Hey there. Long time since I been on here. Life has taken over ! But I’m still around haha. So… my 4runner has been sitting for a solid year. Recently did some maintenance on it. And I noticed my ARB DUAL COMPRESSOR is not kicking on. As in the compressor is not pumping. I get power to the switch, and the fan/fans turn on. But not the compressor to pump air. Any thoughts what it could be and where to look? The two 40mm fuses are good.
Arb dual compressor issue
- Thread starter kolelt
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
AuSeeker
Elite Member
My best guess would be corrosion either in the switch and or brushes in the motor, the brushes could also be stuck in the brush holder from brush dust that has harden and not making good contact.
The switch is clean and works. The fan kicks on the arb but that’s all. The compressor is literally brand new lol. I’ll try and look around it as to what you suggested. Very odd that it would seize up. If that’s the case that’s the biggest BS ever. I’m gonna call ARB also.
AuSeeker
Elite Member
You stated that the vehicle has sat for a year, which means the compressor is not brand new, it's at least one year old, anything that sits for a long time can get corroded no matter how new it "was" before it sat there for a long time, it's not like it's still in a box on a shelf inside out of the humidity, etc.
Yeah I agree. The compressor has been used about 10 times since it came out of the box. It’s wired in the back of the 4runner out of the Elements. But I agree, it sitting for almost a year could have caused it to seize up. The switch is clean. No corrosion visible. Is that a common thing on a ARB compressor? I’m sure many let it sit for a while before they have to use it ?
AuSeeker
Elite Member
I don't know if it's common thing for a ARB compressor....but for any electrical motor with brushes it can sometimes be a common issue, I would check and see if the brushes are stuck in their holders and not making proper contact with the commutator on the armature, brushes are a common failure in electrical motors usually from just wearing out over time and use and most all can be replaced with new brushes, but in this case, since they haven't been used very much they can just be stuck and need cleaning.
Also on the switch, I guessing the switch has possibly two contacts one for the fan and one for the motor, but I could be wrong not knowing how the ARB compressor and or switch is designed, but I do know how electrical motors function, and the common issues when they don't work.
As far as the compressor being inside the vehicle, humidity can build up inside a vehicle that is just sitting for a long period of time, and the contact areas of the brushes inside the motor are raw metal and can corrode from the humidity being ever present inside the vehicle, a motor in a vehicle that is used daily will not have that constant humidity affecting the raw metal inside the compressor.
I'm not saying the brushes are the problem but that's what I would check next to be sure they are able to move freely in their holders so they make proper contact with the commutator on the armature, if the brushes seem to be able to move freely in their holders, I would check with a multi-meter to see if there's continuity to the brushes when the switch is on, to do this disconnect the power and the turn on the switch then using the OHMS function check for continuity from the "hot" wire and the lead on the brushes, if there's not continuity then there's either a break in the circuitry or the switch is not making proper contact inside the switch, if there's is continuity and the motor still doesn't work then there's most likely a break in the wires on the armature or in the field windings that the armature rotates inside of.
If you are unfamiliar with using a multi-meter for checking continuity there are plenty of YouTube videos on how to check for continuity, basically you are check to see if current will flow from one point/contact to another through the circuitry or a wire, switch, etc.
Last edited:
