[Trucknut]

I have a pretty good collection of air tools. Most of them seem to do ok, but I have a couple that I'm having problems with. One is a 3/8 drive air ratchet and the other is a straight line sander that I recently purchased from Harbor Freight. Both are fairly new and don't have much time of use on them. The problem is that when I push the lever that should put them in motion, the air goes through but there is no motion, or drive action. I have a pretty good compressor and they both worked great for the first couple of hours of use. I keep all of my air tools well lubricated. My impact wrench and air chiesel seem to work well and so does my grinder/cutter.

I sure would appreciate any thoughts or suggestions on how to get these things working properly. I think I must be doing something wrong here.

Thanks in advance for all the help I know I will get from this site.

Chris

[powerrodsmike]

Sometimes if the vanes are loose in the slots the tool won't want to start every time. The ratchet should not do that.

I have yet to see an inline sander start every time. I have a US made chicago pneumatic dual piston, several HF ones , a dayton, and have used some rodacs. They all seem to do that if the pistons are centered. It even said that it was normal to act that way in the instruction sheet that I got with my CP.
Hope this helps, mikey

[Trucknut]

.....but I still don't understand how to solve the problem

[powerrodsmike]

Originally Posted by Trucknut

.....but I still don't understand how to solve the problem

Replace the ratchet, rebuild it or send it back for warranty.
As I explained before , there is nothing wrong with your air file/inline sander. That is how they operate.

Buy a high end sander if you want high end performance.
mikey

[shine]

ice forms in the air release passage. my buffer does it all the time. will stall out and then spit out a chunk of ice. little oil seems to help.

[Trucknut]

.....thanks for all your help.

[oldschoolrods]

Does the air ratchet do that all the time or just when trying to remove stuck/tight bolts....because my brand new IR will do that if a bolt is too tight for it, air ratchets arent really designed for removing really tight bolts. When that happens I either get out the impact or brake it loose by hand then air ratchet it out.

[Seagal632]

I use pneumatic tools all the time on ship repairs. Most tools do well but, I have a couple that require me to link air stations. The problem is these tools need much more pressure than your compressor can supply. So I use 2 compressors and hook them together. Maybe this would help you. Good Luck.

[Trucknut]

I'm running this sander at the required 90 psi. I don't think that's the problem. I appreciate all the help from you guys. Thaink I'll take it apeart, clean it and lube it with pneumatic tool oil and see what happens.

[sonicweb]

Having a full collection of air tools from Harbor Freight, don't bother taking it apart. They do that all the time. Harbor Freight has a lifetime warranty on all their hand tools. Take it back nicely explain what's happening and they will give you a new one. I went through 3 air rachets and 2 body saws before I got some that worked just fine. Most likely it's poor tolerances in the air vanes that operate the device. Just take it back and ask for a replacement! That's why I buy some of the "lesser used" tools from there. Once I determine that I use it all the time, I will buy a name brand unit to replace it.

[crankshaftkid]

Air tools use a lot of volumn which is the important number and not so much the psi. For example, small compressors can supply 90 psi but if it can't keep up with the volumn requirements of the air tool, psi will drop. Size of the air hose needs to be large enough to supply plenty of volumn too. Generally, an undersize compressor will supply enough volumn to start the tool but will run down during use but if your air hose is on the small side, even a larger higher volumn unit might not supply enough air for tool start up....

[jcclark]

The air fitting size does make a difference, especially when running
long hoses, it all adds up to a lot of volume loss.

You may want to put several drops of a good penetrating oil
in it and see if that helps after running it a min or two.
Usually that helps when they get dirty, even though yours is new
it could have some residue in there causing it to hang up.
Just a thought.