Need to rebuild IR 231c impact wrench ...

[Mandres]

Have an Ingersoll 231c with a worn anvil. I would like to go ahead and replace it now before it runs the risk of breaking off under pressure. Has anyone ever seen disassembly / rebuild instructions online? I'm not quite sure where to start and I don't want to take it apart without being sure I can put it back together correctly.

Thanks

[ImportTuner]

You can get that info from Ingersoll Rand ...

http://www.irtechpubs.com/ir_pdfs/Tools/Impact%20Tools/Air%20Impactools/04584546_ed1.PDF

[Mandres]

Thanks, I saw that diagram but I was really hoping for step-by-step disassembly instructions or advice from someone who has rebuilt one of these before.

[Mandres]

Final bump before crossing my fingers and cracking her open. Wish me luck hehe

[GDA]

Final bump before crossing my fingers and cracking her open. Wish me luck hehe

I dont have the 231c but do have a 1/2" Blue Point AT555 that was leaking from the rear gasket. Its build is similar in construction to the IR 231 and I just started disassembly from the rear section where the selection lever resides. I completely took it apart to check for wear internally. I ended up putting it back together, used it for a couple more months and then got it rebuilt about two months ago.

These really arent very complicated so get out the wrenches and have at it. :beer:

[billymade]

It shouldn't be too bad; write down notes as you disassemble and take photos if you need to. I think you should be fine; they sell "tune up" kits which might be a good idea install when your "in there". http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/ir231tk2.html

[Marlin]

It's real easy, you should not have a problem. Set the impact on its back with the square drive pointing up. Remove the 3 allen head screws and pull the front housing straight off and set aside. Lift the mechanism off and set on bench (the two pins may fall out, not a big deal). Pull the anvil straight out of the mechanism (you may need to rotate it a bit to disengage it). If the two pins did not fall out already, push them out, then remove the two hammers. Use parts cleaner to clean all parts, inspect the striking faces of the hammers, if they are worn or chipped you may want to replace. To reassemble, place the two hammers together with the inside geometry in opposite orientation then slide into the hammer frame. Insert the two pins and set on bench then apply a liberal amount of grease to the inside area of the hammers. Coat the striking faces of the new anvil with a bunch of grease and insert it into the center of the hammers, twisting as it goes until it seats all the way in. If you are not going to dive into replacing any motor parts you can now set the mechanism back onto the motor so the spline drive engages then put the front case back on and put the three screws back in, applying torque a little at a time (I think the torque should be about 60 in-lbs) Oil up your tool and you're ready to go. A couple of notes, 1) make sure you are using IR parts, trust me there is a big difference. 2) Get IR#105 or IR #170 grease, it works really well. Let me know if you run into any problems, I will be glad to help.

[Mandres]

Awesome, thanks. I'll let you know how it goes.

[eschoendorff]

Awesome, thanks. I'll let you know how it goes.

If you want to post pics of your progress along the way, I'm sure we'd all love to see it! :beer:

[Vinko]

Thanks for the info! Next time I have a problem, I can try repairing it myself.

[Mandres]

Hey Marlin, I have one more question for you if you see this: I was able to swap the anvil easily with your instructions and I thought, since I've got this far, I might as well go ahead and order the motor "tune-up" kit.

I have the gun disassembled to the rotor mechanism and I can't figure out my next step. Do I need to remove the back plate to access the seals on the selector switch and/or remove the rotor? if so, how do I get it off? I can't get a tool on the grease fitting. Thanks

[Marlin]

Hey Marlin, I have one more question for you if you see this: I was able to swap the anvil easily with your instructions and I thought, since I've got this far, I might as well go ahead and order the motor "tune-up" kit.

I have the gun disassembled to the rotor mechanism and I can't figure out my next step. Do I need to remove the back plate to access the seals on the selector switch and/or remove the rotor? if so, how do I get it off? I can't get a tool on the grease fitting. Thanks
You can pull the motor from the front side of the housing, grasp the motor spline and pull straight out while holding the aluminum housing, The clearance between the motor OD and the housing ID is very small so you need to pull nice and straight. If the rear end plate gets stuck, do not force it, push the cyllinder back in to straighten out the end plate and start again.
Once the motor is out you can replace the motor vanes and the gasket at the bottom of the motor bore. The vanes have a notch on the angle surface that goes towards the center of the rotor, orientation of this notch to the front or rear of the tool does not matter. You can now put the motor back together and carefully drop the motor back in the housing, again, do not force it, the rear end plate can easily get cocked, so be gentle and if this happens use the cylinder to get it straight again. The forward reverse knob comes out by removing the screw on the one side which holds the knurled cap on, once this is off, you can push the reversing valve out the other side but be careful, there is a small spring and ball that create the detent. Unless your forward reverse selector is not snapping into place well, I would not pull this apart, the o-ring that is on the ID of the valve bushing does not affect performance, it just provides the "snap" when you shift the knob from side to side. Any problems, let me know.

[Mandres]

Thanks Marlin you're the man. I still can't get the motor out as this point; I've tried pulling, wiggling, prying and I can't get it to budge even a fraction of an inch. I'm going to try rigging up some kind of bearing puller to get a little force on it. That splined shaft is hard to grab onto.

-edit- and thanks for the advice on the detent ball. That kind of tip is exactly why I started the thread. I put a plastic bag around the shaft and caught that sucker when it tried to go shooting away across the room :-)