[newbs]

same I would like to know

[tjrunner]

Also, any links to write-ups on this would be great!

[paultyler]

I'll take some pics later to show you how it is set up.

[tjrunner]

I don't mean to be a pest Paul, but did you get those pics? Also can you give me a brief rundown of your wiring?

[Shrek]

The wires that come out of the diff are for the contact that confirms the locker is locked. The stock pumps are definitely controlled by the computer, that's why they unlock at speeds over 10 mph or if your not in low range. I wired my stock rubi pumps with a switch hooked to the red and black wires and the pumps never turn off. The pressure stalls the little motor but it never turns off. Your locker would unlock the minute it did turn off because they bleed down fast. I'm going back to a conventional pump and regulator setup with some quality solenoids. As far as them making noise, they are almost silent, I wouldn't hesitate to put them under the seat. I have an extra rubi pump if anyone needs one. I also have the stock bracket that went on the skid plate.

[paultyler]

Originally Posted by Shrek

The wires that come out of the diff are for the contact that confirms the locker is locked. The stock pumps are definitely controlled by the computer, that's why they unlock at speeds over 10 mph or if your not in low range. I wired my stock rubi pumps with a switch hooked to the red and black wires and the pumps never turn off. The pressure stalls the little motor but it never turns off. Your locker would unlock the minute it did turn off because they bleed down fast. I'm going back to a conventional pump and regulator setup with some quality solenoids. As far as them making noise, they are almost silent, I wouldn't hesitate to put them under the seat. I have an extra rubi pump if anyone needs one. I also have the stock bracket that went on the skid plate.

That's not true. The pumps can manage themselves. The computer on the TJ simply controls (or limits!) when you can use the pumps/lockers and it senses when they are on so that the little light on the dash can be turned on.

If you hook them up to a switch, the pumps turn themselves off when the set pressure is reached and vent when the switch is turned off. You DO NOT need a computer. They are self regulated.

As for wiring, I disregard the the pink wire. All you need to worry about are the black and red wires. The black wire is the ground--just screw it into the body somewhere. The red is the power. Send that to your switch. I did nothing with the pink wire or any other wires you will find on the pumps.

I mounted my pumps under the drivers seat and the switch on the dash. Here are a few pics. Sorry for the mess. I just got back from wheelin at Big Bear, Ca

If you look in the pictures you can see the pink (and I guess one of the pumps had a green wire) hanging free and not connected. You can also see the two red wires joined together going off toward the switch. On the left side of the pump you can also see the black wire screwed into the base as the ground. It's that simple. Obviously the two large hoses are the air lines that run to the diffs. You can see on the pump that the air hose goes onto the bottom fitting on the pump and the top nipple thingy is the vent that that releases pressure when the switch is turned off.

The other pump is behind the one in the picture--there is one for each axle. But nothing would prohibit you from using only one pump. It would just mean that both lockers would be locked or unlocked together.

Also, if you flip the switch to lock an axle you will hear the pump come on for about 2 seconds and then turn off because the 6 PSI has been reached.

If you have a fast leak the pump will never turn off because th 6 PSI is never being reached. If you have a slow leak the pump will come on and off to maintain the pressure as air escapes. Leaks will always be in one of three places:

1. Where the air line plugs into the pump.
2. Where the air line plugs into the diff
3. Inside the diff there is a small air line that may come free and vent the air into the Diff.

When I first posted this thread I had no idea how the Rubicon pumps/lockers worked. Now I do. The techs at Jeep did not even know how these things worked. But I did find one that confirmed that the pressure switch is internal to the pump. My expereince with these pumps verifies this.

One last thing. You can turn the pump on or off at speed. I have experimented up to 35-40 and have felt nothing strange. Probably not a good idea, but you certainly DO NOT need to stop to activate the lockers. Just yesterday at Big Bear I had the lockers off, got stuck on Dishpan Springs, flipped both lockers on while the wheels were spinning, saw the "dead" wheels start spinning as well, and then started moving again. Now that is a commercial for lockers!



Here is the switch on the dash:




Here is the pump under the seat. Again sorry for all the dust.

[tjrunner]

I tried wiring up the red to power and the brown to ground, all it would do is click once. When I hooked up the brown AND pink to ground and red to power then it started pumping. The only thing is that it pumped up to over 10 PSI and still did not shut off! My gage only went to 10 PSI.

You are using two pumps--front and rear right? Do you think these pumps work off of each other? Are you running the pink wire from the rear pump into the front pump in any way? I am only using one for the front.

And Paul I appreciate your help. Hope your trip to Big Bear went well!

[paultyler]

Originally Posted by tjrunner

I tried wiring up the red to power and the brown to ground, all it would do is click once. When I hooked up the brown AND pink to ground and red to power then it started pumping. The only thing is that it pumped up to over 10 PSI and still did not shut off! My gage only went to 10 PSI.

You are using two pumps--front and rear right? Do you think these pumps work off of each other? Are you running the pink wire from the rear pump into the front pump in any way? I am only using one for the front.

And Paul I appreciate your help. Hope your trip to Big Bear went well!

That is not how mine worked. If you reread my post above I did edit it a bit. So make sure you got my whole story. It may be that your pump is bro=ken? I too had one that would not start.

My pumps are wired separately. They are not controlled by one another. If you have two pumps do they both behave the same?

[tjrunner]

I only have the one pump. Purchased new from Mopar here in town. I'll reread the thread though. Maybe I missed something!

At any rate, I like hearing that yours went well and that this is the way it is supposed to work! That will cut down on my trying to figure it out the hard way. If my pump is bad I can live with that. I've been kinda frustrated with it lately!

I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again!

[paultyler]

Originally Posted by tjrunner

I only have the one pump. Purchased new from Mopar here in town. I'll reread the thread though. Maybe I missed something!

At any rate, I like hearing that yours went well and that this is the way it is supposed to work! That will cut down on my trying to figure it out the hard way. If my pump is bad I can live with that. I've been kinda frustrated with it lately!

I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again!

Well...I hope that I helped you a little. But you can see in the pictures that the black wire is the ground, the red goes to the power and the pink is unused. With that set up mine works fine when wired to a switch. Unless yours is a different pump (??) yours should as well. My money says the pump is bad since it should cut off at 6PSI regardless.

[tjrunner]

You helped a bunch! Gave me something to work with! I hadn't a clue before I stumbled across this thread!

[MLA 97TJ]

Paul,

I am new to the forum and just wanted to thank you for your post on the Rubicon air lockers. This helped me out alot. I just bought some Dana 44's off of 2004 Rubicon for my 97 TJ. My air pumps have the red and white coming off of them. I have hooked them up to a battery and the pump comes on. When I plug the hose, they shut off. I had no idea how to hook these up before I read your post. I had one guy try to sell me the complete wiring harness for over $300.

Thanks again

[paultyler]

Originally Posted by MLA 97TJ

Paul,

I am new to the forum and just wanted to thank you for your post on the Rubicon air lockers. This helped me out alot. I just bought some Dana 44's off of 2004 Rubicon for my 97 TJ. My air pumps have the red and white coming off of them. I have hooked them up to a battery and the pump comes on. When I plug the hose, they shut off. I had no idea how to hook these up before I read your post. I had one guy try to sell me the complete wiring harness for over $300.

Thanks again

I'm glad I could help. Good job not buying the harness! That would have been a colossal waste of $300.

[98TJ]

Nice tech here. seen this question asked a few times.I used the search and found what i needed without adding another thread. This needs to be added to the FAQ section.

[jdragger]

Who knows about pump or diaphram repair? Is the diaphram or a pump rebuild kit available?