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- Aug 4, 2020
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- 557
I need advice on air compressor oil. I'm embarrassed to say I've never had a compressor until recently. I have plans to purchase my own in the future, but until then a friend of mine is loaning me his for free because he has no room for it for at least a year or two. I know almost nothing about it except that it is a Speedaire 3Z492. I'm fairly confident it's been neglected, because he provided a quart of oil that's so old you can't make out a single letter on what's left of the label. I can't even tell what brand or grade it is. It's a cross between a lime green and yellow colored bottle. I want to change the oil considering it's a pretty old unit. On the "maintenance instructions" label, it clearly states the following:
Daily - Check for proper oil level.
Monthly - Inspect oil for contamination and change if necessary.
Every 3 months - Change oil.
I did some searching online as well as on this forum, and saw nothing but mixed answers. Answers included "use ND SAE30" to "use literally anything" as well as "0W-30" and many others.
Based on what I read, the 'correct' answer is to use a proper "air compressor oil" but that stuff is really expensive. The next 'correct' answer is to use a ND SAE30 (somewhat rare but usually cheap). Beyond that, use any XW-30 and call it a day. Also, there was no consensus on conventional or synthetic.
What do the experts here have to say?
Daily - Check for proper oil level.
Monthly - Inspect oil for contamination and change if necessary.
Every 3 months - Change oil.
I did some searching online as well as on this forum, and saw nothing but mixed answers. Answers included "use ND SAE30" to "use literally anything" as well as "0W-30" and many others.
Based on what I read, the 'correct' answer is to use a proper "air compressor oil" but that stuff is really expensive. The next 'correct' answer is to use a ND SAE30 (somewhat rare but usually cheap). Beyond that, use any XW-30 and call it a day. Also, there was no consensus on conventional or synthetic.
What do the experts here have to say?