I have a Shoebox F8 but cannot find my leak. If I could fix it I would just stick with it. I have changed some orings and sprayed soapy water all over it but cannot find my leak. I wish they had a service center .
I was planning to but an Airetex. The small compressor Bruce is selling now is the L100. I don’t know anything about it but I live close to Bruce and trust what he sells. I have never heard complaints about anything Bruce sells and I know could fix anything that went bad down the road. I still feel buying from Bruce will be my best long term strategy
I have friends telling me that the Air Venturi will do the job.
Thanks for the replies,
David Enoch
David,
If soapy water doesn't identify the leak, as you say, then I suspect that one of your pistons is traveling too far during the compression stroke and is striking the back-check valve. Simply remove the small high pressure fittings with a wrench and move them aside. Then, stick a toothpick into the holes until you feel it touch the back-check valve. Then, while holding the toothpick against the back-check valve, manually turn the crankshaft to top dead center on the compression stroke. If you can feel any movement at all with the toothpick, then your piston is hitting the back-check valve and it is knocking it open when it is supposed to be fully closed. If so, then the piston needs to be adjusted slightly. Simply follow the video instructions on Tom's website on how to adjust the pistons. At top dead center on the compression stroke, your pistons should be adjusted as close as possible to the back-check valves without actually touching them. If either one of your pistons touches one of the back-check valves, then their purpose is defeated and your compressor can't compress the air. Instead, the air simply moves back and forth in the affected cylinder instead of compressing and moving on down the line to the tank. Adjusting the pistons is a very simple task and it's easy to do.
If you don't feel the pistons moving your toothpick, then your pistons are properly adjusted and are not striking the back-check valves and you'll have to look elsewhere for the leak.
In this case I suspect that the o-ring that seals the burst disc cover is bad. If it is, you should see soap bubbles coming out from under the main block while the compressor is operating. The old F8 compressors were sent out with an o-ring there that is prone to leakage. This o-ring has since been upgraded. The original o-rings were black in color. Simply replace it with one of the white ones. Follow the instructions in the video on Tom's site on how to remove the main block. Once you've removed it, simply turn it upside down. On the bottom of the main block there is a small aluminum plug. Simply take that plug out. If it doesn't just fall out on its own, you may have to squirt a shot of low pressure air from your shop compressor to get it out. In this case, make sure you cover it with a towel to catch it so that you don't blow it clear across the room and lose it. Once the plug is out, replace the old black o-ring that's beneath it with a new white o-ring. Then put the aluminum plug back in and re-install the main block. I've actually performed this task and it's far less difficult than one would think.
If you wish, PM me and I will help you over the phone. I hate to see you spend thousands to replace your Shoebox Compressor that, if it didn't leak, would perfectly meet all your needs.
Oh, one more thing: You will never find a compressor that is easier, simpler, or less expensive to maintain and overhaul. There simply isn't one, anywhere, at any price! For ease of maintenance and low cost, you've already got, by a country mile at least, the best there is. Further, (and this is only a very slight exaggeration), if you have the technical skills necessary to replace the washers on a garden hose, then you have enough technical ability to completely overhaul your Shoebox Compressor. If you don't wish to master your Shoebox Compressor, then your only viable option is to rent a nitrogen tank and regulator....., and don't buy ANY compressor.
BeemanR7
