Michael Kennedy wrote:
"Meat Plow" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 18 Feb 2008 14:37:11 -0500, Michael Kennedy wrote:

"Meat Plow" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:46:17 +0000, Ray L. Volts wrote:

Got a GE 4.8A clothes dryer motor here which emitted some smoke one day
shortly after powering it up. I've been using this blower assembly for
solder fume extraction from my bench, so it had no drum loading the
motor down.

Maybe some sort of start circuit failed to switch off causing the
smoke/problem but it's impossible to be certain without the model #
of the motor.
I've had that problem with these motors before. The start switch goes and
makes the thing overheat and smoke. The real problem was that mine was
rivited togeather, so I didn't even bother to try to fix it.

Mike
It's probably not fixable but knowing for sure would fix my curiosity and
add to my knowledge base for future reference.

Well, it wasn't apparent at first but the switch is where the smoke came
from on mine and as I said I didn't bother to disassemble it because of the
rivits. Didn't seem worth the effort of grinding them out to get to a
centrifugal switch that I probably can't fix.

Mike



I opened this one up. In my case, no drilling or grinding was required.
It was a simple matter of prying up the rivet rims with a jeweler's
flat blade driver and pushing them through with an appropriate size hex
driver.
The switch contacts are in decent shape and the switch levers move
freely (and appear to have done so all along, as it's clean around the
pivot points). There's also a fairly powerful spring pushing down on
the starter switch lever, ensuring disconnect – from the compression
force required (calibrated finger, admittedly), this spring seems quite
adequate to break a sticking contact. I honestly can't see this switch
as the culprit, but it's possible.