Easy (hopefully) compressor oil question

[pescador775]

Good luck. I have received Kidde pumps that had to be sprayed with solvent before they could be worked on, so smutty and greasy were they. Internally, the parts and components were excellent, almost new. It is hard to divine the history of old, surplus compressors by sight. Sometimes, they have been around the world, twice. Others just look like they have been through a war but still have plenty of life left.

Don't obsess about oil. Any good synthetic will work. However, unless the unit is to be operated continuously in hot climates I would not use a heavy viscosity grade and even then the light synthetics will do fine. Don't experiment unless you have done some research and can afford to sacrifice some equipment and time. I have a buddy that ran a Kidde on peanut oil and who noted that mold would form in the tank. Don't do that.

 

[scottydont]

No worries, no peanut oil in my house to choose from. My big concern with this was that I didn't want to just choose any old oil for testing this weekend and wreck the compressor because of it. I know that the tolerances of these guys are extremely tight even by my standards (grew up working on german cars as a hobby), and since I've never been into a WK or similar unit, I didn't know what types of oil seals, bearings, etc I was dealing with. I figured it was safest to ask a few questions first.

Thanks again, you've been very helpful.