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what to do about air compressor?

brans87

brans87

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Well my old compressor http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_211720_211720 the electric motor failed me and is around $250 for new one plus $48 for them looking at old motor. I am curious is it worth fixing to use for month or two and trying to sell for $550? Compressor always had oil changed twice year with a new pressure switch installed 3 months ago.

Should I try selling as is and what would the worth be?

Plan on getting a Quincy QT-54 2 stage compressor but not sure which route to go with old one right now. I wanted to keep it and plumb tank into new compressor but Honestly I don't have space for it and like to Hoard crap.

So anyone recommend which way might be best to go with it?
 
Harbor Freight sells "inexpensive" electric motors..
Seen compressor duty motors at Tractor Supply too..
One of those would probably get you by for quite a while..

When I've needed an electric motor for something like a compressor or table saw,I head for a local scrapyard--you wouldn't believe how many perfectly good electric motors get hauled in for scrap...

I scored a couple motors,a 5 HP and a 3 HP,for 40 bucks,ten over what they were worth in scrap...just be sure you get a single phase motor if that is what you need--lots of 3 phase ones end up scrapped for no good reason other than not many people can use one in a home shop...factories and mills being dismantled locally often results in a flood of 3 phase stuff being tossed..
 
already check Harbor Freight, Tractor Supply and Northern Tool all about same price. I know for fact I need to step up to 2 stage with how hard I run a compressor.

So worth fixing to resell my current one? Why did the old motor capacitor leak and the take out entire starter motor? (yup tried capacitor) and still sparked like no tomorrow.
 
Caps can and will pop when they get old. Just the nature of the beast with those. They're a chemical part. Usually you can see them start bowing out on the end before they go.

As far as the motor, I think you would want to decide how long you're keeping it. The longer you keep the the better quality motor you put in.
 
I have been mulling this one over and I think you should just sell as is. You might get 250 out of it. Might be a guy with a good motor on a smaller gallon size compressor.

I think it would sell quick. I realized how many friends I have with smaller compressors that are still going that would pull apart their compressors for the motor. Easy cheap upgrade.

I don't think it's worth it trying to fix it when your just going to sell it
 
A friend of mine had a compressor that he ran a lot doing sandblasting and DA sanding...it lunched the motor after a few years..
He put a 5 HP Briggs & Stratton on it that he had lying around off an old snowblower...ran the exhaust pipe outside through the wall...now he gets some free heat off the engine ,and still gets to use the compressor..

He had to rig up an unloader/pilot valve off a junked gas powered compressor to get it to work correctly..this was done at first just to get him by "temporarily" till he found a better compressor ,but he's still using it...he found another compressor,its still sitting there waiting to be installed,when the other one dies..
 
Alright posted it on C/L for sale I can get a new compressor next week just gotta let wife know what I am doing and fork over old compressor $ once it sells.

But will get Quincy QT-54 2 stage this time and maybe a drier to help on damn water problems here.
 
It's not a big surprise, those motors are made fairly cheap. The pump is probably the higher quality product of the two pieces.

You will like the 2 stage compressor. Build your tank pressure all the way up to 175psi or so, then regulate the pressure you want coming back out of the tank. A 2 stage has no problem getting that high, where a 1 stage starts to struggle past 120psi. The higher pressure will give you more tank capacity if you are running it hard, if you didn't know that already obviously.
 
If you're going to be running it really hard an unloader will help keep the motor from cycling on/off. Each time they start, they have to surge the components a little and it takes a toll. I put one together for my compressor, nice when I run it hard. Never run out of air.
 
Sounds like you want/need a new compressor. But just to be contrary, did someone charge you $48 to check out the motor and tell you it was bad, or was that the quote for doing so?
Capacitors are basically wear items. They go bad sooner or later. Normally that does not harm the motor. Yours looks like it has a start and run capacitor. If you replace one, you need to replace both.
The start usually goes out more often, but a run is cheap and good insurance when replacing the start.

However, most any failure mode resulting from a bad capacitor normally does not result in sparks. And in fact does not normally cause any damage at all.

No way to be sure without seeing it, but I suspect that the starter for the motor is built into the motor.
That is normally the case with these type motors.
If so, the starter switch is a centrifugal unit behind the back end bell. If it goes bad, it can cause sparks as well as cause the start capacitor to blow. Those switches are fairly cheap, and easily replaced.
Any decent motor shop could either sell you one, or put one in for you. Usually a couple of screws and plug in wires.

But, that leaves you stuck with the old compressor and no good reason to upgrade..........
 
Yup very reliable shop. Cheap emerson motor that I/R uses and yes did replace both capacitors. Already got people interested in coming and looking at compressor.

2 stage won't run every 5 mins like old one did. Also with replacing motor,looking at/diag motor,and 2 capacitors your at $500 why dump that into something that can not keep up with my demand?
 
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