Is this air compressor in good shape? No it is not! I started noticing a louder sound when running. I was told to look for play in the pulley both horizontal and vertical. Mercury said there should be no play at all so I replaced it because there was about 1/8 to 1/4 inch movement in the pulley as seen on the video. A very slight loose pulley feel. It should be solid and no play. If you think about it, why would there be slop unless a bearing is shot.
Once the old air compressor was taken apart, it was found that the rod bearing was trashed and on the verge of complete failure. 412 hours. I managed to avoid having the fuel system cleaned. Caught it just in time. Look at the very end of the video to see the play. This is nothing you should mess with. In my opinion, if you have 400 hours on your original air compressor, I would just replace it for good measure. I know many of you have 1000 hours on yours. But it is a gamble for sure. It took me about an hour to replace. Easy job. DON'T FORGET TO PRIME THE OIL AND CHANGE OUT ALL THREE INLINE OIL FILTERS.
