Air compressor pump woes

[low51fan]

Well after finally getting my air compressor up and running I ran it through a few cycles and since it had not ben run a a while I changed the oil. Well after I drained it I found a nice mixture of oil and ground up metal deposits.

I am guessing since it sat so long I got rust in the cylinder walls and I am seeing fragments of piston rings? Anyway it is an old 5 h.p Rolair compressor with a model TF 28 pump which is a 2 stage 2 cylinder 175 PSI 17 CFM pump.
Has anyone ever rebuilt a pump unit or have any recomendations as to who or where would be able to do this? It runs fine now and does not make any noises but I think its just a matter of time.

thanks

 

[C96]

Don’t throw in the towel just yet!

Without seeing the spent oil first hand, and depending how long since the previous oil change, it’s possible you are looking at sediment that has accumulated over a long period of time.

Since it’s not making any peculiar noises and is operating as normal, I would just run as is and drain the oil again after a few hours of run time and see how it looks.

Merry Christmas!

 

[badss98]

I agree with c96, I purchased the exact pump and compressor this summer that the owner thought was on it way out, I pulled everything apart and replaced numerous things and this pump runs like new now. The tf28 pumps are tough old work horses and when i replaced the valve assembly the only problem was allot of carbon buildup in the head from running standard motor oil,this was also on the valve plates.I really like this compressor and it pumps up really fast. The only thing i changed was cutout at around 155 psi and cut in at 100. You can always pull the head and inspect the piston bores for signs of scaring, there is a upper and lower gasket that are cheap to replace just do not seperate the valve plate assembly and you will have a good idea what condition the compressor is in. Merry

 

[theoldwizard1]

As long as those metal particles have not done any damage to the main and connecting rod bearing (impossible to tell without disassembly) and it build pressure, you shouldn't have any problems.

Run it some more and change the oil again. If you still have a lot of metal or if it starts making a knocking sound as it builds pressure, it is time for a rebuild.

 

[compressornew]

I agree with c96, I purchased the exact pump and compressor this summer that the owner thought was on it way out, I pulled everything apart and replaced numerous things and this pump runs like new now. The tf28 pumps are tough old work horses and when i replaced the valve assembly the only problem was allot of carbon buildup in the head from running standard motor oil,this was also on the valve plates.I really like this compressor and it pumps up really fast. The only thing i changed was cutout at around 155 psi and cut in at 100. You can always pull the head and inspect the piston bores for signs of scaring, there is a upper and lower gasket that are cheap to replace just do not seperate the valve plate assembly and you will have a good idea what condition the compressor is in. Merry

Compressor need oil change at fixed servicing time.So Check valves is it connected properly or no ?
Merry X- Mas badss98

 

[low51fan]

Thanks for the encouraging comments. I am running the new oil now.
I am using just the straight 30 air comp oil, I read on the campbell hausfeld site that 10 w 30 full synthetic was an acceptable choice also.

Has anyone been running anything other than the straight 30? I was always told straight 30 as you dont want to use a detergent oil like a 10 w 30 but I assume that the full synthetic is good yet for some reason.

I will probably wait to see if the metal filings go away before I make the switch tho.

 

[low51fan]

Well ran it for 20 minutes and dumped the oil.............full of metal.

Took it apart and the pistons rings and cylinder walls don't seem gouged up like I would expect. The rods and crank show a little wear and I could not see where all the metal was coming from.

I pulled the crank out and found the centrifugal unloader aluminum arm broke off and was rubbing against the inside cast iron piece and ground it down a bit.

The inside is really clean and I think someone had gone through this before I got it.

I am looking for opinions as how to go forward. I think I shoud take the crank pistons and cylinder head in to a machinist and have them look it over?

Any thoughts or input would be much appreciated.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Carefully place a ring back in the cylinder and check the gap. If you can find a spec, maybe someone here will know.

Because you already have it apart, I would change the main and connecting rod bearings if they are not too expensive. You should check the OD of the main and conn rod journals against the ID of the bearings when they are installed.

Possibly you can use Platsigauge ?