5w30 synthetic compressor oil?

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I have a cheap chinese piston air compressor with an iron cylinder. The manual that came with it claims you never need to change the oil, but I know that's ----. I think it needs an oil change - is there any reason I shouldn't use Havoline synthetic 5w30? (I have a quart laying around that I'm not using)
 
Engine oil has additives that can create ash. This ash can buildup on the valves in a compressor and cause it to fail. Good compressor oils are "ashless" and do not cause this.

That's the basics anyway, maybe Bruce or someone will chime in with more tech info.
 
I use syn motor in my compressors and the company I worked for used delo 30 wt in the recip compressor in the vans "comp motor and the compressor part " and in the shop with no problems in the 17.5 years I was there.
 
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Engine oil has additives that can create ash. This ash can buildup on the valves in a compressor and cause it to fail. Good compressor oils are "ashless" and do not cause this.



Hmm....how does the oil get to the valves? I don't believe they are oil bathed like they are in an engine - I think they're just check valves on top of the cylinder.

The thing is, I want to use synthetic, but the only compressor oil I can find locally is overpriced no brand dino oil...I'm guessing it's probably just 30w ND. I could order some from Amsoil, but I don't really want to spend 20 bucks for oil in a $99 compressor.
 
Well, I used it. The "lifetime" oil that poured out was black and nasty.
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How does oil get black in a compressor without combustion? Is it simply from metal wear?

I did some tests before and after changing the oil - on dino oil it used 12.3 amps and ran at 149 degrees F. With the synthetic oil it dropped to 11.9 amps (a difference of 47 watts) and running temp went down to 140F!
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I have a craftsman air compressor and the decals on the unit called for 5w30 but the owners manual called for 20 grade oil non detergent, SA/SB rated oil, no way in ---- I was going to pour filtered dirt into my new compressor, so I used Amsoil compressor oil good for 8000 hrs, that should take about 15 years
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""I have a cheap chinese piston air compressor with an iron cylinder""

So do I a harbor frieght anyway I use a s ashless high FM synthetic ester BUT they do run hot and do "burn" oil. I think for home use thought you could use a "PCMO" just use a Straight wt NO VII's.
bruce
 
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Well, I used it. The "lifetime" oil that poured out was black and nasty.
smirk.gif
How does oil get black in a compressor without combustion?




Heat and oxidation.
 
""I did some tests before and after changing the oil - on dino oil it used 12.3 amps and ran at 149 degrees F. With the synthetic oil it dropped to 11.9 amps (a difference of 47 watts) and running temp went down to 140F!""

On ester syns my compressor ran cooler (by my hand on it) but also got a lot quieter.
bruce
 
Could the temp difference in the temps and amp draw be because the oil is clean? The new clean oil has to be better than Yucky black low quality Chinese oil .
 
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The thing is, I want to use synthetic, but the only compressor oil I can find locally is overpriced no brand dino oil...I'm guessing it's probably just 30w ND. I could order some from Amsoil, but I don't really want to spend 20 bucks for oil in a $99 compressor.




Stop by any local TSC or compressor service shop and pick up some synthetic Ingersoll Rand compressor oil. It is readily available.
 
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Stop by any local TSC or compressor service shop and pick up some synthetic Ingersoll Rand compressor oil. It is readily available.



There are no TSC's around here and the closest compressor shop is probably about a 50 mile round trip. I looked at the local farm store but all they had was dino oil.
 
My garage is pretty cold in the winter and I was having problems starting my "cheap chinese pancake compressor". It would trip the 15 amp breaker if the garage was colder than 10C (50F). It has always been hard to start in cool temperatures right from new.

I tried some Mobil 1 5W50 that I had on hand but it was still having problems starting so I put Amsoil sythetic 0W40 in it and now I can start it up down to 0C (32F). It seems to run quieter as well. It only takes about a cup of oil.

I live in a small town and have not seen any synthetic compressor oil at any of the shops. But I figure it's a lot easier on the electric motor now and much more convenient having a compressor thats usable anytime.
 
I have always used synthetic motor oil. i have a 1977 2hp 40gal that runs great with a airfilter for a lawnmower on a manifold that i fabed up. my newer portacable 60gal 7hp has run on royal purple 5w30 since day runs great changed every spring. i think i will start running M1 0w20 in them and see how that goes. and the do great even when the temps get down to -15deg here in michigan!
 
Originally Posted By: SecondMonkey

Hmm....how does the oil get to the valves? I don't believe they are oil bathed like they are in an engine - I think they're just check valves on top of the cylinder.


Every time the compressor piston travels down, a thin film of oil gets left on the cylinder walls. Next compression stroke, some small part of that oil gets scraped off the walls and pushed through the valves, along with being heated up greatly as the air is compressed. Don't you notice all the oil mixed with the water when you drain the condensate out of your pressure tank?

You really don't want to run motor oil in a compressor, especially not a multi-stage type that heats the air a lot more than a single-stage. The air doesn't get hot enough to burn the oil, but it does tend to cook it and the additives in engine oil can gunk up the valves and collector plumbing. The other thing is that engine oil will try to entrain the water and keep it in solution, but compressor oil will let the water drop to the bottom of the sump and stay there, safely out of the way, until you change the oil.

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The thing is, I want to use synthetic


Its really overkill for a cheap compressor IMO. But if you insist, Royal Purple's very first product was a compressor oil and they still sell "Synfilm" compressor oil or whatever they call it.
 
Originally Posted By: bruce381

So do I a harbor frieght anyway I use a s ashless high FM synthetic ester BUT they do run hot and do "burn" oil.

bruce


Geez Bruce, you aren't using a non-dehydrated POE refrigeration oil are you ?
 
http://www.qualitydiscountlubricants.com

Try these guys. Their lubricant is best price I've seen, they'll do a complementary oil analysis and their search tool has equivalents for most major oils and different brands of machinery.

I am told that if you jam '005' into the additional instructions field at checkout you'll get an extra 5 percent discount.
 
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