Re: Air Compressor and Oil

[jlandry@domain.elided (John A. Landry)]

While making mud pies in the back yard, Owen <renarac@domain.elided> giggled:

>The York style (piston) and the GM axial (long cylinder) put out a helluva lot
>more than a 12V compressor.
>Technically, the freon compressors do need the lubrication qualities of freon,
>but for compressor use, don't sweat it.

I agree with Owen.

The York compressor that IH and Ford used in particular have a crankcase
specifically to hold oil.  As far as I can tell from observation, the
compressor crank dips into the oil for splash lubrication of the cylinder
walls and pistons.  The compressor further uses the difference in internal
pressure to force oil via internal passageways to lubricate the front and
rear bearings.  It's not designed to suck or blow oil into the air outlet.
If oil is getting into the outlet air, then it's most likely caused by wear
or other faults.

I've run my York compressor hot and hard on several occasions and it
doesn't appear to consume any oil from the crankcase.  I suppose if you
picked the wrong worn out beater compressor at a wrecking yard, you could
find yourself with one than blows more oil than air.

The bottom line?  As Owen said, don't sweat it... just install the darn
thing, fill it to the proper level with compressor oil and have fun!

Best regards,

John
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