Head leaking on obsolete compressor

[Fyrme]

Guys, I'm afraid I may have a break down in the not so distant future. Not a nervous one, but a mechanical one. 'ol Bertha out back has developed a ever so slight head leak. It is a Hercules brand, made in Louisville, KY. I have gone on line and found absolutely zero info on that name brand. the ONLY thing I have is the Name, Model and where it was made. All other identification stickers/tags are gone. I'm not positive of the size but it's a 2 stage pump with either a 60 or 80 gal. tank. It measures roughly 20"x59" and has a 5HP Baldor motor on it. Kind of a light industrial possibly metallic green. Sound familiar to anyone? I can't get a pic until tomorrow. The leak is not bad now but I don't know how long it will last. I really want to source some parts for this thing so I don't end up losing it all together. A vertical tank does sound nice but I can't even think about affording a new air pounder right now. Suggestions?

 

[930dreamer]

Post some pics please.

 

[Fyrme]

I will. It's dark and it lives outside.

 

[LSU]

The light green color makes me wonder if it is. Dayton brand.

I had one made by Dayton and foolishly got rid of it.

 

[Outlawmws]

I'd start with re-torqueing the head bolts and see where it goes. If it doesn't stop, then you can make a head gasket, as it's not an engine with combustion temps.

 

[Provincial]

I'd start with re-torqueing the head bolts and see where it goes. If it doesn't stop, then you can make a head gasket, as it's not an engine with combustion temps.

+1. I have an Ingersoll-Rand consumer-grade 2-stage 5hp compressor that you can't get parts for any more. I've had to make three head gaskets over the years, since they haven't sold parts for these in 15 years. I just use the best gasket material I can find.

If you replace the head gasket, retorque the head at least three times. Torque on assembly, once after the head comes up to temperature, and after the pump cools down from the first cycle, torque it once again. Check the torque again after about 10 hours of use. Other than the first retorque, the pump should be cold. I only do the hot retorque to make sure the head isn't loose before it gets to full pressure.

As Outlaw says, this isn't a spacecraft, and you can make a serviceable gasket with scissors, a razor (or xacto) knife, and a punch (or use a ball pein hammer to punch the holes using the holes in the head). If the old gasket is fancy (like a copper covered head gasket from a car), don't despair. For this type of application a good quality "paper" gasket will hold up perhaps longer than you can imagine.

 

[Fyrme]

+1. I have an Ingersoll-Rand consumer-grade 2-stage 5hp compressor that you can't get parts for any more. I've had to make three head gaskets over the years, since they haven't sold parts for these in 15 years. I just use the best gasket material I can find.

If you replace the head gasket, retorque the head at least three times. Torque on assembly, once after the head comes up to temperature, and after the pump cools down from the first cycle, torque it once again. Check the torque again after about 10 hours of use. Other than the first retorque, the pump should be cold. I only do the hot retorque to make sure the head isn't loose before it gets to full pressure.

As Outlaw says, this isn't a spacecraft, and you can make a serviceable gasket with scissors, a razor (or xacto) knife, and a punch (or use a ball pein hammer to punch the holes using the holes in the head). If the old gasket is fancy (like a copper covered head gasket from a car), don't despair. For this type of application a good quality "paper" gasket will hold up perhaps longer than you can imagine.

Thanks guys, I was wondering about the material used on these heads. I have already put a socket on it to see if I could seal it back up but it was tight and did no good. So you say some of these compressors use paper gaskets? The leak is very minor right now, so I may wait until it gets worse and do it then. I'll throw up a pic when it gets light outside.

 

[Packard V8]

While you have the head off, run a file over the mating surface to make sure it's flat. I had one which had a slight warp. I "machined" it by putting a sheet of 150-grit aluminum oxide paper on a surface plate and rubbing it in several directions until it was flat again.

jack vines

 

[MBfreak]

Hi.

I have repaired my old ATLAS COPCO 2 stage compressor, all is cast iron and nicely machined. Real heavy!. The hp stage started to leak between cylinder and head gasket. That was caused by a blown copper gasket.
I made a new one in 0,3 mm copper, heat treated it to get it real soft and then installed. It has been in service for >10 years now and no probs.

An air compressor head gasket has a soft life compared to a gasket in a combustion engine. Just do it!

Ola

 

[Fyrme]

Thanks for the help guys. I'll jump in as soon as it gets a little worse. Right now it only blows small bubbles when sprayed with soapy water. Here are the pics. I still haven't built a dog house for it, but have been covering it with a mil spec tarp for the last couple years when the weather is bad and not in use. Oh, and don't knock my ghetto air filter, the original one fell apart the other day. In the last pic you can see the oil leaking at the head.

 

[LSU]

Looks nice.

I'd give the "replacment" head gaskets a try. Not sure you can hurt anything.

Let us know how it comes out.