Alpha-Carette Oil "Breather" or cap

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RockBall

RockBall

Member
Mar 22, 2017
63
1
Round Rock, Texas 78681, United States
I discovered that our black plastic oil "breather" was broken. I don't remember hitting it and I don't know how it happened. 

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It seems too delicate. Even Joe Brancato talks about breaking one in one of his videos. I would like to find a more robust replacement for it.

First of all, what is the correct name for it?

Second, what is it's function besides keeping the oil from escaping the unit?

I would like to hear from any AGN members who have used an alternative.
 
Rockball, mine broke earlier this week from merely being tightened after I added a new overflow catch tank similar to yours. It appears that the plastic is extremely weak and gets softened by the oil. There is a sliding piece inside the square top that allows the heated air inside the crankcase to vent without building pressure. Mine broke off where the threads connect to the square top half. I degreased the two broken parts of the breather cap which mated together nicely since the break was not clean. They mated together only when positioned exactly as before the break. Quick set crazy glue holds it back together and it isn't as tight in the crankcase as before. Evidently the plastic used is pretty weak for the task. As an emergency temporary fix if this doesn't work for you I would imagine that the red plug that originally sealed the crankcase could be used with a very small hole drilled in the center to allow air to vent when the compressor heats up during a fill. Here is a link for a replacement that will fit your crankcase:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Air-Compressor-3-8-PT-Male-Thread-Plastic-Oil-Fill-Breather/32375447130.html?spm=2114.10010108.1000014.6.5c117008ehQ9ec&traffic_analysisId=recommend_3035_3_83054_iswinstore&scm=1007.13338.83054.0&pvid=fa16d72a-1198-4a87-8ea7-b9be08953d3c&tpp=1
 
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Mine snapped off less than a week after getting my new Alpha-Carette. I fixed mine by inserting a metal tube inside the plastic body then using JB Weld to hold it all together. It's much stronger now. I sold the compressor last year and I would guess the new owner wont need to worry about this issue.If I remember right, there is a ball or marble that sits on top of the neck which allows pressure from the crankcase to escape.
 
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I just read on another forum where an owner of a Carette has had to replace his cap twice because they both melted. I suspect these caps are supplied to the manufacturer and are inherently defective. It appears that the plastic is too soft and deteriorates and weakens when the compressor crankcase heats it up during a run. Mine twisted off like it was made of cheese when I barely tightened it this week. There are identical replacements available through Aliexpress or round shaped ones available through Ebay. Good compressor but lousy oil filler cap for sure. The thread size is 16mm if anyone is unsure what to order.
 
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sorry - hit enter before I meant to. Continuing...
...which means the YH oil filler cap would fit if you want. I have not had any melting issues with mine and the YH crankcase probably gets even hotter than yours. Here's the part on aliexpress - not sure if that's for 3 of them or just 1:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4500PSI-310bar-300-bar-PCP-compressor-spare-parts-oil-breather-breathing-rods-1-sets-lot/32834501373.html?spm=2114.10010108.1000014.2.249c5ddbxnbUFn&traffic_analysisId=recommend_3035_1_83054_iswinstore&scm=1007.13338.83054.0&pvid=c01d6ff5-6b6c-4069-9d34-aaa2098ee528&tpp=1
 
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I agree. FYI, I will tell you that on the two cylinder machines, like the Tuxing which I have, the crankcase only gets warm, and not hot. I can keep my hand on the crankcase at the bottom, sides, or front the entire time the compressor is running. Warm, like in warm water to wash your hands in warm, not coffee cup "hot"... I assume the AV is probably not even warm, since it runs at 1/3 the speed of the AV or Tuxing...
 
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Would this work as a more robust solution? The the crnakcase oil is not going to be at 4500 psi, so the 150 psi limit seems reasonable.



https://www.amazon.com/Parker-047060006-Sintered-Bronze-Breather/dp/B003Q6CB7K/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1534790594&sr=8-15&keywords=air+compressor+breather

No, because those do not fit. If they made one in the correct 16x1.5 metric they would work. The plastic replacement caps from the replies in this thread will all work and they’re affordable. The Carette people are aware of the defective caps and have replaced them. Mine did the same thing as yours.
Click to expand...


 
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I see now that the threads are M16-1.5. I was originally misled in thinking the threading was 3/8. I suppose any crankcase breather would work if the right threading or with an adapter. I hesitate to buy the plastic one again because I worry it will just break again. Mine must have been flawed or damaged in shipment: it just fell off during the first run. I don't recall ever hitting it. I might be taking mine on a few road trips and I don't want to have it break off on the road.

The metal-tube reinforcement and JB Weld or Expoxy is a good idea. Ordering a replacement and reinforcing it is probably the right solution longer term. I have metric taps and dies so if I can find the right die and the right size pipe in copper or aluminum, I might come up with a more robust and permanent fix as well. I'll add a post if I rig something up..
 
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I ordered 2 different types of filters, one a sintered bronze, 3/8 npt, and the other a breather cap, which was a very nice size also 3/8 npt, this was before I read down far enough to see the threads were not 3/8 npt, but 16x 1.5, so I did a search for metric to american thread adapters, and came up with the simple fix, made of aluminum, I didn't want any plastic, or plastic breathers. Here is a link to the thread adapter place, as they can help you out with more than just these threads.

https://www.threadtoolsupply.com/metric-to-npt-thread-adapters.html

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3-8-NPT-Male-Covered-Filtered-Breather-Vent-Pipe-Threaded-Plug-Coyote-Gear-Tank/223526961653?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20160727114228%26meid%3D5388d34765584919b74c717251d5d9ac%26pid%3D100290%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D223526961653%26itm%3D223526961653%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2060778&_trksid=p2060778.c100290.m3507

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-8-NPT-Male-Threads-Air-Breather-Vent-Plug-Fitting-Oil-Fuel-Tank-Coyote-Gear/222488676950?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2648
 
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+1 to Eaglebeak; my LPA Yong Heng (rebranded a few times) is nothing more than an anti-splash/anti-splash-leak device for a spash lubricated crank case which doubles as an oil fill location

Why the brass sintered "muffler" (air filter) though instead of installing a proper paper filter? I wouldn't call brass sintering anything close to a filter for the purposes of filtration via air movement.


 
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Hi again,

what really bugs me is the oil smell that fills the air, and if that does happen a coating of oil however small it may be will overtime be present. it would settle on other surfaces in my basement . Not sure if the sintered bronze would eliminate the smell, or the breather cap filter, but I'm hoping one of my 2 recent purchases will do the job for me. 
 
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