Our whole-house fan is mounted in a gable wall near the roof peak.
I.e., not readily accessible and irregularly maintained. So, 50 years
after its installation and maybe 30-40 years after its last lube, one of
its bearings seized. It was one of the pillow block bearings holding
the fan shaft. It's a brass or bronze sleeve bearing with oil grooves
in it. The oil in there had been baked solid and immune to various
solvents and to a lye soak. It had to be chipped out with a pick.

Once cleaned out and reassembled, my first choice for its oil refill was
10W. It ran right through! OK - I tried 30W: it, to, ran out. So, the
bearings are either so worn that they aren't going to hold any oil, or
I'm using the wrong oil. They definitely do not seem worn - they slide
on readily, but without any noticeable play.

I'm inclined to try gear oil, but I thought I'd collect RCM thoughts on
it first.

Thanks,
Bob

Bob Engelhardt wrote:
Our whole-house fan is mounted in a gable wall near the roof peak.
I.e., not readily accessible and irregularly maintained. So, 50 years
after its installation and maybe 30-40 years after its last lube, one
of its bearings seized. It was one of the pillow block bearings
holding the fan shaft. It's a brass or bronze sleeve bearing with
oil grooves in it. The oil in there had been baked solid and immune
to various solvents and to a lye soak. It had to be chipped out with
a pick.
Once cleaned out and reassembled, my first choice for its oil refill
was 10W. It ran right through! OK - I tried 30W: it, to, ran out. So,
the bearings are either so worn that they aren't going to hold
any oil, or I'm using the wrong oil. They definitely do not seem
worn - they slide on readily, but without any noticeable play.

I'm inclined to try gear oil, but I thought I'd collect RCM thoughts
on it first.

Thanks,
Bob

I'd consider some way lube , or another "sticky" oil , like maybe
summer-weight bar & chain oil . Or maybe a mix of gear oil and moly grease ,
that's what I use on my lathe gears .

--
Snag

Bob Engelhardt fired this volley in
:

I'm inclined to try gear oil, but I thought I'd collect RCM thoughts on
it first.

I'd more naturally assume that _either_ they were made of oilite to begin
with, and the grooves were just for maintenance oiling, where the oil is
expected to run out after having created a film, OR that they were
intended to be greased.

When such a sleeve is intended to be oiled instead of greased, there's
usually a felt washer on the ends or a wick in the oil hole to soak up
and re-feed oil into the gap as necessary.

LLoyd

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote in
. 3.70:

Bob Engelhardt fired this volley in
:

I'm inclined to try gear oil, but I thought I'd collect RCM thoughts
on it first.

I'd more naturally assume that _either_ they were made of oilite to
begin with, and the grooves were just for maintenance oiling, where
the oil is expected to run out after having created a film, OR that
they were intended to be greased.

When such a sleeve is intended to be oiled instead of greased, there's
usually a felt washer on the ends or a wick in the oil hole to soak up
and re-feed oil into the gap as necessary.

LLoyd


If it was made of Oilite bronze, the pores are now unrecoverably blocked so
you will have to go with grease anyway, or replace the bearings. If you
want a long, trouble free life with the existing bearings, a remote greaser
would be a good idea. Clean out the other bearings and plumb the kit to
all of them and the only maintenance the bearings will need for the
forseeable future would be a turn on the greaser handle evey few months.

OTOH if you replace them with modern bearings, they may well run long
enough with no maintenance to become sombody else's problem
--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk
[at]=@, [dash]=- & [dot]=. *Warning* HTML & 32K emails -- NUL

"Ian Malcolm" wrote in message
...

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote in
. 3.70:

Bob Engelhardt fired this volley in
:

I'm inclined to try gear oil, but I thought I'd collect RCM thoughts
on it first.

I'd more naturally assume that _either_ they were made of oilite to
begin with, and the grooves were just for maintenance oiling, where
the oil is expected to run out after having created a film, OR that
they were intended to be greased.

When such a sleeve is intended to be oiled instead of greased, there's
usually a felt washer on the ends or a wick in the oil hole to soak up
and re-feed oil into the gap as necessary.

LLoyd


If it was made of Oilite bronze, the pores are now unrecoverably blocked so
you will have to go with grease anyway, or replace the bearings. If you
want a long, trouble free life with the existing bearings, a remote greaser
would be a good idea. Clean out the other bearings and plumb the kit to
all of them and the only maintenance the bearings will need for the
forseeable future would be a turn on the greaser handle evey few months.

OTOH if you replace them with modern bearings, they may well run long
enough with no maintenance to become sombody else's problem
--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk
[at]=@, [dash]=- & [dot]=. *Warning* HTML & 32K emails -- NUL

================================================== =============

The Oilite bushings in the burner fan on my furnace dried up around 25 years
ago, and seized. Since the motor is no longer available, and replacing the
bearings would have been a nightmare, I just put one drop of South Bend
plain-bearing spindle oil on each bushing every two months or so.

It runs better than ever. Since then I've gotten in the habit of doing the
same with many other plain bearings.

--
Ed Huntress

"Ed Huntress" wrote in
:

The Oilite bushings in the burner fan on my furnace dried up around 25
years ago, and seized. Since the motor is no longer available, and
replacing the bearings would have been a nightmare, I just put one
drop of South Bend plain-bearing spindle oil on each bushing every two
months or so.

It runs better than ever. Since then I've gotten in the habit of doing
the same with many other plain bearings.

--
Ed Huntress

Which is great if the unit is accessable and you dont mind servicing it
twice a year. I've got a Magicook 2500W fan heater from the '50s that
lives on that maintenance program. It pre-dates me and will probaby out-
last me!

However the O.P.'s bearings are in a very awkward and inaccessable
location, hence my recommendation for remote lubrication. The 0.P. has
already stated that light oil wont stay in the bearing. Heavy oil would
be an option but if there are problems with the remote lube system it
would make a big mess and get everywhere. A remote greaser however is
fairly cheap and easy to install and easy to use.

--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk
[at]=@, [dash]=- & [dot]=. *Warning* HTML & 32K emails -- NUL

"Ian Malcolm" wrote in message
...

"Ed Huntress" wrote in
:

The Oilite bushings in the burner fan on my furnace dried up around 25
years ago, and seized. Since the motor is no longer available, and
replacing the bearings would have been a nightmare, I just put one
drop of South Bend plain-bearing spindle oil on each bushing every two
months or so.

It runs better than ever. Since then I've gotten in the habit of doing
the same with many other plain bearings.

--
Ed Huntress

Which is great if the unit is accessable and you dont mind servicing it
twice a year. I've got a Magicook 2500W fan heater from the '50s that
lives on that maintenance program. It pre-dates me and will probaby out-
last me!

However the O.P.'s bearings are in a very awkward and inaccessable
location, hence my recommendation for remote lubrication. The 0.P. has
already stated that light oil wont stay in the bearing. Heavy oil would
be an option but if there are problems with the remote lube system it
would make a big mess and get everywhere. A remote greaser however is
fairly cheap and easy to install and easy to use.

--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk
[at]=@, [dash]=- & [dot]=. *Warning* HTML & 32K emails -- NUL

================================================== ========

I keep saying I'm going to rig up a tube oiler with felt, but I'm too lazy.
So I take off the squirrel-cage fan and use a hypodermic syringe to get the
oil into the bearing.

--
Ed Huntress

"Ed Huntress" wrote:

"Ian Malcolm" wrote:

"Ed Huntress" wrote:

The Oilite bushings in the burner fan on my furnace dried up around
25 years ago, and seized. Since the motor is no longer available, and
replacing the bearings would have been a nightmare, I just put one
drop of South Bend plain-bearing spindle oil on each bushing every
two months or so.

It runs better than ever. Since then I've gotten in the habit of
doing the same with many other plain bearings.

Which is great if the unit is accessable and you dont mind servicing
it twice a year. I've got a Magicook 2500W fan heater from the '50s
that lives on that maintenance program. It pre-dates me and will
probaby out- last me!

snip

I keep saying I'm going to rig up a tube oiler with felt, but I'm too
lazy. So I take off the squirrel-cage fan and use a hypodermic syringe
to get the oil into the bearing.


I'm lucky. The motor shaft and bearing face can be reached through the
rear vent with a bent piece of copper capillary tube. No dismantling
required.

P.S. please snip everyone's sigs (from and including the -- space)
before replying. You have a news reader problem that is messing up the
quoting and that's the simplest wrokaround.

--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk
[at]=@, [dash]=- & [dot]=. *Warning* HTML & 32K emails -- NUL

"Ian Malcolm" wrote in message
...

"Ed Huntress" wrote:

"Ian Malcolm" wrote:

"Ed Huntress" wrote:

The Oilite bushings in the burner fan on my furnace dried up around
25 years ago, and seized. Since the motor is no longer available, and
replacing the bearings would have been a nightmare, I just put one
drop of South Bend plain-bearing spindle oil on each bushing every
two months or so.

It runs better than ever. Since then I've gotten in the habit of
doing the same with many other plain bearings.

Which is great if the unit is accessable and you dont mind servicing
it twice a year. I've got a Magicook 2500W fan heater from the '50s
that lives on that maintenance program. It pre-dates me and will
probaby out- last me!

snip

I keep saying I'm going to rig up a tube oiler with felt, but I'm too
lazy. So I take off the squirrel-cage fan and use a hypodermic syringe
to get the oil into the bearing.


I'm lucky. The motor shaft and bearing face can be reached through the
rear vent with a bent piece of copper capillary tube. No dismantling
required.

P.S. please snip everyone's sigs (from and including the -- space)
before replying. You have a news reader problem that is messing up the
quoting and that's the simplest wrokaround.

================================================== ========

My newsreader problem is that I'm not supposed to be here, and I ditched my
copy of Agent. I thought I'd stop in for one day over the 4th of July
weekend just to see what's going on. Then I got myself trapped. g So I'm
responding with Windows Live Mail, which is a dog for newsgroup messaging,
and I'm making a real mess.

All of which serves to remind me that I have to knock this off and get back
to work. I'm leaving town tomorrow evening, so that will be a good time to
shut it off.

If anyone has something they want to ask or say, I can be reached at FAB
Shop Magazine Direct.

--
Ed Huntress

On Wed, 16 Jul 2014 21:25:04 +0000 (UTC), Ian Malcolm
wrote:

"Ed Huntress" wrote in
:

The Oilite bushings in the burner fan on my furnace dried up around 25
years ago, and seized. Since the motor is no longer available, and
replacing the bearings would have been a nightmare, I just put one
drop of South Bend plain-bearing spindle oil on each bushing every two
months or so.

It runs better than ever. Since then I've gotten in the habit of doing
the same with many other plain bearings.

--
Ed Huntress

Which is great if the unit is accessable and you dont mind servicing it
twice a year. I've got a Magicook 2500W fan heater from the '50s that
lives on that maintenance program. It pre-dates me and will probaby out-
last me!

However the O.P.'s bearings are in a very awkward and inaccessable
location, hence my recommendation for remote lubrication. The 0.P. has
already stated that light oil wont stay in the bearing. Heavy oil would
be an option but if there are problems with the remote lube system it
would make a big mess and get everywhere. A remote greaser however is
fairly cheap and easy to install and easy to use.
I'd be rebuilding it using sealed ball bearing blocks instead of the
plain bearings. Then it WOULD outlast me.

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
...
Our whole-house fan is mounted in a gable wall near the roof peak. I.e.,
not readily accessible and irregularly maintained. So, 50 years after its
installation and maybe 30-40 years after its last lube, one of its
bearings seized. It was one of the pillow block bearings holding the fan
shaft. It's a brass or bronze sleeve bearing with oil grooves in it. The
oil in there had been baked solid and immune to various solvents and to a
lye soak. It had to be chipped out with a pick.

Once cleaned out and reassembled, my first choice for its oil refill was
10W. It ran right through! OK - I tried 30W: it, to, ran out. So, the
bearings are either so worn that they aren't going to hold any oil, or I'm
using the wrong oil. They definitely do not seem worn - they slide on
readily, but without any noticeable play.

I'm inclined to try gear oil, but I thought I'd collect RCM thoughts on it
first.

Thanks,
Bob


(A) Immerse in ketone and place under a pressure of several atmospheres, or
as high of a pressure as you can practically attain.

(B) Remove from ketone and pull a vacuum.

(C) Repeat the above until no more oily residue is drawn out, or at least
several times if at all possible.

(D) Immerse in oil and again pull a vacuum; when it is released, fresh oil
will be drawn in to fill the pores.

On 2014-07-16, wrote:
I'd be rebuilding it using sealed ball bearing blocks instead of the
plain bearings. Then it WOULD outlast me.

I would do the same.

i

On Wed, 16 Jul 2014 15:23:02 -0400, Ed Huntress wrote:

The Oilite bushings in the burner fan on my furnace dried up around 25 years
ago, and seized. Since the motor is no longer available, and replacing the
bearings would have been a nightmare, I just put one drop of South Bend
plain-bearing spindle oil on each bushing every two months or so.

It runs better than ever. Since then I've gotten in the habit of doing the
same with many other plain bearings.

Hi, Ed.

From the Department of Silly Questions: For my mower and chainsaw I add
something called Sea Foam which seems to de-gunk the fuel line and
carburetor fairly well. Would dripping something like this on an Oilite
bushing help dissolve some of the old-and-hardened oil so it would do its
job again? Or would you need something stronger to do the job?


Frank McKenney
--
...I am convinced that scientists have an obligation to communicate
with the public, people who do not know the difference between an
anaysis of variance and a factor analysis but who are eager to read
about current research findings and the hot controversies in our field.
The trick is to inform readers about the latest results in a way that
is interesting, but at the same time respect the complexity of the
issues and be honest about what we know and what we don't.

-- Hal Herzog / Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat
--
Frank McKenney, McKenney Associates
Richmond, Virginia / (804) 320-4887
Munged E-mail: frank uscore mckenney aatt mindspring ddoott com

On Wed, 16 Jul 2014 13:57:55 -0400, Bob Engelhardt
wrote:

Our whole-house fan is mounted in a gable wall near the roof peak.
I.e., not readily accessible and irregularly maintained. So, 50 years
after its installation and maybe 30-40 years after its last lube, one of
its bearings seized. It was one of the pillow block bearings holding
the fan shaft. It's a brass or bronze sleeve bearing with oil grooves
in it. The oil in there had been baked solid and immune to various
solvents and to a lye soak. It had to be chipped out with a pick.

Once cleaned out and reassembled, my first choice for its oil refill was
10W. It ran right through! OK - I tried 30W: it, to, ran out. So, the
bearings are either so worn that they aren't going to hold any oil, or
I'm using the wrong oil. They definitely do not seem worn - they slide
on readily, but without any noticeable play.

I'm inclined to try gear oil, but I thought I'd collect RCM thoughts on
it first.

Thanks,
Bob


================
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...ripbooks%2C448


--
Unka' George

"Gold is the money of kings,
silver is the money of gentlemen,
barter is the money of peasants,
but debt is the money of slaves"

-Norm Franz, "Money and Wealth in the New Millenium"

On Thu, 17 Jul 2014 12:41:54 -0500, F. George McDuffee
wrote:

On Wed, 16 Jul 2014 13:57:55 -0400, Bob Engelhardt
wrote:

Our whole-house fan is mounted in a gable wall near the roof peak.
I.e., not readily accessible and irregularly maintained. So, 50 years
after its installation and maybe 30-40 years after its last lube, one of
its bearings seized. It was one of the pillow block bearings holding
the fan shaft. It's a brass or bronze sleeve bearing with oil grooves
in it. The oil in there had been baked solid and immune to various
solvents and to a lye soak. It had to be chipped out with a pick.

Once cleaned out and reassembled, my first choice for its oil refill was
10W. It ran right through! OK - I tried 30W: it, to, ran out. So, the
bearings are either so worn that they aren't going to hold any oil, or
I'm using the wrong oil. They definitely do not seem worn - they slide
on readily, but without any noticeable play.

Are they sintered bronze? Maybe replace them?
http://www.bronzebushings.com/sae-84...-bearings.html
Oil-impregnated from the factory.


I'm inclined to try gear oil, but I thought I'd collect RCM thoughts on
it first.

Try hot water (boiling the pillow block) to see if any more comes out
or off. Then soak the bushing overnight in something like PB Blaster
or kero, blow it out/allow it to dry for a day, and then soak in 30W
or oil, Bob.


http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...ripbooks%2C448

Within that list is "ceramic grease". Has anyone ever used any?
What is it like, and what uses does it have? Sounds heavy-duty.

I have used TriFlow and SuperLube quite a lot over the years. Both are
great. Spray lithium grease is wonderful for reduced access, as it
sprays on liquid, then semi-solidifies in place. I use it on non-
dissasemblable fan motor bearings and automotive window track/gears,
and in sliding door guides and pulleys/wheels.

--
Liberalism is the result of severe pathogens in our society.

"Bob Engelhardt" wrote in message
...
Our whole-house fan is mounted in a gable wall near the roof peak.
I.e., not readily accessible and irregularly maintained. So, 50
years after its installation and maybe 30-40 years after its last
lube, one of its bearings seized. It was one of the pillow block
bearings holding the fan shaft. It's a brass or bronze sleeve
bearing with oil grooves in it. The oil in there had been baked
solid and immune to various solvents and to a lye soak. It had to
be chipped out with a pick.

Once cleaned out and reassembled, my first choice for its oil refill
was 10W. It ran right through! OK - I tried 30W: it, to, ran out.
So, the bearings are either so worn that they aren't going to hold
any oil, or I'm using the wrong oil. They definitely do not seem
worn - they slide on readily, but without any noticeable play.

I'm inclined to try gear oil, but I thought I'd collect RCM thoughts
on it first.

Thanks,
Bob

Are you fixing it in place, or can you take it to the shop for major
surgery?
-jsw

Frnak McKenney wrote:
From the Department of Silly Questions: For my mower and chainsaw I
add something called Sea Foam which seems to de-gunk the fuel line and
carburetor fairly well. Would dripping something like this on an
Oilite bushing help dissolve some of the old-and-hardened oil so it
would do its job again? Or would you need something stronger to do the
job?


Frank McKenney

No. If the problem was just 'varnished' oil in the pores, then
alternating between soaking in a really agressive solvent (e.g.
dichloromethane) then pulling a vacuum (use a compressed air powered
vacuum generator as the fumes will probably rapidly kill a good vacuum
pump)could clear them out, but if the bearing has seized or squealed, the
surface will have been smeared and seriously overheated so most of the
pores will be blocked with metal particles or insoluable carbon. Some
people report good emergency results from burning out the old oil then
relubricating, but you need to immerse it in hot oil and repeatedly pull
a vacuum to do a proper job of relubeing.





--
Ian Malcolm. London, ENGLAND. (NEWSGROUP REPLY PREFERRED)
ianm[at]the[dash]malcolms[dot]freeserve[dot]co[dot]uk
[at]=@, [dash]=- & [dot]=. *Warning* HTML & 32K emails -- NUL

Hi, Ian.

Thanks for responding.

On Thu, 17 Jul 2014 21:43:52 +0000 (UTC), Ian Malcolm wrote:
Frnak McKenney wrote:
From the Department of Silly Questions: For my mower and chainsaw I
add something called Sea Foam which seems to de-gunk the fuel line and
carburetor fairly well. Would dripping something like this on an
Oilite bushing help dissolve some of the old-and-hardened oil so it
would do its job again? Or would you need something stronger to do the
job?

No. If the problem was just 'varnished' oil in the pores, then
alternating between soaking in a really agressive solvent (e.g.
dichloromethane) then pulling a vacuum (use a compressed air powered
vacuum generator as the fumes will probably rapidly kill a good vacuum
pump)could clear them out, ...

Hm. Rather like using your lungs to suck glass dry after etching it.
Ouch!

... but if the bearing has seized or squealed, the
surface will have been smeared and seriously overheated so most of the
pores will be blocked with metal particles or insoluable carbon.

Ah. Yes. And most anything I could imagine that would remove the metal
would also bits of the bearing, which rather defeats the original
purpose.

Some
people report good emergency results from burning out the old oil then
relubricating, but you need to immerse it in hot oil and repeatedly
pull a vacuum to do a proper job of relubeing.

All of which, for the reasons you point out, ought to be done _before_
the bearing screeches at you. ( "We ought to, you ought to, I'll get
around to it someday." )

Thanks...


Frank
--
To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.
-- Thomas Alva Edison
--
Frank McKenney, McKenney Associates
Richmond, Virginia / (804) 320-4887
Munged E-mail: frank uscore mckenney aatt mindspring ddoott com

On Wed, 16 Jul 2014 13:57:55 -0400, Bob Engelhardt
wrote:

Our whole-house fan is mounted in a gable wall near the roof peak.
I.e., not readily accessible and irregularly maintained. So, 50 years
after its installation and maybe 30-40 years after its last lube, one of
its bearings seized. It was one of the pillow block bearings holding
the fan shaft. It's a brass or bronze sleeve bearing with oil grooves
in it. The oil in there had been baked solid and immune to various
solvents and to a lye soak. It had to be chipped out with a pick.

Once cleaned out and reassembled, my first choice for its oil refill was
10W. It ran right through! OK - I tried 30W: it, to, ran out. So, the
bearings are either so worn that they aren't going to hold any oil, or
I'm using the wrong oil. They definitely do not seem worn - they slide
on readily, but without any noticeable play.

I'm inclined to try gear oil, but I thought I'd collect RCM thoughts on
it first.

Thanks,
Bob



Use sealed grease filled bearings and plan on your grand children
doing a replacement.


--
"Living in the United States now is like being a Tampon.
We're in a great place, just at a bad time."

On 7/16/2014 1:57 PM, Bob Engelhardt wrote:
...
I'm inclined to try gear oil, but I thought I'd collect RCM thoughts on
it first.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

Not having way lube, I tried bar & chain. It leaked through also. I
had forgotten Terry's suggestion of a mix of grease & oil.

On 7/16/2014 2:36 PM, Lloyd E. Sponenburgh wrote:
I'd more naturally assume that _either_ they were made of oilite to
begin with, and the grooves were just for maintenance oiling, where
the oil is expected to run out after having created a film, OR that
they were intended to be greased.

They're definitely not oilite. They have oil cups, not grease fittings.
And the oil grooves are about .04 x .1 and in a criss-cross pattern.
I.e., an oil supply network.

When such a sleeve is intended to be oiled instead of greased, there's
usually a felt washer on the ends or a wick in the oil hole to soak up
and re-feed oil into the gap as necessary.

There were wads of cotton near the top. But there are 4 oil feed holes
and a large (1 oz+-) reservoir all around. The cotton doesn't make
sense to me.

Replacing them is what I would do now. When I started, I thought that
it was a matter of cleaning them & refilling the oil, and I would have
the satisfaction of fixing them. When that didn't work, I got caught up
in the sunk cost fallacy and didn't want to throw away all the work that
I had done chipping out the carbonized oil.

In the end, I greased them and hope that it works.

Bob