1940's Kellogg Air Compressor Restoration

[ElginAgai]

I recently bought this old air compressor off of craigslist for $200. The tag on it reads Kellogg Division of the American Brake Shoe and Foundry Co. Model K32-UD. The pump has a placard stamped model 32.

Haven't got to test it out yet but the guy I bought it from said it worked well, but needed a new pressure switch. So I've ordered a new Square D 95-125psi pressure switch.

Can anyone tell me how to lubricate the bearings in the motor. It is a Delco Motor model A4415, the placard reads 110/220v, 20/10A, 60hz, 1-1/2HP, 1760RPM. It appears to me that one would pour some kind of oil into the bearing housings until it drains out the bottom.

Please take a look at the pictures and let me know if you can point me in the right direction with reguard to lubricating the motor.

 

[bsaint]

There is some wool in there around the bronze bearing and you fill the reservoir with SAE 30 non detergent oil. You can use the same oil you fill the compressor with.

I have the same style motor on my Kellogg

 

[ElginAgai]

Thank you for the prompt reply. I was going to use 3-in-1 electric motor oil which is SAE 20 oil. Do you think that wold work just as well or does it have to be SAE 30?

 

[bsaint]

Im pretty sure it would work just as well.

 

[ElginAgai]

Just a quick update. I added 3-in-1 oil to the bearings. The rear one filled up pretty quickly and oil was visible in the bottom trough, however I'm now half way through the bottle and the front bearing hasn't had any come out the bottom. Not sure if that means it's leaking or what...

I finished wiring in the 12/3 utility cable to the motor, added a ground inside the junction box and installed new wire nuts on all connections.

Threw the breaker and low and behold the beast is alive! Well the motor runs at least, I'm still working on changing the pump oil and installing new belts, but things are looking promising.

 

[wild cowboy]

I wouldn't worry about the non-detergent oil, most compressor manufacturers have changed their recommendation to modern full synthetic motor oil, 5W-30 - even for their very old compressors. Also 5W-20, 0W-30, and 0W-20 are great and those 0W are even better if your compressor is used somewhere where it sees below freezing weather. Something like Pennzoil Platinum from Wal-Mart would be perfect.

 

[ElginAgai]

Interesting information about the oil, good to know. I already bought some SAE 30 Non-Detergent "Compressor Oil" from the auto parts store, already opened it too so it looks like that's what I'll be using. It was about $12 a gallon, seemed like a good price to me.

I'm anxious to get home from work, change the oil and slap the new belts on there! Fingers crossed that everything is working well!

 

[wild cowboy]

Interesting information about the oil, good to know. I already bought some SAE 30 Non-Detergent "Compressor Oil" from the auto parts store, already opened it too so it looks like that's what I'll be using. It was about $12 a gallon, seemed like a good price to me.

I'm anxious to get home from work, change the oil and slap the new belts on there! Fingers crossed that everything is working well!

See where it's made and who made it - a lot of the "compressor oil" is off brand garbage with no certifications, much of it is even from China

If you are going to use a dedicated compressor oil, stick with a big name like Mobil Rarus of the correct ISO grade for your compressor, something which is not available at the auto parts store, you have to get it from the oil distributor or an industrial distributor like Grainger.

 

[ElginAgai]

Thanks for the heads up on the off brand garbage oil, that's probably what I got. Here is the link, let me know what you think... http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d...compressor+oil_-1_2887&keyword=compressor+oil

 

[wild cowboy]

Thanks for the heads up on the off brand garbage oil, that's probably what I got. Here is the link, let me know what you think... http://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/d...compressor+oil_-1_2887&keyword=compressor+oil

yep, that looks like one of them.

this is a huge problem in cars, with these junk oils sold in convenience stores, in fact, the state of NJ is in the lead on this, cracking down and seizing and banning these junk oils from the shelf like this which are meant for cars, although in fairness, cars are much harder on oil than compressors are, so compressor oil is probably not going to get the attorney general's attention, because junk compressor oil will not wreck the compressor like junk oil wrecks a car engine. (at least not for a while)

You would be much better off with any full synthetic from Wal-Mart in 5W-30 grade. Examples are Pennzoil Platinum, Mobil 1, Castrol Edge, Valvoline SynPower, etc.

the grades of 5W-30, or 0W-30 are ideal, 0W-30 is much harder to find than 5W-30, but I would seek it out if the compressor will be operated in an environment where it encounters below freezing weather (it will work perfectly fine in below freezing weather with this oil, in fact, the motor and pump run cooler in the cold)

 

[Fretters]

Brand is fairly irrelevant. Granted there are minor differences between cheap and expensive oils, but you're unlikely to ever note any difference if you maintain a good service/maintenance regime. Something like running an oil too long before changing will be far more detrimental than using X versus Y brand. Just use whatever you can easily get hold of.

With regards going the full synthetic route, I personally wouldn't. As far as I recall, that's quite aggressive at dislodging crud buildup. Far better to run a semi-synth over synthetic, especially with older kit. Save money by buying semi and enjoy the luxury of being able to change the oil more frequently due to the price difference.

 

[bsaint]

Brand is fairly irrelevant. Granted there are minor differences between cheap and expensive oils, but you're unlikely to ever note any difference if you maintain a good service/maintenance regime. Something like running an oil too long before changing will be far more detrimental than using X versus Y brand. Just use whatever you can easily get hold of.

With regards going the full synthetic route, I personally wouldn't. As far as I recall, that's quite aggressive at dislodging crud buildup. Far better to run a semi-synth over synthetic, especially with older kit. Save money by buying semi and enjoy the luxury of being able to change the oil more frequently due to the price difference.

Yea I wouldn't either. Especially with a compressor that old, I would stick with what was available when it was invented.

A good brand is Lubriplate

 

[MacMcMacmac]

The O'Reilly oil is made in Louisiana. I don't think it's a problem.

 

[ElginAgai]

10 years later and this thing is still running strong! Sadly, I think it's time to find a new owner for it. I've got a 1970's Quincy 340 that I rebuilt and no longer have space for this beautiful Kellog. She's had a few modifications to modernize safety features and I added a better intercooler and water separator. It used to have an aftercooler, but it froze and cracked one winter. The air still comes out super dry anyhow, since it really doesn't get that hot.

 

[ElginAgai]

Just a couple more photos, for the record

 

[ElginAgai]

Here's the full body shot from when I got her. I hope I've been a good steward to her and she'll continue to run for another 85 years!