Hi Ram Jet
What I wrote already may apply to yours also. Another thing I just thought of is this: an air compressor must have the compressed air removed from the compression chamber while the compressor is accelerating from being stopped to going to full speed. Otherwise it will require much more amperes and/or blows the fuse/breaker. Usually there is a pneumatic control valve that will vent the compression chamber but keep pressure in the receiver during the second or two it takes to get the thing up to speed. Some of these valves may have a mechanical connection to the crankshaft to pick up cenrtifugal action. That valve may need cleaning or replacing. If there is a problem with that valve, it will show up only if there is pressure in the receiver and the compressor is operating in the start/stop mode. The valve has various names depending on the manufacturer and I cannot recall any of the names at the moment. Let me know if any of this helps. You can probably go to a local compressor dealer, describe your problem, and they may have a valve for you. I just remembered that on small units like yours, the automatic on/off pressure switch can have, built in, a function to remove the pressure from the compression chamber for start up. Cleaning the switch may help. You have to get all of the gummy oil out of everything. You may need a new switch.