ARB air solenoid causing air escape.

[jeeps4play]

New air solenoid replaced and it still loses air. Ok let me see if I can explain what I noticed. There are two wires that go into each of my air solenoids. (front has grn and blk) rear one is (yel and blk). Since the air was escaping through my front air solenoid I replaced it, now the new one does the same, so I probably wasted my money on that. So I took the grn and blk wire's and swamped to where the yel and blk were on the other solenoid....... now it loses air through that one, so I'm guessing it a wiring thing. Just recently the little light that came on the locker switch (on dashboard) when lockers are engaged stopped lighting up. This is the same locker switch that engages the two wires (blk and grn) that's causing my air to escape. Note: that there are a total of four wires to the switch but only two proceed on to the air solenoid. I "think" the blu-wht one goes to the dashboard illumination, and the yel goes to the other air solenoid. This was all done before me owning the jeep and I'm not sure if it was installed to a arb wiring diagram, although it worked fine for a couple of years. I've tried looking over arb wiring diagram and It's not consistent with my set-up. Any ideas on why/what those grn and blk wires are causing air to escape through the solenoids when hooked to one?

 

[cruiseroutfit]

It doesn't matter which solenoid you hook the grn/blk or yel/blk pairs too, they should operate fine albeit off of one switch or the other in your cab. The solenoids are simple, apply power and they open, remove power and they close. The black wire on both pairs is simply a ground and the yel/grn is your power. I'm assuming you have power coming through your green wire likely due to improper wiring on the back of the switches or it could be a faulty switch or shorted harness. Re-wire exactly to the ARB diagram and test.

 

[TEAM FRED]

Sounds like the solenoid is installed backwards. If I recall port 1 is tank pressure and Port 2 goes to locker. If installed backwards air will leak from the compressor through solenoid.

 

[jeeps4play]

Thanks for the feedback - Ok I hoping I can stay just with the grn wire and find a short, so I'll follow it from the switch all the way to the air solenoid. If I can't find a short in the grn wire then I'm going to assume it is the switch. Since nothing has changed since it was operable at one time, I'm hoping that its the switch or just a short.
Thanks again, I'll post back with the results later on today.

 

[jeeps4play]

Sounds like the solenoid is installed backwards. If I recall port 1 is tank pressure and Port 2 goes to locker. If installed backwards air will leak from the compressor through solenoid.

This is the same answer ARB gave to me, but I've verified that port 1 is tank pressure and port 2 goes to locker. All the air escapes through the little "vent screw".

 

[XJEEPER]

I use two of these to control my ARB's. Flip the switch up, air is routed to the locker, flip the switch down, air is released through the vent and the locker unlocks. Simple and dependable, zero issues in 5+ years.......


Clippard 2 position poppet valves PN-MJTV-3 with 1/8" NPT fittings, which accept 1/4" OD tubing

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=913774&page=6

 

[jeeps4play]

Wish maybe I was set-up that way, but for now I gotta figure out why it's not working when it was. I just Switched the switches around to see if I had a bad switch and it appears when I use the four wire's off the back of this switch it cause the same problem on the other solenoid, so I have checked the grn wire from switch to solenoid and can't find a problem..... I still loose air through the vent screw when ever those wires are hooked up to either solenoid...... Could it be a wire thats not even on the same switch even though they all work except the one?

 

[jeeps4play]

Ok I've burnt out what was left of my brain, I'm thinking it's my orginal thought.... a bad "air solenoid", it's just that two in a row going bad, guess it's possible but ARB representative thought it was weird that even one would of acted like that. Guess I'll have to order another

 

[jeeps4play]

Is it possible it the problem lies in the rear diff? I'm not sure what that end of the arb line looks like. Oil ring? clogged/dirt??

 

[DOSS]

Why don't you remove your current electrical from the equation.. make a quick electrical harness and test it on your new solenoid.. sounds to me if you have air coming out of the solenoid all of the time you might have some electrical issue.. maybe not enough juice to fully engage the solenoid (extra resistance .. etc)..

 

[jeeps4play]

Problem found in new switch. I wanna give a big thanks to all who tried to help out. I've learned a lot by your comments trying to help me trouble shoot.

 

[TEAM FRED]

Cool thanks for letting us know what you found!

 

[cruiseroutfit]

Fwiw, wiring diagram (and mod to diagram to allow independent front locker use):
http://cruiseroutfitters.com/tech_ARB_Independent.html