Long shot BUT I know there is a lot of intelligence roaming around here so I thought I'd ask the question.
I have a desktop fan and the grease/oil keeps either drying up or going gooey causing the fan to spin slow. It is a bush type and I've tried singer oil, molybdenum grease, light machine oil, lithium grease, high temperature bearing grease, even marine bearing grease and it only lasts like a week of use.... dam annoying. The one at work does the same thing.
I could try replacing the bush with a ball bearing type but that's a lot of effort as it's probably an odd size.
If anyone knows anything else I could use let me know!!!
Cheers
I have a desktop fan and the grease/oil keeps either drying up or going gooey causing the fan to spin slow. It is a bush type and I've tried singer oil, molybdenum grease, light machine oil, lithium grease, high temperature bearing grease, even marine bearing grease and it only lasts like a week of use.... dam annoying. The one at work does the same thing.
I could try replacing the bush with a ball bearing type but that's a lot of effort as it's probably an odd size.
If anyone knows anything else I could use let me know!!!
Cheers
PB Blaster spray lubricant works the best of anything I've used. I spray it into a disposable cup and dribble it in while the fan is running. It works OK.
The motor start capacitor was worn out so the motor can only output very low torque, which needs extremely low running resistance to maintaining the needed speed.
Every time you fit in some new and high-grade oil it will reduce the resistance to unusually low level but will only last a week.
A fan using AC motor and have a fine start capacitor but a bad bear will make bigger noise instead of reducing speed.
Every time you fit in some new and high-grade oil it will reduce the resistance to unusually low level but will only last a week.
A fan using AC motor and have a fine start capacitor but a bad bear will make bigger noise instead of reducing speed.
Yes, I have induction motors that have been running for decades without problem, thus the starting torque is probably the root cause.
Unless the motor is of the shaded pole variety, in which case the problem is mechanical.
Adding fresh lubricants might not solve the problem, because the residues of the older ones can still cause sticking.
A good cleaning of the bearings with an environmentally unfriendly solvent can solve this kind of issue...
You will need to replenish the lubricant afterwards obviously.
Otherwise, you can try a graphite-based compound (unless you already tried it)
Unless the motor is of the shaded pole variety, in which case the problem is mechanical.
Adding fresh lubricants might not solve the problem, because the residues of the older ones can still cause sticking.
A good cleaning of the bearings with an environmentally unfriendly solvent can solve this kind of issue...
You will need to replenish the lubricant afterwards obviously.
Otherwise, you can try a graphite-based compound (unless you already tried it)
That sintered bearing bush does not need any oil, nor any grease. It was soaked with oil at manufacturing and it lasts forever. Best thing you can do is to clean it with a cotton bud. Remove everything you have applied to it. If that does not solve the problem, it must be something else.
That's the theory. In practice, oil, grease and many lubricants end up oxidizing, thickening or hardening after decades.
When they eventually do, trying to remove them or drowning them in another solvent or lubricant doesn't work well, because the problematic residue is an alkyd, a kind of polymer I suppose, and it has to be removed with more aggressive means, like methylene chloride.
That Torcan looks like the one that sat in my bedroom window in the summer except the emblem was different. Surprisingly, I still have all my fingers. I'm annoyed that my sister snagged it when we packed up the house, though. Torcan took its name from Toronto, Canada.
Seasbreeze also made fans and heaters in Toronto, Canada, and seems to have been one of the last Canadian small appliance makers; I used one of their heater fans for over a decade for winter heating and summer cooling without wearing out the fan, though I did have to re-seat the AC cord connection to the switch after the insulation stiffened up. It might be reasonable to harvest the motor from a Seabreeze to revive an older fan if all else fails. They're fairly common in Canadian thrift stores, and based on my experience were still built with excellent quality into the mid-2000s. Apart from that cord coming loose, and the rubber band that drove the "Heat Sweep" vanes breaking early on.
Seasbreeze also made fans and heaters in Toronto, Canada, and seems to have been one of the last Canadian small appliance makers; I used one of their heater fans for over a decade for winter heating and summer cooling without wearing out the fan, though I did have to re-seat the AC cord connection to the switch after the insulation stiffened up. It might be reasonable to harvest the motor from a Seabreeze to revive an older fan if all else fails. They're fairly common in Canadian thrift stores, and based on my experience were still built with excellent quality into the mid-2000s. Apart from that cord coming loose, and the rubber band that drove the "Heat Sweep" vanes breaking early on.
Try cleaning out all the previous gunk. May require disassembly. Use acetone. Cleans almost anything up. Then use a light weight silicone lube, and reassemble. Start or run capacitors if used should be tested and replaced if needed. Should work for another 40 years.
Acetone damages a lot of plastic and insulation materials.
I prefer kerosene, diesel or very rarely transformer oil sprays like 2-26 or WD40.
Just flush it out, work the spindle, check if worn.
I use chassis grease or front axle grease, it works.
For using silicon lube, total removal of old lubricant may be needed.
Sintered bush stores lube in pores, should never be allowed to dry out, as wear is very fast then.
I prefer kerosene, diesel or very rarely transformer oil sprays like 2-26 or WD40.
Just flush it out, work the spindle, check if worn.
I use chassis grease or front axle grease, it works.
For using silicon lube, total removal of old lubricant may be needed.
Sintered bush stores lube in pores, should never be allowed to dry out, as wear is very fast then.