Compressor Smoking..

[Dave Winters]

This can't be good.....My 7HP Porter Cable compressor is running super hot and is smoking like mad. Oil level seems fine. Is this as dire as it seems?

[Jim Finn]

Is the belt slipping?

[Ronald Blue]

Where is it smoking? How long had it been running?

[Thomas Hotchkin]

Dave
How old is your compressor? How often do you change oil? If is lives with you at 6700 ft in Steamboat Springs, CO it is working very hard to build up normal working pressure. Two stage compressor's run a little hotter then single. I changed my compressor's oil over to Mobil 1 10/30 it runs a little cooler with Mobil 1. It may be too late for that compressor if it's not the belt. Tom

[Rick Fisher]

Best problem = Belt .. Second = Motor , Bad problem = Pump ..

[Dave Winters]

So.. the smoke is coming out of the intake port, and there's oil dripping from the roof of it. So... I suspect the piston rings are shot, huh?

[Kyle Iwamoto]

If its smoking from the intake, bad valve? If it has reed valve(s) for your intake, it could be as simple as that. Not a hard fix. If it can pressure up the tank, your piston rings are -probably- fine.

[David Weaver]

How fast is it building pressure. Could there be a check valve problem?

[John Gomes]

I tend to agree with a valve problem, blowing back thru the intake side, usually a pretty easy fix.Sometimes there is a check valve where discharge line from the pump goes into the reciever and they can rust up and get stuck, they are not always obvious, look like a fitting, but it might be worth looking at. If it has been pumping against a blocked check valve, and running for extended periods trying to fill the tank to pressure, it could of gotten overheated and damaged the reed valves in the head. You may also be able to get a rebuilt head with nice new valves or have it rebuilt at a compressor shop. Save a few bucks taaking the head off yourself. I would also check price of a complete rebuild or maybe they would have a good used pump for sale of and equivalent size. 7 horse is a pretty good sized compressor and may be worth repairing verses replacing.

[Brian D Anderson]

Be glad that it wasn't smoking from an actual fire!

IMG_8155.jpg

I was awoken by my smoke detector years ago. Came down to my basement and found 2' flames coming out of my compressor. Not fun.

A few years later, Sears recalled that model.

-Brian

[Dave Winters]

So, I cleaned off the pump good and fired it up (no Pun int.) this morning. Added some oil as it was down a little. It builds pressure just fine. At about 80 psi, it starts to spit smoke out of the intake port, as I said. I don't think it has anything to do with the pressure, just that it gets up to hot operating temperature. After cooling down, I started it again and again it didn't start to smoke till it got hot again.

What would be involved in doing the valves, if that's it? What's a reed valve? I'm just handy enough usually to get myself in trouble. Priced a new pump assy: $433.00 plus shipping...

Thanks in advance.

[Thomas Hotchkin]

.

What would be involved in doing the valves, if that's it? What's a reed valve? I'm just handy enough usually to get myself in trouble. Priced a new pump assy: $433.00 plus shipping...

Thanks in advance.

Dave
Remove cylinder head and replace reed valves set, see parts list item 224 and head gasket. With cylinder head off look over cylinder walls, as they may be worn. Looks like a aluminum block, case iron piston rings not to friendly to aluminum unless compressor has cylinder liners. Tom

[Chris Kowalski]

Is this a two-stage compressor? Does it run normal until 175 PSI besides the smoke?

[Dave Winters]

Single stage. http://www.build.com/porter-cable-cp...ressor/p683597

It builds pressure pretty well. Today I took off the head, and inspected the reed valves. They seem fine, no obvious missing sections or anything... Would a bad valve be readily visible?

Another symptom: when I drain the tank there's a lot of oil in with the condensate; kind of a yucky brown slurry.

Thanks again.

[Chris Kowalski]

Single stage. http://www.build.com/porter-cable-cp...ressor/p683597

It builds pressure pretty well. Today I took off the head, and inspected the reed valves. They seem fine, no obvious missing sections or anything... Would a bad valve be readily visible?

Another symptom: when I drain the tank there's a lot of oil in with the condensate; kind of a yucky brown slurry.

Thanks again.

When a reed valve breaks it cracks and it's very obvious to see. The compressor would also run very poorly and have lots of trouble building pressure.

I think oil is getting passed the rings and this is hard to fix. The cylinder walls could also be scored. I would just live with it or replace the pump if you can't.
How long did you have it? Did you use it a lot?