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VIAIR 450P-RV Blowing 30A Fuse

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  • VIAIR 450P-RV Blowing 30A Fuse

    My VIAIR is about 1.5 yrs old (out of warranty--naturally). I use it every time I drive my truck as the VIAIR is incorporated into the truck's AirLift bag system. On the trip to Atlanta last week I noticed the pump was silent when I was trying to use the VIAIR to adjust air pressure. That led to a morning full of troubleshooting.

    <erases five paragraphs to spare the audience>

    The problem was a stuck closed (so it never shut off the pump) pressure switch. If you look closely at how the unit is designed (last picture), moisture and crap will "fall" down into the tube where the switch is at the bottom. Not a great design--switch should be above the air travel with a drain off the bottom. When I separated the tube from the switch, moisture and dark "gook" oozed out. Not good.

    To fix the problem I sprayed out the pressure switch with alcohol (isopropol, not Jameson--get real!). Unfortunately VIAIR soldered the push on switch's connectors so I had to get creative to reinstall everything. I tested it and it works. Tomorrow I'll put it all back together. Then I need to figure out how to install an air dryer on the INLET side of the VIAIR. Florida's moisture-rich air is causing havoc, if I don't prevent the problem I'll just have to deal with it again soon.

    The pics below also show the pump end (that I took apart first) and the corrosion inside. A big "thank you!" to JCR GD for recommending ACF-50 (different thread a while back). The stuff came in handy to clean the internal parts of the pump.

    Note that the disassembly of the VIAIR is easy--but the reassembly is a royal pain. There are multiple gaskets that must be aligned perfectly and simultaneously, so patience is definitely required. (There's YouTube videos so I didn't bother documenting the process.)

    Corrosion inside the cylinder.

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    After scrubbing with a soft toothbrush dipped in ACF-50.

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    Corrosion above the piston. (Clean now--no after picture, though.)

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    Pressure switch inside the end assemble before removal.

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    Ops Check Good! Tomorrow everything gets reassembled.

    Note how the switch is at the bottom of the air tube, thus moisture and any debris falls down on top of the switch. Not a great design IMHO.


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    -Howard
    Last edited by howson; 03-13-2020, 07:25 AM.
    Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

    2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

  • #2
    Hi Howard,

    I have a slightly different version of the VIAIR 450 in a similar application. Mine is compressor only . . . without the "RV kit" accessories. But, living several months in Florida each year, I am interested in understanding and preventing this failure mode.

    This switch would appear to be an over-pressure safety limit switch. Per VIAIR specs, this should be set at 150 psi. This compressor is supposed to have a 100% duty cycle. I have never come anywhere near that pressure for filling airbags or tires. Do you think that you were reaching over 150 psi to stall the compressor and blow the fuse? I would think that your Airlift controller would shut off the compressor well before the limit pressure switch was called upon to open.

    Rob
    Cate & Rob
    (with Border Collies Molly & Angel + Kitties Hazel & Elsie)
    2015 Reflection 303RLS
    2022 F350 Diesel CC SB SRW Lariat
    Bayham, Ontario, Canada

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by Cate&Rob View Post
      Hi Howard,

      I have a slightly different version of the VIAIR 450 in a similar application. Mine is compressor only . . . without the "RV kit" accessories. But, living several months in Florida each year, I am interested in understanding and preventing this failure mode.

      This switch would appear to be an over-pressure safety limit switch. Per VIAIR specs, this should be set at 150 psi. This compressor is supposed to have a 100% duty cycle. I have never come anywhere near that pressure for filling airbags or tires. Do you think that you were reaching over 150 psi to stall the compressor and blow the fuse? I would think that your Airlift controller would shut off the compressor well before the limit pressure switch was called upon to open.

      Rob
      I agree with your analysis that the AirLift manifold should have shut down the compressor prior to the pressure safety switch engaging. I may have had two simultaneous failures.

      First, while troubleshooting I completely removed the VIAIR from the truck and connected it via jumper cables to one of my truck's batteries. I'd made up cables just for this purpose a long time ago (just in case). That was how I quickly determined the fault was in the VIAIR and not in the AirLift part of the system.

      The failure mode was with a new fuse, the compressor would run, build up pressure, and stop. When it would try to start again it would stall, blowing the fuse. That symptom led me to look at the mechanical pump end of the unit. There was a lot of corrosion (as previously shown) which I cleaned up.

      Upon reassembly and running the unit again, the pump once again ran fine but when it stopped pumping air it blew the 30A fuse. A little different from the first time since it kept pumping until it blew the fuse. I suspected there was a pressure safety switch at the other end (near the on/off button) and sure enough found it. As previously mentioned, when I took it apart there was a lot of dark, mucky fluid inside the tube floating on top of the switch.

      I literally just got done with the reassembly and checking the compressor system with it remounted in the truck. Everything works again as original. However, that pump was a pain to reassemble. I'm not taking it apart again--too hard to get everything lined up. If/when the VIAIR fails again I'll be looking for a replacement unit, preferably something with a small tank.

      To try and alleviate drawing in moisture-laden air I cobbled together what I had in my spare tool draw. I literally beat an adapter into the VIAIR filter housing with a rubber mallet. Fit just about perfectly. I'll likely get a better air/water separator but the pictures below should give you an idea of what I've done. Not elegant, but since the compressor lives in a narrow space under a wooden protective cover between the truck bed and my ramp, it isn't seen and there's no worry of the water separator getting snapped off accidentally. The assembly didn't cost me a dime, either, since I already had the parts.


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      Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

      2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

      Comment


      • #4
        Cate&Rob -- and as you know the reason that you have a "similar application" is because I got the idea of incorporating the pump into the AirLift system from you in the first place.
        Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

        2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by howson View Post
          <erases five paragraphs to spare the audience>
          Love it Howard! Been there, done that. Sometimes the poetry flows out of the fingers so fast that it's not 'til you see it posted that you realize nobody else will care about it. So you edit it and then it gets blocked! At least you can un-block yours right away.

          I hope we can have a beer together sometime, but we'd have to set up one of those speaker's red-light systems to limit on how much time each of us gets to thoroughly and properly comment or answer the other's question.

          Mark - 2018 Solitude 310GK - Ford F-350 SRW diesel short box - Pullrite Superglide hitch

          Comment


          • #6
            My repair didn't last--the VIAIR 450P-RV quit working (again). I suspect (but not going to verify--done messing with the unit) that the pressure switch has failed.

            The issue is the location of the switch. The switch is below the air travel path, thus any moisture in the system eventually drips down into the switch. As I found in my unit, there was a nasty pool of gunk in it.

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            So I'll be looking for a replacement. I'll start a new thread since the content will stray from this one's purpose. After posting the new thread I'll come back here and post a link to it.
            Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

            2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

            Comment


            • #7
              Cate&Rob -- I went back and looked at the thread in the "other" sandbox (and posted an update there as I felt one was needed). The picture posted in that thread of your setup shows why you haven't had this problem--your VIAIR doesn't have the pressure switch like the 450P-RV (and now the new 450P-RVS).

              For those considering the 450P-RVS model of VIAIR pump, occasional use with it stored in a cool, dry location should result in excellent service. Trying to use it like I did (mounted in a truck bed, operating frequently in a humid environment) has proven to be an unfortunate learning opportunity. (A euphemism for "hold my beer...".)

              For the airlift bags I removed the relay and installed the original compressor that came with the Airlift 5000+ system. It is much louder (and slower!) than the VIAIR but it works.

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              Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

              2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

              Comment


              • #8
                Maybe not an ideal solution but why not just mount the compressor upside down? Wouldn't that prevent moisture from collecting in the pressure switch?
                -Rob-
                -
                Rob, Chris and fur baby Maya
                2019 Solitude 374TH, Victron Multiplus II 3000 2x120, 600AH of Battle Born LiFePO4, 1800W Solar, Blue Sky CC's, Starlink
                2023 GMC Denali Duramax 4x4 DRW LB CC, Curt Q25
                Follow us at https://rctravels.rmcd.ca/

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by KamFlyer View Post
                  Maybe not an ideal solution but why not just mount the compressor upside down. Wouldn't that prevent moisture from collecting in the pressure switch?
                  -Rob-
                  I actually did that, Rob. Spent an entire morning making sure the switch was clean and mounted the VIAIR 450P upside down. Unfortunately the switch was a goner and it is so difficult to reassemble there were air leaks in the pump connections post reassembly.

                  If I was to get another one that's exactly what I'd do--but still not happy with the way it ingested humidity and corroded internally (in the piston area).

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                  Forum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.

                  2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus

                  Comment

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