York Air Compressor Installation
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By, CHAD CROWELL


York Air Install for Jeep TJ-Part 2

One More Nice Addition:

If you run air lockers, like me, the York system is perfect for running them! Think about what you buy when you buy a small 12v compressor to run lockers...a small version of a complete York system. It has a pump, tank, pressure switch, gauge, quick disconnect, manifold...all the items you have assembled here. But the York allows you to air up four tires in about 5 minutes, or run a grinder or air ratchet. Guess what? My complete York system was about $80 more than one of those 12v compressors. And it was alot of fun to install!

Full York setupHere is the final diagram for a full York system. If you have air lockers, this should be what you are shooting for. Before I had the need to run my air lockers from my York system, my fifth air output port from the manifold was simply plugged. After installing the lockers and solenoids, I took on the task of getting air to them. Its not as easy as running a line to the solenoids, because the air pressure must not be above about 90psi. Remember, this system pressurizes to 125psi.

 

Solenoid systemRun an air line from the manifold to the area where your air locker solenoids reside. From there, buy a mini regulator and gauge at a hardware store. The regulator will have a small yellow knob on top. Attach the line from the manifold to the regulator, and then another line from the regulator output to a Tee. I attached the Tee directly to the regulator output. Screw the solenoids to the teo outputs of the Tee and your ARB lines will run from there to your lockers. The mini regulator should have a place to screw the gauge into it. I bought a gauge kit from Sun Performance and mounted this second gauge in my dash. To do this, simply screw the fitting supplied from Sun into the regulator and run the provided air line through the firwall to the dash. Turn on the compressor and twist the yellow knob on the regulator until the pressure in the regulated side of the system is about 85psi...perfect for air lockers!

 

Inside air gaugeYou can mount the second gauge under the hood as well if you like, just make sure you have two gauges to monitor full system pressure as well as regulated pressure. Either gauge could be in the dash, also. I am fairly sure of my system always maximizing at 125psi, so I put the smaller gauge in the dash, which was the regulated one. To run your lockers, simply turn on your York and leave it on all day. Your system will be pressuruzed, and as you turn the lockers on and off, the pressure will slowly fall. When it reached 85psi, the pressure switch will cut in and the system will refill, without you having to miss a beat (now you know why I chose 85-125psi...even at minimum system pressure, I can be sure there is always enough pressure to run the lockers).

The only other idea I have seen that was really nice was by Paul Nasvik and Steve Friend. It involved installing a fitting in the bottom of the coalescing filter's bowl that feeds a line back to the York intake hose. At the intake, there is a ball valve. Instead of removing the filter bowl and replacing the oil in the compressor, the valve could be turned and the compressor cycled for a few seconds, in which the oil in the bowl would be sucked back into the York inlet. Then turn off the compressor and return the valve to "air sucking" mode. I have not added this to my system, but did draw it on the diagram.

 

At this point, after reading several articles on York installs, I found myself with a ton of questions! Well, I will answer those questions for you! Or, check out some of these other sites with nice York write ups...the more info you gather, the easier it will be to put it all together. Have fun!!

York Sites:
Matt Bateman's Site
Craig Meyers' Site
Paul Nasvik's Site
JeepTech Site (Article by ObiWan)

 

 

Some information courtesy of the Jeep Tech pages.




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