Sears air compressor problem

by john y
(fairport,ny)

The motor does not appear to be shorted--I am an electrician and have tested the winding and capcitors.

The compressor appears to free wheel nicely--strange--when it was running right it would start off loudly with a lot of torque--now it just putt putts for 10 seconds and the blows the breaker.

---

Bill answers...

Hi Johny:

If the compressor is blowing the breaker, then as an electrician, you know that it's either a short of some kind, or the electrical motor is pulling more amps than the circuit can handle.

If you are sure that it's not a short, and the motor actually starts (it's not the capacitor), and the motor shaft turns easily (meaning that the power train into the compressor head is not binding in some way and overloading the motor) then it's got to be the motor that's at fault.

Bill