So I noticed today that my compressor was not running. After some initial inspections I figured the best way to check the compressor is to hook it up to a 12V battery. It worked fine.
So I checked the wiring and ripped apart most of the connections and visually made sure that they were good. Still no joy for the compressor running through the pressure switch. Is there any way to check that thing?
Next I looked at the grounds, still looked good ( my multimeter is at my place, at the inlaws right now )
After all that, now my horn will not blow. 80 PSI in the tank still, redid ground and went strait to the battery. Nada. WTF?! Is there a minimum PSI for the electric solenoid valve?
My kit is the hornblasters 548 conductors special. Looks like a different pressure switch on the website now… I installed everything less than six months ago.
So everything worked before & nothing works now? dang LOL
No multi-meter… do you have a test light? The connections/grounds look good, but are you sure there is good metal to metal contact? No rust. Try loosening and wriggle them.
The solenoid should work at 80 psi. Is the pressure switch the little barrell style?
The solenoid is for the air valve at the horns, completely separate.
I am a Avionics guy so I am 99.9% the grounds are good. Never 100% without my meter.
I don’t know how to test the pressure switch though.
Fuses are good, also swapped with spares during troubleshooting.
The system has worked for over 6 months.
The horn solenoid is brass on the bottom with the air lines and black on top with a small cylinder. I jumpered the ground to a bomber location and went strait to the battery and the horn did not blow with 80PSI in the tank.
Yes, but if you were to temporary connect the solenoid to the battery direct, does it click on and off?
Can you manually let some air out of the tank (using pressure release valve), it could be that you pressure switch is a bit sticky and releasing the 80psi will force the pressure switch to operate, then it should bring on the compressor.
Is it the little brown barrell style or is the relay built in?
Like Stinky said let air out of tank. At least below the pressure switch’s ON rating. In this state the switch should be closed/connected/activated. If you had your meter or a test light you could test for continuity between the terminals.
It’s just a switch like you would have on your radar systems avionics you work on. When you go to honk your horn, you should have 12 volts present at the one leg of the solenoid, the other goes to ground. Pressure switch just a switch that is normally open or normally closed. when tank pressures are satisfied 12 volts will still be present to one side of the control, (open switch). until tank pressure drops then control will make (normally open switch) will (close) then the source voltage will be present on other side of control to the compressor then it fires. I would make sure the ground for the compressor location is good.
Process of elimination. work your self backwards. Disconnect the pressure switch and bug (jump) the wire to the compressor to see if it will fire off. if that works problem solved bad pressure switch…
Compressor runs direct with 12 volt direct #1 problem solved.