Vent: Blew $80 on a used compressor that lasted 2 hours

Picked up a Kobalt 2-gallon pancake compressor off Facebook Marketplace yesterday. Guy said it worked fine, got home, ran it for one trim nailer job and it seized up solid. Anyone else fall for a 'ran when parked' deal on shop tools?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylor1223d ago

80 bucks is a cheap lesson compared to the one I learned on a Craftsman table saw that seized up after one cut. If the motor locked up solid, it's usually a bad capacitor or a winding that's fried from running with low oil. You can try spinning the compressor pulley by hand, if it doesn't move freely you're looking at a seized piston. Sometimes you can pop the head off and tap the cylinder with a mallet to break it free, then replace the rings and gaskets. But honestly for the price of parts you're probably better off just junking it and watching for a new one on clearance at a box store. Did you check the oil level before you ran it?

anthony12923d ago

Honestly that's the story of my life right there, cheap stuff costing more in the long run.

craig.john23d ago

Did you ever try one of those little pancake compressors that look too good to be true, because mine blew a seal after three uses and I was back at the store anyway?