When my rear end suffered terminal sag and the 30A fusible link blew every time the engine started, I was expecting to shell out for a new compressor. But being able to think of better things to spend £300 on, and believing that what man has made, man can repair, I dismantled the compressor before giving in. As soon as I removed the pump, my feet were covered in rusty water. The whole pump and motor assembly must have been completely filled with water.

After letting the water out and giving the piston a gentle nudge, the motor showed signs of life with a direct feed, so I'm optimistic of revival. I've given everything a good rinse with clean water, cleaned up the bore and a few other bits with scotchbrite and WD40 and left everything soaking in WD40 overnight.

My question is, does anyone have any tips for lubricating bearings and bore for reassembly? Apart from that, my only reservation is the fiddly job of refitting the brushes.

I'll let you know tomorrow if it succeeds.