the compressor is working, but there is no air coming through why ?

by thai
(england)

i leave overnight running without oil, next come in to work found it burning, dont what happen still runing but there is no air
th2i@hotmail.co.uk thank you?

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Bill answers...

Hi Thai:

Whoops! That's not good.

When a reciprocating, oil lubricated compressor is run without oil in the sump, the same thing happens to it that would happen to a car engine run without oil. The engine will very quickly overheat, and some components in it will fail.

You say your compressor is running. From that I understand that the motor is running, yes? Can you hear also the typical sound that the compressor head makes when it is being driven by the motor?

If so, you may have simply burnt away the seals around the piston, and since air is bypassing the piston as it strokes, no air is compressing into the tank.

Unfortunately, it may also mean that the crankshaft for the piston itself has broken, as the piston got so hot that it expanded inside the cylinder and seized.

In this case, if the motor was powerful enough, it would have continued trying to drive the shaft, and it may have broken.

Regardless of what has been damaged, I suspect you are in for a rebuild to correct the damage caused by running the compressor without oil. Time to take it to the shop.

Cheers,

Bill