Air Compressor Troubleshooting

Air Compressor Troubleshooting

Compressors that are passing excessive oil as evidenced by the presence of oil at valve exhaust ports or seeping from air inlets is usually a result of:

1. Restricted air intake – Check the compressor air filter and replace as necessary. Check the compressor air intake hose for kinks, excessive bends, and a minimum ID of 5/8″.
2. Restricted oil return – Do not use sealers on mounting gaskets as this could result in diminished oil return on some compressors. Check the bottom oil drain line on compressors that use this feature to ensure that there are no bends where oil could pool and that the minimum ID is 1/2″.

Causes of slow air pressure build times are:

1. Dirty intake filter or restricted intake line
2. Restricted discharge line or compressor discharge cavity
3. improperly functioning unloaders or governor

Common causes of high head pressure and resulting failure are:

1. Discharge line is kinked or clogged with carbon
2. Water traps in discharge line causing line freeze-up
3. Discharge line smaller than the minimum recommended 1/2″ ID