we bought it used in 2012. man its hard to find any reviews on these compressors.
I guess you missed the one I did September 2010 and the one in 2008
Here it is the 2010 again for reference:
What short memories we have. We all discussed this in 2008 since then Airtex have discontinued the model it is no longer on there current website. This I understand was due to reliability problems, one being no one has managed to get over 400 hours without major beyond economical failures at around 250 hours. I spoke with Bruce at Airtex at DEMA he was telling us that also the guarantee was not backed up by the manufacturer so he had to repair/replace at his own expense. I believe on some he gave a 75% exchange on a different model.
My major “beef” has been on there design of using a low pressure crankcase and LP crankshaft for a HP applications.
This is never a good idea only a cheap one.
But the real problem on the Alkin design is that the crankshaft is “overhung” that is it only goes half way into the block. So all three (3) pistons together with the total shaft load and all of the rod loads are supported only at one end (the drive end with two bearings).
The only plus side, is using a design from an original low pressure design is it allows for a cheaper product.
The crankshaft and block does not require a second oil seal or design in an oil flow over the 2nd end bearing . For light equal loads on a single stage LP compressor with two pistons of the same diameter this is OK. (Cheap but OK)
On the down side however on HP designs is that the increase in rod load on the single primary bearing (On Alkin located as a pair at the back drive end) on the compressor is much greater having them at one end only than if the pair of bearings were separated and supported the shaft at each end.
With a crankshaft design using two bearings, most design the loads to be shared equally. The Alkin design puts the loads (in excess of critical load IMHO) on a single bearing nearest the shaft, but in design proberbly thought that the two bearings together (at one end) would share the loads equally (they were wrong)
Unless each bearing can handle the load individually when one bearing fails the other has no option but to fail as well, in fact this time even quicker due to the point load to balance distance increasing when the 1st bearing failed.
Alkin is a company that have simply copied other engineering designs without doing the engineering groundwork or basic calculations of rod load.
This is always the problem, same with China and all those cheap back street solutions when one company "copy's" other companies design work, You copy the good design but you also copy the bad design, trouble is Alkin simply dont know the difference.
Well it's all IMHO but the Honda engine is OK
Below is other references to this product. Iain Middlebrook
The Deco Stop (
The Deco Stop)
The Deco Stop (
The Deco Stop)
The Deco Stop (
The Deco Stop)
New Airetex Atlantic or used RIX SA-6G? - ScubaBoard (
New Airetex Atlantic or used RIX SA-6G?)
iain/hsm