I have a Craftsman impact gun that is extremely weak. It's rated for 350ft-lbs, but it can't even remove my lug nuts that are torqued to 80-85 by hand. My compressor is a little 3 gallon thing, but I figured it should be able to supply enough air for short bursts at least. Also, the regulator on the compressor is set to ~85psi, because the max for the gun is 90. I'm gonna try resealing all the fittings with more teflon tape in case it's leaking too. The gun should be good to go right out of the box correct? I'm starting to think that it's defective...thanks for your input in advance.

Here's the gun I'm using: http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr...87000

 

Your 3 gal compressor might not be enough.

I have a Craftsman 33 gal and a Blue-point air gun that makes short work of everything I've thrown at it.

edit: 6.4 SCFM @ 90 psi

Do you know what your SCFM output is?

 

2.4 SCFM at 90 psi - damn I guess that's my answer, huh? I thought 90psi was 90psi when it came to air compressors.
http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr...10000

 

90psi is 90 psi for the most part, but how long can your little compressor keep that up???

edit: I recently got this compressor for my bday. I paid considerably less than that though. A local Sears Hardware store was/is going out of business.

 

It seems to hold close to 90psi for at least a few seconds...enough to jab at a tough bolt a few times I thought. BTW where'd you get 6.4 SCFM because it says 4 SCFM on the impact gun's spec page?

edit: Oh okay that's your compressor's rating then...

 

If you let it fill up and go at it long enough, I guess it'll eventually break the bolt loose.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by t0p_sh0tta &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If you let it fill up and go at it long enough, I guess it'll eventually break the bolt loose.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Or he can just use a lug wrench?

 

I can get the lug nuts off fine with the wrench, I was just using that as an example. The thing just has no torque behind it because I can practically stop it from spinning by hand. Maybe I could pick up a smaller gun that is more appropriately matched with my small compressor.

 

Just spend the money and get a bigger compressor with more tank. You will thank yourself in the long run.

 

i would say a bigger compresser would do the trick

 

Is that definitely the problem though, that the tank is just too damn small? It shouldn't even be able to deliver a few short bursts of full torque? If that's true then I guess you're right, I'm SOL and I need a bigger compressor. Thanks.

 

Those cheap *** regulators that come on those small compressors are weak. I bet if you watch the reg and then hit the trigger on your gun you will see that the regulated pressures drops alot because it cant keep up. Even then 3 gal is def not enough because it will use up the air in a matter of seconds regardless.

 

get a big huge oversized one in ur opinion and never spend the money again i guarentte ud do what we did at our shop, and that is spend alot of money constaltly upgradoing,


also a wonderful tool is the snap-on elsteric impact rated at 300ft lbs, it is great and the start up/warm up time is soo much quickewr, u dont need to drain the water out and sit there and wait for the compresser to fully load, u unpplug and go at it, we use both but we do motor swaps daily here so i dunno

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by t0p_sh0tta &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I recently got this compressor for my bday. I paid considerably less than that though. A local Sears Hardware store was/is going out of business.</TD></TR></TABLE>

+1 for the 33-gallon craftsman compressor. I LOVE mine!

 

350 lbs is considered a medium duty impact gun. Try the 600 lb reverse gun, aka heavy duty. Air tank is too small too.

 

The snap-on electric impact is nice, but it doesn't have the ***** to tackle every job.

I have managed to get 2 out of 5 crank pulley bolts off though.

 

i only use a 6 gallon with a blue point gun and its been enough for everything i've come across so far, from axle nuts to crank pulley bolts. i do know that it doesn't move enough air to power an air ratchet though.

 

Your gun is fine. The compressor is the problem.

 

Thanks guys...is this small compressor good for anything then, besides filling up tires and dusting sh*t off lol?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TheHooded_Mike &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks guys...is this small compressor good for anything then, besides filling up tires and dusting sh*t off lol?</TD></TR></TABLE>

No. In the compressor world, go big or go home. The compressor in your garage should be a direct reflection of your manhood. I have a three-cylinder 60 gallon that supports 180 max psi. It's loud as **** and I can rip an entire car apart before it has to fill back up. It rocks serious anus.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TheHooded_Mike &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks guys...is this small compressor good for anything then, besides filling up tires and dusting sh*t off lol?</TD></TR></TABLE>
I suppose you could use it to run a nail gun or pneumatic stapler. Small compressors just aren't useful for automotive work.

 

Damn, I honestly didn't know that - I figured a small one could at least give me a few jabs at a time. Either way, a <U>huge</U> one is pretty impractical for me because I don't have a lot of room in my garage, and I don't do that much work on my car. If anything, I think I'll get the 33 gallon one that t0p_sh0tta mentioned.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TheHooded_Mike &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Damn, I honestly didn't know that - I figured a small one could at least give me a few jabs at a time. Either way, a <U>huge</U> one is pretty impractical for me because I don't have a lot of room in my garage, and I don't do that much work on my car. If anything, I think I'll get the 33 gallon one that t0p_sh0tta mentioned.</TD></TR></TABLE>
I actually have the 33 gallon Craftsman also. It will be adequate for most DIY automotive work. I haven't tried to take off a crank pulley bolt with it yet though.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Targa250R &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
I actually have the 33 gallon Craftsman also. It will be adequate for most DIY automotive work. I haven't tried to take off a crank pulley bolt with it yet though.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Cool, sounds good. I was comparing it's SCFM output to that of some heavy-duty impact guns and it seems like it can handle almost anything I'll need it for.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SpydiR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">+1 for the 33-gallon craftsman compressor. I LOVE mine!</TD></TR></TABLE>

Use to sell these on a daily basis. Nice compressor