Ours burned out a couple weeks ago and now the place that rebuilds motors locally says ours is junk.
My dads looking at buying a new motor at harbor freight. I hate buying china tools. Especially electrical stuff.
So whats the GRM way to get a new motor for it? Its a 3hp 110/220v switchable motor on a 30gal tank. Its an older silver color, I forget the brand.
Looks like hes about to go to HF like right now :/
~Alex
I seen HF with a $135 and a $165 we need one also ? Think we are going to take it off and match at store . We have another tankand we are going to inline them so we have 120 gallons of air .
I was going to suggest HF as well. The smaller ones get discounted rather often.
The easy way is to call Grainger or HF.
3 hp is pretty small. The GRM way is to use one from a washing machine found in a junkyard. 
I was thinking of rewinding the motor myself, truly GRM. Ive done a few RC motors, something like this should be easier, other then finding new wire for it. hmmm.
~Alex
The four HP motor on my compressor burned up due to me sand blasting a car. When I took it to an electrical shop, they wouldn't even talk to me. I bought a replacement from the man I bought the compressor from. Don't remember the brand, but this was before everything started coming from China.
Look for a Baldor Motor.
spitfirebill wrote:Look for a Baldor Motor.
Baldor has a very good rep in the industrial sector, so look up a local distributor on their website. I can say with certainty that it will be a lot more expensive than an HF unit, but it will last a good long time (look for a Service Factor of 1.15)
Grainger has lots of electrical motors available, kinda pricey though. Local electric motor shop price a replacement? Industrial parts supplier?
What size/brand/type compressor? Motor specs?
By the time a motor repair shop has run basic electrical and insulation tests and checked the bearings on a small motor, they've often put the cost of a new replacement into it. Unless it's something special, a new one is cheaper. This is especially true of small home compressor motors.
You can rewind it and replace bearings yourself, etc, but the learning curve is pretty steep and some of the supplies are a little hard to find unless you're in the business.
Make sure you get a replacement suitable for compressor duty. The load and intermittent running are hard on the motors.
AO Smith, Baldor - google compressor motors - might find some local folks who rebuild/refurb/sell new
Just what happened to the motor? Will it simply not start, or is it a melted hunk of smoking copper? 
It's not uncommon for the start capacitors to go bad, they're usually fairly simple and inexpensive to replace.
stuart in mn wrote:Just what happened to the motor? Will it simply not start, or is it a melted hunk of smoking copper?
I have an older compressor that makes electrical smells, sparks, and clicks a lot then refuses to run. I had no idea what could be wrong, but a "Start Capacitor" sounds like a very likely culprit! Any more info on such a thing? How to locate, what they look like, etc.
(compressor has been replaced, but if I can get it running it can go to Craigslist.)
SVreX wrote:The easy way is to call Grainger or HF.
3 hp is pretty small. The GRM way is to use one from a washing machine found in a junkyard.
I would disagree. A single phase 3 horse is fairly big...
In reply to Streetwiseguy:
Yes, like $500 big. At least on Grainger's website...
pinchvalve wrote: I have an older compressor that makes electrical smells, sparks, and clicks a lot then refuses to run. I had no idea what could be wrong, but a Start Capacitor sounds like a very likely culprit! Any more info on such a thing? How to locate, what they look like, etc.
Typing "how to replace a start capacitor" into google turns up a bunch of hits, this is the first one I found: http://www.hvac-for-beginners.com/capacitor-testing.html This link is talking about the motor on an air conditioner, but the procedure is the same. The capacitor is generally inside a half-round enclosure located on the side of the motor housing.
TSC always has motors in stock.
LSX swap.
Duh.
Streetwiseguy wrote:SVreX wrote:The easy way is to call Grainger or HF.
3 hp is pretty small. The GRM way is to use one from a washing machine found in a junkyard.
I would disagree. A single phase 3 horse is fairly big...
Yeah maybe...
...I'm used to working with 15- 150 hp motors at work.
I thnk my motor was a century. A google seach shows AO Smith, so I guess its a good motor.
Streetwiseguy wrote:SVreX wrote:The easy way is to call Grainger or HF.
3 hp is pretty small. The GRM way is to use one from a washing machine found in a junkyard.
I would disagree. A single phase 3 horse is fairly big...
This. A washing machine is going to have a 1/3 or 1/2 HP motor. Single-phase motors don't typically get over 2 HP. Industrial users recognize that if they need that much HP, they should spec 3-phase.
If the compressor is for occasional home use, then buy the HF motor. It's cheap junk, but hey it'll work for a while. If you need this compressor, then get a real motor from an industrial supply house or Grainger. Match insulation class and service factor to what your old motor was, at minimum.
HAHAHAHA
So my dad went to HF and bought a proper size motor, 220v and all. Put it on, and as soon as he fired it up it tripped the breaker a few times. Got that sorted out, and then after a few seconds of running, the motor starts smoking like crazy. haha awesome DOA.
He says hes going back there to return the motor and buy a whole comressor. Why I dont have a feaking clue, but whatever.
So how do I fix this cheap? I can use a compressor when I leave for school next month.
~Alex
In reply to Rustspecs13:
Does the compressor have any oil in it? 
