Why might my 4YO ARB Compressor Blow It's Fuses? (1 Viewer)

[Dan Higgins]

I have an ARB duo compressor mounted under the hood. It was installed by Slee (with their bracket) on my 2016. When I traded in the 2016 for the 2021 HE in May I had the tech at the dealership transfer it to the new LC. Worked great until a couple weeks ago when it just died. Took it into the shop today and it found that the two rather large fuses had blown. They replaced the fuses and it appears to be working. They inspected the wiring and don't see anything that is worn or exposed. But something made those fuses blow.

I use my compressor a few times a month at the most but mainly just to top off my KO2 tires or the tires on our trailer. (Add a couple PSI to each tire.) I haven't done any air down/up yet this year. I also use it to "inflate" the airbags which takes about 5 secs. .

Any ideas what I should inspect to ensure I don't have a problem lurking? What is the life expectancy of these compressors?

 

[Hulsty]

bad pressure switch

 

[40Man]

Perhaps your rig has a slutty electron. I hear they love to blow fuses.

 

[eatSleepWoof]

Look for problems in single-instance components that serve both compressors. That’s the only way I could see both fuses blowing together (outside of the very unlikely scenario of both compressors having problems).

 

[TeCKis300]

I like what people are thinking above and it'll be a situation effecting both pumps.

Perhaps combined with when the batts are low (in voltage) and trying to run the pump with engine off? Reason being is that motors tend to draw constant power. May be counter-intuitive but what it means is that if voltage is low, the pump will try to pull more amps. Fuses are rated for amps. It would not be surprising that the beastly little Arbs could draw a weaker battery momentarily well under 10V, possibly doubling the amp draw.

Solution would be to always run the Arb pump with the engine on.

 

[82SC]

yeah the pressure switch is under the shroud that is easily removed after taking the 4 screws off in the back
Two wires go into. Orientation doesn't matter but I'd check the connections there.


Might wanna take the compressor out and check the wiring under the shroud
Check the 2 wires in the back which are are so vulnerable to being pinched.
Also the black sheathing could potentially hide some damage to the wires like a pinch.
Plus I think alot of electric builder prefer the MIDI fuses for larger draw devices. The Mega plug types I'm sure work and likely easier from a manufacturer standpoint but the connections in that fuse holder could have loosened or gotten damage during the removal and reinstallation

Also ARB USA has been SUPER responsive to my multiple emails that I peppered them with when I had questions about my install


But as I am a self professed electric dummy I forced myself to do all the wiring and install of these components as I just figure I need to know where each wire goes to and know that each connection and crimp was done by me. And I can trouble shoot in case things go wrong out on the trail

This is a great video that is in the same line of thought

 

[Dan Higgins]

I thought I would do a follow up to this thread. After replacing the fuses everything worked fine until a few days ago. I was topping off the tires and half way through something seemed wrong. Even though I wasn't releasing any air through the trigger thing the compressor was still running. Realizing that this wasn't right I thought I would turn it off. Which I tried to do with the switch. I hit the switch and nothing happened. The compressor continued to run. What? So then I turned off the car. The compressor continue to run. Now any of you would have simply gone to the two fuses for the compressor and removed them. But I didn't know where they were. I even took the top off the fuse box thinking they were in there but didn't know where to begin. So, and I know this will sound stupid but it shows how little I understand about the electronics in a car, I started the car and drove to my Toyota dealership (10 mins away and they had done the install). The compressor was running the whole time! They grabbed the car and took it back to their tech. They, of course, knew where the fuses were.

Ends up that one of my compressors (in this case the left one) has gone bad. You give power to it and it runs. I'm not sure what purpose the switch (that I have installed in my console) serves. If it doesn't cut power to the compressor then why have it?

In any case, time for a new compressor. The right side is working fine so if I am in a fix I can still use that one. The fuse will remain out on the left one.

Now, does that make sense that a compressor would die after 4 years of occasional use?

 

[Climbermac]

I ran the hell out of a dual ARB on my last build and at one point had a similar problem. I doubt you have a bad compressor unit in the dual, it's 99% likely to be one of the internal relays. I'd go in and replace both relays, and maybe the pressure switch since you'll be inside the cover. Pretty simple stuff. The compressors themselves are very simple units and I've rarely ever seen them go bad. Call ARB, they will walk you thru the whole process and likely send you some parts. I had one die on me up in Seattle and they offered to re-build the whole of it if I drove down to the main warehouse. Stellar product support!

 

[lx200inAR]

I thought I would do a follow up to this thread. After replacing the fuses everything worked fine until a few days ago. I was topping off the tires and half way through something seemed wrong. Even though I wasn't releasing any air through the trigger thing the compressor was still running. Realizing that this wasn't right I thought I would turn it off. Which I tried to do with the switch. I hit the switch and nothing happened. The compressor continued to run. What? So then I turned off the car. The compressor continue to run. Now any of you would have simply gone to the two fuses for the compressor and removed them. But I didn't know where they were. I even took the top off the fuse box thinking they were in there but didn't know where to begin. So, and I know this will sound stupid but it shows how little I understand about the electronics in a car, I started the car and drove to my Toyota dealership (10 mins away and they had done the install). The compressor was running the whole time! They grabbed the car and took it back to their tech. They, of course, knew where the fuses were.

Ends up that one of my compressors (in this case the left one) has gone bad. You give power to it and it runs. I'm not sure what purpose the switch (that I have installed in my console) serves. If it doesn't cut power to the compressor then why have it?

In any case, time for a new compressor. The right side is working fine so if I am in a fix I can still use that one. The fuse will remain out on the left one.

Now, does that make sense that a compressor would die after 4 years of occasional use?

I ran the hell out of a dual ARB on my last build and at one point had a similar problem. I doubt you have a bad compressor unit in the dual, it's 99% likely to be one of the internal relays. I'd go in and replace both relays, and maybe the pressure switch since you'll be inside the cover. Pretty simple stuff. The compressors themselves are very simple units and I've rarely ever seen them go bad. Call ARB, they will walk you thru the whole process and likely send you some parts. I had one die on me up in Seattle and they offered to re-build the whole of it if I drove down to the main warehouse. Stellar product support!

^ This. The reason your compressor continues to run is because the relay isn't functioning properly. This is also why your switch on the inside is not doing anything. Your switch on the inside is only controlling the relay and the relay is supposed to control the power to the compressor. The relay is a electromagnetic switch and it sounds like it's triggering to on, but not able to "untrigger" to off when power is cut.

If fixing the relay isn't your cup of tea, keep the "broken" one after they replace and I'll take it off your hands for a reasonable price.

 

[82SC]

That’s one of the reasons I installed a breakers between my battery and all accessories.

 

[TeCKis300]

I thought I would do a follow up to this thread. After replacing the fuses everything worked fine until a few days ago. I was topping off the tires and half way through something seemed wrong. Even though I wasn't releasing any air through the trigger thing the compressor was still running. Realizing that this wasn't right I thought I would turn it off. Which I tried to do with the switch. I hit the switch and nothing happened. The compressor continued to run. What? So then I turned off the car. The compressor continue to run. Now any of you would have simply gone to the two fuses for the compressor and removed them. But I didn't know where they were. I even took the top off the fuse box thinking they were in there but didn't know where to begin. So, and I know this will sound stupid but it shows how little I understand about the electronics in a car, I started the car and drove to my Toyota dealership (10 mins away and they had done the install). The compressor was running the whole time! They grabbed the car and took it back to their tech. They, of course, knew where the fuses were.

Ends up that one of my compressors (in this case the left one) has gone bad. You give power to it and it runs. I'm not sure what purpose the switch (that I have installed in my console) serves. If it doesn't cut power to the compressor then why have it?

In any case, time for a new compressor. The right side is working fine so if I am in a fix I can still use that one. The fuse will remain out on the left one.

Now, does that make sense that a compressor would die after 4 years of occasional use?

There's more going on here.

Unpacking the symptom of the compressor constantly running. Understand there's potentially at least 3x safeties that failed over several events.
1) Fuse blew, but did not blow this time
2) Pressure switch did not shut-off the unit
3) Manual turn-off did not work with a failed relay

Begs the question where was the pump shunting air to if it was constantly running for that long. There's a mechanical failure as well and it has either failed sealing internally or in the airlines somewhere.

I believe a possible root cause to possibly be failed pressure sensor. Causing an overcurrent event and the initial fuses to blow, but also damaging the relays which is why they are no longer switch effectively. Then the pumps may have mechanically damaged themselves with over-pressure.

It's possible it failed in a different manner. But just want to let you know the symptoms are concerning and more than a couple components are now compromised needing a more thorough inspection.

 

[Climbermac]

I'd very much agree that there is more to unpack. Having been down this road I'll note the following:

The unit as a whole is built as a pair of independent compressors. The ONLY place they come together is at the mini tank where the pressure sender is located. Otherwise they are fully isolated: 2 fuses, 2 relays.

Why the initial fuse blew, I can't speak to but the relays are certainly toasted given the constant run. There is a tiny safety valve built into the compression chamber head of each compressor (180psi I believe). The compression chamber is so small and the valve so small that I doubt you could hear the air over the sound of the compressor running.

Yes, I think a disassembly and inspection is needed but I doubt it's a dead unit. I've been amazed at the abuse these units can take. My ONLY real quips with them is downstream, the ARB manifold kit has been a huge point of frustration on two builds! The hose is too small and the manifold corrodes very quickly...

 

[Dan Higgins]

So I took the non-DIY route and purchased a replacement which arrives today. That said, I am trying to decipher all of the great advice here to make sure that there is not something wrong with how I use it or how it is installed.

Let me also point out another potential symptom that has been going on for a long time. (Not just since last May when it was moved from my 2016 LC to my 2021 LC. For some time now when I have it on and the hose inserted there would occasionally be air "leaking" somewhere. They were just short little spurts so I didn't look into it and chalked it up to a poor connection between the hose and the outlet on the compressor. (Sorry, I am sure I not using the correct terms when referring to something.)

Also, from the beginning of using this thing I had always released/bled the air out of the hose and the system before disconnecting the hose. Apparently there is another technique where you leave the pressure in the system. When you need to connect the hose you just push it in. When you want to disconnect you pull back the sleeve and it pops out (in which case you better be holding on to whatever is coming out!). Is there a right or wrong way to do this?

Finally, from time to time I would run the compressor in Accessory mode without the engine turned on. Now this was not while airing back up on the trail. Typically it was because my tires (or trailer tires) were a couple PSI low so it didn't take too long to top them all off. (Though there was one time where I was testing something and I actually killed my battery doing this.)

 

[lx200inAR]

For first part, if you have air leaking from the quick disconnect area, that’s not good. That connection should be able to with stand yanking in the hose and anything not violent without air escaping. Sounds like you don’t really know where it’s leaking from, it could also be the inflation hose.

For 2nd, as long as you can disconnect and connect, it’s fine. If there is a lot of pressure in the quick connect, that can be difficult. But you aren’t hurting anything. Bleeding line also not bad, since it makes separating easier.

Running the battery dead like that would cause the situation @TeCKis300 was describing (ie voltage drop) where you are increasing the amperage the wiring, relays, and switches have to deal with. So it’s not ideal, but if it survives, I doubt it would shorten lifespan of things too much if you only did it once or twice. In general you will want to avoid running without engine on, because of the heavy draw an ARB twin outs on a battery.

 

[bloc]

I prefer to bleed down my compressor manifold so the next time it starts up the motors it should draw much less current. Plus if the truck has been running I stick the spare quick disconnect adapter in and let the system run for a while to flow some low pressure air and hopefully cool off the compressor heads before needing to build any pressure. Totally unsure if this actually helps but it makes sense in my head.