Just for the heck of it, did you check the crankcase oil level? On an old
compressor with worn rings can allow a lot of water buildup in the sump,
which also whips up the oil into goo, and can hinder the movement of the
pistons.

Tony

"Ignoramus20839" wrote in message
...
I put the circuit on slightly bigger breakers and tried again. The
result is that my phase converter (17.5 HP idler capacity) is not big
enough to restart the compressor when PSI reaches 100. I do not suspect
unloaders, based on what I hear when it starts, unloaders do work.

This time motor overloads tripped, quite rightly. I would not try to
defeat them. The motor clearly was not doing well.

i