Compressor rebuild

[davey25]

I have a 30 year old compressor that I bought and took the heads off to clean up the valves..I had mentioned before that I was getting air leaking out of the crankcase vent after the pump kicked off so I pulled the check valve and I am replacing it as it was rusty..should I replace the rings?? Is there a way of checking them to see if their still good..compressor initially seemed to pump up fairly quick.. I was at the local shop to see for parts and the owner said no need just clean the valves and it will run like new..what do you guys think..it's a swan pump not sure if anyone heard of it..thanks

 

[davey25]

Come on guys ..change the rings or they should be good..gotta be some compressor guys here..I'm ordering parts ASAP so need to know ..thanks again

 

[shoot summ]

No one can tell you what needs to be done without seeing it. The pump isn't much different than a piston engine when it comes to the cylinders, pistons, rings, and crank. Check and measure, that will guide what you replace, and what you reuse.

 

[Signal10]

No one can tell you what needs to be done without seeing it. The pump isn't much different than a piston engine when it comes to the cylinders, pistons, rings, and crank. Check and measure, that will guide what you replace, and what you reuse.

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Just what he said, but honestly 30year old compressor.....rings are cheap I always replace them and at least run a ball hone through the cylinder.

 

[davey25]

Ya it's hard because I have no specs to compare to..I just figured there might be a rule of thumb for the rings..it's a slow pumper so probably won't wear as fast as the new high rpm ones..I guess for around 100 bucks I should just replace

 

[BigNuge]

$100 for 30 more years...oh yeah, new rings.


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[MacMcMacmac]

0.001" of ring gap per inch of bore. Unless the manufacturer spec's otherwise.

 

[shoot summ]

Ya it's hard because I have no specs to compare to..I just figured there might be a rule of thumb for the rings..it's a slow pumper so probably won't wear as fast as the new high rpm ones..I guess for around 100 bucks I should just replace

I think you are looking for a quick answer, and there really isn't one unless you just want to throw $$ at this.

Measure the cylinder bores in several places along the stroke, both cross and with the stroke. This will tell you if the cylinder is worn out of round. Check the overall condition of the cylinder bore. Measure the ring gaps in multiple places along the bore, then compare to the other cylinder(s). Measure the piston skirt and inspect for what appears to be excessive wear. Check the rod bearing and piston pin for any excessive play, check the crank main bearing for excessive play and any rough spots. Again, all basic piston engine building/rebuilding tasks. If this is new to you then youtube has a lot of videos that will walk you through rebuilding the pump.

A quick search of "piston ring end gap recommendations" will net you a ton of info on ring gap suggestions.

I suspect you could spend some time searching for the specific specs and find them as well, it's really amazing the stuff that is online.

I would replace all of the gaskets if you can get them just to be safe.