On Thu, 04 Jun 2015 09:13:38 -0700, wrote:

On Wed, 03 Jun 2015 20:56:17 -0500, Don Foreman
wrote:

My lathe is throwing oil at me from behind the chuck. I like this
lathe a lot. I've been using it for a couple of decades. I'd like to
get that oil slinging problem fixed.

There are no seals in the headstock; it uses a "labyrinth" slinger
method of oil management.

One guy I talked to asked if I ever turn plastic. (Yes, I do, fairly
often) He said he'd seen this befo fine delryn or nylon swarf
somehow gets in behind the chuck and plugs an internal drain hole.

The lathe is an Enterprise 1550 made by Mysore Kirloskar Electric in
India.

(This is probably where Larry Jaques insensitively and rudely asks
what I did to my Kirloskar to make it sore.)

It (the lathe, not my Kirloskar) looks a lot like a Clausing
Colchester, and I think that the maker had a relationship with
Colchester at one time back in the early '70s. I've been told that
this method of headstock oil management is used on some Colchesters.

I located the nuts that preload the spindle bearings, made a spanner
and got them off. The gears on the spindle in the headstock slide
freely, now that grub screws and circlips have been removed. From
looking at the drawings (I have the manual) I can see no reason why
the D1-4 camlock spindle shouldn't just slide out toward the tailstock
so I can get in there to clean out a plugged drain hole. But I can't
get the damned spindle to budge. I've pried on it and hit it a few
times with a big brass hammer.

I thought I had a professional on deck to come help me with this but
it appears that he's flaked on me.

Any informed or experienced ideas or suggestions? I really don't want
to barf up the spindle bearings.
Greetings Don,
Since you have removed the nut (probably no. 6 in your manual) at the
rear of the spindle, the one that is located outside of the gearbox on
the left side under a cover, and nothing moves, then you may need to
remove the bearing retainer on the outside of the gearbox on the right
side. This retainer is held on with 3 cap screws and is located
directly behind the D1 mounting face. It seems like I had to do this
once on a larger lathe of similar design.
Eric

A cover directly behind the D1 mounting face is indeed secured with 3
cap screws -- but there's no way to get it past the D1 mounting face.
It's captive there until the spindle is removed. Clearance between
the back of the D1 face and the wall of the gearbox is about 0.078".