Found a like-new compressor in the trash – What was wrong with it?
Usually, when my dad or I see something that might be fixable and useable in the trash, we’ll pick it up just to see if we could fix it and use it. Heck, we even got a perfect paddle boat that just needed some silicone, which we used for years. But, when we saw this very clean and pristine Porter Cable air compressor in the trash, we suspected the worst.
(Apologies for the sloppy pictures, was done in a rush)
It had tiny water stains that suspiciously looked like raindrops, so we thought all hope was lost for this little compressor. We took it home, set it in the garage and gave it a once over. Nothing looked damaged, not even a scratch on it. We decided to try and turn it on, not expecting for it to turn over and start pumping air. Plugged it in, flipped the switch, and to our disbelief it instantly started. It must be noted that this compressor is very quiet, compared to my dad’s older Porter Cable. The unregulated air gauge slowly started to rise, but there was a problem. The regulated air gauge was not moving at all, and regulated air is arguably the most important feature of the compressor. We controlled the air using the regulator knob, but no luck. We thought that it was worth looking further into it because of its working condition pump/motor wise.
We started by taking off the shroud that protected the valves and gauges. Then, my father had the idea of removing the regulator knob and see if the valve inside was clogged or damaged. We quickly realized this was where our problem was.
(Inside of the regulator knob)
There appeared to be a small plastic piece that pushed the valve in the middle, shown in the picture. This plastic piece would be pushed on the valve when the knob was tightened. We quickly realized that the plastic ‘needle’ was broken, due to the obvious jagged edges, and the fact that the needle had nothing pushing against it to push back the valve. Because the needle was not pushing on the valve, It was completley closed, not allowing any air through.
(The smaller piece was supposed to push on the brass valve in the regulator, but the piece had broken off. Both plastics were supposed to be 1 piece, notice the jagged edges in the middle of the round piece.)
We did some research to see if we could find a replacement part, and it turns out that this seemed almost intentional to break. The kit that had this piece was $40, roughly half of what the compressor sells for new. Many others had the same issue, and after looking at some YouTube videos we found one that had a viable solution: We’d make our own needle out of a small bolt.
The end of the bolt and the nut touch the valve, allowing us to have regulated air. We used 2 washers and 2 nuts to make the needle hold itself together. It also had some bad leaks, so we lined the regulator tunnel with grease so it would create a seal with that round plastic piece. We also put epoxy on the parts of the needle during assembly so it is completely air tight.
That’s it! This nice air compressor now fully works. Pumping regulated air at 90 PSI just fine. Goes to show you that some people would rather throw out a fine machine and buy a new one than just unscrew a few parts and use a bit of ingenuity. As the saying goes, one mans junk is another mans gold.