So, I was flipping through the pages of the manual and noticed that the IMS comes with a car-powered air compressor kit. Finding a gas station with free air for the tires is a pain around here and a lot of them have hoses that retract, so you may risk having scratching against the body. So, I was wondering if anybody actually use this kit regularly for their tires?

 

i've actually used it once..it works pretty good but its not that powerful, yet it gets the job done...

 

I actually used mine today - I was checking the tire pressure (I tend to check about every 3-4 weeks), and when i took my digital gauge off the stem started leaking. It appears I had a faulty valve stem-inside-part and the tire went flat. I pulled out the kit, replaced the part, and pumped it up - worked o.k., took about 3 minutes of pump time. The only problem is the on pump guage is in mPA not lbs. I first called the roadside assistance, but they said they could only change the tire or tow to the dealer, because they don't carry parts for repair. I said "no thanks, I call you back if I can't fix it myself". Seems to me thy could save some expense if they could do minor tire repairs...

 

I used it to put air in my other car's tires.
Seems well made and is definitely a better unit than the other two I have - one is a $25 'PepBoys' thing, and the other was a gift.

Put 10psi in, took about half the time of the others. A big plus is that the wire and hose actually fit back in the box when you're done - the others are just a tangled mess.
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doc

 

Thanks for the feedback guys. This is good. From now on, I don't have to go to the gas station for air. Maybe I should put this in the "little things" thread.

 

I use a combination carvac/compressor that I've got laying around the garage, so I don't have to worry about coiling and repackaging the emergency pump. I'm horrible at getting things back into their boxes or packaging. Actually I'm horrible at making myself get the stuff repacked.

But, it's probably a good idea to use the thing once in a while to make sure it's working. And I guess it will give me an opportunity to put some PSI markings on the dial... mPA? Sheesh :p

 

I was just thinking that myself. If I ever did need it I would want to know that it worked.

 

I use mine all the time to pump up the tires for autocrossing, and have used it after fixing a flat on my girls car. Works great.

 

So, I can't find if anyone has ever disassembled the factory tire air compressor.
After mine sat in the trunk of my 8 for 16 years I needed to use it at work.

After unwrapping the power cord, the vinyl wrapping around the power cord was brittle and broke off.
I want to replace or rewrap the cord.

I took the 5 screws out, the top separates, but the bottom does not.
I'm not sure why.



I don't know if the meter/lens or switch housing is holding it.
I don't think the little brass vent nut is holding it.



I don't want to break anything, so I'm going to wrap it with electrical tape until/if someone has the fix.

 

BC: Did you check under the rubber pads for additional screws? Or behind the silver label?

 

No, that's a good idea, thanks.