SEPARATOR, MUD

853 771 29A SEPARATOR, MUD this thing is basically the bouncer for your compressor oil. Its main gig is to separate the oil from the compressed air before that air goes out to power your rock drill or any other air tools. It's all about keeping the oil where it belongs, in the compressor, and making sure you're sending out clean, dry air. If this element isn't doing its job, you're going to have oil where it shouldn't be, plain and simple.

When this separator starts getting clogged up or just plain worn out, you'll usually notice a few things. The most obvious one is oil carryover – you'll see oil mist coming out of the exhaust, or worse, finding its way into your air lines and then into your drill. Your oil consumption will probably jump too, and you might even see a slight pressure drop across the element as it struggles to pass air. If your rock drill starts acting sluggish or you're constantly topping up the compressor oil, this is one of the first places I'd look.

Look, these aren't forever parts. You gotta change them out according to the service schedule, or sooner if you're seeing those symptoms. When you swap it, always double-check the scavenge line; make sure it's clear and not blocked up with crud. A blocked scavenge line will foul up a new separator in no time, and then you're right back to square one. Don't forget to clean the housing too, just a quick wipe down.