California Air Tool Compressor Failure and Repair
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- Опубліковано 14 лип 2024
- My compressor failed and almost caught fire with only about 5 to 8 hours of runtime. California Air Tool customer service could care less about why it failed so I investigated the problem myself and discovered the fault was due to poor craftsmanship. I also was able to repair the compressor myself and get it working again.
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I bought a small CAT back in 2015. Fortunately, that's still working, although I use it pretty sparsely. Was thinking about getting a larger one from them, but this video is making me reconsider the brand. Thanks!
Good job spreading the knowledge. I wanted to see inside of one of these. This is the only disassembly video I have seen, and it is pretty well done. Cheers
Thanks
You are a good...smart and skillful guy. Your repaired compressor is better than factory. Horrible QC. California Air Tool CS sucks! Thank you!
Thanks
I recently wanted to upgrade my air compressor and I almost bought California Air Tools. I was lucky enough to see your video. The customer service is really worrisome. I’m no longer giving it consideration. Thanks for your video.
Glad the video helped. I have had no dealing with CAT since I made this video. Hopefully their customer service has improved since then but I can only go by my own experience which I described in the video.
The best revenge response ever, by you posting and fixing their crapy QC!
Loved your knowledge and patience when approaching de assembly.. genius!
Thanks
Thanks for the video. I was seriously considering a CAT compressor, but after seeing the shoddy craftsmanship and lack of concern by their customer service department, I’m no longer giving it consideration.
This video help me make up my mind. I am taking my hard earned money elsewhere. I have spend several days researching this air compressor and I noticed similar complaints; Customer service does not care, leaks, lack in quality control, motor dies after a year. For the premium price they are charging you would expect quality all around. Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video.
Your welcome. Good luck in your search.
I just bought a new California Air Tool compressor. First thing I did was pull the cover off and check for this defect. The problem has been addressed..at least on mine.
Well that is a good thing. Glad your was ok.
I found this video while researching this company’s compressors. After watching the video I fully expected to see a response from CAT. I believe it’s normal to have an occasional defective item. But, what’s not normal with the vast information of the internet is that CAT doesn’t take the time or seem to care about their customers. At least this is certainly the impression they are displaying. Great video and narration. Shame on CAT for not following up with you. Could have easily caught your garage on fire. I am going to look at other brands now myself. Thank you for taking the time to show us!
I also expected to see a response from them and even sent them the link to the video. Unfortunately I have yet to see a response.
What an informative video. Well done!! Unfortunately shame on California Tools and their unresponsive after sales service. Thank you ;-)
I agree on the shoddy construction, which is unfortunate for a USA made product. I recently found a 2101 model at a thrift store that turned on when I plugged it in. I Got it home to find out it had issues and would not hold air. After watching your video and others I learned this is another common problem where one or more of the paper thin valves break inside. I opened mine up and found two broken ones. I was able to make the new ones out of an aluminum can and put it back together. Now it works perfect. Thanks
Glad you were able to fix it. They are nice when they work properly.
I'm very glad that I came across your video because I almost pulled the trigger and bought the same model as yours. So I'm going to research another manufacture air compressor company, Thank you for this great video and SHAME SHAME SHAME on California Air Tools for their ignorant disrespect to their customers safety and well being........
You my friend are a genius. A man among men. I was doing some research. I want to buy a compressor. I really likes this one from California Air Tools. Now seeing their customer service or lack there off. I'm taking my business elsewhere. I'm grateful to you for making this video. I hope they lose more would be customers because of this video. They should be ashamed. It's sad how they went about handling this issue. They had gotten a great opportunity to do the right thing, and failed miserably. Thank you again, and i wish you all the best.
EXACTLY what you said! Taking my business elsewhere! The 1 year warranty is pretty weak as well! If they are going to stand behind their product, they need to prove it with a much better warranty!
You belong to an army of UA-camrs who have devoted their time to helping others fix products that would otherwise be discarded, and at the same time prod manufacturers of those products to pull up their socks. That is a public service that is very much appreciated by many viewers. I have a low-mileage California Air Tools compressor (1hp/2 gallons) that failed in a similar way yesterday. I won't be fixing it, but neither will I be replacing it with another CAT compressor.
Wow , sorry to hear that yours failed too and in the same manner. I would blame it on a design/craftsmanship error. The design could have been better to allow more space for the wires and winding connections. There is no tolerance for the worker during the assembly. They must be exact with the wire placement or this failure happens. I wish you luck with your next compressor selection.
well done Randy, excellent video hope the manufacturers have seen this and given you some form of compensation for their poor workmanship and total lack of customer service.
many thanks
Barry
No Barry, I didn't receive any compensation at all. I wasn't really looking for it either. I just wanted to help them make a better product by sending the bad unit back so they could investigate and was hoping to get a replacement at a reduced cost by doing so. They really seemed disinterested and acted as if I somehow caused the problem by not caring for it properly. When I discovered the problem and fixed it, I sent them a link to the video so they could learn from it. I never heard anything back from them. I still use the compressor today but I will not do business with them again for anything.
@@randyj7476 Wouldn't you think any manufacture would want to improve their products! We have a lot of companies like that now in the UK, just want your money then you can disappear.
quite right to never do business again with them, they don't deserve good customers.
Your garage is a MESS!!! I LIKE IT!!!
I just bought one of these from HD, but it looks like the pump is made by the same manuf.
I will have to look at mine to see if I have the same problem, or close to it.
Since you have taken your apart, now i don't have to! Thanks for documenting your work!
I ordered this same compressor the other day; my plan is to dissemble the cooling fan like you showed as soon as I get it to check if there’s any issues. People have reported using these compressors for years with great success, so Im gonna take the risk. Thanks for making this video to allow me (and probably others) to do some preventative maintenance.
Same situation here. I’m curious how your review is now that you have it? Any issues?
Good idea
No need. Just turn on the compressor and you can get a good view with a high quality light, while also listening for any scraping. By doing the check with the fans spinning, you'll be able to see clear through. Otherwise, the fins will be blocking some areas. That's what I did anyway, and saw no protruding wires or anything that might cause an issue down the road.
Very Good video. I have been thinking of getting this unit. Now not so sure.
Mine could have just been a fluke but it was their customer service that I experienced that really turned me off.
I've learned the hard way when it came to soldering crimped connectors on stranded wire. To save you some headaches in the future its recommended to just crimp the connection and not solder in a situation like this. Soldering is sufficient only when the joint will not be flexed frequently or be subject to vibration. It's why they use crimps in the automotive field. The issue with soldering a crimped connector is that the solder backfills the stranded wire beyond the crimp thus concentrating all the vibration to the part of the stranded wire beyond the crimp resulting in an unsupported region causing it to fail quicker. It's similar to creating solid copper conductor (as solder has filled the strands creating a rigid conductor). The vibration then bends it back and forth until breakage. However all this being said.....at least your repair will likely be fine & won't be throwing sparks even if that does happen!
If your interested in improving your electrical connections check out this NASA TECHNICAL STANDARD:
NASA-STD 8739.4A - WORKMANSHIP STANDARD FOR CRIMPING, INTERCONNECTING CABLES, HARNESSES, AND WIRING
PDF Link: s3vi.ndc.nasa.gov/ssri-kb/static/resources/nasa-std-8739.4a.pdf
it's a wealth of information that includes the proper methods of electrical connection for any application. There are diagrams and color photos of just about every electrical connection method known to man. It's a fantastic resource. I didn't realize how many things I was doing wrong until I read it!
Wow! Shame on CAT, I was about to purchase one also, back to the drawing board.
I was going to pull the trigger and buy a couple for my business, but not with that kind of customer service. I’ve also had friends who had issues with theirs as well. So crisis averted. Too man other manufacturers building quiet air compressors. This company better get on the ball before being left behind.
Great video. I have the same compressor and mine has an air leak I'm trying to track down. Thanks for showing how it all comes apart. I'd like to comment on the broken wire you found. IMO, it is a design problem, not an assembly problem. I say this as a design engineer myself. The engineer who designed this should have made the wiring cavity deeper and with a cover to prevent the moving parts from hitting it. Regarding the customer service department not wanting the unit back, its very possible they already know the issue from inspecting prior units that were returned. In any case, you were treated poorly imo. Thanks for making this video.
I agree, they could have designed it with a little more space . Additionally, since the housing is cast, the edges are all very sharp so it was important to make sure the housing didn't press against any of the wires because they surely would cut through over time.
The venting fans will cease to do their job if the space with the wires is totally covered.
Thanks Randy for the video, this was the best review of the CAT compressor that I have seen and will use what I have learned to not make the purchase. The quietness is what caught my attention as it was not the price.
As good of content as you gave us, using a tripod would allow the video to be much easier to watch.
Great job. I have two of their compressors. Have used both of them for a over year. One has been used daily. So far no issues I hope Cal Air Tools saw this video and reached out to you. If they did see it and haven't reached out shame on them.
Thanks, I sent them the link as soon as I posted the video and I have heard nothing but crickets since then.
Nice repair and well-documented, Randy. Hope you sent a link to CAT, they really need to see this and understand that they've got a QC problem. And if they have any principles at all they should apologize, admit their mistake and do the right thing by reimbursing you for parts and labor. BTW, the 10020c is ten gallons ... the 20 gal model is the 20020c.
Yes, I did send the link to CAT a couple days after I made the repair and the silence was deafening. No response from them whatsoever.
I concur, if I owned the company I would have gladly sent you a partial refund to cover the bearing + S&H & at least $20.00 for, materials & your time & labor. Integrity is getting harder & harder to find these days of our throw away society🙁
They get these motors straight from china, they don’t make them
I first saw this video the night before I was going to order a Cal Air Tool compressor. I had already made up my mind, but this changed all that. I ended up ordering a DeWalt. I'm happy with the performance of the DeWalt, and it is much quieter than the one it replaced. Thank you for letting us in on this design issue.
Glad the video was able to help you make an informed decision. 👍
I like the way you said really quite not running. I almost bought one until see your review.
Yeah it was super quite while not running. LOL. Actually, when it is running the compressor is quiet and you can have a normal conversation right next to it
Wow… I’m in Australia, and was thinking about getting one of these just today. Ain’t gonna happen! Thanks for the detailed video.
You did great job !!! 🙏🏽
Thank you
Great video and awesome troubleshooting
Thanks
I was seriously just getting ready to order one and now I'm going to take my business elsewhere. All do to your very informative video thank you very much...
You're welcome. I just had to but the facts out there and relay my experience. I sincerely hope that CAT has made some improvements in both quality and customer support.
This is the second video I have seen regarding the crappy workmanship of this specific product. Amazon seems to be pushing it these days.
It's unfortunate because it really could be improved but there has to be willingness to make the improvements.
Thanks as our shop has been considering conversion to a more quiet compressor. We presently have a workhorse Curtis made in Ohio with a long standing high industrial grade reputation 220 VAC, single phase that works perfectly for almost 20 years. I see others are having quality issues about the build on California Air and ;problems with company support. They seem to loose paperwork for returns.
build an sound reducing enclosure for your Curtis and keep it running for another 20 years . There is no comparison for yours and the Chinese crap made today.
Hello Randy, great video, my name is Marco and I just bought one and I think I will have to check it to seei if it does not have that same problem, I will keep you informed
I have one of these. From the start it over heated very quickly. Never did run right. One of my biggest regrets as far as tools is buying this.
Could be that one of the crankshafts have shifted. It will throw the timing out a bit and cause extra loading on the motor. The crankshaft is aligned by the set screws tightening down on the flat of the motor shaft. If the set screw loosens even slightly then that would affect the timing. Its a poor design in my opinion.
I have the same model. After 20 months of very, very light usage, my pressure regulator no longer worked. Customer service would not help. I took the regulator apart and found a manufacturing burr in a metal bore that had damaged an o-ring. It was an easy fix, but it should have been caught by QC. My biggest issue now is the thermal breaker that seems to have an extremely low temperature threshold. On hot days, it quits after just a few minutes of usage.
It might be interesting to see how much current is actually being drawn when the unit is running. The more current it draws the hotter it will run. The motor could be loaded slightly more than it should be. Of course we are assuming that the breaker itself is not defective.
Wondering if you were ever able to resolve your thermal breaker issue... I have same problem. I can't find any documentation that shows where the thermal protection circuit even is.
Brilliant, the broken hot wire can make the outer casing live. I was hoping that this would be an answer for me. My old compressor broke a connecting rod after little use, so I am very scared about this brand now
Yes indeed. The casing was live for a brief moment before the breaker tripped. I love the quietness of the unit but if they spent a little more time on quality then it would definitely be a nice little compressor.
He standing right next to the compressor talking and I can hear everything he said. Great work!
Excellent video
Thank you.
Thanks for the video. I was really close to buying this brand, but I'll be avoiding it now. Shame on them for ignoring such a serious issue.
I truly was surprised that they were disinterested as well. I did send them a link to my video so they could at least benefit from my discovery. I never heard anything further from them so my guess is that they probably just deleted it.
Randy great job , on the market to purchase this compressor, till I saw your video . Will not be getting this company,
Awesome repair...always feels good to fix something and get it up and running again! Thanks for sharing it...sorry you had to deal with it.
Thanks for this awesome video👌
Glad you liked it!
Good video and thank you for sharing. It is a shame they did not appreciate your feedback.
Hi again Randy, I allready check my compressor and the eléctricas cables are very inside so the conection rod don't hit them, very sorry that yours hay that problem
Short sighted management. I was considering one of these but not now. I’ll just build a house for my noisy Craftsman that is twenty years old and still going
I've been considering getting a California compressor. Thank you for exposing this defect and good job correcting it! I like the idea of quiet, but I'm on the fence with this purchase. I'm also looking at Northstar that has a 4 year warranty.
I also like quiet. There are definitely some design improvements that can be made by CAT. I'm not familiar with the Northstar but I looked it up and the compressor unit looks a lot like the CAT. I wouldn't be surprised if they both come out of the same factory. 4 year warranty is impressive so maybe they stand behind their product. Good luck.
@@randyj7476 I think most of these pumps are made by an Italian company FNA. Their US brand compressor is FINI.
@@biscayne66 Interesting, I'll have to look into that.
Debur the casting. Do both sides.
Remove any sharp edges.
I just purchased one and will probably just return it due to them not taking care of you. Nice video
They know why it failed, trust me they got tons of them back.
What bothers me even out of warranty
Knowing its a manfacturing defect they know about trying to sell you a new assembly at full price dosnt say much for the company's reputation.
Hell I had a different company send me repair parts for free. And I didnt even buy it, someone gave it to me.
I broke the casting putting it back together, and basically junked it.
Saving it for parts. Fittings and such.
Yeah, I was disappointed with the company for how they handled the whole thing. I haven't contacted them since and don't plan on doing any more business with them.
Incredible, and wish I was surprised. CAT is doing their best to avoid a class action lawsuit, w/o addressing the situation at all that enables to them to disavow any responsibility. I'd like to believe in a perfect world that they would have replaced yours, made whole the damage to the others documented online. But to do so, even if that's what they wanted, would open the door to ambulance chasing lawyers, and those only wanting to profit from understandable "human error" at the factory. This is the sad world we live in.
I considered a similar compressor. But unfortunately it seems their quality control and customer support is very deficient!
I am going for dewalt
Sounds like they know they had a problem by their reaction. I was thinking about buying one before watching this video. Not now. Thanks for sharing.
It still amazes me that the company could care less when I brought it to their attention. I never intended to affect the sales of their product but if you read through the comments there are so many people like you who changed their mind about purchasing one after watching this video. That is not counting the number who changed their mind and didn't leave a comment. Wow, that is a lot of units not sold. Just imagine that their sales probably would have increased if their customer support handled the situation a little better. I really hope they learned something and made some improvements both in their product and their customer support.
I had similar issue with this exact compressor the first week where it just stopped working (luckliy no flames). It had been used for maybe 1 hour total. I called the warranty department & of course they went through the whole list of BS. Their suggestion was that I needed to unplug it & drain it after every single use🤷♂️.. Miraculously the next day it started working again 🤔.. However after seeing your video it's getting returned tomorrow - I'm not gonna chance it.. It's a shame something thats supposed to be hi-end is such a POS.. I'll stick with my under $100 harbor freight compressor that is over 8 years old, never been unplugged, & maybe gets drained annually & it's still running like a champ.. Shame on you CAT
That's a shame. I bought a commercial line 60 gallon and it has been running flawlessly for over a year.
I guess I was just the unfortunate soul to receive a faulty unit with no recourse other than to find the fault and attempt to fix it. Luckily I was successful. Hopefully your will continue to run well.
@@randyj7476 Oh I agree, you did an awesome job repairing the unit. I wish that they had offered to at least fix yours.... that was not fair of them.
For those of you who live near one, Menards now has these exact same compressors under their "Masterforce" brand name. Menards (in my experience) is much easier to work with on replacements if you have an issue with a purchase. Just keep your receipt. Bring it in and ask for an "even exchange".
How do you figure they're the "exact same"? Just looking at the specs, they're not the same. A lot of companies have tried to mimic the dual-piston motor design of the CAT, but that's about it. Have they been successful? Tim will tell. Nevertheless, the comparative Masterforce version at Menard's is actually more expensive, and I can't seem to find an extensive parts replacement network for them like what CAT has.
@@Paul-sq7lw I own a CAT. I also frequent Menards. The one I own and the one for sale in my store are the exact same compressor.
@@joshuawiedenbeck6944 Ok well I asked what "exact same" meant in this context. Eg, the CAT has a 2HP engine, whereas the Menard's is 1.8HP.
@@Paul-sq7lw Yeah. Motors can be set/tuned to different outputs.
@@joshuawiedenbeck6944Good luck "tuning" an electric motor to eek out 11% more HP and not void your warranty.
I hope the R&D guys at California Air Tools feel a bit ashamed and take some actions improving their product. Thanks Randy!
I hope so too.
It's a shame that California Air Tools is all about the sale and not the service. Air compressors should have an hour meter on them, and the warranty should be based more on hours used. I am not a big fan of oilless compressors. Those plastic piston rings never seem last very long. My last oilless blew apart like a grenade and they no longer made replacement parts for it. So, I bought a Quincy QT-54, and it seems to be a really good compressor. I hope it doesn't give me any problems because I don't think Quincy has very good customer service either from what I have read. Glad to see you was able to fix yours and salvage your investment. Nice problem-solving skills pays off.
Yes it is a shame. Hopefully they have improved their customer service since then.
I'm here because I have almost exactly the same story. Bought mainly for one job, used for tires afterward, and VERY limited run time. Stored in a clean, dry building. Sparks and flames two nights ago, and I found this video. It was quiet while it lasted, and it compressed air. But if you're still looking, you should find another brand to buy. Some company that spends less on marketing and more on build quality.
Sorry to hear that yours failed too. Maybe it is exactly the same issue and you can get it going again.
thanks randy,im sure you helped a lot of people with the same situation.thank you for sharing a fellow diy'er
Thank you. I'm always glad to others who may need it.
Excellent. Thanks a lot for recording and posting this.
Oh man I bought a kobalt one and it has a CAT motor on it good to know something to check on.
I could still return mine. Will probably return it. Thanks.
It's not a bad unit when it's working properly. Unfortunately I had a bad unit and an even worse customer service experience. I can only hope they have improved since then but I have no idea.
Excellent fix and documentation!
Thank You.
Mine broke a reed valve after less than 10 hours on it. Real quiet when it quits working.
I agree
Yeah I was always skeptical about Oil free air compressors I have the 10 gallon Harbor freight oil compressor and it’s been going strong for 4 1/2 years now I even added a couple auxiliary tank to give it more capability
Thats really crappy they dont want to know why it died, i was thinking about buying a compressor from them, but now im rethinking that idea.
Yeah, I thought at the least they might want to know why it died but they really seemed disinterested. Maybe they secretly watched my video. 😅
@@randyj7476 I hope they do. They should be ashamed .
What's up with Companies who don't care about making thimgs right. Just came discussing. Glad you got her taken care of. Most people would just be out a unit
I'm not sure they understand how word-of-mouth can either help them or hurt them.
My intent wasn't to hurt them but just to basically share my experience with both the unit and their customer service when I had a problem. Just based on the ones who have left comments about how my experience has made them decide not to purchase, I would say that they have lost business. Even if it is just a dozen or so units.
I also believe that if my experience with their customer service would have been more positive then that may have influenced others who were undecided to go ahead and purchase a unit knowing that if they had similar issues then the customer service would be willing to help.
Very Impressive diagnosis and repair. Great catch on the bearing also. Probably heat vaporized the grease in those bearings and caused deformity due to lack of lubrication. Looking for a good compressor and was willing to pay the extra $$ for (what's considered) higher end. But after seeing their dirty little hidden secrets after you exposed the bowels of their components and shoddy workmanship, I realized they are pawning off a "polished turd". I think I may go with a less expensive model and invest in a $15 pair of earmuffs. Their lack of interest to their product failure and unwillingness to at least "goodwill" the part for you, most likely solidified my choice of going with a less expensive (but good rated) compressor. In this day and age of technology, companies should warranty the over all "run time" of the unit, not a set time like a year or two. 90% of the purchasers hardly use the compressors that often. So for someone to have a catastrophic failure after only 15-20 hours of runtime is unacceptable. It's very easy to clock the runtime with the technology today. If they believe in their product, then that would make more sense. Obviously, they don't believe in their own product. Sorry about the long winded comment, but I was actually pissed off, for you, watching your video; (because this is usually the Karma I endure). Thanks again and great job
I have a CAT but a different model. I'd run it for a few hours (from new) when it gave me a scare. It tried doing an auto-restart to rebuild tank pressure, and instead of the motor starting, it stalled, drawing a lot of current. I quickly shut it off but it would have likely tripped the breaker or caught fire if left alone. I no longer trust it.
I definitely think they could improve the design. There are some things they can do to make sure it stays in time like keying the shaft on the motor instead of just using set screws. If one of the set screws loosen then the crank shaft on either end could slip slightly. This slipping puts the unit out of time/sync and really loads the motor causing a very large increase in current draw which will definitely trip your breaker.
Just to clarify something in the video. As an EE I know that the best connection you can have is one that's mechanical, e.g. crimp or terminal, etc. and sans any solder, brazing, etc. Solder connection is the second best method. There's a lot of people that believe the opposite but it's simply not true.
I just got one so will have to take mine apart and check/ fix those wires
Randy, I would like to watch you installing an hour meter in the face plate of this compressor. That would be another interesting video
this guy is so cool. Thanks for the video and letting us all know to stay away from Cal air tools. Won't be buying one thanks to this guy.
So Randy just happens to get one compressor out of probably hundreds if not thousands that turns out to be a lemon??? So many commenters below are willing to criticize this compressor because of what one person says. And SOOOO, Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. This brand of compressor is built much better than some.
HOWEVER... Randy found the problem and very professionally and skillfully fixed the problem. I am just hoping that my 10020C wasn't built on a Monday or a Friday.
Buy the way, this is a ten gallon compressor, not a 20 gallon compressor. ALSO, Every compressor needs to come with an installed HOUR METER.
Yes, you are correct. I misspoke when I said 20 gallon. Good catch. Also, I believe that it is reasonable to expect a bad unit from time to time for a myriad or reasons. This unit was clearly a craftmanship issue and would not have been caught by a functional test since the unit would and did function fine for a very short period. It would be interesting though to see the actual ratio of good units to ones that fail but we will never really know.
I think some of the commenters would have been a little more understanding to a failed unit if my experience with their customer service was a little more positive. To be honest, the customer service was the kicker for me. I also like your idea of an hour meter. It would be simple to do.
Compressor,1,wire,zip!
I know you posted this video a whole year ago, but I’m just now seeing it after my CAT compressor stopped working. I’ve watched your video twice and will attempt to take mine apart tomorrow. I’m sure I will have questions??
Good luck with your repair. Hopefully it will be an easy fix.
I got as far as taking the cooling fan off but I did not see the same design flaw that you had. I do remember a burning smell the last time I used it though. I’m at a loss what to do now….those new compressors are expensive!!😞
@@kaytidmore1948 I would take a multimeter and measure the resistance between the 2 prongs on the power plug. Make sure it is unplugged of course and that the switch is on. If it reads open then something is definitely wrong. Mine reads between 6 and 7 ohms.
Thanks Randy! I will try that today 😊
I have the same issue as Kay, burning smell.. Have to take a look but I ordered and waiting on a capacitor just in case. Cat said it is because of my cycles 50hz instead of 60hz...we use so many other products on the island out of the USA. Their lacklustre response was it for me.. I may have to buy a Stealth while I keep this as a backup if I can get it fixed.
I have ordered a 2HP/10GAL Cal Air Tools compressor. Should be more than enough to run an LVLP spray gun. I am hoping I don't get a lemon because I have heard more than once that their quality control is non existent, factory testing is a myth and their customer service stinks. Fingers crossed on this $360 investment.
you have a lot of patience more them me I probably would have thrown it in the garbage
I just had to know what went wrong and then make sure the manufacturer new about it. They seemed to care less but at least I got it going again so that is a plus.
These companies assume a certain failure rate and don't care why they fail. They work the warranty replacements in to the sale price.
Unfortunately for me I was on my own to fix it. No warranty replacement. They even implied that the failure was somehow my fault for probably not draining the tank or storing it properly. At least I fixed it and it is still working to this day.
@@randyj7476 Yes. Because they know that their quality control is poor, they have a fairly short warranty. And as I say, they work that replacement cost into their pricing structure. If you have a contact for this company, I would forward this video to them and let them know that you put it out there for the world to see. I certainly won’t be buying any of their products.
@@mguerramd Yes, I did that as soon as I fixed the unit so they would know what the problem was and I thought they would at least reply. I heard nothing but crickets. If you look through the comments there are at least 20 people who were considering purchasing one of their compressors but changed their mind due to either poor quality or very poor customer service. That is just the ones who left comments. I figure there are probably at least the same amount (or more) who changed their mind but didn't leave comments. That is a lot of lost sales. Imagine if they treated me right. The pendulum may have swung the other way. I really hope they improved their customer service. It goes a long way.
@@randyj7476 That is so true. I had a Bose product fail out of warranty and they sent me a freebie replacement. It was $1,000.00 aviation headset. I will never buy anything else. Same with a Buckeye water fire extinguisher, I asked to purchase a part and they just sent me a complete fire extinguisher gratis. That’s the only brand I will ever buy
I as well as others here to watch your video were considering this very compressor. But after seeing the lack of not only craftsmanship but, the unwillingness from the company I will go with a cheap/noisy/HF compressor. And it goes without saying (but have to say it anyways) WELL DONE REPAIR SIR! My hats off to you on your skills.
I bought the same model about 2 years ago & since the beginning, it kept blowing fuses during restarting after running 2 minutes, I call them they are not helpful & they told me I need a dedicated 20 amp plug & I install dedicated plug & still doing the same thing, it only been used less than 3 hours, I think its a garbage, I had Kaeser compressor in my shop over 32 years it worked 5 days a week 12 hours a day!
Something you may want to check. Mine did that after I first put it back together and what I discovered was the set screw that holds the counterbalance in place had loosened and allowed it to rotate on the shaft ever so slightly. Since there are 2 counterbalances (one on each end of the motor)they have to be exactly 180 degrees out from each other. If not, it really loads the motor down causing it to draw more current and pop your breaker. I guess it would have made too much sense to put a keyway on the motor shaft to prevent the counterbalances from getting out of sync. Instead the rely just on a simple little set screw to hold the counter balance in place. Doesn't make sense to me considering there are rotational forces and stress between the shaft and counterbalance. Anyway, just my thought on something to check. If you rotate the motor by hand you should feel roughly the same resistance through an entire rotation. My guess is that it will rotate easy in some spots and feel like it is binding in another. Good luck.
Just saw your video 1 day after mine arrived Leaking (can clearly be heard after motor shuts off), called the customer care #, got an answering machine, leak seems to be coming from the connection from the lower tank check valve fitting, I chked the check valve also,, mod# 4620AC,, no way this unit should have left China and Cal Tool needs to tighten up their quality control and chk these units.
Seems like they may not be checking all the units if any but you are correct, they really need to improve the quality control.
I was interested in buying one now I'm having second thoughts🙄I bought the 8 gallon one and I like it but I want a 20 gallon now, maybe you just got a defective one I hope it doesn't happen to me on the 20 gallon.
I'm sure mine was a workmanship defect but the customer service was not the greatest for me. Good luck with yours. Hope you get a good one. Make sure you run the heck out of it to make sure everything is ok.
Almost... almost got this.. glad i didn't! Great video!
Looking at the motor frame welds to the tank run...run fast
Good video and thanks for sharing. Definitely will not buy a CAT.
You’re a beast 🫡💪🏼
Thanks
California Air tools is a very poor quality machine. I have 4 in my business and they will not follow through on warranty. They blame the customer and wiggle out of doing what's right for even big operations like mine. Unfortunately their aren't many choices for similar equipment hoping that EMAXX finally comes out with a oil free version.
Yeah that was the impression I got from them. They seemed to want to blame me for the failure. Then they were completely silent when I sent them a link to my video were I discovered the actual root cause of the failure. Shame on them.
I’m considering getting the Kobalt 26 Gallon Quiet Tech. Lowes gives you a 3 year warranty.
Sounds like a good warranty but I don't know anything about the compressor so I am unable to offer an opinion
I was about to order one. I won’t be now! I hate companies that don’t take care of their customers. Fuck them!
It's unfortunate for them. It's been some time now so I can only hope they have changed their way. I wouldn't know since I have not dealt with them since this incident.
Customer is always right. This is what happens when customer service rep "knows" more that the customer. That's why there is a customer service phone number. That's why you have service parts. That's why you have a job. Just take care of your customers. Make them happy. It takes a great deal of work to get a company going, a product designed, a product made, marketed, sold, keeping employees happy, keeping customers loyal. Next time just send him the crappy part made in a foreign country that costs your company next to nothing, and this will not happen. If you think saving your company money is more important than keeping a customer happy then re-watch this video. At this time there is 6K+ views 88 comments. You made the wrong call. Heck, take a day off with no pay and give him the part, and call it even. But like mentioned from someone else I think you have created much more financial loss for the company than just giving him the part. Thanks Randy. I will be cracking mine open to check for the bunched up wires before I ever plug it in since no one there cares enough too.
Highly informative video - thanks!
Defects aside, what do you see as the wear parts/consumables for these ultra-quiet pumps? Can the parts be purchased or are these, like too many other modern devices, bound for the landfill after problems? You made the bearing replacement look easy - and the manufacturer did make them serviceable which is a great start, but what about things like piston seals?
You can get parts for these but not through CAT. The refer you to a company called Master Tool Repair. Here is the link to a 220V model of this compressor:
mastertoolrepair.com/220v-ultra-quiet-oilfree-air-compressor-repair-parts-10020c-22060-p-1296649.html?osCsid=a3mf3b3r6lkt0pbmn9v7qul3o7
I would think that the piston rings would wear down eventually since they make contact with the cylinder wall and there is no oil. I'm guessing there may be some other movable parts that would eventually wear but I'm guessing that it probably should run a while before anything needs replacing. Take a look at the link to get an idea of the cost of parts.
I think I paid around or a little over $350 for this compressor so If I had to spend 50% or more of that cost then I would probably just but a new compressor. So far it is still running and working good since my repair.
@@randyj7476 Thanks. The pricing on that site is outlandish. I found a complete set of seals and piston cylinders for ~$30 on Aliexpress (I did have to measure and search).
drj Westfield Wisconsin so how much did it cost to fix? was it less than the cost of a new one? I would like to know if it was really worth it thank you for your time.
It was about $45 for all the materials but I have so much material left over that I will have it for other projects. For me it was worth it since I like to fix things or make things and now I have more stuff in my cabinet that will be useful for future projects.
Here are the links to the materials I used:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076H3VHGN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X3YY4TB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CTOU26Q/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Send a letter to Underwriters Laboratories with a link to your UA-cam vid.
Hmmmm, that is interesting. I hadn't thought of that.
What an excellent video! Repair was documented superbly. thanks for your efforts. Hope I don't have the same issue with the one on order. Two questions: What does the second set screw bear against (the one you install after clamping the connecting rod to its bearing)? How did you reinstall the cast shell over the bearing on the main shaft (The reverse of the process that you needed to fabricate the puller for)?
Thanks, hope you don't have issues either. The second set screw basically locks the first one in place so that it doesn't back out and get loose. The cast housing was put back on using a plastic hammer to just tap it on. It actually goes together without any difficulty. Don't use a metal hammer as you could possibly break the housing. Hope this helps.
Shame on that company! Whatever happened to standing by your product!?!?
I just bought the 8 gal. comp.i thought they were made in san diego mine says made in mexico
Great video. How did you press the case/housing back onto the small bearing ?
It actually wasn't too bad. I put the casing back on keeping everything lined up and square as possible and then tapped it back on with a hard plastic mallet. I kept working around the edges a little at a time until it was flush.
@@randyj7476 Great. When people buy their product, they should check the power cord wiring inside the motor, easy check and could avoid all the frustration and problem.
Thank you for your video. I have the same compressor. I’ve been using it for a couple of years and lately it seems starved for air. I’m thinking the air intake may be clogged because I use it for spraying lacquer. What is involved in opening up the air filter intake?
My unit has 2 little round air intake canisters. One on each head. I can twist the cap off of the canister by hand with no tools and inside is a small air filter cartridge. It might be worth replacing the filters or taking them out just for a brief moment to see how it runs. If it runs better and draws more air then you will know for sure that the filters need replacing. Good luck with your unit.
I cleaned out the air intake filters…..they were dirty, but when I put them back on the air delivery remained about the same. I use the compressor for spraying lacquer on wood. I get about a two second good flow of air then it tapers off to about a 1/3 of what it started out with in terms pressure. It used to give me plenty of constant good flow at about 60 psi……now…..about 30. I’m thinking there is a problem elsewhere but I dunno where to look.