ABAC Tamdem Compressor servicing and restoration

[JOEPRO]

I would probably go with the Pacific oil for your compressor above .

Sorry I dont get what your saying here(?) I searched for Pacific oil etc and got nothing

In any case the Altair oil is the correct ABAC oil for my compressor and @steve t I am sure there are cheaper oils on ebay etc but im not bothered about that. I ordered 2L. My tandem pumps are B38 type which it says in that link require 1L each for a change.

 

[vw1]

My bad I meant the oil you had already found for your compressor I would buy that one

 

[JOEPRO]

The air filters are washable type. It seems you have to buy the whole assembly which confirmed that. I got them washed with hot soapy water and left out to dry:



This is the inside of the control board



All looks fine in there. The glands are too large and the casing is a bit rusty and banged up. So I'll maybe try to buy a new housing and swap the innards over.

 

[JOEPRO]

Tonight I wanted to do a quick test. To run each pump independent and see how long it took to fill the tank.

Right pump was 2.5 mins to fill tank from 50 to 100psi.

Left pump was dead! It was spinning OK but building zero pressure. Oh dear. I popped the head off it to see what was up:








It is clear a head gasket had blown there.

It is also great to see that when I wiped the bores they are clean and still have their factory cross hatching. So have little to no wear which is great news.

For the sake of it I ordered the whole valve plate and gasket assembly for this pump



What is the best way for me to check the flatness of the little alu head on this?

If I buy an engineers flat rule on ebay and try with feeler gauges and torch?

 

[brightspark]

Tonight I wanted to do a quick test. To run each pump independent and see how long it took to fill the tank.

Right pump was 2.5 mins to fill tank from 50 to 100psi.

Left pump was dead! It was spinning OK but building zero pressure. Oh dear. I popped the head off it to see what was up:

View attachment 398647
View attachment 398648
View attachment 398649
View attachment 398650
View attachment 398651
View attachment 398652

It is clear a head gasket had blown there.

It is also great to see that when I wiped the bores they are clean and still have their factory cross hatching. So have little to no wear which is great news.

For the sake of it I ordered the whole valve plate and gasket assembly for this pump

View attachment 398653

What is the best way for me to check the flatness of the little alu head on this?

If I buy an engineers flat rule on ebay and try with feeler gauges and torch?

some micrometer blue and wifeys granite worktop or a piece of plate or float glass

 

[JOEPRO]

some micrometer blue and wifeys granite worktop or a piece of plate or float glass

Thanks for that I ordered a small tin of engineer's blue from fleabay.

So if I apply that and stick some 1200 grit or similar paper on a pane of glass and rub it on that it should reveal if there are any low spots correct?

 

[tom2207]

Thanks for that I ordered a small tin of engineer's blue from fleabay.

So if I apply that and stick some 1200 grit or similar paper on a pane of glass and rub it on that it should reveal if there are any low spots correct?

for something that size a sheet of 6oo spray glued to a lump of old kitchen worktop will get you by the very best ,,,, and a scribble with a magic marker ,,, the marks will show without a marker anyway .
[ 320 would prob do the very best ,, its a small surface and a thick gasket ,]

 

[brightspark]

Thanks for that I ordered a small tin of engineer's blue from fleabay.

So if I apply that and stick some 1200 grit or similar paper on a pane of glass and rub it on that it should reveal if there are any low spots correct?

apply the blue sparingly on the plate then place the head on and move it about a bit.look at the head if its perfectly flat it will have a 999 percent coverage of blue on it . if it hasnt thats when you need the abrasive to rub it flat

 

[charlysays]

What sort of oil do you put in a compressor. I've got this ones little brother single motor 200litre. Been a good machine

I just buy a cheap sae30. Groundsman was the last make I bought. Compressor oil seems expensive but maybe it has extra additives in it to prevent corrosion or something.

 

[tom2207]

apply the blue sparingly on the plate then place the head on and move it about a bit.look at the head if its perfectly flat it will have a 999 percent coverage of blue on it . if it hasnt thats when you need the abrasive to rub it flat

very very sparingly ,, most folk grossly overdo it ,,, Ive still got 3/4 of the tube of engineers blue left that I bought when I was 17 ,,, and it was only about the size of a tube of airfix glue to start with. a big magic marker would do the job

 

[Jack_K]

I just buy a cheap sae30. Groundsman was the last make I bought. Compressor oil seems expensive but maybe it has extra additives in it to prevent corrosion or something.

I think compressor oil actually has less additives, it doesn't need to deal with petrol etc. I thought somewhere I had read about engine oil causing an explosion in a compressor but I can't find it now.

 

[JOEPRO]

apply the blue sparingly on the plate then place the head on and move it about a bit.look at the head if its perfectly flat it will have a 999 percent coverage of blue on it . if it hasnt thats when you need the abrasive to rub it flat

Great tip, thank you for telling me about this! Got the can today.

First pass only about 5% coverage.

Gave it the old redneck resurface




Now 100% dye coverage when passed over the porcelain tile with dye applied to the tile



I also got the new up to 250kg compressor anti vibration feet in the post today



Tomorrow I am going to fabricate a new cradle frame for this tandem compressor for it to mount onto in my garage loft. The mild steel frame will help spread the load and it will also be chemical anchored bolted to the block masonry cavity wall for good measure.

 

[JOEPRO]

Cradle frame fabricobled today using left over steel I had from my carport project.



Since been drilled for the 6no m12 chemical anchor bolts which will secure it to the block wall in loft.

Anti vibration mounts are fixed to steel using m6 rivet nuts.

Going to Degrease and wash it down now and try to spray it gloss black tonight so I can install it tomorrow.

Edit: in paint

 

[Smouser]

Good progress! Thanks for posting.

 

[JOEPRO]

Good progress! Thanks for posting.

Thank you!

The paint is crap BTW as it was my first time using a cheap HVLP spray gun I had in my garage. It was also a ronseal water based metal paint. But turned out OK for a quick go over.

I also bought 2x new V belts for the compressor. The ones on it were likely original and were age cracked. 2x new belts were only £10 delivered.

 

[JOEPRO]

Got the m12 bolts chemical anchored into the block work wall and attached the cradle this evening.



Very, very strong and perfectly level The block wall wasn't quite plumb so I had to pack at the top. I also tack welded the nuts in place once tightened incase they become loose during operation.

I can do chin ups on one outrigger of the cradle and it does not flex even 1mm!

Whilst the compressor will be located in my garage loft the wall and cradle will 100% be taking the weight of the compressor. There is a clear 10mm+ gap between the frame and joists. The compressor is also highly visible from below through the large access hatch.

I have it stripped down in prep for hoisting it up into its new home



Once that's done hopefully the oil will turn up in the post and I can start reassembling and wiring it up. It'll take about 2 weeks before "first" fire up all being well.

 

[Smouser]

Bracket looks good.

I very much like that idea of having the compressor in the loft or roof space. However, I think my compressor will pull the wall down if I try it.

The joists in my garage is also super thin. It must be the absolute thinnest the builders could get away with. To top it off, they are joined too, not even a continuous piece of wood. I have some things stored on the joists but it looks really dodgy. I expect to go in there one day and find collapsed joists.

The joys of 'new built' houses

 

[brightspark]

i have my comps on the floor and hoses , good for cooling . bet they get real hot in the roof in summer

 

[Smouser]

i have my comps on the floor and hoses , good for cooling . bet they get real hot in the roof in summer

My reason for wanting to put it in the roof/loft would be to save some space.

I guess it ultimately depends on your use of your compressor. If you use it loads during the day for extended periods it could get very hot.

Then again, lots of compressors running in hot countries all the time without being in an air conditioned/cool space which is probably hotter than what my loft will get.

 

[JOEPRO]

i have my comps on the floor and hoses , good for cooling . bet they get real hot in the roof in summer

My garage is a detached one with 300mm block cavity walls and concrete tiles. It doesn't get all that warm in summer. It stays a consistant temp most of the year.

The loft does get warm for a few days at peak of summer but nothing that would prevent the compressor from running. In any case I'll not plan to do intensive tasks on hot days with that in mind. There is also a 5 foot hatch right in front of the compressor location and large openings in my garage. So there will be plenty of fresh air to feed it and circulate. (Its not like it will be buried in a hot loft with no ventilation)

I don't want to put any vents through the wall either as noise would permeate out through them too and I'm in a built up area.

I wanted it up there to keep precious floor space. And also so I can re use my recent air line install which works very well