[Mac88]

Today, I came across a Craftsman Air compressor Model Number 919.176840. It's an Oil Lubricated Single Stage Air compressor. I've tried looking on line trying to find more information about the compressor. The only thing I can find is a general owner's manual from sears for Single Stage Compressors. You can tell the compressor has sat for a while, but the guy I bought it from "said he started it up about a month ago and it ran fine. The questions I have is has anyone ever dealt with this compressor and is it any good? I don't want to put money into getting it all clean and serviced up if it won't be worth it.
Also, I'm pretty sure the flywheel comes off with a pulley, but I'm trying to find a manual that shows how to completely disassemble and reassemble this thing. I want to make sure it's sound before I start my next project.

[matt167]

919 is the manufacture code for DeVilbiss which has made Craftsmen Compressors for a long time. You can probably cross the pump numbers with Devilbiss and get some info from them. They are not bad compressors, especially if it's older

[Mac88]

Thanks, I will give that a try.

[Mac88]

Still not finding anything. Does the flywheel just pull off with a regular pulley? I want to take the compressor and engine of the tank and give everything a good cleaning. It looks like the flywheel should just come off with a standard puller. I've already removed the center bolt, which was'nt very tight to begin with.

[oldred]

That flywheel does indeed just pull off but unfortunately it's going to TIGHT!!!!! That thing is mounted on a tapered shaft and if you can apply some heat to flywheel hub it will come off a lot easier, just be warned that when it does come loose it will in all likelihood jump off all at once so be ready for that to happen.

Also it's quite likely that the retaining nut will be a left-hand thread.

[Mac88]

Thanks for the reply, got it off, and now two other questions:

1) Any suggestions on how to put it back on? Since I used a puller to pull it off, I dont really see a way to attach to anything to push it back on.

2) Has anyone ever heard of putting POR-15 inside a compressor tank to clean out rust and coat the side?

[oldred]

Just place the flywheel back on the shaft and tighten the retaining nut, it does not need to be pressed back on and the nut should easily get it tight enough. DON'T hammer on it! Hammering the flywheel on is not necessary and could very easily ruin the crankcase because the crank has very little in the way of thrust bearings, it does not take much end thrust or hammering to cause serious damage.

Originally Posted by Mac88

Has anyone ever heard of putting POR-15 inside a compressor tank to clean out rust and coat the side?

I had a discussion about this very idea recently with a guy who wanted to treat the inside of his tank with a POR 15 gas tank kit and although I have never tried it I think it should help, I doubt it could hurt anything except your wallet. My concern if it were my tank is how much rust is in there? If that thing has heavy rusting inside you really should pressure test it (hydro, NOT air pressure!) before using it, a rusty tank can be deadly.

[Mac88]

Im not sure how much rust is inside, but I may look into having it tested just to be on the safe side.