Installing Viair Onboard Air Compressor System 

instablaster

Black dads, pay attention if you want your child to be somebody

Awesome! Thank you!

Thanks. It's a fun little project.

Fastball... that's awesome. Thanks.

Glad it was helpful!

Just finished today. It works like a charm and so fast. There's two tricks to make it work and it's basically to remove the compressor and replace it with a 12V solenoid. The manifold behaves exactly as if the compressor is still in the loop. Video coming!

Great video, did I miss the wireless integration video?

Thanks. That's what I use if for among all the other awesome things you can do with onboard air.

Lol. Sunday afternoon and just came back from church.

Always busy in a good way. It was fun to finally have a truck project.

Thanks 👍

Thanks. It's a fun project.

Glad it helped.

Interesting. They've never failed for me. How did they not work for you?

I'm afraid I'm already looking up to Michael. Problem is that he's going up and I'm going down. lol. This model is really a nice upgrade. My only real complaint is the seats. i've really had to play with them to get them to a point that they don't bug me. So saggy. Having said that, my wife loves the massage feature so it's a trade off. No complaints otherwise. Just pulled the trailer to San Diego and back, about 2,000 miles in all. Amazing in every way.

Thank you, I will

Thanks

Glad to help!

Glad you liked it!

Works great. You'll love having onboard air.

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks. This particular dual compressor setup moves a lot of air quickly. I haven't timed it of course but with the tank being 150 psi and recharges so fast, it would be a great option. I doubt those trailer tires would present much of a problem. By the time you set the pressure in one tire, replace the valve stem cap, slide over, take off the next tire's cap, the tank would be close to full.

Turned out I only needed one u-bolt for one side. The other side rests on the running board bracket. When the u-bolt was tightened down, it put pressure on the other side of the tank on top of the bracket. It is very tight and not going anywhere. An extra positive is that the tank is angled down and water accumulates inside the tank right next to the drain valve.

Glad you liked it!

It's pretty easy.

Not a farmer but in my heart I'm one!

I actually haven't added the tubing to the 2017. Kind of needs it but not bad enough to put it on the top of the list. Yes, the 2017 is welded. I'd have to cut it to add the tubing. No big deal.

Here you go. They are very cool: amzn.to/2YwGYHO

We are all well, thanks. There was no double stacking. Turned out the tank hangs on only one square tube. Notice at 3:55 in the video how the back of the tank actually rests on the top of the step bracket. When the front u bolt is tightened down, it actually twists the square tube and holds the tank down with a fair amount of force against the bracket. The tank ends up in a slight down-forward pitch towards the water drain valve. It is not perfectly horizontal to the truck frame. I actually inspected it yesterday to see how it was doing and it's fine. Still tight and no wear on the tank or bracket. This was a lucky part of the install. Never planned that but it has turned out great.

@@EpicCowlick Thank you for that explanation! I was trying to figure out how to make a mount that held it up there, glad I asked before fabricating a ton of stuff that didn't work when the answer was simple! OK, back to lying under the truck trying to avoid dropping things on my head while I install them! Take care!

The drill hole was just larger than the coupler threads. Nothing but a washer and nut on the back side.

That was a major concern in selecting a location for everything. Everything you mentioned is located or routed away from the exhaust. In fact, the airbag on the passenger side of the truck includes a shield and a little length of wire insulation because those have to be installed close to that heat. No failure or problems so far.

Easy way to attach just about anything to the frame without actually drilling into it.

It's just regular air hose that can be found about anywhere. I think this came from Harbor Freight. I keep two 20 foot lengths in the back seat which gives me plenty of range to fill trailer tires while hooked up. I use only one length for most other things so I don't have to deal with 40 feet all the time. The coiled hard plastic hoses will shatter in the cold. Believe me I know... ;)

Look up "Senco" hose. I have used one for 20 years. Always plyable. Hundreds of jobs (probably + 1000's jobs)

I'll give that a try. Thanks.

This kit uses the 350c compressors. Two of those require 37 amps to run and I wanted to stay under 40 amps. Anything larger would have gone over that limit. A link to the system is in the video description.

EpicCowlick thank you

The hole was only slightly larger than the threaded end so the ring nut snugged up tight enough. It's still on there and doesn't want to go anywhere.

It was 10 gauge for about 14 feet of wire. I could have gone with 8 gauge but it would have been overkill. I ran the compressors for about 20 minutes straight and felt the wire. Not even warm. I think the compressors only pull 38 amps just before they shut off at 150 psi so it's really a short period of time at that load.

The tank is always full at 150 psi when not in use. It's always ready.

The relays are already sealed with epoxy and can be used outdoors.

They are working great. No leaks or any problem.

That's right. I have used the old hand on the compressor test and have yet to feel any uncomfortable temps. Even after refilling all four tires a few weeks ago. Viair warns that the compressor can burn the skin and I haven't felt anything close to that. That's not to say I dismiss the warning but it may be mitigated in my case due to the compressors being out in the open air. Things would be very different if they were mounted inside a protective box or in the cabin. I also considered mounting them as directed with the square aluminum tube on the bottom of the frame but decided that looked dumb. Time will tell but it's been good through one summer.

It's all over the internet. I googled for upfitter switch wires and found this: skippingtheinbetween.blogspot.com/2018/03/31-ford-upfitter-switches-wiring-diagram.html

@@EpicCowlick Thanks

Search "1/4 npt compression fitting" and amazon or ebay and you'll find them.

@@EpicCowlick thank you for the information, I'll get right on it.

Great tip!

I have two relays for the two compressors so I understand the question about two wires. The Viair schematic is correct. Follow that and you'll be good.

@@EpicCowlick Thanks. Just to be clear, you have to connect both to the upfitter and the battery?

@@ryanstratton6092 I understand your original question now. Just looked at the Viair schematic and it shows the compressor wired directly to the battery and the pressure switch wired to a switched power source. This is not what I did. I used upfitter 6 which is a 12V 40 amp switched source for both the compressors and the pressure switch. Nothing is connected directly to the battery. The onboard air system receives power only when the truck is running and upfitter #6 is turned on.

@@EpicCowlick That helps a lot. Thank your for your willingness to help a newbie. Jus a lot of pigtails and splicing to get the one wire to the upfitter switch makes a lot more sense.

If I remember right the pressure switch is rated at 25 amps max and shouldn't be on a 40 amp circuit.

Great question. Turned out I was able to rest the tank directly on the floor board bracket. It was slightly angled so when bolting down the front, it torqued the tank solidly onto the floor board bracket. Make sense? The front of the tank is suspended on its bracket while the rear of the tank rests directly on the truck. I was initially concerned about normal vibrations wearing a hole through the tank but there's no sign of that. A fortunate change in plan.

I used the truck's upfitter switch and built-in relays.

Nevermind I found where I hid my man parts.

The compressors and tank are working great. I did have to put a silicone cover over the connector on the bumper. It get's weather worn without some kind of protection.

@@EpicCowlick , maybe switch to an aluminum quick connect? Just a thought. I’m putting airbags on rear and those bags that go into the coil springs , I used airbags on the rear that were meant for a drop axle on a commercial vehicle. I’m fabricating some hardware to mount them now. These bags are not for weight issues as much as leveling side to side, I redone an old Ford pickup and it wants to ride low on the drivers side. Adding the bags was way cheaper then new leaf and coil springs. Because I’m using the drop axle bags and making the hardware is the savings. Got the two air springs in a clearance sale. The bags are nearly identical to those loadlifter 5000 bags. I can’t remember now if you used those or not, my search started with airbags looking for hardware to plagiarize , lol. It progressed to on board 12 volt compressors, I didn’t know a person could get such nice ones. They are high in price , but worth it to me if they will last a bit. So thank you very much for your reply! You helped me make up my mind. I’m almost done with my pickup , a compressor will be the last addition. It makes sense with the air suspension. Thanks again!

Good question. I forgot to show that. The intakes are pushed way up inside the bed wall. It is too high to have water get to it and easily pulled down to change the filter.

@@EpicCowlick perfect. Thank you. I watched your older install too.

That would not work with these connectors. Because, the solder in the connector is low temperature and you would never get the solder on the tinned wires to melt with the heat gun.

The instructions say to mount them in an upright and dry location. I could have flipped the U bolt brackets to the underside of the frame but then they are visible from the side of the truck. I can only speak form experience on my last truck where I did this same thing and the compressor never failed over 6 years. The compressors are IP6 (?) rated and sealed with o-rings on the head and motor. They can take some water but I doubt submersion is good for them. Note that I did seal the intake fitting with thread sealant. Time will tell.

The compressors come with rubber feet. They dampen sound and vibration quite a bit.

You'd want a bigger tank for air tools and these two compressors would have a hard time keeping up. It's ok for little stuff but it hits its limit pretty quickly.

No issues yet.

I really do. I use compressed air a lot for just so many things. I've plumbed my airbags into the system so that is really useful.

@@EpicCowlick thanks, I bought and installed the 10007 unit last weekend

No plans to enclose the compressors and tank. I had this setup on my last truck for 5 years and they never failed. Viar does a good job sealing their compressors. The wires are different gauges in different places. The compressors draw the most current so they got 10 gauge for a 13 foot run if I remember correctly. Each wire is appropriate for the load, voltage and distance.

@@EpicCowlick Website says it's 12 gauge. Just ordered mine, so we'll see what comes.

lol. The low temp solder is the bomb. It's not perfect but fun to use. And yes, it was left-over wire from something. Copper strands are copper strands...

Do you turn on your f150 when using the compressor? I assume since it is a 1 battery truck? Or does that have nothing to do with it?

I have my power for pump on a switch and the signal wore for the horn on a switch through the truck horn

@@austinkaye648 oh I see. Awesome!