Compressor ideas needed .... Help!

[GlenCoombe]

We good things come to those who wait they say... so last night the bad thing came.... my airbag compressor has gone by the way.

I need some help picking a suitable replacement that will not break the bank.

The first salvo from the AS Dealer was $699 plus shipping. That just seems to me to be a little high.

Any ideas would be very well received. Thanks in advance guys.

[thenewkid64]

Glen,

I got mine on Ebay, you do not need to go with a 100% duty cycle model. 33 to 50% Duty Cycle with a 150 PSI max is all you need. You can transfer the pressure switch, all you need is the compressor

They go for less than $200 Watch the AMP Draw! Viair 280 or search 12 air compressor

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by GlenCoombe

We good things come to those who wait they say... so last night the bad thing came.... my airbag compressor has gone by the way.

I need some help picking a suitable replacement that will not break the bank.

The first salvo from the AS Dealer was $699 plus shipping. That just seems to me to be a little high.

Any ideas would be very well received. Thanks in advance guys.

Glen,

If yours is the V style Dana compressor that came in the mid-80s motorhomes then parts are still available for it. I talked with John Clements a week ago about getting parts for mine. He told me all the parts were pretty much still available. A rebuild kit that includes everything you need including reconditioned rods and pistons costs $75 + $10 shipping with a $50 core for the rods. His comment was these compressors are extremely well made and run at 1700 rpm vs the much higher rpms of the newer compressors. His contact info is 951-737-0969. He is currently out of town and should be back in about 2 weeks (from 7/12/07).

I plan on rebuilding ours from parts supplied by John. The story he told was that Dana built the compressor because the suppliers that GM was using at the time back in the 70s couldn't keep up with production so Dana jumped in and designed and then built the compressors.

He did mention the one thing you should do is run a 10 gauge wire from the batteries to power the compressor. I followed his suggestion and ran a 10 gauge wire from the generator starter solenoid to a relay I mounted next to the compressor. I then wired the coil of the relay to the original wire that powered the compressor. That way the ignition still turned the compressor on and off. Works very nice. The compressor actually sounds better since its not dealing with a voltage drop.

Brad

[GlenCoombe]

Brett / Brad, thanks both of you for the info. I'll start watching eBay for a buy and if it drags on I'll be calling John when he returns.

[Geophilist]

Glen,

Check out Summit.com and their Air Lift Load-Controller 1 for about $219. That is what I put on mine.

Steve

[craftsman]

Glen, take a look at this company. They may have what your looking for. I'm thinking of putting one in the truck. Viair - Your Vital Air Source.

[GlenCoombe]

I just pushed the Buy It Now button on a Viar 380C on eBay for $149.00 delivered.

It'll fit in the space and is not a big draw power wise.

Does anyone know how high our tanks are rated?

I was laying under the bus yesterday at the Goodyear dealer in Concord NC answering questions about the coach and when I checked the pressure I was already up to 145 psi.

I'll be back up in the air midweek.

[vswingfield]

Hi Glen,

Let us know how the new compressor works out.

I once drove a Chevy full ton pulling a very large and heavy gooseneck quipped with air brakes. It was a Coke delivery truck. There was a belt driven compressor mounted on the engine. Perhaps a truck shop could provide an alternative.

Vaughan

[GlenCoombe]

Well I removed the original seized twin cylinder compressor and installed a new Viar 380C in the same spot.

I used my existing cutoff switch so didn't have to mess with much except relocation of it.

All is well and the 200 psi 100% duty cycle Viair works like a charm. It doesn't hammer quite like the old one but the noise level is about the same. The best thing is the short recharge time. It only takes about a minute to bring the pressure from start to cutoff. The old compressor was about four minutes.

Very straight forward installation. So what can I say but, "I'm pumped!" Total cost $185.00!!!

[vswingfield]

Great! Glad you are squared away.

Vaughan

[pwhittle]

I recently replaced my Dana with a high volume pump from Harbor Freight.

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

I picked it up for $49.99 at a local retail store and added a 2 year replacement plan for $9.99 so I am good for 2 years for $60.

Will be adding the relay to feed power from the genset because I measured 8 volts at the pump and the wire was warm all the way back to the fuse panel under the dash. Not good.

I drilled one hole in the lower tray of the compressor and used a single bolt through the existing mounting hole in the bottom of the compartment. A couple of pipe adapters from Home Depot, and I was in business.

I will let you know if I have any problems with it, but so far, it looks good.

Paul

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by pwhittle

I recently replaced my Dana with a high volume pump from Harbor Freight.

Harbor Freight Tools - Quality Tools at the Lowest Prices

I picked it up for $49.99 at a local retail store and added a 2 year replacement plan for $9.99 so I am good for 2 years for $60.

Will be adding the relay to feed power from the genset because I measured 8 volts at the pump and the wire was warm all the way back to the fuse panel under the dash. Not good.

I drilled one hole in the lower tray of the compressor and used a single bolt through the existing mounting hole in the bottom of the compartment. A couple of pipe adapters from Home Depot, and I was in business.

I will let you know if I have any problems with it, but so far, it looks good.

Paul

Paul, definitely keep us posted on how well your pump works. The price is definitely right. My experience with Harbor Freight is mostly good but you do have to watch what you buy.

Definitely run a 10 or better yet 8 gauge wire from the genset area. The pump says its rated at 30 amps so you're pushing it with 10 gauge. Of course the wire is considerably shorter from the genset than from the front so you will probably be ok especially since the pump run time should be reasonably short.

Good luck!

Brad

[pwhittle]

I took the MH on a trip to St Louis and the compressor died half way through the trip. I was able to pump up the tank using the external schraeder valve to get home, then took a look when I got back.

I found the bags are good, but there was a small leak in the t-piece between the levelling valve and the bags, so it was continually draining the tank, requiring filling it back up again. I suspect the poor pump was running all the time.

I had also used the existing wiring which ran hot the whole length of the MH and only gave around 9.5 volts at the compressor. The compressor would run for a long time, then trip the thermal overload until it cooled off a little, then restart again.

Last weekend I fixed the leak in the T-piece using parts from Home Depot and today I wired in a relay using the existing wiring to trigger the relay for a new 10 gauge run from the battery post on the Onan Genset.

The tank had dropped to 80PSI, but when I powered up the replacement pump, it ran sounding very strong and pumped the tank up to 110 psi on the gauge in just a couple of minutes before the pressure switch shut it off. I had previously wound up the regulator to give a higher low pressure to make sure there was always enough pressure to level the MH.

Harbor Freight replaced it with no questions, especially when they saw the extended warranty line item on the receipt.

I am much more hopeful now that I have fixed the leak and updated the wiring.

I will keep you informed.

[guy99]

I have one of these compressors which I carry for emergency tire inflation. It has come in handy a few times. The instructions tell you to connect the air hose to the tire, then switch the unit it on and monitor the air pressure via the pressure gauge built in to the inflator. When I follow these directions and connect the unit to motorhome tires, the 30 amp fuse blows as soon as I switch the unit on. The compressor seems to draws too much current trying to start. If I start the unit, then attach it to the tire, the compressor works fine.

I have been assuming that this is a characteristic of the compressor, but perhaps not. What is the pressure at which your system starts the compressor? Have you had any problems with blown fuses?

[pwhittle]

It turns on around 85 and off at 110. I have not had any fuse problems yet.

Paul

[pwhittle]

HF pump is still performing well. I had the epoxy I used to seal a pinhole in the tank come loose, and so the pump got to fill the tank a few times with no problems. I replaced it with a differnet type of metal filler and will see if it holds any better.

I am thinking of adding train horns to it as well which will add some additional load. Will let you know if this causes any problems

Paul

[bkahler]

Originally Posted by guy99

I have one of these compressors which I carry for emergency tire inflation. It has come in handy a few times. The instructions tell you to connect the air hose to the tire, then switch the unit it on and monitor the air pressure via the pressure gauge built in to the inflator. When I follow these directions and connect the unit to motorhome tires, the 30 amp fuse blows as soon as I switch the unit on. The compressor seems to draws too much current trying to start. If I start the unit, then attach it to the tire, the compressor works fine.

I have been assuming that this is a characteristic of the compressor, but perhaps not. What is the pressure at which your system starts the compressor? Have you had any problems with blown fuses?

Guy, the likely reason its blowing the fuse is because the compressor is trying to start under load (i.e. the compressor has pressure on the piston prior to starting). The compressor arrangement in our motorhomes uses a pressure switch that bleeds the pressure off the compressor when it stops so that when it restarts it is not under a load. The check valve keeps the air in the tank during the bleed off after shutdown.

It sounds to me like the instructions with the compressor are wrong.

Brad