Advice on 1981 Campbell Hausfeld compressor

[16sierra]

I was hoping to get some advice about how much to put into this pump. From what I can tell it is a TF000021p. When I got it it was pretty oily. I cleaned it up and pulled the head off because the mice had filled it with junk. There was a fair amount of oil between the valve plates and the lower pressure piston seemed to rock a little at tdc. It pumps and unloads.

It is leaking oil from one or more of the sump cover bolts. I can't understand how the bolt above the sight glass can leak when it is just sitting because it's should be above the oil level. Can I try some rtv on the bolt itself? The gasket seems to be backordered and I am guessing rtv wouldn't cut it instead of the gasket because the bearing and unloader clearance would be affected.

Anyway I would like to make it solid and leak free but it's no Quincy so I don't want to over spend on it. Any advice?

 

[redmondjp]

Have you fired it up yet? Does it make any knocking sounds from 0-25psi? We need more information here . . .

 

[16sierra]

Yes, it builds pressure to 145, which is limited by the pressure switch. I can't hear it knocking at low psi. I heard some noise above about 115 psi but it may have been the belt slipping. I haven't fully tensioned it yet.

 

[redmondjp]

Yes, it builds pressure to 145, which is limited by the pressure switch. I can't hear it knocking at low psi. I heard some noise above about 115 psi but it may have been the belt slipping. I haven't fully tensioned it yet.

That all sounds good. There are pump-up time charts floating around on this site (sorry I don't have a link) which you can use to determine if your pump performance is within spec. The general rule with something like this: run it! Too many people obsess about trying to do a full rebuild that may not even be necessary. Now if you have worn rings that are causing excessive oil consumption and/or excessive crankcase pressure, or leaky/broken valves, then that is another story, but if your unit pumps from zero to full pressure in under 10 minutes, think closer to 8 (this going from memory from reading previous compressor posts) then you are good to go. Definitely tighten the belts so you have about 1/2" of deflection midway between the two pulleys.