I am looking at an air compressor which wil be used mostly for an nailer but on occasion I want to use an impact gun to change the tires on my car. The compressor I'm looking at has a rating of 2.6 CFPM at
90 PSI but the inpact gun requires 5.5 CFPM at 90 PSI.My queston is will the impact gun work with a copmreesor that only delivers 2.6 CFPM or not. I realise it will likely be slower or deliver less torque but will it work at all ?
Thanks in advance
Tom
It will work with limitations. Not something you can use for an Indy type pit stop.
As the wrench can use twice the output of the compressor, you will have to take off a few of lugs nuts and wait for the tank to recharge. Just how many nuts you can remove will depends on the size of the tank and how much time is needed to loosen or tighten them.
For a nailer, it will run quite some time before the compressor has to kick in. Ed
You can run any air tool at full power off of any compressor. The limit is how long you can run it. I've used an air hammer and an impact wrench with a 5 gallon tank. I get a couple weeks off before I need to refill. In your case, it would be before the compressor kicks back in.
The CFM is just what it can deliver at 100% duty cycle, ie: from the pump.
GTO(John)
Last time I looked at an impact air wrench, the torque rating was based on cfm for x number of seconds. So if your wheel lugs need 200lbs of torque - will a compressor delivering half the cfm at 90 psi do the job? I doubt it.
You just need a bigger tank. By the time you get over to the next wheel it should have recovered.
I used a similar setup once to remove lugs nuts on my car. The impact wrench worked fine but the compressor turned on after every nut.
Why do you want to use an impact gun to change your tires? Don't you care about your wheels? Torque them by hand.
-Jack
I love the impact for tire changing, but Jack brings up a good point. When I was working as a grease monkey in HS, I destroyed several wheel studs with the impact wrench and cross threaded nuts. Usually it was a mix of inattention and dirt on the threads. Fortunately changing out a stud was easy enough so no harm done.
Anyhoo, the impact is GREAT for removing nuts. I use a T wrench for installation and torquing. As to the air compressor, the quality of the wrench makes a big difference. A good quality wrench gives higher torque with less CFM. Of course most wrenches that state air requirements have that rating apply to get the peak torque of the wrench. Most of the
1/2" drive impacts commonly purchased for home type use have torques in the 150-200 lb-ft range whereas most wheel nuts only need 100 or less to remove. I was perfectly happy with a mediun-good quality wrench with a tired old Sears 1hp, 20 gallon compressor (don't recall the air specs but they were meager)-Bruce
JackD wrote:
You wouldn't have destroyed ANY studs if you started each nut by hand and turned them 1 or 2 turns. I too was a mechanic for 16 years, and NEVER damaged a wheel stud. (Course I wasn't a "grease monkey" either; I was an "automotive technician". :) )
dave
Bruce Rowen wrote:
They were started by hand! I didn't have the NASCAR pit crew technique down yet at that time 8^)
Problem always was traceable to crud in the threads that would trash the threads as the mega-torque wrench cared less weather the nut was turning or the stud was twisting off. The inattention was in deciding that it only needed more torque....
What else could one expect from a 15 year old!
-Bruce
Bay Area Dave wrote:
It'll work.
I put an old York A/C Compressor form a early '80's ford van into my '83 RamCharger to act as an air compressor. I have attached the contraption to the front of the motor where the smog pump used to be, with safety in mind I have attached a pressure switch and if that should go bad, a relief valve set at 150 psi. I then plumbed it to a 2 1/2 Gal fire extinguisher, rated at over 500 psi., as a holding tank. I switched the unit to a positive ignition source. With the flip of a switch I'm able to use a wide variety of air tools directly off the truck's motor plumbed to the front grill for convienance. I also added an oiler, filter and pressure regulator with gauge. My only limitation is for those air hungry tools such as a air saw or cut-off tool. It will work but for a limited time, most of the other tools such as the ratchet and wrench work without incident.
Sears is always having sales on compressors, you should take a look at them. I opted on going for the Ingersoll Rand model [Sears item #00918298000] at the local Sears rather then the Craftsman due to IR's reputation as being the innovator and leader in air equipment. I'm not sure who makes the Craftsman compressors. Anybody?
Then maybe you can get into air spraying shellacs and the like, of which I have yet to delve into. But it sound like fun? Dec. FWW just went into a unit that cost nearly $1000. WOW.
Jack.
Consider yourself lucky at such a tender age to have access to a compressor and all those impact tools! I worked on cars for several years without compressed air. We are all spoiled now. :)
dave
Bruce Rowen wrote:
It'll probably work, you may even be able to take a spark plug out with it.
Not even the studs on old Chrysler products??? I recall twisting them off on a few occasions trying to get the nuts off.. LOL.
you gotta know which way to push the button on your impact on those pesky Chrysler! :)
For folks who don't know what we are talking about, Chrysler had left hand threads on the right side of the car. The idea was that there was less chance of the lug nuts working loose.
dave
Le>>You wouldn't have destroyed ANY studs if you started each nut by hand
C'mon, Leon, you just had to remember which way they turned!!!!!!!!(DAMHIKT) How about pulling the rear brake drums off those (*%&*(%^(%&*() tapered rear axles! Nahmie
not too hard to do, actually-the puller IS still available... in the car club I am in, we use them all the time, as well as getting left handed lug nuts.
--Shiva--
Yes, torque them by hand (or with a $30 torque stick). But REMOVE them with an impact wrench.
The big problem was remembering or noticing that it was a Chrysler product. When in college I worked in a large tire store and often the car was set up ahead of time on the rack waiting for a team to change the tires.
I recall pulling a rear wheel one day. The wheel was at eye level and when I pulled the wheel off, the brake drum came off also. I realized this when the brake drum fell on my foot. I have no idea how I escaped a broken foot.. I do recall my dance that followed... ;~)
turned!!!!!!!!(DAMHIKT)
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