Compressor going bad?

[stancanpara]

I think my air compressor on my Deuce is going bad...

I know what it should sound like...

It IS building pressure as it should, but when it is pumping air, it's making a hellish racket, like there is something loose inside banging around... when it's running but NOT pumping air, it makes almost NO noise at all, as it should...

Has anyone had any experience like this with their deuce air compressor?

It started on my way to my buddy Bill's for 4th of July parade staging... I have put about 200 miles since the noise started and it doesn't seem to have changed any for better or worse...

Does anyone have an extra compressor available for sale? I searched the classifieds and found none there...

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[3dAngus]

It shouldn't be to hard to get from someone scrapping a deuce. I thought there was a thread on here, or perhaps it was in the classifieds, where someone offered to get some parts off some deuces that were being scrapped. It was recent.

I believe mine is making a ghoulish sound. I think it is the compressor but hard to tell for sure without help. I was going down the road about 52, which was top speed then before I balanced my tires, and it would go "WoooWoooooooooooo".... . Just one heck of a howling!
It would make a great ghost story all by itself at the next Ga. Rally if I could get it to repeat on idle. I heard a little of it today on idle when I was checking fluids and pumping tires and checking for leaks with soap solution, but couldn't get to it.
Some of those fellers wouldn't sleep if they heard it. Kinda scary!

 

[cvh20]

Mine is the same way, quiet when pumping, but sounds like a ping pong ball bouncing around when the tank is pressurized. Check valve of some kind maybe? I also noticed mine is lacking the filter completely. Anyone have a picture of what the filter looks like? Thanks

 

[stancanpara]

Mine make the racket only when it's pumping air. when the pressure is up and it's not 'pumping' air, it's quiet.

Sounds like a steel ping pong ball in there when it's 'pumping air'...

 

[gimpyrobb]

Pull it off and take it apart. They can get cruddy in the reed valves. I have cleaned up two and it made a big difference.

 

[hoop]

Stan,
Your compressor belt is loose.

 

[Wildchild467]

Stan,
Your compressor belt is loose.

i was gonna say the same thing. mine was a newer compressor when i got my truck. you could see it looked newer than what the rest of the engine was. mine was making some racket under compression but i tightened up my belt when i had the radiator off last week and it has been fine ever since. like gimp said, im sure the reed valves can get cruddy. i took the air cleaner off mine and sprayed some WD-40 in there to help lube things up then put the air cleaner back on. i dont think it can hurt anything.

another side note, i would like to mod my compressor someday and mount a lawnmower air cleaner to it somehow and put a hose right on the other air cleaner housing. seems like that would be cleaner air than what the original filter is. or if i dont do the filter on the side of the compressor, build a seperate filter inside the engine air filter "can" and run the hose to that like it is on the fording kits. for a filter, i was thinking about using the flat filters like briggs and stranton uses.... they outta be rated for 7 CFM.

 

[stancanpara]

Stan,
Your compressor belt is loose.

Thanks, I appreciate the suggestions.

A loose belt will make it sound like a loose piece of metal is bouncing around inside?

OK, I'll tighten the belt and see what happens. I will look it up in the manual to see how tight it should be, but, from your personal experience, how tight do ya'all think it should be? Should it be as tight as the alternator belts?

How much work is it to take apart and clean the reed valves? Might be just curious enough to do that as well when it's not so danged HOT.....and humid....

"But it's a 'humid' heat..."

Thanks again!

 

[Sephirothq]

If you end up needing a compressor i have one i would sell.

 

[Autocar]

Mine make the racket only when it's pumping air. when the pressure is up and it's not 'pumping' air, it's quiet.

Sounds like a steel ping pong ball in there when it's 'pumping air'...

Mine does the same thing only it's on an M915A1(400 Cummins) but the compressor is gear driven in line with the IP.

 

[hoop]

Any update?

 

[stancanpara]

Sorry for not updating this. Hoop, you were correct as usual! Tightened the belt and it took care of the noise! I could swear the noise was coming from 'inside' the pump, but I guess the noise was actually the belt slipping and slapping on the pulley.

Once again, THANKS!

Hoop, what are you working on these days? Anything I can do to help?

 

[Autocar]

So why does mine make the same noise and it's gear driven?

 

[fasttruck]

Worn wrist pin or crank bushings ?

 

[timb1956]

what can you use instead of air compressor pulley adjusting wrench to tighten belt . Pictures in tm dont give enough detail . I have got to replace my alt/gen and want to replace air compressor belt at same time.

 

[hoop]

Large channel locks and adjustable wrench work for me.

 

[Wildchild467]

Ditto on the channel locks but a compressor wrench would be nice someday....

 

[treeguy]

I bought a thin 1-3/4" (machinists wrench, stubby) to hold the back nut (put a pipe on it) and tightened the front pulley with a pipe wrench. Is it typical for the locking bolt flang ears to crack? I replaced my original one for this reason and the new one has a crack in the same place now, and I made sure that I didn't over tighten the cast iron.

 

[mattg2448]

Ok, so I have a weird noise coming from my air system. It seems like the pressure relief valve, or something like that.. See picture, goes off, and the compressor pumps some more before shutting off and the valve releasing pressure again, and thus continuing the cycle.. But its driving me nuts! The thing is going off like crazy, it seems like itll go off about 10 times every 5 seconds(at around 1200rpm).. It started about a week ago and is just driving me INSANE!

 

[m16ty]

Matt, that's your air governor. You can hear it "click" when in cycles on and off (even from inside the cab). It shouldn't be cycling all the time or leaking air though. Sounds Like you may need a governor. You can pick them up at any NAPA.