Shoebox F10 First Fill Question

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chasdicapua

Member
Jun 3, 2015
1,710
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Massachusetts, United States
Finally had the time to set up my new Shoebox F10 with a Wilkerson moisture filter. Everything went well, although there was a bit of a smell and even some very faint smoke in the air. I filled a 97 Cu Ft tank from about 2500 psi to about 3500 psi. Ran for about 35-40 minutes. The motor was very warm to the touch when I shut it off. Just short of hot. I could keep my hand on it. Is this (heat, smell, faint smoke) normal?

I'm thinking I may have used too much of the silicone oil on the felt tabs. I probably use 3/4" of the bottle that comes with the compressor. I wanted to be sure the pistons were lubricated!! Could this be the source of the smell and faint smoke?

Any thoughts are appreciated,

Chas

PS - BTW I want to give a shout out to Humdinger for patiently taking me through the process of getting it set up. Very helpful. 
 
The Motor gets warm to hot. I always run it with the cover on. This pulls the air across the the moter through the fan. Ya...... you only need a couple drops every other time on the felt tabs. The rods and bushings just need a tiny bit of grease applied. The compressor works really good and is easy to service. I have had mine for several years. Good American made product. They always answer with my questions.
 
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It came with the silicone oil for the felt, but no grease for the bushings. I haven't put any on (grease) yet. Should I wait to use it again until I do that? What kind of grease do you use?

Yeah, they have been very responsive with my questions.
Click to expand...


From their website:

Lubrication
The ShoeBox is now equipped with our New Silicone Oil Auto Lube System. A 1oz bottle of Silicone Oil is included in your order. Simply saturate the felt tabs installed at the end of both cylinders (do not over-saturate or silicone oil will drip inside the ShoeBox). To do this you simply remove the front cover and drip a small amount of silicone oil onto the felts (more than an eyedropper full). Monitor how fast it uses up the oil and adjust accordingly. **Use only Silicone Oil! ** Other oils can explode and kill you. You will still need to dab spot of white lithium grease on the lower piston by the bearing support bushing.. See our How To Videos to see exactly how to do it.

http://www.shoeboxcompressor.com/maintenance/
 
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The very warm motor almost hot running is normal. It may be just be a break in smell. I don't remember faint smoke with mine though. Your fill time from 2500-3500 psi seems exceedingly fast for a Shoebox. I'm not complaining just commenting. You definitely overlubed the silicone oil pads for sure. Are you reading the owner's manual? You probably have oil in the bottom of the compressor where you overlubed. I agree with BigTinBoat and disagree with AnthonyRamos about the YH being a better compressor. YH is cheaper and faster but at the expense of more frequent breakdowns and headaches to work on. It's just personal opinion. I would hazard a guess that the breakdown rate per 100 Shoeboxes is much less than that of Yong Hengs. Shoeboxes are for people who want longevity, durability, and simplicity of servicing vs. speedy fills. Many fewer owners have new Shoebox failures than Yong Heng style compressor failures.




 
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Tried the link to the maintenance video, but it doesn't work. Is it pretty clear where the lithium grease should go?
Click to expand...



1538774155_7744186095bb7d48b869919.20469539_20181005_140610.jpg


1538774205_6744233525bb7d4bd978b99.70079296_20181005_140624.jpg


1538774259_912596845bb7d4f38657f4.62866909_20181005_140656.jpg


Put the lube on the support bushings where the rod slides through. I just smear the existing grease back on the rods every fill. To make maintenance easier, I put the oil in a syringe and the lithium grease in a little jar.

Another tip I did was mod the cover screws. I notched the holes, and used knurled nuts to remove it easier.
 
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Thanks Dirte. That's helpful. 

Hey Humdinger. Yes I read the manual through and though. It was clear that the felt pads needed saturation before filling. It just wasn't as clear if the lithium grease was needed before the first fill, or if it was already lubed and would just need maintenance. I'm going to get some and put some on before I do another fill. 


 
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Tried the link to the maintenance video, but it doesn't work. Is it pretty clear where the lithium grease should go?
Click to expand...



1538774155_7744186095bb7d48b869919.20469539_20181005_140610.jpg


1538774205_6744233525bb7d4bd978b99.70079296_20181005_140624.jpg


1538774259_912596845bb7d4f38657f4.62866909_20181005_140656.jpg


Put the lube on the support bushings where the rod slides through. I just smear the existing grease back on the rods every fill. To make maintenance easier, I put the oil in a syringe and the lithium grease in a little jar.

Another tip I did was mod the cover screws. I notched the holes, and used knurled nuts to remove it easier.
Click to expand...

Great idea on notching the cover holes, and knurled bolts, will go to homers today and get some
 
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The older Shoebox models did not have felt pads for lubing the pistons. The pistons used to require white lithium grease every two hours applied manually as shown in Dirte's photo and Dan_BR's. The pistons aren't supposed to be lubed with white lithium grease AND silicone oil. The pads were added to replace lithium grease as a lubricant and to increase the length of run time between lubricating. 

A commone mistake Shoebox owners make with lithium grease is applying too much. It should be a very thin layer that almost looks invisible. The problem with over lubricating the pistons is that the white lithium turns gray from rubbing on the piston bearings and then gunking up inside the compressor. Eventually guys who overlube start seeing gray grease coming out of the Foster fitting at the exit hole. That means the insides of the compressor are all clogged up with gray lithium grease. Grease accumulates at the back check valves requiring the compressor to be taken apart inside to remove the excess grease accumulating. That's why the newer Shoeboxes come with pads for silicone pads. Less white lithium lube is preferable than too much.
 
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