1970s Wayne Air Compressor Help

[Snarpeezel]

1970s Wayne T-46-V Air Compressor

Recently came into possesion of this old Wayne Model T-46-V Air Compressor. Bought it from a couple who had converted an old general store / gas station / auto repair garage into a house. The compresser was part of an air/hydraulic auto lift system still in the garage. They were beginning to convert the garage portion of the building into living space and were clearing out the above ground portion of the lift system. The compressor fed an accumulator / air reservoir for the lift. Probably should have worked out a deal for the reservoir but didn't know the compressor was part of a lift system when I answered the compressor for sale ad.

The air tank has a 1971 date and 200 psi Max Working Pressure stamped on the plate. Motor is a Leeson M6C34DB8B, 230V, 3450 RPM. Unloading is accomplished by a line that tees off the tank fill valve back to the pressure switch. Lot of oil build up on the bottom half of the pump - especially pulley side - and on the tank but doesn't appear to leak oil or air from cylinder head or base gaskets. Ran the compressor briefly at the garage at the time of the sale and it does make pressure.

Have some questions and also looking for some inspection advice / help before putting the compressor into full use.

There's a small valve mounted ontop of the pump pulley shaft housing. Looks like it sould be a crankcase vent for the lower half of the pump. Is this correct? It bubbled oil a bit when we ran it at the garage. I've been wondering if the motor rpm is too much for this older / smaller compressor and the excess speed is what's causing it to spit oil from the vent. Drained the oil...old but nothing to cause any worries.

The intake filter is an oval fiber pad that's held in place by a service cover. Removing the cover accesses the valves as shown in one of the pics. Appreciate any tips / advice on checking the valves and the rest of the pump prior to full operation and any help chasing down any manuals / tech data. Searched the web quite a bit but no joy finding anything on this model.

Many thanks!

 

[Snarpeezel]

1970s Wayne T-46-V Air Compressor

Started pump inspection/clean up today. Intake valves came out fairly easy. Turns out the hande of shock adjusting tool from my old Suzuki GS 550 is about a perfect fit for the slot on the valves. Valves and piston tops were a little dirty but cleaned up nice. Can still see hone cross-hatches on cylinder walls.

I'm new to compressor rehab...how tight should the valve springs hold the valve disks up against the intake collars? The springs are made from fairly thin wire and hold the disks in place...curious how tight they should be.

I wasn't able to get the discharge valve caps off. I don't have a big enough socket (1+3/8-in) or box end wrench and couldn't budge them with an adjustable wrench. Local big box and auto parts stores don't carry that size socket or wrench either. Letting some penetrating oil do its thing while I try to beg, borrow or buy a big enough socket.

 

[Roberts210]

Looks like non-compressor oil was run in it for a long time. After you clean it up be sure to run real compressor oil in it. Maybe it's time for you in get a 3/4 drive breaker bar and a few big sockets. If so, just buy what you need, as you need it.

I'm not familiar with the Wayne, but the springs don't need to be real tight.

 

[454ragtop]

Might try a socket for CV axles, they'll be metric, but when you get that big if there's a little extra clearance shouldn't matter. Probably something like 34, 35, or 36MM, all common sizes. If you know anyone who does automotive work, they probably have them.

 

[Snarpeezel]

Definitely looks like motor oil is what it's been run on. Didn't know air compressor used different oil till now / this site. My first / only other compressor is an even older Rol-Air 20 gallon pull-along that I've always used motor oil in because that's what the old guy who gave it to me used in it.

3/4" breaker bar and couple of sockets is what I was thinking also. I've got a lot of metric tools from years of tinkering on import motorcycles but nothing that big...probably worth checking the local car parts places again. Definitely don't want to chew up the caps by going the adjustable wrench and piece of pipe gorilla bar route.

Any thoughts on the crankcase breather spitting oil? Some quick online research tells me older air compressors typically run at lower rpms. The Leeson it came with is not original to the unit. Been wondering if it's too much motor for the pump. I can see some type of spring / pressure valve mechanism through the holes in the breather. Need to remove the pulley and clean it up to get a better look at it. Maybe it's just crudded up and stuck partially open.

Update: Removed the pully and breather cover...breather valve turns out to be a just a very very fine wire spring that's housed up in the breather cap and a small rubber disk. Cleand the dirt and gunk from them and the breather port.