Air Compressor Rebuild

Air Compressor Rebuild

Whether it’s an air compressor or any other mechanical/electrical equipment, the journey with them is incomplete until you have to fix them up at some point.

I am sure you are aware of how an air compressor generally works, a motor brings the piston in motion, which compresses the ambient air in the pump, which then gets collected in the tank.

If the valve plate or pump seals are frayed, then there won’t be enough pressure build-up in the tank.

Sometimes having the wrong pump spare parts (like seals, other pump parts, etc) can mess things up as well.

In this article, we shall try and explain how to rebuild an air compressor’s pump in a few easy steps.

Note: Always use the manufacturer certified spare parts.

Contents

List Of Required Tools.

  • Rubber gloves.
  • Torx driver.
  • Screwdriver.
  • Wrench set. (Torque wrench)

The Steps To Rebuild Air Compressor Pump

Step 1 – Turn Off The Power And Then Drain The Tank.

Safety is always the priority, so turn off the electricity, remove the power cord of your air compressor from the electricity socket. 

Next, remove the ring which is present on the safety valve, this will allow you to drain the air pressure from the compressor tank.

Do not forget the gloves while performing this.

Step 2 – Compressor Shroud.

Use a screwdriver (slot tip) to unscrew the shroud screws, and then pull the shroud halves away from each other by focusing at the locking tabs. The shroud is now removed.

Step 3 – Dismantle The Pump Head.

Disconnect the air outlet tube after lifting the valve plate. Now remove those bolts present on the pump head, you are required to do this so that you can remove the pump head.

Also, remove the valve plate.

Step 4 – Take Out The Fan.

It’s simple, just remove the mounting bolts and the fan will come off.

Step 5 – Piston And Sleeve, Go After Them.

The piston is held together by Torx screw which acts as a bridge between the connecting rod and the idiosyncratic bearings. Separate those two.

First, push and remove both piston and cylinder sleeve from inside the pump, and then remove the piston from the removed cylinder sleeve.

YouTube video

Step 6 – Remove And Replace The Compressor Ring.

Unscrew the Torx screw from the piston head, now you can remove the piston cap as well as the compressor ring.

It`s time to replace the ring, simply place the new one on the piston head, then tighten the Torx screws with the piston cap.

Step 7- Replace The Cylinder Sleeve.

Buy a new sleeve and insert the piston inside the sleeve. Now it’s time to put both the cylinder sleeve and piston back inside the pump body.

Step 8 – Now Reinstall Piston And Fan.

Bring the connecting rod of the piston and the idiosyncratic bearings together, make sure the alignment between the connecting rod and the bearings is linear.

There is a Torx screw that tightens the piston connecting the rod to 48-inch lbs.  Make sure you use a torque wrench.

As for the fan, squeeze it onto the keyed shaft, rework the mounting bolt of the fan.

Now tighten the same mounting bolt for 120-inch lbs.

Step 9 – Now Replace And Install The New Valve Plate.

Take the seals of the new valve plate (both upper and the lower valve plate seals) and push them inside the seal channels of the valve plate which you just bought.

Carefully and firmly place the valve plate onto the pump body, while doing so make sure that the reed valves are present on the handle side of your air compressor.

Step 10 – Reinstalling Of The Pump Head.

This is an important step so pay close attention.

While placing the new pump head over the valve plate which you just installed, make sure that the muffler segment of your pump head is towards the reed valves of the valve plates.

Now remount the pump head bolts, tighten those mounting bolts of the pump head to 7-foot lbs.

Reconnect the outlet tube with the pump head.

Step 11 – Place The Shroud Back On.

Place the bigger half of the shroud over the compressor, and then tighten the back screw.

Now bring the other, albeit the smaller half of the shroud to the bigger one, now place them firmly in their place with the help from shroud locking tabs.

Round up this step by mounting the front screws of the shroud.

Step 12 – Reconnect The Compressor With The Power Socket.

Honestly the easiest step from the following list.

After completing all those above-mentioned steps carefully and sequentially, it’s time you turned on the air compressor.

Simply plug the air compressor power cord into the electricity socket of your workplace, and then switch it on.

Conclusion.

Surely it looks relatively easy on the paper, but just like any mechanical/electrical equipment, it can get tricky and dangerous when you start working on them.

So while repairing such equipment make sure you are well versed with the procedure, have all sorts of safety tools and are well equipped with all the necessary handy working tools.

There’s always a manufacturer guide that comes with every air compressor.

It has all the necessary information regarding the compressor you bought. Your compressor’s working, Do’s and Don’ts, and also how to tackle any issues if they arise. So give it a good read.

Unless and until you are absolutely sure of your air compressor’s anatomy and physiology, do not make any attempt of repairing the compressor.

Needless to say that you need to be certain of all the steps involved.

When it’s about minor repairs one might be able to rectify it, but then there are those repairs that are out of our limited professional hands.

In those situations it is advised that you contact a qualified professional, some brand/manufacturer provide excellent customer service so look for that while purchasing an air compressor.

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