Got the new compressor

Bird · Jun 5, 2011

It refers to an external grease fitting which I haven't located yet.

Alan, it's part #17 in the parts list and exploded view. Look on the side of the hammer case (front housing) and you'll see what looks like (and is) a tiny ball bearing in a dimple. That's the grease fitting. You have to have a needle nosed grease gun to inject grease there. Naturally, Ingersoll-Rand mades a special grease for that, but the fact is that most folks probably never add grease. For a mechanic, using it all the time, I'd recommend you get the right grease and grease gun, but in your case, it may not need any additional grease for the next 10 years.

The entire grease fitting is just pressed into the housing.

whistlepig · Jun 5, 2011

grsthegreat said:
why not. it wont hurt it. as long as you keep the moisture out. it takes quite some time to fill a 60-80 gal air tank. why empty it.

I never thought of it that way. I don't like to leave things running when I go to work. Something could happen that my wife couldn't take care of and I am an hour away. And I don't use my compressor near as much as some folks. For sure not as much as Bird. It takes about twenty minutes for my 60 gallon to fill. On the Saturday mornings I turn it on while drinking the morning coffee.

Alan L. · Jun 5, 2011

Bird said:
Alan, it's part #17 in the parts list and exploded view. Look on the side of the hammer case (front housing) and you'll see what looks like (and is) a tiny ball bearing in a dimple. That's the grease fitting. You have to have a needle nosed grease gun to inject grease there. Naturally, Ingersoll-Rand mades a special grease for that, but the fact is that most folks probably never add grease. For a mechanic, using it all the time, I'd recommend you get the right grease and grease gun, but in your case, it may not need any additional grease for the next 10 years. The entire grease fitting is just pressed into the housing.

I see....I don't have a needle nose grease gun, hopefully I won't have to worry about it for a while. This is another problem IR not providing any maintenance information like after how many hours of use you are supposed to grease it? I'll check back on the links you provided and see if I see anything.......

Bird · Jun 6, 2011

Alan L. said:
I see....I don't have a needle nose grease gun, hopefully I won't have to worry about it for a while. This is another problem IR not providing any maintenance information like after how many hours of use you are supposed to grease it? I'll check back on the links you provided and see if I see anything.......

I can tell you that you won't find anything telling you how often you need to grease it. Even a lot of professional mechanics don't know about the grease fittings and never grease their impact wrenches. IF no grease leaks out at the front end around the anvil, it shouldn't need greasing very often at all. One unscientific way to tell if it's short of grease is to shake it and see if you hear the hammers rattle inside. A little bit of rattle won't hurt, but too much rattle would indicate it's a bit dry in there. How much rattle? I don't think anybody knows.:laughing: Too little grease just lets things wear a bit faster. Too much grease, or the wrong kind of grease, won't seriously hurt it, but will cut down on the power.