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Air compressor failure made me appreciate the little gauges on day 3
This past Tuesday out in Sparks, Nevada, my shop's main 80-gallon compressor locked up mid-torque on a 3406E head gasket job. The thermal overload switch had been tripping for weeks and I kept ignoring it, which cost me three hours chasing a leaky air line that was actually just low pressure from the dying unit. I finally tore into the unloader valve and found a cracked seat that was dumping all the air, but by then I'd already lost a full day's labor. Anyone else ever had a lazy compressor cause more downtime than the actual engine repair?
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xena_murphy5d ago
Noticed the same thing with my truck last winter. Kept ignoring a wobble in the front end because it was "just a little shimmy" and figured I'd get to it later. Ended up blowing a wheel bearing on the highway, which turned a $40 part into a tow bill and a whole weekend in the driveway. It's always the small stuff we tell ourselves we'll deal with that ends up costing the most. Same deal with my water heater at home, little drip for months, then one day the whole thing gives out and floods the garage. Fix the small thing now or pay for the big thing later. That's just how it works.
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