Stormin Mormon wrote:
Got a 12 gal Sears oilless compressor from a
friend of mine. And the compressor continues
to give me trouble.

It starts cold, runs up pressure and then
won't restart. I asked friend for help. He
tried it, a couple times, the unloader is
a bit balky. Just cycle it.

Still no joy. He replaced the unloader valve,
which was really above and beyond the needs of
friendship.

Tonight I went to use it, first time after the
unloader replacement. Starts cold, and ran up
to 120 PSI. I figured I only needed 100 for the
job, pressurizing a water fire extinguisher.

I could hear the unloader hiss when it satisfied.
But the compressor won't restart, even if I bleed
it down to zero. Gives me a burning smell that
makes me want to open the door and let the stink
out.

It's not near a power socket I can reach, so I've
got it plugged into a 16 ga cord, into a socket.
Says it draws 16 amps. I'm wondering if it's not
getting enough voltage (have to check next time).
Or if the motor and piston need lubrication.

Any ideas how to troubleshoot? I sure can use a
compressor in the summer for air tools. If it
worked....

Plug it into the wall, or use a decent HEAVY DUTY extension cord. Trying to
start motors through tiny extension cords is a great way to destroy them.