Air compressor - faulty, how do I get the motor out?!

[HankMcSpank]

I forgot to put oil into my little silent air compressor - siezed!

So I'm going to lay my handS on an old fridge compressor (which is essentially what this thing is) & remove the motor from mine & plop the fridge motor in (so all the external connections remain the same

So i whips the compressor housing cover off & I'm faced with this...

http://forums.lr4x4.com/index.php?showtopic=9710&st=0 (note this isn't mine, but it's pretty much identical).

My first stumbling block is how those suspension springs detach! (to get the busted motor out!). The spring at the top right of photo is the clearest - the sping sits in a little mount & then appears to be buried into the motor!)

I'm expecting the answer to be embarrasingly simple (& in my defence I only had a cursory glance before thinking "Hmmm, tilt...someone on the forum will know!")

[Robin Hewitt]

I forgot to put oil into my little silent air compressor - siezed!

Seized?
Read that and bought oil approx 2 minutes later
I did have the top off when new 'cause on of those spring mounts had busted off and the motor blew. Got a freebie replacement. Can't remember how they attach but don't think it was complicated :nope:

Good luck

Robin

[Robin Hewitt]

Have you tried pushing it down so you can bend them clear of the mounts? There may be another set at the bottom :heehee:

[HankMcSpank]

Hi Robin,

Apologies for not replying earlier - I've not revisited this yet (on account I haven't got a replacement compressor yet!)...I'll post the conclusion when I eventually tackle it.

[Mumbles under his breath .....Compreshers, Smeshers]

[Robin Hewitt]

Thanks Hank

On my twin compressor jobbie one side was okay, t'other wanted nigh on half a litre :whistling:

Now wondering why it arrived with two 250cc bottles of oil :nope:

Robin

[HankMcSpank]

Well, to give this some closure, I had a go yesterday. First here's the siezed compressor (top tip: re keeping your compressor topping up with oil - don't put it off like I did!)




& here's the mount that initially confused me...




But in the end, the solution was simple, just prise up the mounting lug it was attached to the housing with (doh!)







once all three lugs have been prised out, the lugs themselves can be unscrewed from the springs - job done!


I managed to dig myself out of a hole....this siezed compressor was from my silent airbrush compressor (since I work in my loft!) - though I don't use it for airbrushing - just lightweight compressed air activities (dispensing glue, solder paste, cleaning the bench etc - it's a boon!). Anyway, these compressors are the same as in fridges - I've been looking out for fridges being given away on Gumtree, Freecycle, Ebay etc - none!

Therefore a clandestine trip to the tip was in order (like most tips nowadays, they don't let you take stuff). If you pick a busy period (Saturday afternoons)...there are plenty of fridges & enough commotion/activity for them not to notice. So, three compressors dutifully removed from fridges with military precision & speed (I figured 2 out of three probably were knackered!)....



The one I chose in the end is the middle one - on account it was a perfect match for the siezed one. (you can see the funnel filling it up with oil - the tennis raquet, was to align the 'in pipe' more vertical as the compressor was being filled with oil!).

I've not actually removed the motor from inside it that one - too lazy (the housing is welded all away around the top/bottom housing joint!) , therefore all that melarkey about removing the motor from the original siezed compressor was a bit of a cul-de-sac (though I've kept the housing as it has an oil viewing window - I guess one day I'll relocate the motor out of the fridge one to the original compressor housing! NOT!)