DIY Onboard AIR! A/C compressor to air pump conversion and Repair!!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ส.ค. 2024
- In this video I show you guys my onboard air setup, converting a stock ac compressor into an air pump, a small air tank and a pressure switch. I did not make this setup, it was on my Jeep when i bought it about 13 years ago. I then tear down my A/C compressor to see why it is not working properly. Luckily it was a easy fix!! This setup fills up my 40's 2-3 times faster than with the Smittybilt air compressor.
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Pro tip - to provide some oil vapour to your compressor Tee your suction line into your rocker cover vent, that way you'll get clean air with oil vapour & you'll never have to worry about oiling it ever again👍
only issue i see is on some cars (my 97 pathfinder) it also has a tube that pulls through the intake which is MAF based. This would most likely mess up my MPG. I do have a PCV reroute to a catch can so that would be better in my case and others if they dont know their PCV routes that way
This is metered air, and designed to vent the crankcase. Once it hits the sealed compressor system, it’s not sealed. Maybe as a pass through system to make the compressor an oil separator?
If you block the oiling port with a 1/4-20 set screw and then clean inside the drive end (wobble plate) and coat the bearings and wear plates with grease it will run forever. No oil dripping necessary, no wd40 needed.
Also, make sure you always have the pressure release valve and a pressure switch to cycle the compressor clutch automatically. These compressors can build up hundreds of psi without that pressure release.
Also, to know the flow, look for “605” or “709” on the compressor body. That means you have either 6 pistons and 5 cfm or 7 pistons and 9cfm respectively. 9cfm is pretty decent flow.
How much pressure can you get out of it
I run my sanden AC compressor the same way as you describe. 1/4-20 set screw in the crossover port. I used half a tube of synthetic grease inside as well as doing all the pivot points, bearings and the gears. Running it in a 92 XJ for almost 10 years now. Not had a single problem.
Man that’s old school. I haven’t seen an ac air compressor in a while. I’ve been thinking about doing this on my ramcharger. My uncle had one on his CJ-5 when I was a kid. It was so nice to have air on the trail. Especially since there weren’t many options for portable air back then
It is a game changer for sure. It is one of the most important tools to bring to the trail.
For almost a year now I’ve been using my spare to air up. I over fill it to 80psi. Then when I air down my tires to about 13psi I hock up 4 hose system to spare tire. It distributes air to all four tires evenly and brings them back up to 30 psi. (safety note make sure your spare is in decent shape ie not cracked or patched). Works great and only takes about one minute
What size tires are you doing this with? It sounds brilliant but I question how you can get an even 30 into all 4 tires with only 80 in an equally sized storage tank🤷
@@thelonewrangler1008 The spare tire is the same size as the others. I only air down my four tires on the vehicle down to about 13. Sometimes it only gets him up to about 28 but that’s still more than enough to drive safely on the road and get home and use a normal air compressor
plz stop doing this lol your going to die
You need to have the check valve on the air that comes out of the pump and goes to your tank before your tank you need a check valve and then the that little quarter inch line that goes to the switch goes before that check valve so . The pump doesn't have to start against the pressure that's already in the tank what else you should still use the clutch fan that turns on when you turn on the air conditioning so it's not running I guess that's obviously already been done like that but anyhow things don't look like they're quite hooked up right
Small note: you could add a double water separator from Amazon to the exhaust of your ac compressor. This way your air tank never gets water sitting in it extending the life of the system.
Air tool oil works super great on these setups, seems to hold on an stay lubed longer an it's ment to run through air gun tools with pistons etc so makes sense it does well. You can actually run a oiler like on a home air compressor an place it on the intake side so the oil is drawn into the compressor, just remember to restrict it some because it doesn't need the amount of oil the inline oiler will Wana put in the system. And a larger air filter like a can filter that's got a metal shroud on it will help it last alot long an give metter flow, that little one will get clogged an make the compressor struggle with a couple dirt road trips
Nah to complicated and impractal. That will also let oil into the airline which is bad. Open it plug a port put some grease in there and close it back up. And don't touch it again. There's vids that show how to do it.
Kelly,
Great video on the the AC on-board air system. I had this same setup on my 95 YJ for close to 15 yrs. It worked great, it would fill a 36" tire in five mins or less. I had a hose run to the PVC line on the valve cover for oily air to the intake side of the compressor. Never had a oil issue with the compressor. To save space I did not use a tank. Just straight to a air chuck mounted to the control box for the compressor. It works the same on a tank type air compressor. The compressor would hold a constant 85 psi while filling the tires and was set to shutoff at 95 psi. To relieve the pressure after filling the tires, I would just drain the line after shutting off the compressor. The total cost for tubing and control valve was about 40 bucks at the time. I wired the control valve in-line with the clutch control wire. I used the control box to turn the compressor on and off. When I added a welder in the engine compartment, to fit it in, I upgraded to a York truck air brake compressor with a 5 gal tank. I also mounted air chucks at both ends to the jeep so I can fill all 4 tires at once or let someone use one to fill their tires. It takes more time to hook up the air hoses to the tires then it does to fill the tires with the York. Having the air chucks mounted to the jeep keeps the air lines from getting damaged on the trail.
I did the same on my pickup 6 years ago. One piece of advice is I added a scoot oiler of a motorbike and the vac line that would usually go to the carb intake to open he drip feed into the same intake pipe as the compressor now has no oil lubricating it in the freon so it will seize unless you add lubrication. Just have to drain the tank or fit a oil separator after the pump.
Just watched your videos for the first time. I have a 93. I tried the oiling system. And all it did was spit the oil out faster than I could put it in. So, round two, I put high temp red grease in it. Seems to work fine.
Put a plug in it there's vids describing it
This motivated me to finally do this on my 87 xj. Not much extra amperage to run a compressor, but i do have rpms.
nice job finding the problem. I have a tee with a cap on the intake side that I can put oil into from time to time. Also a check valve then a filter to remove oil and water before the tank.
Thanks, I have thought about adding those things for years, just never got around to it, low priority since it was working so good for so long.
Totally understand. My jeep is far from trail ready. Definitely give you credit. Hope to see you on the trail someday.
Very crafty, I dig it
Nice job finding the fix Kelly! I know how much of a pain it is pulling out that smittybilt compressor can be!
Thanks man, free is my favorite kind of fix.
Check valve between comp and tank would prevent that back flow and the resultant wear on the comp
Also a pop off valve is crucial.
I've looked into this years ago on my 88.5 Samurai with an old Volvo(?) compressor.
Never thought of just dumping WD 40 in it on occasion.
Might try it on my Gambler 98 Outback 2.5 with 31's.
It seems to work, been 13 years and it’s still going
If you remove the bolt on the side you can add oil or grease to the bearings in the middle
I did try that, but the flat bearing was too thin to get my needle grease gun in there, so I left it out of the video. If you had something small enough to get in there it definitely would work.👍🏻
@@MuddyBeards4X4 I tore mine completely apart but if it fails I'll fill it with oil next time
I've seen a couple videos so far. I've wondered why you couldn't just add gear lube or even add compressor oil back in after sealing off the top compartment. I also like my ac too much to use the factory ac compressor. I think I'll try to find a spot to add another in line with the belt. I'm working with an F550 and I want to pull trailers with air brakes.
Yeah I’m definitely looking into this one!!
You've inspired me to attempt this on my toyota
🤟🏻
Please add a check valve on the compressor outlet, and a pop-off (relief) valve on the tank. I'm not sure WD-40 is the best choice for lubricant, but I guess it hasn't failed yet :)
ik its a bit late but you can bench test the compressor by using the impact tool on the nut of the compressor shaft to see if it sucks properly
Thx for the vid. I picked up a jeep a couple years ago with a York (GM) compressor already set up. I've been concerned about the oiling. I see there are some conversions that eliminate the need but I don't know the history on mine. I think I'll do your suggestion and periodically spray some light oil into the intake. Thx! BTW - mine also had that mechanical pressure regulator that worked/didn't work randomly - I went with a small electronic unit (about $5 on Amazon). Mine is mainly for filling tires and as a backup to the ARB pump for my lockers.
York compressors have an oil reservoir built in and do not require oiling through the lines. They will spit quite a bit of oil through the output line so a coalescing filter should be used. The standard procedure for checking and refilling the oil on a york is removing one of the plugs on the side and using a flexible rod (coat hanger) as a dipstick. A google search should bring up the exact process. There are internal modifications that can be made to the compressor to cut down on oil spitting. The York is a great compressor, I can fill up a set of 35s and a set of 33s in the same time it takes the big boy dual ARB pump to fill up a set of 33s.
How long dose it take to build air?
Great video, Kelly! A few of my buddies ran that style of compressor and used an in line oiler on the suction side. It is adjustable and we would set it up to let in a drop every 5 seconds in the air stream while it was running. We also used a coalescing filter on the discharge line to separate the oil out of
the air. I always used a check valve in the discharge line to stop any air leakage from the compressor while off. I would really recommend a relief valve on that air storage tank, or in the entrance or exit line at the tank. Those compressors do have ability to build some substantial pressure. I'd hate to see that tank become a missile. I've never had the suction end off of one of those compressors and they are setup very similar to a reciprocating compressor with the reeds on the suction side. I was totally unaware of the WD-40 once a year trick. Great idea!
All great ideas, like I said, it was on the Jeep when I bought it as is. I definitely will add a pressure relief valve on the tank for safety. When I do the onboard air in the montero I will be building it differently.
yup- tool oiler attached -last long time between oil filled..
Seems like a loop or some kind of rise in the outlet hose might help keep oil in the compressor
Need to pack it with high temp grease, and plug the one hole that goes from the front of the pump to the back n never worry about it again
I did this on my 91 mj i used a old 30lb propane tank. Takes like a minute to fill and filled 12 tires super fast. Only issue I'm having is the line getting hot at the pump and splitting open after a while
Nice, those lines definitely get hot.
I use a copper nickel line, compression fittings to NPT, support it well to mitigate vibrations, and then run whatever rubber hose you want. Or get a stainless compressor hose whip.
Cool vid mate. Thanks for posting. Wish I didn't love my AC so much....
Thanks, luckily it doesn’t get too hot here and No top is my a/c, lol👊🏻
In doing this, I’m guessing you lose your actual ac ? no more AC or can you run two pumps one for Aron one for AC?
You are correct, no more ac. This setup was already on the Jeep when I bought it. I would prefer to keep the ac and just run stand alone onboard air.
Great video, Kelly! Awesome information. 💪🏼👍🏼🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Thanks 👊🏻
7:38 famous last words
There should be a plug on the side for internal oil fill.
Love that set up!
Thanks man👊🏻
Super neat!
I've been told that if I repurpose my A/C pump then my defroster will not work correctly? Have you noticed if yours still works ok? I guess the A/C is used to dry the air for the defroster.
Also great fix! Love that you took the time to open it up and it was a simple fix. Already awsome to see how long you got away without having an oiler. Some make it sound like the pump will blow up on first use without it. Thanks!
Correct, the a/c compressor pulls the moisture out of the air so defrost will not work as well for sure. If your worries about it blowing up, you need to pull the front side off and grease the flare bearing.
@@MuddyBeards4X4 I ran a York on my old Tj and loved it so much but my 05 LJ Rubicon the room under the hood is pretty limited and I rarely drive in the winter (Eastern Canada) so I might think about doing this when I finish up the other 50 projects I have on the go :) -- Great content!
The YJ AC is completely separate from the regular heating system so it doesn't make any difference on a YJ, They TJ has them tied together.. So on a TJ it reduces the effectiveness of the system fot defrost ,,, BUT your local weather has as much affect in many cases.
I’ve been wondering if this could be a possibility since I got my Jeep. Another idea other than WD-40 would be to use regular air compress/tools oil. Thanks for sharing.
I have one on my yj . Still takes time to fill my 40’s cause I have a tank about half your size but it’s free and always there when I need it . I still like power tanks for convenience and quickness.
They are definitely quicker, but not free, lol. and take up space in the cab.
I work on a lot of automotive ac systems. You can pack the back of the compressor with grease and it'll last quite a long time. I'm gonna put a similar air system on a nissan frontier at some point. I'm gonna make it a bit more complicated though. I'm going to retain the factory ac in addition to engine driven on board air.
Maybe I missed this, but what pressure air can you get? I'm looking at a project where my ideal pressures would be 300-600 psi and it seems impossible to find a solution. I'm wondering if it might be possible to use 2 storage tanks where one can be used as a supply tank to the compressor (using electronic valves) and once max pressure (from normal atmospheric pressure on the intake of the compressor) is reached in both tanks, switch to the one tank as the supply to the compressor & run it at 30-60 psi. This would then be fed into the other tank which will reach a pressure of 2-4x higher than it was. This would have to switch back and forth for filling the one tank & then using it as the supply, but the only other ways I can think of to do this is with a 2 stage compressor (haven't found in automotive compressors) or run 2 compressors in series (which has some larger issues IMO than running 2 tanks).
Great vid!
Thanks 👊🏻
Hi ; So what might the recovery (cfm@90psi &any idea What the max pressure before something blows
Just run an inline oiler on suction...and a check valve and oil catch on the other side
I put a couple drops of 3 in 1 oil in mine every week
I KNEW IT! I knew there had to be an easy way to do under-hood air compression.
I just need to buy a compressor. my jeep already has the mount, just no compressor.
starting from scratch this is going to be an expensive buy list lol.
Compressor
on/off controller
air tank
new belt
pressure switch
air line
fittings
compressor hose
yikes.
Wd 40 is not meant as a dedicated lube. Use white lithium grease.
Has anybody found a way to add a 2nd ac compressor onto a 2000 silverado do make a system like this and retain the air conditioning?
Eliminate the pressure switch. Just install a manual spring loaded blow off valve. You'll just have to know the max pressure it's capable of. Probably go slightly below that.
Just food for thought It looks like you ride in a lot of dust ever think about running the stock filter and keeping more of it out of the engine ?
I use a ac compressor 40 years ago . Forget it .
I'm very new to onboard ac compressor swap. But I wanna do this to my 88 Ranger to use my air suspension. Does any ac compresser work? Or am I looking for a certain manufacturer?
why would you use a water displacement fluid? (wd40).should you use a oil to keep the unit from freezing up? ( even 3 in 1 is a oil).
Great job! Can you please tell me/would you know what threads are on the back of the AC compressor please? I believe they are metric, being Japanese? Thank you from U.K.
Thanks. Not sure the threads but I left a link in the description with the adapters which should state what threads they are.
@@MuddyBeards4X4 thank you
How long does it take to fill up the tank?
How did u wire it to where u can turn it off an on with that button?
It’s the Auxbeam 8 switch control panel. I have a video of that install probably a couple years ago.
The green wire gets 12v it engages the clutch. So any switch in that feed will control it. Like a power switch and/or a 90-120 psi pressure switch. With 2 spade connectors on it.
Doesn’t this make your AC not work in the vehicle? Or am I thinking of a different AC onboard air mod?
You are Correct
@@MuddyBeards4X4 damn was hoping that it wasn’t that one 😂 too cheap to buy an air pump but don’t wanna lose my AC since it’s my daily driver 😂
So anyway, all of it intake and output and filters and fittings... That's all high school kids stuff very academic and easy to figure out. The million dollar question that nobody seems to answer... How does the compressor oil itself now? Because a refrigeration compressor especially a radial type like this one requires oil in the freon to circulate with the freon to both cool and oil the compressor bearings. But now you don't have freon in the system. So how do you put oil in it, does the oil stay in it without pumping out The discharge like it would in a refrigeration unit, did you drill an oil fill plug on it since it would not have that as an air conditioner compressor, etc. See what I'm saying? Or are you just running it for a video until it locks up with no oil in it? Explain how you got it to oil and contain a reservoir of oil in it that remains there to oil the bearings since it's now pumping air instead of freon mixed with oil. Thanks.
I sprayed WD40 into it maybe twice a year. I personally never had an issue, but it definitely could easily seize up without making an oiling system. The guy I bought the Jeep from would just throw a junk yard compressor on when it died. I have been using it occasionally for over 10 years, same compressor.
Who is this "Schmitty" and what did he build? Lol
U can make it simply than that to
Doesn't the refrigerant keep the system oiled?
Normally yes, but There is no refrigerant in the compressor. The whole A/C system is gone except the compressor.
FYI that's NOT the right pressure switch. Technically it does work. There's a 12v pressure switch with 2 spade connectors available on Amazon in different thread options either 1/4 or 1/8 NPT. Just wire the 12v supply to 1 terminal of pressure switch then other one goes to the compressor. Then per is on the pressure switch will close passing power to compressor till pressure is at 120psi or top the switch opens then cuts power to the compressor
you should do away with that crappy little air filter for the compressor and plumb it into the jeeps factory intake pipe and let it breath through the engine air filter, which will allow it alot more free flow suction, also that little filter probly clogs up really fast.
Here is a link to another DIY air system
th-cam.com/video/fk9qRLjZn-s/w-d-xo.html
Links?
All the links are in the description
@@MuddyBeards4X4 They're there now. Only thing was the music first time I looked.
Why not get an AC compressor that has its own internal oil reservoir
Because this is free and it has worked for 13 years, hopefully 13 more.
So lose air conditioning to do this? Why not just go electric? Seems like a logical choice to me.
This was already setup this way when I bought it. In Washington a/c would be kinda useless except maybe a couple times a year. But where it’s hot or humid a/c would be nice.
That was a long video
And a link to a DIY manifold for the DIY air system
th-cam.com/video/xdxoBSPFyO8/w-d-xo.html
What are the ac compressors if any that have their own oil reservoir that one can buy and not worry about the thing freezing up or doing mods