Shop Compressor Frozen!

[jaybird77]

Started my air compressor (60gal Kobalt) for the first time this winter and it started screaming louder than a 747. Sounded like the belt was stuck and the motor pulley was slipping on the belt. There was a pretty good burnt rubber smell. Had no time to diagnose as it was late and had to finish another project.

I only heat the shop if I'm out there which is probably 2 to 3 times a week. I was wondering if condensation formed in the pump which caused corrosion that would freeze the pistons. I've noticed that during the winter if I don't keep tools oiled they will start to rust from the condensation that forms while the garage warms up and also when it cools down.

Any ideas before I tear into it this weekend?

 

[Roberts210]

See if you can rock the driven pulley back and forth by hand. And check the oil level to see if it's ok. It's also possible something fell down inside the shield and got caught wedged between the belt and the driven pulley.

 

[American Locomotive]

Check the belt tension, too

 

[sberry]

Agree about the belts. Should be one of the first checks.

 

[OccupantRJ]

Place an incadescent light bulb near the pump for a while until it warms up, then see if it turns by hand.

 

[Caterpillar Cowboy]

Introduce heat to area of shop near compressor, allow compressor to warm up to a reasonable temperature and begin to troubleshoot!

 

[Citation]

Definitely try to turn the pump by hand before pulling the head. I recently fixed a small Dewalt that hummed but didn't turn over. When I pulled the head I saw there was a thin coating of rust forming on the cylinder wall. I'm guessing the compressor was used either in the rain or someplace very humid. It wasn't old at all. Anyway, with a light wet (oil) sanding of the walls it fired up. It's possible you have the same sort of issue. BTW, that same compressor is not happy about starting in the cold. Since it's direct drive the belt can't slip (and I couldn't spin it by hand without a decent bit of disassembly. Instead it turns very slowly and then throws its breaker. With a belt drive the motor might slip the belt instead of turning over in similar conditions. So just being cold might be the issue.

Step 1. Turn the pump by hand. If smooth then, the problem is almost certainly just cold oil. Apply heat (small space heater, incandescent lamp etc). If the pump doesn't turn go to step 2.

Step 2. Pull head (expect to replace gaskets as part of this job). Check condition of cylinder etc.

Step 3. Replace the belt. It's probably burned by now.

 

[Pipe]

I just took a 2 stage apart that froze/rusted in place. After pricing out the crank, rods, and piston kits it was cheaper to replace the pump with my labor.

It was an xp2101 pump or something like that.

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