Everyone wants to keep their air compressor working smoothly, and for this, it needs maintenance after every 2-3 months. Similarly, continuously using the compressor may face some issues or a kind of breakage. Sometimes, the device fails to turn on; pressure is not building, problems with the pressure relief valve, and many others. Especially, oil-operated tools need more maintenance because you have to change the oil whenever the performance reduces. Many of you have faced a broken belt issue, and the pulley is also not aligned. If you are facing a problem removing the pulley, you can follow our guide and easily align the pulley and replace the belt.
Pulley can be damaged for many reasons; it may get rust that weakens it and break. Some heavy things rarely got hit the pulley, and it breaks. So, that’s why we have prepared this handy guide.
2 Ways to Remove Flywheel from Air Compressor Motor
1. Using Bearing Puller
The most common method to remove the flywheel from the motor is using a bearing puller. The bearing puller is specially designed for this purpose because it tightly fits the surrounding of the pulley. The complete piece of pulley slides from the shaft by applying a little force on the bearing puller. In this way, you can remove the pulley from the compressor.
2. Using a Wrench or Screwdriver
Depending on different air compressor models, you can see the different positions of the screw or Allen screw on the pulley, but it usually is on the center of the flywheel. If it is an Allen key, you can use Hex Key, and if it is a screw, you have to use a screwdriver. Follow our step-by-step guide given below to detach the pulley safely.
Step 1:
Identify the position of the Allen screw and some other extra screws.
Step 2:
Use Screwdriver and Hex key on screws or Allen screw and pull it counterclockwise until it’s open or completely loose.
Note: If you face difficulties in this step, you can use some lubricants or oil on the screw because corrosion or dust particles are stuck and not moveable. Oil and lubricant will make it moveable, and you can easily open it.
Step 3:
Remove the screw from the hole and see if now pulley will be pushed out from the bush. Now provide a little force; it will push the pulley off the bush, and Hurrah! You have done it.
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Further Pulley Removal Issues That You Can Face
Pulley Stuck on Motor Shaft
If your pulley is stuck on the motor shaft, it can be due to corrosion or dust. First, try to put a little bit of oil or lubricant on it so corrosion loses the screw, and you can remove it, but if it is still stuck and the oil does not work on that, then you can try a pressurized screwdriver gun with which you can open it easily.
When their pulley is stuck, some people mistakenly damage it, but don’t worry; you can quickly fix it by welding. When you do welding, make it properly and see it is attached in a proper way of welding. When you start welding the pulley, keep in mind that it should fit properly. Otherwise, it will not align correctly with the other pulley and motor. The lousy alignment will cause the pulley not to move freely, the RPM will reduce, and we won’t be able to get the required pressure in the tank.
FAQs
Should you put a bigger pulley on the air compressor motor?
Yes, but, in a limit, you can increase the size of the pulley of your air compressor motor because as you increase the size, it will increase the kinetic energy and decrease the turnaround. The compressor’s motor needs more force and energy with a bigger pulley. It will slow down the rotation of the pulley, but as it increases kinetic energy, it will also maximize the RPM of the air compressor, which will indirectly or directly affect the pressurized air.
We will get more pressurized air compared to a small pulley, but it does never mean you put a bigger pulley on the motor, which is out of motor capacity and damages your air compressor. Always choose the right size of pulley; we can’t mention the exact size here because different models of air compressors have various sizes of the pulley.
How to determine pulley size for the electric motor compressors?
You can determine pulley size for your motor by the following formula:
Formula: (Pump Pulley size) / (Motor Pulley Size) = (Motor RPM) / (Pump Rpm)
You can see motor rpm, size and pump rpm on the backside of the motor; there it will be printed. Now let’s learn with an example.
Formula: (Pump pulley size) / (10) = (1400) / (1200)
The answer is nearly equal to 12 and is the pulley size for the required motor.
Last Words
Removing a pulley from the compressor isn’t a difficult task, but you have to do the entire job carefully because the pulley is the crucial part of the compressor. If it is not fitted correctly, you will not get a smooth job. We have made this task easy for you, even if you are a beginner. You can also fix this issue by hiring a professional that will charge some bucks. We hope this guide helps you in detaching the pulley; if yes, please share it with your friends.