air compressor question

[revg62]

hi all,i picked up an ingersoll rand 2545 10 hp compressor with 120 gal. tank for free yesterday.the compressor pump is locked up,i tried to turn it by hand & it won't budge.would it be cheaper to buy a replacement pump or try & overhaul this one? i know it depends on how much is wrong with it,what i can tell so far is that it's 10 yrs. old & used daily.just wondering if any of you have attempted anything like this & your experiences.my intent is to convert it to a gas engine since i don't have 3 phase power.thanks in advance & either way,the price was right! revg62.

 

[bobodu]

For free you have lots of room to play with. If it were me,I'd just get one of the big ones from Harbor Freight. I found that I really only use the big one for maybe 10 hours a year so if I had to buy one,a cheapie would do fine.
I got a free tank and pump from work and built a gas compressor and my biggest expense was the unloader and pilot valve.I bought a Chinese clone to run it . I paid more for the controls than the engine. If you do some shopping around...I'm sure you'll do much better. You'll also need some type of throttle arrangement. I got a small air cylinder from work and hooked that to the throttle so it idles down when the unloader pops. I also used plastic lines for the controls because copper always seemed to leak or come off due to the vibration.

 

[have_blue]

HF has a nice heavy duty belt drive 5hp compressor head for ~$169. They also have a 6hp horizontal shaft engine for ~$110. It would take some creative mounting and control work, but then you would have a valuable compressor for under $300.

 

[Egon]

Open it up and see whats wrong. Then make a desion!

 

[gizmo]

Oh please! You just got an IR compressor. Don't fudge it up with HF stuff. At least take a look at what is locking it up. Complete rebuild kits which include all bearing rings and seals should be available for under $200. I rebuilt my Kellogg-American for about that much and it runs like new.

 

[bobodu]

Try $522 for the kit...aftermarket to boot.

OK-2545 Ingersoll Rand Equivalent

By the time he buys an engine and controls...he's gonna have $900 in a free compressor......

 

[Scooby074]

Pull it apart and see whats wrong. IR makes a good compressor. Instead of putting money into a chicom head, id rebuild the old one for the same (or less) cash. Check your local industrial compressor repair places for parts prices / part numbers.

Add a 10 Hp single phase motor and starter and it'll be good for years.

 

[bobodu]

Just looked on ebay for a 10 hp single phase....$500!!!

By all means ...open her up...but don't expect something on the cheap.

 

[Treemonkey1000]

Hey that sounds like a fun project for the price. If you are careful about not tearing the headgaskets just pop off the heads and squirt some oil down the cylinders. Let it soak over night. Then tap on them with a wooden dowel or something. You might free it up and get a lot of use out of it without spending much $$$. Or if you don't need something that big trade it off for a smaller functioning unit on Craigslist.

 

[revg62]

thanks for all the responses! i plan on opening it up,i'd rather rebuild the t-30 if it's worth it.i already have a 20 hp gas engine so spending some $ on the pump is ok.i guess what i should have asked is what to look for when i open it up? i'll post some pics,this should be a worthwhile project! revg62.

 

[sizzami]

first remove the plugs on the heads pour a cup of marvel mystery oill in each wait overnight then try turning it over , if the place you got it didnt run water seperater it might be set from rust . even if you free it up new rings and a honing are cheap enough. good luck

 

[pat32rf]

Is this gonna be a unit that you use on a daily basis for impact guns, paint sprayers etc? Do you really need the full output all of the time?
I just finished getting my old unit running after sitting in storage for 10yrs (time flies). It is a V4 refridgeration compressor that I used for 15 yrs at my old house.Moved here and never got around to setting it up as I had a little portable for inflating tires etc.
Now I am into mounting tires, will be spray staining the house next summer, sand blasting, impact tools.
When I ran the unit this summer I had no output and on teardown I found that the reed valves had rusted. Had a few spares and managed to clean up enough to get it pumping to 140psi. Junk box produced controls and check valves. Currently hydrostating (after welding on drain fittings and legs) two old 100lb propane tanks for air storage.
Won't be a "industrial grade " unit but it is a lot better than the portable and the price is right. It won't be operating at its max as I only have a 2hp single phase IR motor driving it but with enough storage there aren't many jobs that need more air.

 

[revg62]

update : opened up compressor pump last night,no cylinder wall scoring or broken rings that i can feel so far.i tried moving pistons with wooden dowel & light taps from a maul,wouldn't move.i soked with kroil & left to sit.no water or rust,this unit was pulled the day it locked up.i've never rebuilt a 2 stage but it appears that there are 2 roller bearings behind the 18" pulley that may be the issue.looks like i'll need to pull shaft after removing pully.anyone have any tips/pointers for removal and/or bearing replacement if necessary? i'm thinking if it is roller bearings i may try to source from a local shop.compressor won't be used daily,only when i need the capacity.thanks again for your replies,revg62.

 

[patrick_g]

Open it up and see whats wrong. Then make a desion!

Oh, Egon, there you go again!!!! What is wrong with a OUIJA board sort of fact finding exercise like asking us smart tractor fellers what to do with virtually no information on which to base advise which virtually guarantees the advise has to be worth less than the cost of the compressor????

Yeah, dude, turn a wrench or two. Open that puppy up with some exploratory surgery and find out what is wrong. there aren't that many likely suspects. There are piston rings and bearings as likely culprits, both of which may not be too hard to replace. If the cylinder(s) are galled you might have to take it to a machine shop and get the bores reamed/honed.

If the motor, controls, and everything else is OK with just the compressor frozen then if it were me I'd try to rebuild it. Rebuilt and running it would sell for enough to buy a few compressors of the size you likely actually need. As a cobbled together FRANKENSTEIN Harbor Freight synthesized junker it is pretty marginal in value.

Pat

 

[tommu56]

bearings don't have to be gotten at compressor shop (big$$$$).

check local bearing supply houses they will be cheaper most of the time.

for the flywheel gear puller or if it looks like a tapered shaft make an adapter for the set screw hole to a portapower and pump it up a little to help it off.

you might be able to pull the bearing with out dissembling the rest of the compressor.

check the oil pump out if it has one or the slinger if it dosen't that might be why it died.

tom

 

[bobodu]

As a cobbled together FRANKENSTEIN Harbor Freight synthesized junker it is pretty marginal in value.

Pat

I have $250 in my "cobbled together FRANKENSTEIN Harbor Freight synthesized junker " ($125 for the engine and that much in valves) and since it will only see ten hours a year... I would say that an exceptional value when I need the impact gun.
If he had found a scored cylinder...the machine shop alone would cost more than a HF pump.

 

[elektro21]

If you find that you cannot rebuild your compressor pump. You may want to check out Eaton Compressor. Eaton Compressor & Fabrication Inc

They have a great selection of heavy duty pumps and good prices.

Good Luck!

 

[revg62]

thanks for the eaton suggestion,least expensive aftermarket kit for 10 hp t30 is $380.i did call ir & they emailed me overhaul instructions.i went ahead & dug further into it,when i loosened the unloader on the crank it began to turn.appears the crankpin bushing got hot as well as the crankshaft on 2nd stage piston.no galling or grooves,just a ring of discolored metal.i plan on bringing it by an air compressor shop this week for an opinion before i sink $ into it.i appreciate all your responses,thanks again,revg62.

 

[Wineslob]

Don't be afraid to sink *some* money into that pump, it's a good one.
Retails for around $1500.

 

[J_J]

thanks for all the responses! i plan on opening it up,i'd rather rebuild the t-30 if it's worth it.i already have a 20 hp gas engine so spending some $ on the pump is ok.i guess what i should have asked is what to look for when i open it up? i'll post some pics,this should be a worthwhile project! revg62.

When you checked the compressor oil, was it low? Sitting that long, the rings are probably rusty. Squirt some penetrating oil in there and let sit awhile. Then grab the big pulley, and try rotate back and forth.