My Craftsman air compressor will not turn on or power up?
by Scott
(Mt. Vernon, OH USA)
My Craftsman air compressor was working perfectly fine Friday and Saturday while in use.
I plugged it in Sunday to finish up a break job I was doing and moved the lever to power it up and nothing happened.
Checked the plug, breaker all were unfazed. Don’t know if it’s the power switch or something in the motor. Need help and suggestions. Found out from Sears that the power switch is no longer available and there were no suggestions on replacement power switch.
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Scott, assuming there is actually power flowing to the compressor pressure switch, the question is, is the power flowing through the switch to the motor?
Turn off the compressor. Drain the tank pressure to zero. Turn the compressor back on. If it doesn’t start, put a meter on the line from the pressure switch to the motor and make sure power is flowing.
If not, change the pressure switch.
Take that one with you to the compressor store when you go to buy a new compressor pressure switch. I expect you’ll find it’s a pretty standard switch and finding another that suits will be possible.
How do you change the Craftsman pressure switch cut in level?
by gary
(grantsville md usa)
how do you change the cut in level on a craftsman 60 gallon upright oil less compresses? it just seams to take so long before it cuts in when i’m sand blasting.
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I’m a bit confused by your statement, Gary. Sandblasting is usually a very high air demand application. This means that usually the air tank is depleted quickly, and the compressor motor cuts back in often to try and keep up with the demand.
That it takes a long time before your compressor cuts in is a good thing, in that, it suggests that your compressor can keep up with the demand.
So, my question is, what is the pressure setting on your regulator?
If the issue isn’t air flow, but air pressure, turn up the pressure on the regulator to get higher pressure and flow to the sandblaster.
If you must tinker with the pressure switch, read the page on Pressure Switches on this site for details. I advise against adjusting the switch, however.
Craftsman Upright Air Compressor Slow Starting and Blowing Circuit Breaker
by Gary
(Bossier City, La.)
I have a 30 gallon Craftsman upright. 919.167311 built in 2002.
If there is no pressure in the tank it will run to about 100 psi, then it shuts off. It sounds like it is loading harder than normal as the pressure increases.
If I cut it off at around 20 psi and then turn it back on the motor binds and trips the breaker.
I don’t know all the part names but I removed the small tube from the tank to the pressure switch and it ran like a champ. Dumping air obviously. I have been reading the blogs and assume it is the pressure switch.
But am wondering, is the pressure release valve is in the switch box. Are we talking about the valve that has the ring on it that I can pull to release pressure. I call it a pop-it valve. Is the unloader in or on the side of my switch box/pressure switch?
Any idea what the problem may be and can I clean or replace anything inside the ‘pressure switch’ if that is the problem. That thing is close to a hundred bucks and I’m cheap!! Do you recommend one from somewhere besides Sears.
Thanks,
Gary
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Gary, a bunch of questions, for sure.
The pressure switch turns the compressor on and off at preset pressure readings. If, when the compressor tries to start, there is power running from the pressure switch to the motor, then the start side of the pressure switch is working. If the power flow to the motor stops when the pressure in the tank reaches the normal cut out pressure level, then the stop side of the pressure switch is working.
Pressure switches, typically, have either a small lever that juts out one side of them to operate the unloader valve, or have an internal unloader valve operating mechanism. It sounds like yours is the former. That unloader valve should be triggered by the pressure switch when the tank pressure reaches the cut out pressure level and shuts the compressor off. The dumps the air over the piston, allowing an easier restart.
You say “it will run to about 100 psi, then it shuts off”. Is this the normal cut out pressure, or is the compressor stopping sooner that it should? Look to the pressure switch being the possible cause, if it is stopping sooner.
When empty, your compressor starts OK, but won’t start under load. The first check I would make is to ensure that the unloader valve is actually working.
Check these out and post a comment here if we want to discuss your compressor further.
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More info.
by: Gary
Well I may have wasted your time. I was using the compressor on a far side exterior outlet from the fuse box and then on a 100 foot extension. It is military with a plug box on the end of it. (It was for running power from a generator to GP type tents.) It is 16 gauge wire. Have used it for years without a problem. Anyway I moved the compressor to the garage where the fuse box is and it runs fine. Guess I need to check the wiring in the extension cord plug box.
Is there anything I should still be aware of or look for? Guess I needed to eliminate the potential problems outside of the compressor before pointing fingers at the compressor.
To answer your question my compressor is 150 psi and cuts off normally at 140. I saw on one blog that a guy was instructed to change the pressure switch to no avail, then the check valve, to no avail again, then the capacitor in the motor, with the potential of the motor slowly going out. This problem seems like a real headache.
Let me know if there is anything I should check or watch for. Thanks again.
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Many folks think that an extension cord will run any electrical device over any distance. If folks considered the extension cord as a fuel line, with a fixed capacity of fuel flow, and the device they were using consumed more fuel than could get through the size of line, they would better understand why a small extension cord under-“fuels” an electric motor. Not only does the motor not run right, but it will fail much sooner than if properly “fueled”.
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Gary
by: Anonymous
Moral of the story: Shorter cord, longer air hose!
Thanks
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Craftsman upright compressor is slow starting?
by: Anonymous
I also have one in my shop that FOR the longest time every so often the compressor would occasionally hum or if I let it go long enough it would throw a breaker.
Turns out that the circuit it was on was also the same circuit as my upright freeze.
the oil filler cap on my Craftsman 10 gallon air compressor broke off, but the threaded part is stuck in the oil filler tube. does anyone know how I can get that part out ?
Something like this should work:
https://www.harborfreight.com/screw-extractor-and-left-hand-drill-bit-combo-set-10-pc-61981.html
Hello, I have a craftsman 4.5 hp compressor that’s having some issues tripping a breaker. When the tank is empty the motor will kick on and run with no issue, if there is any more than 20 psi in the tank, the motor will struggle to turn over and then trip a breaker. It says it’s a 15 amp rating and I have it plugged directly into a 20 amp circuit with the factory cord and no other draw on the circuit. I’ve changed the check valve and the start capacitor with no improvement. I can also hear the bleeder… Read more »
Possibly. Have you also checked the start capacitor contact in the motor? AKA centrifugal switch. If it’s not making contact you don’t have a start capacitor…
I have a craftsman professional 175 psi compressor. It sat for a good while in a shop where in the last 5 years it has been turned off snd only run about once per year. It too, will build to about 100-110 psi then the motor slows and the compressor/motor appear to be laboring until the motor will begin to smoke. If you turn it off and let things cool it will still labor and smoke, if you release pressure down to 75 or 80 psi it will run normally until it reaches 100-110 psi. Same as if you completely… Read more »
Run capacitor, if it’s actually getting 220. Hang a meter on it and verify the voltage stays up as it gets to the laboring point. If voltage good, new run cap.
I have an older 919.167311 compressor. The compressor will run normally to either cutoff, or at any press I choose to shut it off (by the switch). At either cut-in or if I turn the swith back on, the compressor hums and turns very slowly. Some times it will restart and run, others it will trip the breaker. I have replaced both the check valve and the pressure switch. I’m not using an extension cord and the outlet(s) used are all good. Any thoughts? Thanks!
my plastic line to the pressure switch is leaking out of a small hole at the pressue switch is this normal it quits leaking after the compressor shuts off.
I have a craftsman model 921.164710 and when it gets to 50 lbs it shutsoff,then sometimes it wont come back on,tried adjusting cut in and cutoff ,but that didn’t, any help would be appreciated, ty
Might be cutting out on thermal. Check the capacitors. If the run cap is bad, it could be the cause.