Caught myself using the wrong compressor oil for 2 years

I was at a supply house in Phoenix picking up parts and the guy behind the counter asked what oil I use. When I told him he just laughed and said I've been killing my pumps slowly. Has anyone else had a basic thing like that slip past them for way too long?

2 comments

2 Comments

pat_hart25d ago

Read something a while back from a guy who used the wrong fluid in a hydraulic system for three years. Thought he was fine, pumps ran quiet, no leaks. Then one day in July they started whining like a kicked dog. Pulled the filters and found sludge that looked like caramel. The mechanic told him the oil was breaking down at high temp and basically turning into varnish inside the pump chambers. He ended up replacing two motors and flushing the whole loop.

taylor_patel24d ago

I gotta push back on that story a little. "Broke down at high temp and turned into varnish" makes it sound like the oil just gave up out of nowhere. But if the wrong fluid was in there for three years, the real problem was probably the viscosity being way off from the start. That stuff can't hold up under load like the right oil would, so it thins out and shears down over time. The varnish is a symptom of the oil getting cooked, not the main cause. Usually by the time you see sludge like that, the damage was already done from the wrong base stock wearing out bearing surfaces and pump clearances.