ARB not working any ideas??

[jkl72-40]

Howdy,
My ARB's are not working the air pump turns on and provides pressure but the switchs dont click on and send the air is this common? The truck has been sitting in the garage for a year and it worked then I see no wires eaten or disconnected.
Any ideas? Its on an 82 toy truck and was installed in 1996 and has allways worked before.
thanks
Kyle

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

If the solonoid isn't providing air to the locker, you need to work backwards in the system and see where the power is and isn't getting to...

We had the same problem with an ARB on the Rubicon last month, turned out the fuse block connection was too loose... So we tightened up the little prongs, and game on!

 

[jkl72-40]

ok

Cool thanks!
Now when it was 1st setup it would go on every time you turned the key on. I changed that to a ground switch now the ground gets hot, why? should I have placed the switch on the power end? any ideas?
Kyle

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

So you had it "hotwired" to come on with the ignition switch, then you put a switch in on the ground side of the solonoid. And now the ground wire is getting hot? Hot-temp, or hot +12V?

A switched 12V is about the same as a switched ground, Toyota uses them all over the place.

 

[Jukelemon]

Ground switches. Which components are on such a thing in our trucks?

If the ground wire is getting hot then I would check your ground connection point i.e. the point where the circuit is terminated to the chassis ground.

I have experienced ground wires melting/heating up like a stove element on both trucks and motorcycles when the ground in the circuit is not terminated well OR the main chassis ground strap on the battery is either rusted or not terminated well to the chassis.

The ground floats 12v, for lack of better words, because there is no reference, or good enough reference, to the chassis ground.

Not sure if this is your issue but something worth checking on considering the age of your truck.

 

[2ndGenToyotaFan]

Things like the gauge senders, and the horn circuit come to mind...

Basically this is a "switched hot" circuit:

+bat-------switch-----lightbulb-------ground

and this is a "switched ground" circuit:

+bat-----lightbulb-----switch------ground

It's not all that complicated, it can just be confusing if you don't know which you're working with...

 

[WristPin]

Ground switches. Which components are on such a thing in our trucks?

If the ground wire is getting hot then I would check your ground connection point i.e. the point where the circuit is terminated to the chassis ground.

I have experienced ground wires melting/heating up like a stove element on both trucks and motorcycles when the ground in the circuit is not terminated well OR the main chassis ground strap on the battery is either rusted or not terminated well to the chassis.

The ground floats 12v, for lack of better words, because there is no reference, or good enough reference, to the chassis ground.

Not sure if this is your issue but something worth checking on considering the age of your truck.

the door open/dome light is a ground switch.
the oil pressure light is a ground switch.



also, with the ARB setup, make sure the relay isnt fried. i dunno. just throwin that out there

 

[Jukelemon]

Things like the gauge senders, and the horn circuit come to mind...

Basically this is a "switched hot" circuit:

+bat-------switch-----lightbulb-------ground

and this is a "switched ground" circuit:

+bat-----lightbulb-----switch------ground

It's not all that complicated, it can just be confusing if you don't know which you're working with...

Interesting.

I am familiar with the ground circuit via old antique house wiring. They would use the Neutral in the same fashion which was essentially like a ground minus the protection i.e. it served to complete the circuit.

Effective but dangerous when there is a load on the Neutral.

 

[jkl72-40]

ok

Thanks Guys

k