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York Air Install for Jeep TJ- Part 1
Note: This article refers mostly to '97-'99 TJs. 2000+
TJ's will vary slightly
I
have camped all my life, and most of the time we brought an air mattress
and a goofy little foot pump that, when my dad used it, made him look
like a dog scratching his side with his rear leg. What a riot! Well,
these days, camping usually involves taking the Jeep and doing some
form of off-road driving during the trip. As you probably know, having
an air pump for wheeling is a huge benefit…but the foot action just
won't cut it.
The ritual of airing our tires up and down, locking diffs, the occasional
necessity of an air powered tool, inflating a raft, the old air mattress,
and in my case, the need of a blended beverage, all contributed to my
decision to install a York air compressor in my TJ. Why a York? It moves
a lot of air in a short amount of time, and is not something that must
be packed into the Jeep. Lord knows I overload my Jeep as it is for
these trips!
Compressor
Choices
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Hand/Foot
Actuated: Like Dad's old manual pump, these relics are
great for a small air mattress or a raft, but that's about it. These
have no business taking up room in a 4x4.
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12V
Handheld:
These are available at your favorite outdoor or department store,
and are quite powerful. Again, great for mattresses and rafts, but
nothing else. They are very compact and plug into the lighter socket,
which is a nice bonus.
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12V
Mounted: These permanently-mounted compressors are nice.
I have many friends with them and they never complain. These things
are workhorses, take up a small amount of room, and can also run
lockers. For my needs, though, they don't have the output. I have
watched friends spend 30 minutes airing up their tires…then spent
another 30 using their compressor on my tires. No thanks.
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Gas-Filled
Tank: These
portable CO2 tanks are really great. They
are self-contained, and can fill about 40 tires before needing a
re-charge. They can power air tools and fill rafts and can power
air lockers with special additional hardware. They also take up
a lot of room.
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Rotary Belt-Driven:
This is a York or other automobile compressor. What's nice about
the York is that it pumps pure air, meaning that it has an internal
oil reservoir for lubrication. Many cylindrical automotive compressors
pump Freon and use a heat exchanger to separate the cold air from
the ever-circulating lubricant. The York is permanently mounted
out of the way, and the air system can be plumbed in an un-obtrusive
way. The volume of air is enough for all of my requirements, and
the system is CHEAP!
Some information
courtesy of the Jeep Tech pages.
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