Compressor experts - I need your help

[MrKona]

Hello Everyone,

I rebuilt a 1940 Westinghouse 1BYC compressor - New disc valves, valve springs, piston rings, one new wrist pin, connecting rod bushing.

Now that it's back together, the knock it had is gone, but there is a leak that is driving me nuts. I thought it was a valve leak so I flattened the intake valves (can't flatten the discharge valves without pressing out a stud from the valve seat so I did not mess with that). All the valve seats visually appear to be sealing with the valves nicely.

I've had the valve assemblies in and out so many times I've lost count. Out of desperation, I even pulled the rings and reinstalled the original rings on the low pressure piston just to see if the noise went away - It did not.

The thing I don't understand is why the noise is intermittent. You can hear the leak and when it happens the compressor will not build pressure. When the noise goes away briefly, the pressure builds nicely. Please watch the video (Youtube link below), listen to the compressor, and let me know your thoughts. I removed the muffler to amplify the noise.

To note, this is a two-stage compressor with oil pump.

Thanks - Bryan

 

[Boilerhouse]

Sounds like air coming out the intake which suggests a suction valve is not holding. Regardless, spray everything down with soapy water. Any leaks will cause the solution to bubble like crazy.

 

[MacMcMacmac]

I can't remember exactly how Westinghouse valves are made, but some Quincy designs can wear in a manner that lets the valve disc lose concentricity with the seats, allowing a crescent shaped air gap to remain after the disc seats. As the disc moves around, the arc shaped gaps come and go, allowing the valve to operate normally, though only sporadically. It is a challenging fault to diagnose. If there are guides that keeps the disc centered, check to see if there is excessive wear on them.

 

[John Timmins]

How healthy is the unloader mechanism ? My FERO AIR Pump hisses until the compressor loads up at speed. It is a 1936 model.

 

[MrKona]

Re: Compressor experts - I need your help (Problem solved!)

Thanks guys for your replies.

I fixed it! Well, actually the compressor fixed itself. All I had to do was run it more. Ken at Air-Flo advised that I run the compressor for 30 minutes, three times, with the discharge line disconnected to let the valves seat. Now the noise is pretty much gone and it pressures up nicely. I'll just keep running it.

This was a lesson to me and I hope it helps anyone else out there that encounters the same issue with new valves.

 

[Garciaibc]

Hi MrKona,

I'm in the process of rebuilding the same unit. Do you have any of the parts manual for this unit? In the rear of the unit there is a bushing that is next to the main crankshaft bearing where the oil seals rides on. On my unit the bushing seems to rotate freely on the main crankshaft. I'm thing this bushing should be pressed unto the crankshaft up against the rear main bearing and then rotate with the crankshaft on the oil seal? Would happen to know if that is correct by taking a look at your unit? I may have to turn a new bushing and have it pressed on, I'm thinking...

 

[MrKona]

I'm reviving this old thread I started with an update and a request. I had this pump mounted on a new 30 gallon tank with a 1.5 HP Baldor motor. I didn't have 240v in my garage at the time, so that was the max HP I could use. It was a great compressor and with the V-design, it was low enough to fit under a workbench which was great benefit in a space-contrained two-car garage.

Then the California wildires hit in October 2017 and I lost it all... house, tools, project cars... everything. The years since have been spent rebuilding, acquiring, and in many cases, re-acquiring tools.

I picked up an old Wayne air compressor that I mounted on a 60-gallon horizontal tank. I'm rebuilding it this weekend - seals, rings, valves. It's a tank, but honestly it's more than I need now and I could use the space in my new garage.

So that got me thinking today about my old Westinghouse 1BYC compressor. Man, I miss that thing. For my needs now it would be perfect. So if by some miracle someone (particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area) has one of these laying around, or knows someone who does, I'd appreciate if you could let me know. Here's an old pic...

Thanks,
Bryan