New IR compressor

stlcardinalsguy

Promoted Users
Soooo...got a 60 gal. 5hp *ahem* Ingersoll Rand SS5L5 compressor from Tractor Supply in mid October. I've never had a decent size compressor before, always fiddling around with 29 gal. oil-less junkers so I was pretty pumped about having something that could run all the tools that my little compressors couldn't. Finally got it all installed last week and noticed the belt going crazy. Found the flywheel was running about a quarter inch out at the edge making a decent wobble. I emailed IR customer support and they said that they would send me parts if I wanted to fix it myself or that they could send a tech to fix it. I didn't want to mess with waiting around for a tech, so I said sure, send me some parts and I'll fix it myself. I asked what parts they would send, including my address and shortly thereafter without any reply saw the ticket was closed......3 days later and a package arrives on my doorstep. What's in the package, you might ask?......A quart of oil.

A quart of oil...to fix a wobbling flywheel. Guess I shouldn't have said in my original email that the pump was starting to knock, that must have been the only thing they focused on.

Anyway, just wanted to see if any compressor gurus out there know if this is normal behavior for a compressor pump flywheel? A quarter of an inch runout on the circumference? I took the flywheel off to hopefully find that it was warped but found that the shaft is bent a bit. The flywheel is flat as far as flywheels go...here's some pics of the measurements

Flywheel0.png
Flywheel285.png
ShaftBearing0.png
ShaftBearing025.png
ShaftEnd0.png
ShaftEnd083.png


Seems like a lot for a compressor, but maybe compressor pumps aren't meant to have tight tolerances? Am I being too demanding of IR to fix a problem that isn't really a problem? I emailed them again today with these pics attached, asking for some real parts like maybe a crankshaft kit or a replacement pump. Time will tell I guess.
 
I think its pretty common to have this problem since they are so top heavy, it tips over and lands on the flywheel. No, definitely not normal, just hope all your disassembly does not have them not wanting to replace it. The part they should send is a new pump. Looks like they got that blue paint on that bolt that can tell if you disassembled it.
 
TSC may also take care of you on that, the one local to me would, I believe. That may be faster and easier than dealing with Ingersol.
 
I'll definitely reach out to TSC if IR doesn't makes things right (though I've been told that IR will by a trusted user here). My TSC is awesome at customer service but I really don't want to wrestle with pulling it back out of my basement to exchange it at TSC and wrestle again putting a replacement back down there.
 
I'll definitely reach out to TSC if IR doesn't makes things right (though I've been told that IR will by a trusted user here). My TSC is awesome at customer service but I really don't want to wrestle with pulling it back out of my basement to exchange it at TSC and wrestle again putting a replacement back down there.
That is why I think you should offer to do the pump replacement yourself. At least they would just send a pump and not it attached to a flywheel.

If they do not honor it, I am guessing you can make a fixture to brace the crank at the housing, since you have the dial indicator, you know where to whack it. If its 83 to 0 thats .040 out. Otherwise, I am sure it will run, you will probably just wear out that bearing and seal faster than normal.
 
FWIW in my experience the IR mobile tech guy was just about useless. Specifically one Shop I was at the big rotary compressor we had stopped working. IR guy came out was clueless as to what was wrong. Advised replacing the circuit board. Replaced the circuit board and other items (time fogs the memory), still wouldn't run properly. Owner ended up getting another compressor. Turned out it was a simple relay, $10 dollar item that should have been one of the first things the IR Tech should have checked. IR charged like $125/hr for the guy as well.

If you get the IR Tech to come out make sure they are not going to charge for his visit. IR is not like it used to be. Heck not much is like it used to be. Chief (frame machines) used to send a Tech out to you when you needed to move a frame machine from one Shop to another. No Charge. When I foolishly opened my own place at 29, I bought a 2nd hand 5 Tower EZ-Liner (like new) and called the Richmond Area Chief Distributor with a question I had. When they learned I had bought a machine they sold new, they sent out a Tech to help with the move and set it up in my Shop, no charge. They said Chief mandated that they do that. I couldn't believe it. I'll bet they don't do that now.:)
 
IR consumer stuff is no good these days, unfortunately. But that's neither here nor there, obviously this unit has fallen over onto its flywheel. I would hold out for an entire replacement pump, since the crank snout is bent.
 
I would have carried it right back to tractor supply and swapped for another. I bet there's still a mark in the floor in the back room where someone knocked it over.. Meantime you're over a month with no compressor. How would a business operate if they had to wait on customer service like that? Look for any chipped paint or other clues that it bounced off the floor...
 
FWIW in my experience the IR mobile tech guy was just about useless. Specifically one Shop I was at the big rotary compressor we had stopped working. IR guy came out was clueless as to what was wrong. Advised replacing the circuit board. Replaced the circuit board and other items (time fogs the memory), still wouldn't run properly. Owner ended up getting another compressor. Turned out it was a simple relay, $10 dollar item that should have been one of the first things the IR Tech should have checked. IR charged like $125/hr for the guy as well.

If you get the IR Tech to come out make sure they are not going to charge for his visit. IR is not like it used to be. Heck not much is like it used to be. Chief (frame machines) used to send a Tech out to you when you needed to move a frame machine from one Shop to another. No Charge. When I foolishly opened my own place at 29, I bought a 2nd hand 5 Tower EZ-Liner (like new) and called the Richmond Area Chief Distributor with a question I had. When they learned I had bought a machine they sold new, they sent out a Tech to help with the move and set it up in my Shop, no charge. They said Chief mandated that they do that. I couldn't believe it. I'll bet they don't do that now.:)
Really didn't want to have a tech come out just for that reason...I can usually fix something just as easily with parts without having to mess with a tech that doesn't know what's going on. That's some awesome customer service, I'm not sure there's any company out there that would bend over backwards for a customer like that any more.
 
So I have a package scheduled for delivery tomorrow from Rand Co. It's 113 lbs so I would assume that would be a pump...unless they're sending a bunch more oil :confused:. Didn't get any response from them directly but a replacement pump is response enough!

IR consumer stuff is no good these days, unfortunately. But that's neither here nor there, obviously this unit has fallen over onto its flywheel. I would hold out for an entire replacement pump, since the crank snout is bent.
I wish I would have consulted these forums about IR stuff before buying it, I definitely would have thought twice.

I would have carried it right back to tractor supply and swapped for another. I bet there's still a mark in the floor in the back room where someone knocked it over.. Meantime you're over a month with no compressor. How would a business operate if they had to wait on customer service like that? Look for any chipped paint or other clues that it bounced off the floor...
If it wasn't like wrestling and carrying a bull, I would have done that. Stupid me, decided to install it in my basement and plumb everything to the garage so I keep space open (it's much cleaner down there too). I'm sure Tractor Supply would have taken really good care of me, they've always had top notch customer service, but with the weight and awkwardness of it I chose the other route to have it repaired in place. Fixing it myself is a lot better to me than swapping out.
 
.005 my 15" car rim & .020 best i could do on worst one that climbed a curb once.. All were measured/adjusted on car.
Pump shaft i'd want .001 or none.
 
Got the new pump and flywheel today, shaft is much better at under .001 runout. Everything now runs super smooth and is a lot quieter! IR definitely made everything right, I'm thinking they sent the quart of oil in the beginning with the pump on back order or something.
 
Got the new pump and flywheel today, shaft is much better at under .001 runout. Everything now runs super smooth and is a lot quieter! IR definitely made everything right, I'm thinking they sent the quart of oil in the beginning with the pump on back order or something.
oh man this cracked me up. sorry, but that makes perfect sense, shipped from different sources, just lack of communication. Did you call back and read them the riot act or did it just show up? Sounds like something a big company would do keeping the oil in one place and the pumps in the other.
 
Good deal. Now.. drain the oil after running it 1/2hr or less into clean see-thru container & post pics of oil.
I've done it with new compressor & i was surprised how much metal was in it. Repeated 3 or 4x till it was spotless.
Is it a must? No. Do i feel better knowing it's spotless? Yes. Buy some oil first :)
 
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