Dont be too quick to throw out a broken machine

Rob Keeble

Member
Messages
12,633
Location
GTA Ontario Canada
With our weather closing in rapidly on being outside, i made the move yesterday to bring a bunch of ww stuff indoors so i have some to work on thru winter also to preserve things that dont like freezing (portable tools with batteries).
One thing i needed was air and i was not about to haul the new compressor down stairs, then it dawned on me.
In June i had purchased parts from E Replacement parts, on speculation that i could repair and recover my porter cable pancake compressor.
Well i had taken it apart before to find the leak which suddenly occurred out of nowhere.
It seemed to originate from the head where the 1/4" aluminum pipe connects to the pump piston head.

I had taken it apart and inspected it and there was no sign of physical damage and in reality the part does not get to move. So i put it back together but still a leak at this junction.
Well i ordered what i thought could be the only changeable parts but had never fitted them.
So yesterday in about 30 minutes i replaced the part with new parts and voila no leak. Dont ask where the fault lies the new seal was black and way stiffer to press in. Has me thinking this was a factory defect and i was just lucky to date that it had not blown.

Here is what i replaced.
uploadfromtaptalk1415280494001.jpg
I suspect the aluminum tube could have been used again but for the cost it was not worth taking the risk of only buying the small rubber seal.
Tube cost $5.61
Seal cost $1.31
Shipping cost $6.63 to Niagara.
Total $13.55
Not a bad cost of repair, wish i had done it in June when i got the part.
Now i have my nail gun compressor back . :)
Amazing just how simple this type of machine is.



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Nice save Rob. My compressor had something similar, looked like someone decided that silicon could seal the joint as well as a compression fitting. That is probably why the motor was ran to death and bearings were shot.
 
Hang onto that old tube. You never know when you will need a small peice of aluminium tube.

It might be in 25 years, and 4 inches of 1/4 aluminium tube shipped to Canada might be $37.50.

When it's December 24th at 8:30 pm and the dishwahser breaks down, "If I only had a peice of Aluminium tube!".
 
Must be some kinda FWW virus going around. I was trying to install some quarter round and went to HF for a portable air tank so I wouldn't have to drag either the compressor or a hundred feet of hose through the house. When I tried to charge up the tank the compressor kicked off at #60 and wouldn't crank up again. Tried the motor reset switch and, apparently tried too hard 'cause I broke it. Called the national IR hotline and mistakenly asked for a new pressure switch instead of reset switch and the tech told me that IR no longer stocked the pressure switch and the compressor was trash. After fuming awhile, I realized I had asked for the wrong part and called back. They had the motor reset switch in the system, but the tech told me that it was $36 and would ship in 58 days!! I ordered it...then took my portable tank across the street to beg a cup of air. Charged the tank to 120psi, tacked on quarter round in the guest bath and still had 80 psi left.
 
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