The addition of the Sun Performance QuickAir2 on-board air within the TJ was a reasonably easy mission. I opted to make the QA2 compressor a everlasting set up relatively than getting the transportable compressor setup. As standard, I ended up spending an excessive amount of time attempting to determine the place to put in it. Once that was determined, the set up took simply a few simple hours.
 |
After trying over the obtainable house within the rear of the TJ, I made a decision to mount it simply behind the precise rear roll bar, the place the bar attaches to the fender properly. A greater mounting spot would have been in entrance of the roll bar mounting level, however that house is occupied by my automated antenna coupler for the Icom 706 radio. Given the shut proximity of the exhausting high and the Jeep’s sheet steel, I used to be solely in a position to make use of 3 of the 4 mounting holes. This appears to be of no main downside, because the three in use appear to carry all the things in place fairly properly. I used 1/4″ bolts with nylocs to lock the compressor in place (didn’t need any vibration to loosen up the mounts). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Quick Air2 circulate charges —> |
Flow Rates: 2.18 cfm @ 0 psi @ 22 amps 1.76 cfm @ 20 psi @ 22 amps 1.45 cfm @ 40 psi @ 24 amps 1.20 cfm @ 60 psi @ 25 amps 0.99 cfm @ 80 psi @ 26 amps 0.85 cfm @ 100 psi @ 26 amps 0.77 cfm @ 105 psi @ 28 amps |
Duty cycle ranking: 40 min. @ 40 psi 15 min. @ 80 psi 5 min. @ 105 psi |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Power for the compressor is obtained from a pair of #8 gauge wires that enter the rear finish through a gap within the roll bar. I way back eliminated the rear seat and the seat belts, and the seat belt mounting slot on the rollbar offers an entry spot for the wiring with out the necessity to drill any extra holes. The wiring runs the size of the body as much as the engine compartment. I mounted the equipped 40 amp resetting breaker on the fender properly, and hooked up the constructive wire to it. The different put up on the breaker is linked to the primary feed level on the fuse panel the place it receives the +12V from the Optima battery.The swap that got here with the compressor was put in within the unfavourable lead on the base of the compressor. Since I’ve by no means been keen on utilizing the automobile body as a floor return for the unfavourable battery connection, one other #8 gauge was put in and linked within the engine compartment on the unfavourable battery terminal. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The native 4×4 retailer was out of the QuickAir air hose meeting, so I bought one made for ARB. Since the short disconnects usually are not of the identical model, I swapped the male unit on the compressor so it will match the air hose (the air hose got here with each the female and male connectors). Since I don’t use an air tank, the air hose should be of the open circulate design so it doesn’t overload the compressor whenever you do not need it hooked up to the valve stem on a tire. When it isn’t linked, the compressor runs and the air exits on the “working” finish of the hose.There is a warning label on the compressor that cautions you concerning the compressor getting sizzling…..it does! There is an obligation cycle time restrict for the compressor. At the strain I run in my tires, it provides me about 40 minutes of run time. Depending on how low I drop my tire strain, it takes between 1 and three minutes to inflate my 30×9.5 tire. It will take the tire from 18 to 40 psi in 2 minutes and from 25 to 35 psi in a minute flat. I checked my 32″x11.5″ BFG MTs the opposite day and QA2 took 2.5 minutes to lift the tire from 15 go 25 kilos. Unless you intend on airing up the complete group after the run, you must by no means come near exceeding the run time restrict of the compressor.
In abstract, I actually like my QA2 setup. It is straightforward to make use of, simple to get to, and offers me some piece of thoughts. As I write this, I’ve used it on my final two journeys and located it to work very properly. While the tires are airing up, it provides me time to dig via the cooler and discover the final chilly soda earlier than hitting the freeway and heading for residence. I might suggest this compressor to anybody who desires off-road air functionality. Late observe: It has been a number of months since I wrote the above article. Since then, I’ve used it dozens of instances and I nonetheless prefer it simply as a lot, and possibly even a bit extra. I had the pleasure of getting a good friend alongside a few journeys again who had by no means aired down earlier than. He dropped his tires to about 15 kilos and was more than happy with the consequence. I aired him up on the finish of the day, and he too was impressed at how rapidly his tires have been again to avenue strain (he was working P215s or one thing like that on a non-Jeep automobile….argh!!!!) But none the much less, he has been transformed over to airing right down to easy out the trip and enhance the traction on his automobile. (Now, if I can persuade him to get QuckAir2 so he’ll cease utilizing mine!) February 2001: The QA2 has been chugging away for about 18 months now and has seen a LOT of use. It is fairly widespread for me to air up one other automobile at path’s finish, together with mine in fact. I might calculate that I’ve about 3~4 years value of “single Jeep” work out of it to date. Can’t complain about that. In one other month or so, my 32″ BFG MTs will probably be changed with 35″ MT/Rs. I do know I received’t be getting the identical air up instances I’ve change into use to up to now. I suppose I’m going to must plan for a number of extra minutes to be able to replenish void in these tires. February 28, 2001: I obtained e-mail from a gentleman named Eric Lund a few month in the past. He wrote: Hi Stu, I got here throughout your web site right now….Very cool. We are the producers of your QuickAIR2 compressor. After studying your part concerning the compressor set up, there’s one factor that I wish to recommend. That could be to improve the ability provide result in #8AWG wire. It has been our expertise that working any wire measurement smaller than that, particularly when the unit is positioned removed from the battery, might result in untimely failure of the unit. Send me your mailing handle and I’ll ship you our Part# WP208. (20 ft. #8AWG) Best Regards, Eric I answered his observe and defined that I might be most pleased to put in the right gauge wire (my QA2 was a demo unit and it didn’t include all the extras). Today, after I arrived residence, there was a package deal sitting there ready for me. I opened it and located the 20′ wiring harness that Eric had informed me about. So, I’ve edited the part above to mirror that one needs to be utilizing 8 gauge wire and I will probably be putting in it on my Lady earlier than my subsequent wheelin’ weekend. I simply wished to take a second right here to thank Eric and Sun Performance. As far as I’m involved, Eric exceeded the customer support ranking of A+. He had zero obligation to do what he did. I do know now, greater than ever earlier than, that I made the precise resolution after I purchased my QA2. The undeniable fact that I’ve an ideal pair rocker panels from them to is simply additional icing on the cake. An enormous because of Eric and Sun Performance!
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| June 3, 2001 – I bought the circulate price and strain specs from Sun Performance so the efficiency of their 3 Quick Air compressors might be simply in contrast.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
QuickAir2 Installation
The addition of the ARB lockers to the entrance and rear axle resulted in my putting in an ARB air compressor. To date (about 3 years as I write this), I’ve had zero issues with the ARB compressor and the air traces used to actuate the ARB lockers. However, I’ve all the time been one to stack the deck in my favor (after I can) in terms of path reliability. So, after serving to MikeW along with his ExtremeAire OBA set up, I made a decision I would was properly improve my QuickAir2 setup so it might be used as an alternate ARB air supply ought to the necessity come up. The costly elements for such a backup (the compressor) was already within the Jeep. All I wanted was some odds and ends to make it right into a backup air supply for the lockers. I didn’t need the mission ballooning into an black gap the place I might pour extra money….I wished to do that on a shoe string price range however nonetheless preserve issues protected and dependable.
No, that’s NOT an previous 5# CO2 hearth extinguisher…..it’s an OBA tank, simply ready to be modified and put into use. The QuickAir2 has a really small air chamber on it and, for my part, it actually doesn’t lend itself to be setup with air solenoids and a strain swap just like the ARB compressor makes use of. I simply couldn’t see myself trying to make the QuickAir2 right into a clone of the ARB. So, I made a decision that I might add a small air tank and mount a few the mandatory parts on it.
After the tank was disassembled, I drilled 3 holes in it (one on the underside, two on the highest) and bought Troy, of Toys by Troy, to weld in some 1/4″ NPT bungs. I bent some 2″ vast strap into a few mounting brackets and had the brackets welded to the tank. After a session with the wire brush, a number of coats of satin black rattle can paint bought the drained previous hearth extinguisher trying fairly good.
I finished by MikeW’s place and we drilled some holes within the passenger aspect fender. A handful of 5/16″ bolts, Nyloc nuts, and a few fender washers put the tank securely in place. Mike even had some underneath coating left over so he gave the mounting {hardware} a coat of it so it will mix in with the remainder of the inside fender. (The plastic liners went away a while again concerning the time that the LED lights have been put in.) I used 1/4″ comfortable copper tubing to attach the QuickAir2 to the newly put in air tank. 1/4″ compression fittings have been used at every finish of the tubing. A threaded reducer was used to on the extinguisher’s neck opening to measurement it for the 1/4″ tubing becoming. All of the fittings and tubing have been obtained on the native ACE ironmongery shop. Nothing fancy right here….simply plain previous brass {hardware} fittings. The tank was fitted with a few 1/4″ 90 diploma fittings to which a fast launch air becoming and an ARB strain swap was put in. Since I wished this setup to correctly actuate the ARB lockers, ought to the necessity come up, I opted to make use of my spare ARB strain swap to maintain the tank strain inside ARB limits. I used to be slightly apprehensive concerning the QuickAir2 having the ability to generate sufficient strain to actuate the strain swap since each are rated at 105 PSI. As it was, the compressor was capable of generate ample strain to show itself off. I used a 40 amp relay to regulate the primary energy to the compressor. The ARB strain swap is linked into the relay’s management line, together with a splash board energy swap, to control tank strain and management energy to the compressor, respectively.
My ARB compressor is mounted within the engine compartment. The ARB air traces originate from the compressor’s air solenoids. In order to simply make the QuickAir2’s air tank a supply for ARB air, it was essential to distant the air solenoids (and thus the blue air traces) from the ARB compressor. This is completed utilizing an air manifold. An air line from the QuickAir2’s tank is routed to the engine compartment to supply the backup air for the lockers.
I bought a good friend of mine to make a few air manifolds from some aluminum spherical inventory. The gap working the size of the aluminum was the scale wanted to faucet the piece for a 1/4″ NPT becoming. After the middle was bored to the right measurement, I tapped it for 1/4″ NPT after which drilled a few ARB solenoid mounting holes and tapped them for 1/8″ NPT.
It needs to be famous right here that the ARB solenoids do NOT use a typical 1/8″ NPT becoming however relatively a 1/8″ BSPT becoming. The main distinction between the 2 is that one has a thread depend of 27 TPI whereas the opposite is 28 TPI. Depending on who you speak to, some say you may put a daily 1/8″ NPT into the BSPT tapped gap and there received’t be any issues whereas others say it would leak. When MikeW was making his manifold, he opted to do it the conservative method and bought a few 1/8″ NPT to 1/8″ BSPT fittings (male to male coupler) from McMaster-Carr’s on-line catalog, simply to be protected. I had him decide me up a pair on the similar time and used them on my manifold. The ARB solenoids that have been within the ARB compressor have been eliminated and used on this manifold. I used a conduit clamp (for holding conduit in place) on the manifold to safe it within the engine compartment.
I had a 25′ size of three/8″ air hose, rated at 225 PSI working strain, that I purchased at a surplus sale. It was new and already had the mandatory fast disconnect fittings on it. I lower 2′ of the tip of the hose that had the male becoming on it. Using the three/8″ hose barb that was screwed into one finish of the manifold, I hooked up the two′ size of hose to it.
Meanwhile, again on the original ARB compressor, the solenoids have been eliminated, cleaned, and reinstalled on the air manifold (the one with the two′ size of hose hooked up to it). The strain swap was faraway from the compressor and a 1/4″ NPT t-fitting was screwed into its place. The strain swap was hooked up to the brand new t-fitting together with a feminine air hose fast disconnect. The holes within the compressor the place the air solenoids have been positioned have been plugged with the identical plugs that got here with the compressor. (I knew I saved these shiny little plugs for a motive).
Although not simple to see, the air manifold is proven in place, mounted on the fringe of the tray that the ARB compressor is bolted to (with the two blue air traces going to it). The manufacturing unit ARB wiring harness was adequate to accommodate the relocation of the air solenoids on the newly put in manifold. You can see the purple rubber hose going from the manifold to the ARB compressor. If wanted, this similar hose will be simply disconnected from the ARB compressor and hooked up to the air line that runs from the QuickAir2’s tank on the rear of the automobile. The backup ARB air supply is now absolutely purposeful and will be enabled in about the identical period of time it takes you to carry the hood on the TJ.
That is about it for this modification. It’s fairly easy to do and was simple sufficient on the price range too.
Good trails and TREADLightly!
QuickAir 3 Pics
Added: 06/02/2002
I used to be opening my e-mail and located a observe from a Jeeper, John Nicewonger, who had contacted me earlier about my QuickAir 2 setup. John ended up doing a QuickAir 3 set up on his TJ and was good sufficient to ship a few pics my method (utilizing his new digital digital camera). I’ve included his feedback from the e-mail. One factor for positive, John as used up many of the obtainable house underneath the hood…..appears to be like good!
John wrote:
The most vital factor is the brackets. Once the manufacturing unit Air Box is gone you truly get to make use of 2 of the present manufacturing unit holes, you drill ONE gap within the fender properly and the ultimate bolt solely goes into the bracket (that’s the one nearest firewall and nearest engine). The bracket is held on with some pop rivets on the backside utilizing 3 small holes (drilled) in a V design. Notice that within the entrance of the Compressor there is no such thing as a bracket in any respect, as an alternative a bit of Nylon (forgot what that’s known as) was used with a protracted bolt going proper down via the foot of the compressor mounting and thru the wheel properly) I imagine one might substitute that exact piece (most likely not obtainable to most) with a really heavy obligation piece of PVC 80 or no matter its known as and use a washer and bolt. Or even two items of PVC one inserted within the different and glued then the bolt down via.
On one other level, did you discover that PUMP in entrance of the QAIII? That’s the pump for my ON BOARD SHOWER. Really NICE for tenting.
Added: 05/02/2004
I bought an e-mail from one other QA3 consumer right now, Bill Echols. He belongs to the identical 4×4 membership as does John (above). Bill talked about that he put in his QA3 within the rear of this automobile (just like the way in which I did my QA2) after he spoke with John and one other membership member who each have their QA3s underneath the hood. It appears the warmth construct up, after a day of wheelin’, causes some points with the QA3. John didn’t go into element however I might assume it’s over heating. If so, that’s NOT a great factor to have occur to those electrical motors and pumps.
Here is a pic of Bill’s set up. As you may see, he mounted the QA3 onto an aluminum plate. Nice clear set up and it received’t be sucking up the engine warmth all day lengthy earlier than you have to use it to inflate your tires. Thanks Bill for the replace data!