Quick Air 3 Woes

[adventureduo]

Maybe something's wrong here.... but our SMB we just bought came with a Quickair 3. Now, as far as i know they're supposed to be somewhat fast and pretty reliable. They've been on the market for quite some time.

Well, it took a good 10 mins to air up a 285/75R16 from 25lbs to 55 lbs. AND, it overheated and shut off after just 2 tires.

After cooling, i proceeded to air up the rest of the tires and it shut down again halfway through the last tire.

Coming from c02.. this is un-acceptable. Especially for a $399 compressor! Even my buddies crappy Costco compressor finished before us. Thank goodness we were airing up at camp and time didn't matter... since it took nearly 2 hours to air up! Just imagine a group of rigs waiting to head off down pavement and they're waiting for us!

This cant be right? Can it? I mean our tire size is tiny compared to what these compressors are supposed to be able to handle. And it says the runtime is 40 mins with 15 mins rest... i barely got 20-25 mins out of the thing.

The thing looks brand new.. the PO barely used it. I might call Sun Perf. tomorrow.. they're local to us. Maybe it needs to be looked at.

Any suggestions?


Compressor in question...
http://inlinethumb49.webshots.com/34800/2267660000034696539S600x600Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2267660000034696539lICSdx)

http://inlinethumb38.webshots.com/44069/2291882130034696539S600x600Q85.jpg (http://community.webshots.com/photo/2291882130034696539bJBRcK)

[jcbrandon]

I suggest you look for leaks in the system somewhere: air fittings and hoses. Perhaps there is a crack in the flex hose that is easy to overlook.

QuickAir compressors are pretty reliable. I've had a QuickAir 2 for eight years with no troubles. It takes me five minutes to air a 31x10.5x15 from 15psi to 40psi.

The compressor has a thermal cutoff to keep it from self-destructing. Yours cut off because it was in danger of overheating.

As the pressure in the tire builds the compressor has to work harder. So airing up to 55 psi is a lot more work than 40psi. Still, I would be very surprised if it took more than 10 minutes per tire. So you should be able to air all four tires within the 40-minute duty cycle.

That's what leads me to believe you have an air leak in the system somewhere. The compressor ran so long to fill the first couple of tires that it was in danger of overheating and shut down.

[adventureduo]

I looked for leaks, but couldn't find any.. But maybe there's one somewhere i can't see. The hose seems fine and in good shape. I don't see or hear any high pressure air being blown around in the mobile case. The units "looks" brand new. Yeah i knew about the thermal cutoff, i even tapped on it with my finger to see maybe its loose or shortening out. Seems perfect. I'll probably just run the unit down to Sun one day this week and have them give a look if i can't find anything.

[bullsac]

Also check the intake and make sure it is not clogged or obstructed. I had a similar experience and my filter was sucked into the intake about 3/4" of an inch.

Also what was the ambient tempature outside?

[adventureduo]

I'll check the filter. Ambient.... maybe 85 degrees? Wasn't that hot out.

[madizell]

I clipped the following from an ad:

Quick Air 3 Portable:

The QuickAIR3 The QuickAIR3 is the ultimate 12-volt tire-filling machine! This twin-piston unit produces a whopping 3.65 CFM for super-fast tire-filling, and is loaded with features that ensure years of reliable service.

This high volume / low-pressure compressor was designed for rapid tire inflation of large sized tires. This is the ideal compressor if you are running 35" and larger tires.

* 1/3 Horsepower permanent magnet motor
* Flow Rate: 3.65 CFM
* Maximum Pressure: 70 psi
* Max Duty: 40 minutes @ 40 psi
* Teflon Piston Rings
* Oil-less operation requires no lubrication
* Washable sponge intake filters
* Poppet exhaust valve
* 50 amp in-line fuse
* Built in Thermal cut-out
* Fan cooled

Since you were working near the high side of the unit maximum pressure, as well as above the psi at which the unit is rated for time, it is possible that the performance you saw was typical for the unit. CFM is not rated at pressure in the blurb above, but my guess would be that it is a free-flow CFM rating. If so, then at 5/7ths of maximum pressure, CFM output would be very low, requiring a lot of time to fill a tire.

If you don't mind my asking, why do you feel it is necessary to use 55psi? At that level of inflation, each tire could carry 2,660 pounds. Your vehicle does not look to be carrying 10,640 pounds. Inflated to 35psi, you would be able to handle 8520 in gross load, and at 40, you would be able to carry 9,360 total. I would think that any pressure in that range would be more than sufficient under almost any circumstances, and would be more within the operating range of the pump.

[ntsqd]

FWIW I could see and feel a difference in 35 vs. 45 psi on my '91 Suburban (Tare:~5300 lbs) in fuel consumption, 'wallowing' on the highway, and tire wear.

Oasis? (http://www.oasisoffroad.com/Home.html)

[DaveInDenver]

FWIW I could see and feel a difference in 35 vs. 45 psi on my '91 Suburban (Tare:~5300 lbs) in fuel consumption, 'wallowing' on the highway, and tire wear.
Oh yeah, I agree that 55 psi might be the right normal pressure for him, but I think the point madizell makes is valid, though. You don't necessarily need to pump back up to your final street pressure at the end of a trail, but just high enough to be safe and get to a better compressor at a gas station or something. So going up to maybe 40 psi on his SMB might be sufficiently high enough and would save his compressor from generating quite a bit of heat. Going with an Oasis or just an engine-mounted York might have a better time of doing four tires up to 55 psi, but that's still a lot of work done by the compressor, quite a bit of heat.

[adventureduo]

I wanted 55 psi cause we were heading home on the fwy the next AM. I feel for a $400 compressor... 55 psi isn't that much to ask. The rig weighs in at 9400 lbs without any gear. Reason for the high psi numbers. I don't mind running a little less and heading to a gas station to air the rest up ... but 99% of the damn time, the air compressors at a gas station DONT WORK!!!!! Not to mention if your in the middle of no where.. I dont know.. im just not impressed with this compressor if that's the way it's gonna run. Next time i will try going up to the minimum i feel i can get away with and see how it works.

[ntsqd]

I never (anymore) do a partial air-up. 3 days after getting home I'm wondering why Patch is driving so odd...... ;)

A second FWIW, with the Sub "aired down" has yet to break the 35 psi mark in it's 285's. My April mostly dirt roads trip over Steele Pass, down Saline Valley Rd, up Goler over Mengel Pass, out to Tecopa, over to Laughlin, and across the Mojave Road never saw me go lower, or need to.

[adventureduo]

Yeah it was funny... i aired down to 35 pounds outback on the SMB and it felt like 20. Amazing the weight difference. I rode like a caddy and the sidewall still looked good. I used to run 32 pounds on my XJ on the street!

[madizell]

First of all I didn't recognize the vehicle from the front photo and wouldn't have known it was pushing 10K even if I had, as I am generally unfamiliar with the vehicle.

Can't say as I know whether $400 should provide enough service to air four large tires to such a high psi, but if current performance is an indicator, I guess perhaps $400 isn't going to work in the long run. If I had to air up and down within the range you suggest, I would not use less than a York or other converted A/C pump under the hood, letting it run off the motor instead of using an electric pump of any description. An electric system large enough to do the job is going to be more than just expensive, it will also take up a lot of room, consume huge amounts of electricity to run, and will make a great deal of noise in use.

[Robert Bills]

If I had to air up and down within the range you suggest, I would not use less than a York or other converted A/C pump under the hood, letting it run off the motor instead of using an electric pump of any description. An electric system large enough to do the job is going to be more than just expensive, it will also take up a lot of room, consume huge amounts of electricity to run, and will make a great deal of noise in use.

I am currently using a Thomas 1/3 hp 12v compressor on my CJ-7 with 35" BFG MT tires. It has a 100% duty cycle, will air up all 4 tires from 10 psi to 26 psi in a reasonable time (i.e., much faster than any of the small 12v units, including Quick Air, and makes much less noise). (Thomas compressors are the same units that Curry used to market under their own name.)

At the time I obtained it, I wanted to keep my CJ's factory AC, which made it difficult to mount a second engine driven compressor. Now that I've ditched the AC (useless on a jeep with no windows or doors), I will probably be removing the Thomas compressor and converting the factory Sanden AC compressor to onboard air use. (Watch the For Sale board, you might find it listed there sometime in September.) As for space considerations, I bought a dual battery tray from Wrangler Power Products and mounted the Thomas compressor there. Fits fine.

[FlyingWen]

QuickAir is a good brand and they have great customer service.
I am sure a call to them would help diagnose the problem.

We currently run the Extremeaire (http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=173)12V compressor. It has no problem airing up tires in a matter of minutes. We have never had it overheat on us and have always had enough air for other vehicles.

[Spikepretorius]

If you can lay your hands on a Fini AG01 you'll be sorted. Fini is the cream of portable compressors. Made in Italy. Available locally for about ZAR3300 including taxes. Probably cheaper if you sourced it in the States or from Italy.
http://www.airsupreme.co.za/catalogue/battery.php

[adventureduo]

Ok, just got off the phone with Andre at Sun. He said that doesn't sound right at all. Im going to drop it off and have their "engineers" look at it. I'll post up their findings when i get it back.

I also, found out the unit has only been used Once by the PO.

[marke]

Hi, I have a QuickAir2 and similar tire size. On a recent trip I aired down to about 20 and filled my tires up to the same level as you and it was much quicker than what you have experienced. There must be something wrong with your compressor. Mark

[flyingwil]

Ok, just got off the phone with Andre at Sun. He said that doesn't sound right at all. Im going to drop it off and have their "engineers" look at it. I'll post up their findings when i get it back.

I also, found out the unit has only been used Once by the PO.

HMMM Keep us updated as to what Sun says about your compressor!

[adventureduo]

Just picked up the compressor from Sun. Spoke with Justin for a while. Real nice guy and real helpful. He showed me how they bench test.. and put our unit on it. Took the compressor up to 100 psi and shut it down. Inflated to 100psi in 29 seconds! ARB would take about 45 sec and VLair would take approx 35 seconds is what they said. This still did not tell me whether or not the unit will over heat next time out. However they put a new thermal shut down controller dealio in it.. and gave me a spare too. All for free. Real nice guys as i said before. I will report back after i test the unit in the next couple days.

It was neat touring the warehouse.. They showed me protoype Quickair4's and 5's (sorry no pics) :(. Here's a shipment going out to SMB West! THey ship out about 50 a month to them. Mostly quickair 2's. Some quickair3's. I guess SMB used to order hundreds a month. Times have changed we all know.

http://img154.imageshack.us/img154/9233/08190810581wp1.jpg

[adventureduo]

If you really want a high performance compressor...buy two of those "cheap" Costco compressors. Run em both at the same time and air up much quicker, plus you have redundacy in case one breaks. I haven't been impressed with any of the 'luxury' compressors I've seen on the trail or read about. Much has already been written about the value of the costco compressor vs high end ones.

This unit came with the van - free.

Im used to my c02 tank.. so there's no way im going to the Costco compressor.

[bat]

I carry a bottle with me also it is so much faster than a compressor. I also carry one of the mv 50 compressors they did a side by side test with all the top names end it held it's own pretty good. For $50 and the write up they did it was nice to have as a backup. I did use it once when I drove in another vehicle and when it was time to air up we tested it with another top end compressor. For $200 less and maybe a couple minutes longer and to have as a backup you can't go wrong.

[adventureduo]

Update:

Just took 4 regular van tires (235.75R16) from 9psi to 55psi and no problem whatsoever. But those are small tires and its not hot out. Still not completely satisfied. Will know for sure on the next trip.

I will most likely air down the TJ and air it back up and see.. its running 32's.

[DBS311]

What altitude were you airing up at? My compressor always takes a bit longer when up at 8,000+ feet. I run the Q89 dual piston chrome jobby you can get at 4wheelparts and it has been surprisingly fast and reliable. I timed airing up my 37" MT/R's one time and it took 2 minutes to get from 12 to 32 psi (per tire).

If you don't go engine driven compressor, there are only two to look at IMO, Oasis and ExtremeAire.

http://www.extremeoutback.com/index.cgi?exact_match=yes&product=Air%20Compressors&cart_id=6322631.1308

http://www.oasismfg.com/Home.html

[adventureduo]

What altitude were you airing up at? My compressor always takes a bit longer when up at 8,000+ feet.

Only 3,440 feet.

By the way, that extemeair you linked.. i saw at the quickair warehouse.. but none labeled.. as a possible soon to see quickair 5. However they were talking about how heavy it is and how they were working on an alternative.

The oasis look insanely industrial! I likey! I've been running their deflators for years.

[ntsqd]

Having hefted one I'd call the Oasis not really portable. It is intended to be bolted on somewhere and have a manifold system and power cables (not wires!) attached to it.

One of my long suffering projects is to build something like it. I started on it when I had a magazine connection. The idea was to turn it's build into a tech article that others could copy using only a drill press and a welder. Since then my connection has found the bottom of a bottle and I've let the project go dormant.

[DBS311]

Yes, the Oasis is big for sure, but powerful.

Shoot, throw an axle under it, put a lock 'n roll up front and turn it into a compressor trailer. I'm sure the V-10 could pull it.
:shakin:

[ntsqd]

VolksAir! (http://www.angelfire.com/biz/dunnright/DR3.html) :)
http://mywebpage.netscape.com/AlphahR/volksaira.jpg
http://www.angelfire.com/biz/dunnright/images/ld.jpg

[adventureduo]

bwhahahahahahha! :clapsmile

[ExpoMike]

Being enclosed (even with the door open) you are getting very little airflow around the cylinders for cooling. My guess is, if you could supply a 12v fan to help cool them, your cycling times will increase. As it sits, when they start to heat up, there is not much in the way for cooler air to flow past them.

Just a thought.

[adventureduo]

Being enclosed (even with the door open) you are getting very little airflow around the cylinders for cooling. My guess is, if you could supply a 12v fan to help cool them, your cycling times will increase. As it sits, when they start to heat up, there is not much in the way for cooler air to flow past them.

Just a thought.

I agree with you Mike, but they designed it this way with no problems. So it must have to work properly. If they overheated that easily, they wouldn't sell them in the case. The more and more i think about it, i think it was the thermal cutoff, cutting off the power too early. They put a new one in so we'll see.

Anyways, i will test the unit in a day or so here so check back for a full report.

[ntsqd]

After reading Mike's post, I agree with the both of you. It should work as is, however if it does not and there are no problems then I see a marvelous mod opportunity.

Put a 12VDC box fan in there. :) Can even get SS mesh coarse filters for some of the sizes of fans.

[DBS311]

Have you talked with Sportsmobile to see if they have had similar problems with this unit? Seems to me that if Sportsmobile sells this for use with their vans, it should work decently. Then again, after using a Powertank, anything else is going to fell like going back to an 8086 PC. SSSLLLOOOWWW!!!

I say if it doesn't perform to your liking at the next trial run, dump it on eBay or Craigslist and buy an ExtremeAire. Or get the unit on the trailer that ntsqd posted.:xxrotflma

[ntsqd]

I'll bet that you could do the same conversion to a Type 3 pancake motor and fit it under the SMB somewhere......

After using the York system that was on the Sub (until my bracket had a forced re-design event) the 60 will have OBA. The MV-50's are handy, but can't hope to compete in speed or run air tools. A CO2 tank is a great option, but not one that I'm personally interested in.

[Willman]

I say if it doesn't perform to your liking at the next trial run, dump it on eBay or Craigslist and buy an ExtremeAire.


I agree!

ExtremeAire Mag (http://www.sierraexpeditions.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=279)is a great way to go!

Fast and 100 % duty cycle!

I love using mine!

Once you buy one......you will never go back to anything else! (cry once type of a thing)

;)

[adventurebuddies]

This thread is interesting. I have the dual piston Q89 which is a Chinese knockoff of the Quickair 3. It filled my 315s from 20 to 48 in about 5 min per tire. But it only got through 3 tires and barely into the 4th before it shutoff. I was thinking about putting my 12v fan on it since the place it's mounted doesn't get much air.

I am a bit surprised to hear that the name brand compressor also shut down sooner than the advertised duty cycle.