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Oil filter-trap for air compressor?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by StephenFromCT, Aug 24, 2019.

  1. StephenFromCT

    StephenFromCT Junior Member

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    Hello,

    I have an oil lubricated air compressor which I am hoping to use to inflate my tires when the tires are "cold".

    There is an earlier forum topic from 2007 which describes the difficulty of creating dry air using standard air compressors:

    https://priuschat.com/threads/dry-air-from-my-air-compressor.39374

    My question is not about moisture, but about oil.

    I am wondering if I should be concerned about the effect of oil on the sensors in the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS). It is cheaper to buy an oil filter for the compressor than buy replacement TPMS modules.

    I do not know if the dedicated inline compressor filters are efficient at removing oil, but I am assuming it is easier to remove oil than water vapor.

    Thanks for your insights.
     
  2. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Unlike water, oil does usually NOT remain suspended in the air ........so unless your compressor draws the output air from the bottom of the tank, oil should NOT be a problem.

    There also should be a drain on the bottom of the tank to let out accumulated water and oil.
    Open it very slowly with an old towel to catch what comes out. Rusty water can make a big mess.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what does your therapist think?
     
  4. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    My therapist would just say buy a 12v air compressor so no oil is involved and it can be stored in the trunk.
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    your therapist is a magician
     
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  6. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    Now I know why @Grit goes to the circus so much :p.
     
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  7. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    The monitors are sealed. Heat would be the only thing to worry about.
    And they are designed for that so nothing to worry about.
     
  8. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    I would not worry about this. Unless your oil lubricated compressor is close to worn out, the amount of oil in the air is minute. I have been using the same oil lubricated compressor on TPMS-equpped tires since 2010, and never an issue.
     
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'm using one of these:

    upload_2019-8-25_8-3-13.png
     
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  10. avongil

    avongil Member

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    amazing how quick they fill up a tire.. You spend more time bitching about having to use one than you do filling the tire up. I had to do it a few months ago and it took about 3 min.
     
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  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah, and mine is a cheapo. I've seen some serious looking ones in bike shops, but meh.

    I've refilled a tire after doing a plug repair, the tire more or less completely flat. It did take a while, but I mean: if it can do that, you're ready for anything. Bringing a tire up a couple of pounds is 20~30 strokes. I usually overshoot a little, have to bleed it back down.
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    using one of those, i'd be afraid my sweat might get into the tire and rust the tpms modules
     
  13. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    It's approx. 10 pumps per pound. Unless it's completely flat...
     
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  14. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    That would be for a smallish pump.
     
  15. StephenFromCT

    StephenFromCT Junior Member

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    I am the original poster.

    I found a discussion on another forum describing the injectable type of flat tire repairing sealant. Apparently, it does not NOT damaged TPMS sensors used on some BMW cars.

    Interesting find about slime tire repair and TPMS

    This may be relevant to my question about TPMS and residual oil, since I think some recent model year Prius cars do not contain a spare tire, but include just an electric tire pump and a can of tire sealant. Does anyone know the brand of tire sealant included by the Toyota factory? Apparently, the BMW kit is expensive.

    @jb in NE: Thank you for sharing ten years of personal experience using an oil lubricated air compressor and TPMS-equipped tires. Your "thumbs up/down" response is exactly what I was hoping to get when I started the topic.

    @sam spade 2: Thanks for the useful suggestion to avoid a mess when draining the air compressor tank. As a way to prevent tank rusting I was planning to drain the condensed water once a month or so. I had assumed it would drain even when the internal tank pressure was equal to the atmospheric pressure, but perhaps the condensed water drainage might be faster if I leave a little pressure in the tank. Either way, I will use a rag!

    @Mendel Leisk: I have a low volume T-handle tire pump which I use to inflate my bicycle tires to 105 psi. To maximize fuel efficiency and for safety reasons, my goal is to keep an eye on the car's tire pressure and to top if off when necessary (and not to wait until the tire pressure is very low). I like the idea that only 20-30 cycles of pumping is enough to reach the target pressure in each tire. A reasonable range.

    @avongil: Thanks for sharing your experience that using a bicycle tire pump is a useful tool for inflating car tires.

    Using a bicycle tire pump to inflate a tire will be a good workout. From the perspective of convenience, to fill the compact spare tire it will have to be removed from the trunk before using the bicycle pump. From the question of feasibility, it is not clear if a high pressure bicycle pump can be used to keep the compact spare tire topped off at 60 psi which is significantly higher than the 35/33 psi recommended for my front and rear tires (2011 Prius manual, pages 575-576, section 6-1).

    The good news is that the compact spare does not have a TPMS, so no worry about clogging:

    TPMS on spare????????? | PriusChat

    Probably easiest to keep the compact spare tire pressure topped off using my oil-lubricated compressor

    If I use an air compressor to fill the spare, I may need to remove it from the car, because the compact spare tire is stored inverted to utilize the space within the rim to store accesories like the tire jack, the lug nut wrench, and the towing eye. Plus, I doubt I can reach below the compact spare tire rim to reach the stem cap of the spare tire without removing the tire from the truck. However, if we are lucky the Toyota engineers anticipated this problem and designed the truck so the valve stem can be easily accessed. I will post an update after I try.

    @Mendel Leisk: Thanks for the addition to my "What can I fix on my Prius?" list. I have never fixed a flat using the "T handle plunger" tool, but it is a very low tech fix, and so assuming I can plug a hole if I can locate the puncture using soapy water. The videos make it look easy.

    @Grit: A good answer. My therapist says purchasing a used Prius is cheaper than therapy.

    To prepare for the winter I WAS thinking about buying a sealed lead acid (SLA) jump starter battery booster with an air pump, but I think the Stanley models require that the compressor hose be screwed onto the tire valve stem. I was wondering if I might accidentally damage the valve stems (vs using a standard tire air compressor chuck).

    @bisco: My mechanic-therapist says replacing four TPMS valve stems (eg. TOYOTA Genuine 42607-0C070 Tire Valve Sub-Assembly manufactured by TRW?) is cheaper than four hours of therapy.

    Is buying only OEM parts from a Toyota dealer similar to therapy? Is the quality related to cost? Or is it all about the relationship?

    @ASRDogman: I have never handled a TPMS sensor and have never seen a close up photo, but now I am very curious to understand how the sensor plus sensor can be (completely?) sealed. If the sensor is completely sealed then can it be serviced? Maybe the specific TPMS valves plus sensors used on Toyota (or BMW) cannot be "serviced" if they are compatible with injectable tire sealant?

    I just did a quick internet search and clicked on a result from O'Reilly parts (which I am NOT endorsing).

    https://www.oreillyauto.com/shop/b/tire---wheel-16779/tpms-service-kit-14720/773544973f2f

    The O'Reilly description says "a TPMS service kit includes a collar, seal, valve core" which to me suggests at least some (perhaps non-Toyota) TPMS sensors are not completely sealed, and may be damaged by oil or other liquid. The serviceable parts listed seem to be just the components needed to get air into the tire and to prevent leakage.

    @ASRDogman: Thank you sharing your thoughts on the specific question I asked, and for not asking why I do not buy an oil-free air compressor.

    @ASRDogman and @CR94: Remember, it is not the size of the tire pump which matters, but the way you use it. Before my Prius I drove a VW Rabbit with a 4-speed transmission. Before you decided to buy a Prius with an automatic transmission did you guys learn to use a clutch and stick?
     
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  16. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    My opinion - you are worrying about the sensors for no good reason. A bit of oil won't hurt them.

    People fill car tires from all sorts of air sources - oil free compressors, bicycle pumps, crappy gas station pumps with who-knows-what in them, nitrogen, oil-type compressors, etc. TPMS sensors aren't failing left and right from any of this - they are pretty rugged and they'll survive fine with a bit of oil or moisture on them (they don't "clog"). They do get serviced typically with new tires (typically the seal at the fill valve and new batteries if required).
     
    #16 jb in NE, Aug 27, 2019
    Last edited: Aug 27, 2019
  17. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Where the schrader valve is a hole, the air passes through.
    The rest of the valve is sealed, and there is a presser sensor on it. I am not sure exactly how it works,
    but that's about it. I watched a few video on taking them apart to replace the battery. Doesn't look fun!
    All pumps have some type of lube. Even a hand pump. Usually vasoline.
    I started riding a Yamaha RD250 before driving a car. First time driving a car it was automatic.
    I learned in the army to drive a 2.5 ton, 5 ton, and a jeep. All stick shift.
    Then I bought a 1978 Corolla.
    Prius tires are small, so it doesn't take much pumping from a bicycle pump. Unless you get a
    high pressure pump!
     
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I top up temp spares to 60 psi with my schwinn pump (manual, floor-standing pump, cheap-quality). The temp spares are higher pressure, but less volume, so works out to be roughly the same effort, roughly same amount of strokes per pound.
     
  19. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Unless you use it a LOT, that is WAY too often to be useful.
    You will never keep it "dry" inside.
    I do mine about once a year and get maybe 3 ounces out.
     
  20. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I am kinda hoping the TPMS in the OEM tires crap out sooner than later, so I don't have to worry about protecting them. I spent over $800 replacing TPMS sensors on my first car with TPMS, only to find out I really did not need to have those sensors to operate my car.

    I now have external TPMS on my car. ~$40 at amazon, no sweat if it needs to be replaced. So far almost a year no issue.
    IMG_20181018_180216.jpg
     
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