oily discharge from inboard air tank

[OPCOM]

well maybe not oil, but a thin black liquid, mostly water, was discharged from my inboard air tank this morning at pre-drive PMCS time. The outboard didn't do this, just some water and vapor.

This was after disturbing the air tanks during part of another project and moving them around, tapping on them. fiddling, rotating, wiggling them, etc.

Could this be just a bunch of crud from the years of the kompressor discharging into there that I jolted loose?

Could it be good news that it is not rust?

 

[cranetruck]

The compressor is lubricated by engine oil. What you see in the inboard tank may be some oil that has bypassed the piston also remember that the compresor air intake is located within the engine compartment and perhaps some oil comes from a small leak thown about by the fan.
The outboard, "dry" tank shouldn't have any of it or at least a lot less.
I have an alcohol evaporator in my air system and some of the discharge I see is probably methanol along with the water and some oil. The intake is permanently attached to the engine air intake filter canister and may reduce the oil intake some as well.
BTW, the XM757 has a permanent connection to the engine air intake for the compressor (Have to brag about the things done right on the 8x8, IMHO anyway).

It doesn't hurt to clean the compressor intake filter now and then, it's cleanable and no need to get a new one. Let it soak in methanol and blow dry.

 

[Westech]

mine does the same if i dont drain them atleat every week or so when im driving it, there will be a large ammount of gray oil/water sludge that will trickel out.

 

[clinto]

Mine does the same

 

[OPCOM]

Thank you! I feel better about it now.

 

[acetomatoco]

As your compressor is a piston engine clone, it has an oil ring on the piston... with wear it will bypass some small amount of engine oil...not unlike a Honda engine burning a little oil... in this case it goes into your air tank... not a problem....keeps the air tank from rusting out and as you will notice on large trucks with the automatic moisture dumpers... keeps the area of the bottom of the truck around the tank from rusting. If it gets really bad,you can just changeout the compressor...ACE