My Bambi 75/150 has slight oil leak, not sure where to start!
by Simon
(Birmingham, UK)
Bill, I have a 2nd hand compressor which has a slight oil-leak.
I’m a complete novice so I’m not sure where/what I should be checking to identify and correct the problem. Since I bought it about 8 months ago the oil level has very slowly gone down.
The compressor is a Bambi 75/150.
Obviously I know you are unlikely to be able to diagnose the problem from this information. I was just hoping you might be able to suggest a few parts that are more likely to be responsible that I should check first. I have the manual from the Bambi website.
Thanks!
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Hello Simon.
Well, Bambi appears to be a good make of compressor, but seals do go, bolts do loosen, and, sometimes, tracking a leak may be more trouble than it’s worth.
The leak will be dripping slowly from the pump down onto the tank, I would expect?
It’s not an elegant solution, but when my small workshop compressor developed a small, wicking-type leak like yours sounds like, I simply folded a shop rag and inserted it where I thought the leak occurred – between the base of the pump and the tank – (after checking bolt tightness, of course) and that rag catches any drips before they flow down the tank to the floor.
Monitoring the oil level is critical, however, to ensure that the oil doesn’t drop below an acceptable level.
If the leak is a minor as you suggest, chasing it down (beside the obvious checks) may be more trouble than it’s worth. And if it is a seal, is it worth the cost of tearing down the pump, replacing all new gaskets… etc., etc?
It’s your call, of course. Make sure all fastenings are tight, and then decide on a course of action. Maybe let us know what you found?
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