twin hot-dog compressor D55152, ran good, then barely, now not at all?

[John in NC]

Hi folks, great forum!

I bought a used D55152 twin hot-dog Emglo for $120, the cold start valve was missing (bolt threaded in it's place) but it ran good without it so I figured why not. 

Well I took it home and used it for a couple days, then it cranked up to fill the tank but barely ran/ pumped.  Then wouldn't run at all. 

I'm going to replace the cold start valve, anything else it might be based on the symptoms?  Any suggestions on where to buy the parts?  It ran strong and held pressure great prior to this happening, then it was barely running and stopped alltogether, not building pressure.  I did have it plugged into an extension cord which I've since read isn't the best thing for it, so I sat it in the direct sun (75 degrees out) and plugged it directly into an outlet- I think it tried to run once more but barely, then nothing since?

Thanks a bunch for any suggestions/ ideas.  John

[DWalter]

I'd first check to see if the pump/motor assembly is free spinning by rotating by hand (with the unit unplugged).  From what I can see in the parts diagram, you should be able to do this by removing the motor cover and rotating the cooling fan.  If neither the bearings nor pump appear to be seized or binding, check for power at the motor terminals with the tank drained and the unit switched to on.  If no power, you may have a bad pressure switch (p/n 629406-00).  If there is power at the motor, you may have a bad motor capacitor (p/n 5140016-76) or a bad stator, but I notice that the stator part is no longer available.

I deal with my local DeWalt Factory Service Centre for parts, but you may not have one located near you.  To locate a service centre go here:  http://servicenet.dewalt.com/ServiceCenter/Search

If there is nothing close to you you may want to order parts through the DeWalt Servicenet here:  http://servicenet.dewalt.com/

Hope this helps and good luck.

[kjones]

I would definately look into replacing the cold start valve.  Oil'd compressers have a hard time getting started when the oil is cold and thick, so all the help you can give them is beneficial.  Also check the oil level, and possibly change it (very easy and cheap to do).  Lastly, there is a breaker on the compressor which may be tripped, so look for that and reset it.  Hopefully one of those things does it for you!  If not, I would look into taking to to a deWALT service center to be serviced.

[John in NC]

I pushed in the reset button last night after finding a troubleshooting/ start-up diagram online, and I'll pick up a cold start valve today, if that doesn't do it a service center might be the way to go, there's one here locally (Wilmington NC).  I'll change the oil too.

I'm a beginner when it comes to fixing stuff like this... Thanks guys!  John