does anyone with a 3rd gen 4Runner have an Onboard Air setup? (compressor/tank) i know a lot of people have the arb compressor for lockers, and andy has the airlift, but im talking about a bigger OBA setup like Roger Brown's. BajaTaco has a nice setup also, but the compressor is in the bed. if anyone has one post up, or post links to people that have one. i'd like to see where they mounted their compressor/tank. i don't know if i could fit one under the hood, so i was thinking in the back on top of one of the wheel wells. but wouldn't that be really loud inside the 4Runner? would it be a bad idea to mount a compressor under the vehicle?

i was planning on following this wiring diagram...

 

it would be bad to put it under the vehicle, unless it was in a box of some sort, it won't to well getting coated in water everytime it rains...and dust everytime your out...you can mount it under your hood, you just have to move some stuff...in the back is fine too, but you will have loud noise, not a big deal since you'll be out of the truck to air up anyway...

 

I know one 2nd gen owner who has a compressor mounted in the rear behind one of the panels in the cargo area. I think it is an ARB compressor. For a tank, he uses a portable one for airing up tires and hooks it into the compressor plumbing when needed.

 

ask sdastg1. he had one on his 3rd gen.

 

axle - yeah, i figured it wasnt such a good idea to mount it underneath, but thought i'd ask to see if anyone has done it successfully. the reason i was worried about the noise inside is if i ever get air lockers, i wouldnt want to redo my air setup. don't arbs require a constant amount of air to stay locked? would a tank provide enough to keep them locked? or would the compressor keep kicking on every so often...

roger - behind the interior panels seems like a nice idea, 3rd gens have a storage compartment built into the passenger side interior panel that i could probably modify. one thing i might be worried about is the heat. would keeping it enclosed like that cause a ton of heat, maybe even damaging something?

andy - thanks, i searched (gasp) and found his old OBA thread. only problem is that none of his pics show up anymore, so i'll have to PM him...

 

Heat could be an issue, either leave the access panel open while running for extended periods, or wire in a 12V fan to circulate air inside when the pump is running, could be wired to go on and off with the pump.

 

For air locker use, the arb compressor is only on for maybe 10 seconds at the beginning to fill up the tank. The lockers can be cycled a couple times before the compressor comes back on to fill the tank and then it's only on for a couple seconds. The compressor isn't on continuously when the lockers are engaged.

I have my two caddy compressors mounted underneath, right above the rear axle. It stays surprisingly clean there, no mud or anything. But then, caddy compressors are cheap and I didn't care too much about them. Been there for 2-3 years now.

I mounted my expensive arb compressor under the hood.

 

Hi. I'm crazy, and this is my plan:

Crazy Plan

This is one of the problems:

Pesky Problem

As far as the tank goes, You can mount it in the spare tire area (that's my plan). I've also heard good things form peopel that put the tank(s) in their stock front bumper. Good luck with your quest.

 

hi crazy.

thats pretty invovled for me, but it sure is a really cool idea. the spare tire area was the first thing i thought of for mounting a tank...it seems like the spare is the first thing to go whenever we need a new toy. i was hoping i wouldnt have to do that, but havent looked underneath yet for some possible mounting locations. behind the front bumper sounds like a good idea too, but is that safe? how durable are these tanks, in case of a wreck...?

 

Well the tanks that will fit in the front bumper aren't very big (or expensive). If you get in a wreck that'll take out your front bumper then I think you have bigger problems. Also, I really don't think that even 100psi would make the tank liable to explode if they get hit hard. I could be wrong though.

 

I have an ExtremeAire compressor (big sucker) that I have thus far failed to mount under my hood, but that is its eventual destination.

There are only two places that people have successfully mounted it under a 3rd gen hood.

1. On the passenger wheelwell. This requires relocating the ABS and cruise control controllers somewhat (if you have them), and fabbing some simple mounting hardware. This is by far the more common location.

2. Next to the battery. This required (in his case) switching to a smaller profile Optima battery, and fabbing a mounting bracket that sat inboard (toward the engine) of the battery, that he mounted the compressor on (vertically). He still had clearance for the supercharger, so I guess there's room for it. (Yep, only one person that I know of has done this one)

It is easier (option 1) with a smaller compressor, like the VIAIR (sp?) ones.

I'd like to go for option 2 myself, but I lack the skills.

And if you're worried about changing your setup when and if you get air lockers, just keep it in a toolbox in the back like me. Then you have no setup to change, but you still have air. :cry: