# Should I replace this air compressor cylinder?



## 2th Doc (Sep 22, 2012)

So my 1993 Craftsman air compressor blew the piston ring a few days ago so I took it apart and am wondering if I should replace the cylinder too, or if replacing the ring itself would be enough? I'm not sure how long the new ring would last with this amount of teflon rubbed off. Maybe it's not that big of a deal. The ring is only $10, whereas the whole cylinder kit is around $50, so it's a bit of a jump in price. I don't use the compressor a ton, mostly for HVLP a few hours every 3-4 months when I get a new project going.


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

Ayuh,.... I did my ole sears compressor a few years ago, a direct drive *NOISY* unit...
Looked just like that 1,....

I went for the Full Kit, piston, rod, ring, 'n cylinder...

It pumps like a Brand New unit,...

It looks like yer has sucked some Crud,... those vertical scores don't look to good...
Replace the filter, to keep the dirt out,...


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## 2th Doc (Sep 22, 2012)

Bondo said:


> Ayuh,.... I did my ole sears compressor a few years ago, a direct drive *NOISY* unit...
> Looked just like that 1,....
> 
> I went for the Full Kit, piston, rod, ring, 'n cylinder...
> ...


Was it difficult to remove the rod? From what I can see it's just that torx screw attaching it to the crank, but I'm guessing it's on there pretty good. 

Funny you mention the filter... I was actually wondering where the filter was supposed to be because I couldn't see one when I was taking it apart. Does the filter fit into the end of the muffler? (Not sure why they call it a muffler since it was definitely suctioning my hand when I placed it on the hole.) Looking at the sears diagram it would seem so since it's just a black plastic ring of sorts.

Thanks for your help by the way!


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

Should have been a piece of foam as an air filter.
You are also going to repace the reed assembly, right.


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## 2th Doc (Sep 22, 2012)

joecaption said:


> Should have been a piece of foam as an air filter.
> You are also going to repace the reed assembly, right.


Okay, sorry I was looking at the wrong part. I see the foam filter (not on my compressor, but on the diagram). Guess I'll have to get one of those as well. Thanks for mentioning it.

I hadn't planned to replace the reed assembly actually. Sears doesn't seem to make the part for my model (919152920) anymore either. The reeds looked to be in pretty good shape, aside from some greyish chalky buildup on one side that I was able to clean off nicely with a razor blade. Is there a reason why I couldn't just use the old ones successfully?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

There one of the most common reason oil less compresser will not build up pressure, they act like the valves in your car.
They work harden over time and snap off or leak.


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## 2th Doc (Sep 22, 2012)

joecaption said:


> There one of the most common reason oil less compresser will not build up pressure, they act like the valves in your car.
> They work harden over time and snap off or leak.


That'd be a crappy deal to put in a new cylinder and have one of the piston-side reeds break off and scratch it all up. Well, while the actual valve plate assy for my model isn't made anymore, I found a different assy (Z-AC-0032) that uses the same reeds as on my model. That'll up the ante another $40. Ironically, this is going to cost me more than I paid for the compressor :wink:


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