of the wiring and configuration is honestly scary. Lithium batteries are no joke and can start fires in a flash with inadequate insulation. Seems like quite a few exposed terminals and connections that would be all to easy to short.
To the point on others with the high amp draw of the Arb - SwitchPros highest rated circuit is 35amps. Hopefully your original installer use an external relay to switch the Arb. Additionally, as it's an induction (motor) load, it should definitely be powered with a relay.
Julian73
SILVER Star
I agree on the shady and scary wiring issues. The ARB factory wiring harness switch setup is already using internal relays, so no need for any special setup to protect the SP9100
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- #33
That's a great question, def did not try that test. Not powering anything else. It does have a T splitter thingy where he ran a line to the back bumper also, could be some issue leaking from that I hadn't considered. He put some odd chuck on the rear bumper, 3 tries in I haven't been able to find a fitting that fits in it. No lockers or anything else, was just planning on using for inflating tires.
Oh man, what a headache. I've really tried to learn more but the electrical side of things is still pretty foreign to me. I thought i was paying to have a trained experienced pro to take care of all that side so I wouldn't have to worry. Spent a long time even finding anybody who did this type of work in general. Short of driving out to Slee, i couldn't find any other shop in AZ or Utah for this.
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- #34
I believe it's because he installed the Switchpros module next to the battery in the drawer wing, so he did his own wiring for the long run. That was another surprise when i got the truck, I assumed that was going to be under the hood like most. I beloev his thought process was he just wanted to keep it all in 1 place next to the aux battery
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- #35
Hey @TeCKis300 you know of any shop or highly skilled electrical individual in your area that you'd recommend? At this point I'm so frustrated I'd consider driving from Phoenix to SD for a couple days for somebody else to clean this all up. SD is a whole lot closer than Golden Colorado.
For now I'll see what the local Lexus tech that has my truck comes up with. So far he appears to know whats up, and he's going through it 1 piece at a time looking for issues (like all the loose connections he found). They also "gave me" a IS350 F-Sport as the loaner which is a blast to drive so I haven't been missing my truck the past few days. Positive they'll hit me dealership hard on the tail end for this, but at this point i just want somebody I trust handling it.
For now I'll see what the local Lexus tech that has my truck comes up with. So far he appears to know whats up, and he's going through it 1 piece at a time looking for issues (like all the loose connections he found). They also "gave me" a IS350 F-Sport as the loaner which is a blast to drive so I haven't been missing my truck the past few days. Positive they'll hit me dealership hard on the tail end for this, but at this point i just want somebody I trust handling it.
It's totally possible the T-splitter or rear chuck is leaking.
Don't mean to scare you, but at the same time, it's important to insulate and cover up the positive terminals and junctions.
Not all is lost and with a few details, you can have a solid working system. Can you trace how he is powering the ARB? Is there a straight wire going from the Switchpros brain to the ARB? Or is there a relay somewhere inline? Perhaps it is wired fine as the relay (isolation switch) might be a part of the ARB kit. Just sanity checking that the electrical is done right so you have a reliable system. Others may be able to answer here.
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- #37
Yeah really not sure how he's got it wired to the Switchpros. The truck is at the lexus dealer now so a lot of this info I'm passing along for him to check.
Do you have a pic of what this would look like? Not much extra room in the drawer wing where the battery is, and the few similar build examples i saw of others I didnt see the terminals covered.
I'd love to offer but the truth is I've got too much on my hands to give this the proper attention.
Again, I don't think you have a total whack job. There looks to be more goodness here than not and just some trouble shooting and sanity checking that this is setup right.
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- #39
I'm sure your right. The guy that did the work had a good rep, and he probably got a lot right. I think he just got himself in a little over his head on this and missed some details. Hopefully my Lexus guy can spot the problem areas and just be able to do a little cleanup.
Yeah, others have installed their batts with exposed terminals, and I would encourage them to insulate just the same. Lead acid batts are dangerous but somewhat self limiting. Lithiums are no joke.
Looks like two harnesses come off the Arb. The big "power harness" should go directly to the batt (not the Switchpros). And the control harness should go to the Switchpros brain.
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