Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

Carl and inittab - I know this isn't 1st Gen. specific but I don't really know anyone outside of this section of the forum, so if you could leave this here I would appreciate it. I know I can trust the information I'm given here to be correct almost always.


Ok guys here's the deal,

I bought a Craftsman 3 hp 15 gallon air compressor 1 year and 1 month ago. The warranty is only for 1 year. So I'm not covered by any warranty (figures ) I bought it for general automotive use and small things around the house. I haven't used it very much at all during the past year, just for little jobs here and there. Here is a link to the craftsman website showing the exact compressor.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=00916724000

I just recently bought an orbital sander for my bodywork and have been using that on and off. The last time I used it I was doing some heavy sanding and the compressor was running for about 30-45 minutes non stop. But I wouldn't think that would've been enough to ruin a brand new compressor. It may have been a little tough on it but nothing that it shouldn't have been able to handle. It seemed to be doing just fine the whole time I was using it and worked great until I was ready to quit for the day.

About 3-4 days later I went out in the garage and was getting ready to put some air in my Toyota's tires. Plugged in the compressor and it just sat there like a giant red tylenol. It did absolutely nothing. It doesn't make any humming or clicking or anything. I figured the breaker was tripped in the house so I went inside the house to the breaker box and reset the garage. Came back out, plugged it in. Still nothing. At this point I thought the compressor may have had its own fuse somewhere so I started looking. Turns out there isn't one so I'm totally stumped. It is a sealed motor so there aren't any maintenance issues there. The only thing that I can figure is maybe something inside the box for the on/auto/off switch has gone wrong. Could something have gotten fried inside the switch and the motor's not getting power?

I thought about wiring the motor up directly to see if it would run but I don't wanna go ripping apart a practically new air compressor that should be functioning anyway!! I also wondered if the pressure regulator was malfunctioning and the motor thought the tank was full when it isnt?? I'm pretty clueless right now. There are no maintenance procedures on this compressor besides draining the water every time you use it. If anyone knows how I could fix it, or test it, or get it fixed for cheap somewhere else PLEASE HELP! I planned on painting my car this summer but it's looking like it may not happen now because my brand new air compressor is broken!! Thanks in advance fellas. I know one of you may be able to help me out, you're all very knowledgeable guys!

Jamie

rx7_freek

Are you able to run other electrical appliances from the same outlet?
It does look like a pretty basic model, but are you sure there's not a 'reset' button somewhere? I've got an older Craftsman that does have one.

cosmicbang

If it is really broken and you can't get it fixed, how did you pay for it? If you used a credit card check to see if it offers warranty or buyer protection features. American Express doubles the manufacturers warranty period and I have used that feature a couple times. Good luck.

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

I plugged a trouble light into the outlet and it works fine, and I tried plugging the compressor into a different outlet even. No dice there. As far as the reset button, I thought it would have one too but I looked around and couldnt find one. I looked through the owner's manual as well and it doesn't mention anything about a reset button anywhere. And about the credit card, no luck there either. I paid with a personal check.

This whole scenario just kind of disappoints me because I have always trusted craftsman products. And then to make a purchase of that size and have something go wrong just sort of rubs you the wrong way....

Bob Holton

have you drained the water from it? then look at the pressure setting and see if it has been messed with, then try another outlet. good luck.

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

No water in the tank, just drained it. I've got the pressure set at 150 psi and the tank is empty so the dumb thing oughta be firing up when I plug it in. I don't really know where to go from here, except take it so sears and let them charge me the cost of a new one to "fix" it.

cosmicbang

Some compressors have on/off levers. Did you read through the owners manual carefully? Maybe you can call your local Sears service center where they actually make the repairs and get some advice. Usually the hardware section of the retail store can give you their number. Hard to believe there is not some kind of thermal protection. But if it's the motor you can buy another one (either from Sears or somewhere cheaper) and install it yourself. Should only be $50-$100 for a 3 hp compressor motor.

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

I thought it might be the on/off/auto box that controls the compressor. Is there any way I can test it to make sure that isn't what's causing the problem? To me it just seems like if the motor was bad it would at least hum or buzz or make some kind of noise....

2GSLSE

iTrader: (6)

I would suggest calling the customer service # and explain that it is only one month out of warranty and ask if there is any way to get it repaired/exchanged.They may fix it or replace it for little or no money in good faith to keep you happy so you don't tell everyone you know about the poor service you recieved from the compressor.

Also I wouldn't tell them about running it for so long when you were sanding(there is probably something in the manual about letting it cool off occasionally to prevent damage from overheating)

cosmicbang

Yes of course it can be tested with a multimeter on the wires coming out of the switch. The fact that you are asking this question makes one cautious about advising you to do something that could get you electrocuted. Please be careful; maybe taking it to the Sears repair center is your best bet. No point frying yourself over lack of air.

Blake

Running a sander requires more like 9-11 SCFM; not the measly 3.5 SCFM that little thing puts out. Your compressor was designed for nail guns and other low capacity air tools, or for intermittent use of higher capacity air tools (die grinder, air ratchet). Running a single-stage, oil-less compressor like that at 100% duty cycle for 30-45 minutes is likely fatal. Good compressors are two-stage, oiled, and cast iron...these can handle 100% duty cycle, but you get what you pay for. I don't know why the specs don't mention the permissible duty cycle, but certainly it has 3.5 SCFM plastered on the side of the compressor and the sander would have something similar saying somewhere between 9 and 11 SCFM. Anyway, there is still a chance your compressor survived and, if not, you can probably replace the motor relatively inexpensively...but if you ever plan to abuse a compressor like that again, save your money and buy a better compressor. Home Depot actually has a decent looking two-stage, cast iron one for $399. Most of the serious ones are more like $1,200+.

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

Blake,

Never thought about that but it makes perfect sense. I should've known better than that in the first place. I'm going to take her apart when I get home and check a few things but more than likely I'm shopping for a new motor.

Just doing a little thinking here, what If I were to put a bigger motor on the tank? Like say a 5 hp instead of 3hp?? Would this be potentially dangerous? I figure the pressure regulator will still shut the motor off at the right time right? As long as I don't exceed the rated psi for the tank it shouldn't matter what motor is powering it as long as I'm still using a 110v motor. All its going to do is fill the tank up faster... i'm guessing.. anyone???

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

Another question. If I did run the compressor for too long would it have burnt up the electric motor or the actual compressor that the motor is running? I'm thinking that I can just buy a new electric motor and get her up and running again??

Hades12

Go buy a new one. Warrenty the old one on the new receipt. and then Return the new one.

Watch for S/N's on the units and boxes, Move stickes as necessary.

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

Ummm.. no thanks. That's a little too dishonest for me. I'd rather fix mine right instead of going through 3 times as much effort to steal something. I kind of live by the old saying, "I don't have to remember anything because I don't lie."

Dom

When I managed the service department at a computer store I never had problem extending a client's warranty for a month to cover repairs. All that was needed was to make a phone call to the makers customer relations people and they'd cover the parts and pay our labor.

But someone as to make a phone call,...

If the guy at Sears doesn't help, then call customer relations at the Head Office, that's usually an 800 number.

tjgosurf

I had this problem and i dont think i had seen anyone say it. My compressor died for no reason. They have auto shut out switches if it gets too hot. Did you push the reset button on the electric motor?

Blake

Yes, the compressor -- regardless of HP -- fills the cylinder to a set pressure, then cycles on and off to maintain it. Higher HP motors just do it more quickly. The problem is that your cylinder is tiny, so any sustained use will cause a lot of compressor cycling. The larger cylinders on high capacity compressors help buffer the pressure fluctuations so as to avoid excessive cycling. I'd rather have a big cylinder than a big motor...unless I were using high-draw air tools, like a sander. Then, I'd want a big cylinder and big compressor motor...and preferably a nice belt-driven, oiled, cast-iron, two stage compressor. Anyway, even if you just fix what you have and you must continue using the sander, make sure you take frequent breaks (say, every 5 minutes) to let the compressor catch up and then shut off for awhile.

BTW, rather than use a compressor, I have a Powertank -- a 10lb liquid CO2 tank with special regulator for running air tools. Ultra-portable (the size of a 10lb fire extinguisher), 9 SCFM@100psi and 640 gallons capacity. It can be refilled at any fire extinguisher servicing place for about $20 and lasts over a solid weekend of heavy use. I love it. Great for impact wrenches, air chucks, die grinders, etc. No way I'd use a sander with it though!

Anex 570

Might I only suggest, which I'm going to do, is use electric tools. I bought a cheap one to start with and it was ok I guess but doesnt do good with alot of rust. So look for a heavy duty orbit type sander for not more then like $50-60 at the very most. I paid $16 at walmart and lost it haha. If I'm correct though, you can use that compressor for your paint gun, just scope out the ones in the $100 range for primer tips which usually are a little bigger. If theres anything i'm missing someone let me know because i'm learning myself and I'm in a small garage.

Glazedham42

iTrader: (4)

Okay, here is a quick update guys. I tried calling 9 different Sears numbers and everyone gave me the runaround. They basically want me to bring the compressor into sears so that they can ship it to Michigan to have it fixed. No thanks. I'd rather try and fix it myself for cheap. I looked up a replacement motor on Sears.com and it is $150. Ouch. Half the cost of the air compressor. I took the motor off of the tank and checked it for voltage. It's getting 110v right to the motor like its supposed to. I've pretty much concluded that the motor is dead since it is getting full voltage and just sitting there like a rock.

I'm trying to find a motor and compressor on ebay. I'm looking to switch to something a little more powerful as well so that the motor won't have such a hard time keeping the tank full. Is there any conceivable reason why I couldn't just get a motor compressor setup and hook the lines up to the tank? I may have a few issues with mounting but I see no reason why a little sheet metal and a welder couldn't fix that. I'm thinking about buying this to hook up to the tank. It says that its direct drive and is about 6 hp. Do you guys think this would work okay? Would I have any problems with it? It looks like a nice BIG strong motor. haha.

REPLACEMENT COMPRESSOR AND MOTOR

Thanks SOOO much to all you guys for your help so far! The rx7 community the best! Especially the 1st gen forum! Woot!! haha

mcnannay

i don't think you should give up on sears yet...they replaced our lawn tractor engine for free when the warranty was up by a little less that a month,

we sent a rod right through the block....and sears was awesome about it, they came out and did all the labor on the spot for us....and it wasn't under warranty anymore, they were really nice

see if you can work out a deal with em....sounds like you got a good plan goin though already!! good luck