air compressor unable to remove lug nuts?

[MrWrencher823]

Hello everyone. New guy here from Michigan. I have heard a lot of great things about this forum and I'm a little stumped right now so I figured I would give it a shot.

So, my question is. I got a 21 gallon air compressor from harbor freight ( my first air compressor) and a 3/8 30 foot hose reel (harbor freight) and 1/4 fittings and I am unable to remove lugnuts. I can slowly get them off of a Camry but it barely has enough power. The impact I'm using is a 1/2 craftsman and I know it's powerful enough because I use it at work. Is there any way to adjust it for more power or did I just empty my wallet for nothing?
Thanks everyone

 

[cheechi]

what is the regulator pressure showing when the gun is not in use? how about when it is full open but not loaded?

That compressor should do it without question, I'm guessing you just aren't giving it enough air pressure.

 

[Lyptix]

Hey, I have the same compressor. Removes lug nuts no probs on cars or trucks unless I am doing more than one tire at a time then I might have to wait for the compressor to catch up. Impact gun I am using is the ir2135 timax . I have had the compressor for about 6 years no probs. I even picked it up used. Would say maybe try another impact and see what happens. The craftsmans impacts are notorious for weak fins on the inside. It may spin and sound powerful but no torque what so ever.

Stupid question but is the pressure gauge turned up? Lol

 

[joe_padavano]

Obviously, check the air pressure as others have suggested. Also verify that your impact gun has the torque selector dial turned all the way up. My tiny nail gun compressor can remove lug nuts. Yours should have no problem.

 

[doojus]

You're probably getting a lot of pressure drop at the end of that 50' of hose. Turn the regulator up.

 

[kd3pc]

volume of air may play in to it as well....make sure the compressor delivers enough air for you specific tool.

 

[MrWrencher823]

hey guys, thanks for the replies. I used to use the impact at work regularly to remove bellhousing bolts and countershaft bolts off of manual transmissions when my 3/8 2115timax didn't quite cut it.
this is how the gauges are sitting when it's idle. ( I used it some and it didn't run to regain the pressure)

how do I adjust the pressure? I don't mean to sound stupid.. but to sound stupid.
I try turning the dial but it doesn't budge.

 

[woodstockva]

Pressure Gauges & regulators go bad.....I had one on my compressor that was less than 1 yr old & with zero pressure in the tank, the regulator still said 110psi....

To adjust, pull the knob towards you about 1/8" until it clicks.....rotate clockwise to increase pressure.....press back in until it clicks.

 

[volleyball]

Get a gauge that you can put at the gun try running the gun and see what pressure you have at home and at the garage.
Likely the start and running pressure at the garage is much higher

 

[Josey Wales]

A cheap quick connect had me stumped one time. Yes they go bad.

 

[MrWrencher823]

hmm, maybe i'll pick up another regulator if i can't get this figured out. or haul it back for a replacement. it's less than two weeks old. (same with all the fittings and air hoses.. it is all harbor freight though) also, I have all the fittings pipe doped to prevent any air leaks.
also, I wasn't able to get it to raise or lower or make any clicks. I put some channel locks on it and was able to loosen it and could hear air progressively leaking out of it the more it was turned. I turned it back until it stopped turning easily (where it was before) and it had no change. I feel like if I turn it any more it'll break off.

here is some pictures of it.

 

[MrWrencher823]

Get a gauge that you can put at the gun try running the gun and see what pressure you have at home and at the garage.
Likely the start and running pressure at the garage is much higher

you think the impact could be bad and not able to handle the lower pressures? I am fairly certan some guys at the shop use them to keep their impacts at 90PSI to prolong life and claim the shop is around 110.
would switching to 3/8 fittings help?

 

[volleyball]

The same model impact? Do they oil them the same? Have them try yours and see how it feels to them.
It may be if you use your air hose at the shop along with your gun, it may then be weak.
You need to start at one end and work your way until it is resolved.
One other thing is that an impact uses a bit of air. Does your impact work well at first and then die as the compressor has to kick on and has trouble keeping up.
And the shop air doesn't drop off.
The gauge I mentioned will help you figure out where your bottleneck is.

 

[ChrisLS8]

Those 1/4 fittings are chocking off your airflow . Replace with 3/8 or larger.

 

[MrWrencher823]

The same model impact? Do they oil them the same? Have them try yours and see how it feels to them.
It may be if you use your air hose at the shop along with your gun, it may then be weak.
You need to start at one end and work your way until it is resolved.
One other thing is that an impact uses a bit of air. Does your impact work well at first and then die as the compressor has to kick on and has trouble keeping up.
And the shop air doesn't drop off.
The gauge I mentioned will help you figure out where your bottleneck is.

I meant the gauges. Not the impact. Sorry about that.

I don't use the same air hose at work. We have shop supplied hoses. I may try and bring the air hose to work and see if the same hose delivers more or equal air flow compared to home. I may also try 3/8 fittings. Do you know where I can pick up a cheap gauge? Thanks !

The air hose is the harbor freight 50 foot hose reel.

Edit: its 30 feet. Not 50. Sorry.

http://m.harborfreight.com/air-hose-reel-with-30-ft-hose-69232.html?utm_referrer=direct/not provided
And no. It's slow and groggy from the get go. It struggles to remove lug nuts with a freshly filled tank.

 

[volleyball]

You can get another regulator at HF. Accuracy is not important. You read a number on one and compare to the other. Without a gauge it is like troubleshooting electrical problems without a meter.

 

[Jbullfrog]

check the pressure at the gun end of your setup. I have a reel that drops 9 psi.

 

[doojus]

How are you guys checking the pressure at the working end of the hose?

 

[Zrexxer]

 

[wild cowboy]

Those 1/4 fittings are chocking off your airflow . Replace with 3/8 or larger.

This.

and a larger diameter hose as well

 

[theoldwizard1]

Lot's of good suggestions but, .... if a lug nut was put on by a "gorilla" with a 4-way or by some yahoo at a shop with 125-150 psi of pressure, it is not unusual that your home rig won't get them off.

When I did brakes on my buddy's Excusrion, 4 of the 16 lugs required my 1/2" breaker with a cheater to get they off. Clean the thread, apply a drop or two of oil and use a torque wrench to re-install (I think his were 125 lb-ft ?)

 

[taumac]

I found your issue. I had 2 hoses hooked to my compressor. One was a 100ft hose and a HF hose. When I used the 100 ft hose my impact worked great but when I used the same impact on the hose reel it barely took off the lugs. It was like reel choked off 1/2 the air flow. I used all the same fittings ( Miltons) from quick connects and same size hose. The hose reel is the issue. I bet if you try it with a ordinary hose right off the reg instead of the reel it will work fine.

 

[volleyball]

You need to T in a gauge because you need to know the pressure with and without airflow.

 

[taumac]

He can look at pressure drop on his reg when pulls the trigger on impact. I usually run my reg at 100 and it drops to about 95 when running impact on max in reverse.

 

[MrWrencher823]

Well I got a gauge from harbor freight (Didn't get a T.. i didn't see this post until I was home. I'll make another trip tomorrow for one.)
This is it with the hose reel and everything

This is both gauges. The post hose line on one the left.

And this is directly from the compressor.


I will accidentally borrow a hose reel from work and try and see if there is a difference. I'm running all harbor freight connectors.

This is really crappy. I appreciate all the help everyone. It's making this so much easier.

 

[MrWrencher823]

Lot's of goof suggestions but, .... if a lug nut was put on by a "gorilla" with a 4-way or by some yahoo at a shop with 125-150 psi of pressure, it is not unusual that your home rig won't get them off.

When I did brakes on my buddy's Excusrion, 4 of the 16 lugs required my 1/2" breaker with a cheater to get they off. Clean the thread, apply a drop or two of oil and use a torque wrench to re-install (I think his were 125 lb-ft ?)

I did the brakes on it 4-5 months ago and torqued it to spec. (75 ft lbs I believe?)

 

[MrWrencher823]

I found your issue. I had 2 hoses hooked to my compressor. One was a 100ft hose and a HF hose. When I used the 100 ft hose my impact worked great but when I used the same impact on the hose reel it barely took off the lugs. It was like reel choked off 1/2 the air flow. I used all the same fittings ( Miltons) from quick connects and same size hose. The hose reel is the issue. I bet if you try it with a ordinary hose right off the reg instead of the reel it will work fine.

Do you have any recommendations for hoses to get? I am new to air compressors. Should I get better quality fittings? Would they even cause an issue? I'm using pipe dope on the threads to prevent any leaks and using wrenches and not super man tightening them down.

 

[MRunabout]

Goodyear makes good hoses.

Milton Type V fittings are pretty popular.

I would suggest the 29 gallon oiled and belt driven compressor over the 21 gallon is noise is a concern to you. That 21 gallon is loud!

 

[MrWrencher823]

Goodyear makes good hoses.

Milton Type V fittings are pretty popular.

I would suggest the 29 gallon oiled and belt driven compressor over the 21 gallon is noise is a concern to you. That 21 gallon is loud!

I would like to have gotten a better compressor but I got a $100 gift card to hf for Christmas and I cannot afford an awesome one because they're pretty expensive. I was hoping this would hold me over until I can get the hang of them and afford a nice one.

 

[taumac]

I would get a quality brand name hose something like a Goodyear. I prefer rubber hoses but pvc ones work. Yes, quality fittings like Miltons last longer, don't leak and hold up better. I would definitely use 2 quick connects (one off reg and one at end of hose) and one matching male to plug into reg. Teflon tape the fittings and pressurize compressor first. Use a spray bottle and soapy water check for bubbles and tighten if needed. Then attach hose and check hose for leaks at fittings without a air tool. Tighten if needed. I use whatever connectors on tools cause I don't care about a little leakage at tool as much cause tool isn't connected other than in use. You don't want tank to lose air and refill cause a compressors can be loud and annoying. I don't recommend a hose reel cause lose of air flow and just run hose straight off the reg. it's not that the hose reel is losing psi more than it isn't receiving the air flow tool needs. Look at is like a water hose a 1/2 and 5/8 will both have same psi but the 5/8 will deliver more water but also restrictions like all the fittings and tubing restricts that flow.

 

[Scimmia]

A 30' 3/8" hose with 1/4" fitting should allow any decent 1/2" impact to remove lug nuts. If it's not, there's either a major restriction, like a kink in the hose or a bad fitting, or a bad tool.

And no, you cannot "look at pressure drop on his reg when pulls the trigger on impact." That number would be meaningless. The only thing that matters is the pressure at the inlet of the tool, and that will not be the same or even a proportional drop to the drop you see at the regulator on the compressor.

 

[volleyball]

The regulator could be the culprit. A bad fitting. If you hose is 3/8" just about any will do. That compressor won't be able to take advantage of type V fittings. I have several HF plugs and jacks. I've had a few fail, some just not seat right all the time. But you can change those out. I figured you are on a budget and will be upgrading piecemeal. What is free is to inspect the fittings. I like tape over dope for them as dope can ball up and clog the opening reducing air flow. You showed you have pressure without airflow at the end. That would be expected. Build the T with a coupler and plug so you can compare to what you have at work.

 

[MrWrencher823]

The regulator could be the culprit. A bad fitting. If you hose is 3/8" just about any will do. That compressor won't be able to take advantage of type V fittings. I have several HF plugs and jacks. I've had a few fail, some just not seat right all the time. But you can change those out. I figured you are on a budget and will be upgrading piecemeal. What is free is to inspect the fittings. I like tape over dope for them as dope can ball up and clog the opening reducing air flow. You showed you have pressure without airflow at the end. That would be expected. Build the T with a coupler and plug so you can compare to what you have at work.

Yeah I am definitely on a budget. Haha. The blue collar life isn't very high roller unfortunately. Haha. I will get a T valve tomorrow and test it out at home with the impact running and see what it's reading. I may try and bypass the hose reel with the shorter air hose piece I have too. (Also a HF piece. It's maybe 8 feet long? It was $6-7)

Should I haul the compressor back for a new one or just get another regulator and replace it? I can't seem to adjust this one open any more.

 

[Scimmia]

Is it a 125 PSI compressor? If so, that may be all the higher you can turn the pressure up.

Edit: if it is, the simplest solution may just be to eliminate the regulator all together. This can be a PITA for tools that need a consistant pressure (nail guns, paint sprayers, etc), but for an impact, ratchet, cutoff tool, etc, it won't matter. If you suspect the regulator is bad, it's worth a shot.

 

[taumac]

A 30' 3/8" hose with 1/4" fitting should allow any decent 1/2" impact to remove lug nuts. If it's not, there's either a major restriction, like a kink in the hose or a bad fitting, or a bad tool.

And no, you cannot "look at pressure drop on his reg when pulls the trigger on impact." That number would be meaningless. The only thing that matters is the pressure at the inlet of the tool, and that will not be the same or even a proportional drop to the drop you see at the regulator on the compressor.

Your right and I correct myself..... On MY compressor I have this.

This shows me pressure of entire line AFTER my reg and same idea as the T would show.


Have a good one Gerard

 

[Scimmia]

This shows me pressure of entire line AFTER my reg and same idea as the T would show.

But it doesn't. It doesn't account for the drop through the hose and fittings, which can be VERY substantial. If you want to know the pressure at the end of your hose, you have to measure it there.

 

[MrWrencher823]

Is it a 125 PSI compressor? If so, that may be all the higher you can turn the pressure up.

Edit: if it is, the simplest solution may just be to eliminate the regulator all together. This can be a PITA for tools that need a consistant pressure (nail guns, paint sprayers, etc), but for an impact, ratchet, cutoff tool, etc, it won't matter. If you suspect the regulator is bad, it's worth a shot.

Yes it is. How can I remove the regulator? There is like a brake line coming out of it. I will probably never use a sprayer or a nail gun so that's okay with me.

Edit: okay maybe there isn't a brake line. Trying to check photos. I'm not home to verify. I apologize. If there isn't I will remove that and give it a shot and see what happens.

 

[Scimmia]

A brake line? Hmm, haven't run into that. If it doesn't have normal 1/4" NTP threads, it could be more complicated than it's worth (unless it really is the problem, of course).

Edit again: I looked it up on HF's site, I see what you mean. It may require a flare to NTP fitting to make it work.

 

[taumac]

But it doesn't. It doesn't account for the drop through the hose and fittings, which can be VERY substantial. If you want to know the pressure at the end of your hose, you have to measure it there.

I was correcting myself on what I said earlier about the reg gauge showing pressure drop cause I was thinking of my system vs a typical reg with a gauge on top showing reg pressure. Of course its not nearly as accurate as measuring it at the tool. I not denying that.

Have a good one Gerard

 

[lightning02]

Well I got a gauge from harbor freight (Didn't get a T.. i didn't see this post until I was home. I'll make another trip tomorrow for one.)
This is it with the hose reel and everything

This is both gauges. The post hose line on one the left.

And this is directly from the compressor.


I will accidentally borrow a hose reel from work and try and see if there is a difference. I'm running all harbor freight connectors.

This is really crappy. I appreciate all the help everyone. It's making this so much easier.

What is the part number of that gauge? And or link to it.