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Loved how you explained everything with great detail and left nothing to the imagination. That tapping of the motor shaft for bearing alignment was certainly a treat! thanks for making this tutorial.
Happy to hear that it was helpful! The bearing alignment is one tip I always like to tell people who are working on fan motors. It’s the magic step that is often overlooked!
I have a similar fan motor in an old microwave over that is running slow. I search many videos to learn the proper way to lubricate it. Yours is the best by far. I appreciate the time you put into making it clear.
A great help! I bought a vintage Galaxy 3701 fan that was advertised as working, but arrived seized up. I found your video and watched it before taking out the motor, hoping it was the same type. Fortunately it was. Not only was it dry, but both bushings were clogged up with old dust and hair. After following your solid procedures here it now works like new, thank you! I normally would have just tossed it and called it a waste of money. 😉
Great! Sometimes online fan purchases don’t exactly line up with the seller’s descriptions, I’ve been there myself many times with eBay purchases. I’m so glad this video helped!
Glad to see you put the warning about getting any rust off the shaft to remove the front bearing; if only my tired self had remembered that when I serviced a Broan bathroom fan at 2:00 in the morning earlier this week
Thank you for the useful tips! Aligning the sintered bronze bearing bushes precisely axially with gentle blows was new to me! I tried this on my fan motor, which hasn't been dismantled in decades. I always thought it ran well and I lubricated it regularly. After gently hitting the shaft, it now runs even more easily and freely. To do this, I placed the plastic handle of a small screwdriver on the shaft as a shock absorber and hit it with a large Allen key as a replacement for a small hammer. It is a nice shaded pole motor from an old record player (60s), with three copper loops on each pole (for a better rotating field and smooth running) and two symmetrical coils. I regulate the speed with incandescent light bulbs connected in series. Different wattages result in different blowing strengths and a switch that bypasses the bulb socket for full speed. It has a model airplane propeller as a propeller. After cutting my hand on the propeller running at full speed, I made a protective ring.
Awesome video SuperfanMan and the best part is that it comes with oil ports i have never seen any shaded pole motor with oil ports before none of my fans come with it... i hope they would still start to add that motor is 9" hv fans and smaller fans also .. good video and i enjoyed it
Thanks! Not very many new c-frame motors have oil ports, so I was also surprised that this motor had them. I definitely agree that more manufacturers should implement oil ports on their motors. Sadly nowadays they seem to prioritize planned obsolescence over longevity.
@@TheSuperFanMan wow so true but wow that's a rarity with that more and with the TpI that me and Jordan has with oil ports but now the new 2020 model of the tpi 12" models sold on amazon does not have oil ports anymore the motor is completely sealed thankfully earlier this year when i got mines it came with the oil port 2019 model same as jordan u are you going to get one that fan is built like a tank its freakin heavy lol
@@TheSuperFanManLuckily all my bathroom exhaust fans have oil ports. Don't expect manufacturers to start including them again though. You could spend your whole life asking every person you meet if they've ever lubricated the sintered brass bearings on their shaded pole motors, and if they used the port or not....and all you will get is odd looks. Nowadays people throw them away or pay someone else to do it. Manufacturers don't include ways to maintain them kike the old days. You can successfully drill your own oil ports, and often drill them at a place where they will be more easily accessible than the manufactured ports.
Everyone is here from Bathroom exhaust fans and Im no exception. Theres no way I could get the fan blades off without breaking them. I oiled the shaft and spun it around hoping that oil would go into the bearings(I saw a guy from Thailand doing it) "Dont use the regular 3 in 1"? Yeah I did. Thats my bearing oil. "tap the bearings until it runs smooth". Man, Thats my tip of the month. Ive thrown out countless motors thinking somehow I reassembled them wrong until Im scared to disassemble them.
That method of oiling without pulling the motor apart works too. Though not as effective as disassembling it, it's definitely far better than not oiling at all! The regular 3 in 1 oil will still lubricate motor bearings but it may become gummy in the future. Glad I could help with the bearing alignment! That's something I learned too in my early days of fan collecting. It became such a crucial part of servicing a sleeve-bearing motor that I try to emphasize it whenever I make videos like this one.
Thanks for this. The last part was interesting for me, when you tapped the shaft to align the bushings. I just serviced my washing machine pump motor and noticed it was stiff to turn afterwards. I was thinking there might be corrosion on the rotor and I would need to sand it to make more clearance. I will try the tapping method.
No problem! Assuming your motor has sleeve bearings (not ball bearings), the motor shaft likely just needs a handful of tapping from various angles to nudge the bearings back into alignment. Another thing to check is the evenness of the tightness of the bolts holding the motor housing together. I wouldn’t recommend sanding the shaft, as the tolerance is already precisely set at the factory. Removing excess material could cause bearing play. I try to remove corrosion on the shaft chemically. Rust removers or sometimes just good ol’ WD-40 does wonders without affecting the shaft tolerances. Hope it helps!
Shaded-pole motors are one of the many types of electric motors, which can be categorized based on their mechanisms to turn electrical energy into rotational motion. Shaded-pole motors are among the least expensive AC induction motors, due to the simple construction, lack of capacitors and start switches. I'm not the best when it comes to explaining things concisely so this may be helpful: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GNTvWxl3Isw.html Within the world of shaded-pole motors, they can be further classified based on their design. The c-frame is one of the types of shaded-pole motors, often rectangular with a single coil of windings. Hope this helps!
🤔👀 🤷♂️ How does Andis (hair) Clipper oil compare? I have a microwave currently disassembled that's awaiting a swift reassembly that I don't want to undermine from selecting a substandard lubricant.
If the bearings are bronze type inserts clipped into the housing and allow for some swivel, how can you get them both set up parallel to minimise the friction on the shaft?
Thankfully is a very simply process to realign those bearings. It’s explained at 12:35 mark in this video. Tapping the motor shaft with a screwdriver from various angles will nudge the bearings into alignment again. Hope it helps!
Oil has been used to lubricate motor bearings for over a century, and sleeve bearings in particular are specifically designed to work with liquid oil. As long as the bearings aren’t over-oiled, the oil generally stays within the bearing area and won’t attract much dust. Dry lube might work, but I personally wouldn’t recommend it.
would you happen to know if this works as well on exhaust fans (bathroom) that are a round motor? I've seen some people mention in general how some motors don't have oil so I'm not sure how that works then, my fan is a round motor and it's squeeling and wheezing lately, took the motor assembly apart (but not the motor itself) and it's definitely the motor rotating causing the noise like perhaps light friction
Absolutely! The motor may look different, but the procedure to oil the bearings will be more or less the same. Nearly all bathroom exhaust fans have sleeve bearings, the same type as the ones present on this microwave fan motor. Most motor bearings have some form of lubrication. An exception might be a magnetic bearing but those are reserved for more niche applications. The squealing sound from your motor is very like the bearings needing some oil. The disassembly process will be different though. There will likely be 2 to 4 bolts holding the two halves of the motor together. Once they are removed, you should be able to pull the halves off of the stator (be careful not to strike the copper windings). From there, the bearings can be cleaned and oiled. Hope it helps!
after a bunch of trying stuff and going on forums, it seems replacing the bearing is what I need to do as the bearings themselves are making noise. Hoping this will fix it so 1) it's cheap 2) little in the landfill 3) I didn't waste several hours for nothing@@TheSuperFanMan
Yep these are very commonly used. Wiring isn't difficult if there are just two wires coming from the motor. Simply connect each wire to neutral and live.
my upper bearing seems to be an assembly of a speed nut (type washer that's pushed onto the shaft) holding an oblate ring that appears to be the entire bearing surface. Any suggestions?
It sounds like a typical bearing housing design, just a bit different in appearance than the one in this video. Does it look more like the one shown at 2:16 in this video? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NHMEHllT6Ks.html If yes, then it can be serviced and oiled the same way as I did in this video. The oil can be applied into the little radial gaps that surround the bearing, so it can soak into the felt wick material hidden in the bearing housing. Otherwise the rest of the motor servicing process should be the same as this video. Hope it helps!
@@TheSuperFanMan thanks for taking time to actually locate the point in the video you linked to.... first rate "above and beyond" support for your viewers!
The intake fan on pellet smokers have the same shaded pole motor. But just slightly bigger. The rotor rides on a spacer so the spacer is a wear item. Do you know where I can get replacement spacers?
Fiber washers (usually red or grey) or nylon washers can be used. I bought assortment packs from Amazon but I believe a lot of hardware stores have them too. Remember to check the inner & outer diameter and the thickness of the washers to ensure it fits your motor. Hope it helps!
The Supco Zoom Spout Oiler - Turbine Oil is one of the most confusing brands ever. The actual physical oiling bottle is called "Zoom Spout Oiler" and then a dozen different companies put their private brand and different types of oil into the bottle from Supco, LaCo, Dial, Highside etc... The new batch of Supco Zoom Spout Oiler - Turbine Oil is now no longer labelled as Turbine Oil, but MO98 "Finest All Purpose Oil". I don't know about you, but this is got to be one of the biggest blunders in history in screwing up a brand name ! Also good motor bushings are usually powder sintered and not machined for solid brass stock, this way the lubricating oil is inpregananted into the bushing and kept feed by the oil filled felt.
✏️✏️📌👍 Thanks for the heads up. Am currently awaiting swift reassembly of my microwave after feedback regarding whether my Andis hair clipper oil will suffice or if it will be far substandard. If substandard, what might be easily acquired at a big box store such as Menards or Home Depot or a particular local business that might likely carry the lubricant to be targeted.
The clipper oil will work, but it likely won’t last a long time since it’s a thin lubricant. But if it’s all you have now and need to have the microwave up and running asap, it’ll work fine for now without doing any harm. I believe the 3-in-One electric motor oil (the blue & white bottle oil I showed in the video) is available at many hardware stores.
@@That_Handle The important thing here is if the the oil is a detergent or non-detergent based oil. Only non-detergent oils should be used on motors with sintered brass bushings. From most of the clipper oils I have come across the majority are non-detergent oil so you should be fine. As I can tell the clipper oils from Wahl or Andis are just mineral spirit and pretty liquid they are around the same viscosity as Supco's Turbine oil.
Hello, I like your video, very helpful. I got curious and was messing around with my desk fan. The layers of metal has rust on it any good way to get the rust off? I didn't have anything to use other than baby wipes, so I literally when at with baby wipes. I got some of it off, but not all of it. Also, when I when go to put the barrings back on with the cylinder metal thing it refused to spin. I would have to touch the balde it to make it spin again and the layers of metal would get warm. After a while I guess you cannot have both hex nuts super tight and they both have to evenly tight for it to spin back normally again I'm afraid that I have it to lose and the hex nuts might go lose while thr fan spins and the metal cylinder thing will go crazy. The only thing I did wrong was force thr barrings off the metal cylinder thing, so Imma go back and get inside of it and clean it.
Hi there! Depending on the severity of the rust, you can either use paper towel with some WD-40 for light rust, or wire brush for heavier rust. I would first try spraying a bit of WD-40 onto paper towel and scrubbing the rust off. Unless the rust is very bad, it won’t have any major effect on the motor. As for the rotor (the cylinder) not spinning, have you aligned the bearings? Shown at 12:35 in this video. This is a crucial step to ensure the bearings are in alignment with the motor shaft so there is no resistance. That may be the reason why your rotor is having trouble rotating. The nuts holding the bearing housings should be tightened, but not cranked down with all your might. Try tightening the nuts down first, then aligning the bearings. Hope it helps! Feel free to any other questions you have!
I personally have not tried, though I’m sure it could be done with patience and willingness to accept possible failure. It’s a really tricky process because these bearing housings aren’t designed to be taken apart once assembled at the factory.
These shaded-pole motors shouldn't lose power over time, regardless of their age. It may seem like it's losing power if the bearings are seized up. The lack of oil or old gummed-up oil can cause the motor to run slower than it should. When you turn the motor by hand, it should coast down to a smooth stop. If the motor comes to an abrupt stop, it likely needs to be oiled like I did in this video.
If a motor like this doesn’t work when plugged in, where would you suggest to start looking for the failure? It’s a bathroom vent fan, no apparent signs of burn anywhere.
There are two reasons that I can think of. First one is seized bearings. When you spin the fan by hand, does it spin freely and coast down to a smooth stop? If it doesn’t, it needs to be oiled as I did in this video. The second reason could be overheating. Most motors have a thermal fuse that will blow when the winding coils surpass a certain temperature. It’s possible that dust accumulation, or stiff/seized bearings caused the motor to overheat and blow the fuse. Most bathroom fan motors have a plug, so you can test for continuity (or resistance) across the two prongs with a multimeter. If the motor is alive, there should be a resistance reading. You can also tell if the motor is alive by listening for a faint hum when you turn it on. If it hums but doesn’t move, it’s usually due to seized bearings. Hope this helps, and feel free ask any questions you have!
SAE 30 would work, though it might be a bit viscous. I’d say SAE-15 to 20 is more ideal for smaller fan motors. I’d suggest going for a non-detergent oil, as it‘s less likely to gum up over time from accumulating debris.
I found a motor similar to this in my Portable AC.. On the wiring diagram its called a splash motor and throws the water it collects up into the condenser to help evaporate it so it doesn't fill up so quickly.. Problem is I'm having problems finding some that look identical. I'm afraid of using just *any* motor because of fears that it's not waterproof.. Am I correct in this assumption? The motor just doesn't seem to work.. But it does spin freely. With the wires removed from the circuit board I get readings of 120v from the two pins.. When I connect the motor and check near the actual motor is more like 15-20v.. So I'm not 100% how that's supposed to work.. But my first instinct was the motor was burnt up.
Sorry about the late response! I have no idea how I missed your comment before. I’m not very familiar with the workings of portable ACs, but after a quick Google search, it appears that splash motors are more or less the same as typical shaded pole, c-frame motors. It’s likely that the motor itself doesn’t get splashed during normal operation. Does the motor have the voltage and current ratings listed on the sticker? If yes, you could obtain a motor with matching specs (also make sure the motor shaft length, diameter, and direction of rotation are the same) and it should work fine. Hope it helps!
Hey SuperFanMan! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge! Super helpful! Maybe you could help me out. I bought a used dehumidifier today. Unfortunately the fan is making a really loud rattling noise. It uses this kind of motor. I checked if the blades of the fan are touching anything in the housing. This isn't the case. The rotor spins long and freely. However, when I turn the fan by hand (pretty slowly) and put my ear very close to the motor I can hear a "rubbing" noise at only one single point of a 360° turn. I assume that whatever this might be is causing some kind of imbalance inside the motor resulting in a rattling noise. What could this be? Are the bearings shot or just dry? Is it dirt? Is there any way I can fix this problem/replace the bearings or do I have to replace the entire motor unit? Thanks in advance for your help! All the best from Germany! ✌🏻
Hi there! Greetings from Canada! I can certainly try to help. Based on my experience, that sounds like a case of worn out bearings. Worn bearings will cause the rotor to sit lower, and may cause it to rub against the stator. These shaded-pole type motors naturally run hotter so they are more prone to bearing failure than other types of motors when the bearing lubricant dries out. You can check to see if there’s wear in the bearing by grabbing the motor shaft and trying to move it up and down. If you feel any movement (even the slightest), there’s a chance that it is the cause of the noise. One thing you can try is rotating both bearing housings 180 degrees, which may solve the issue if the bearing wear isn’t too severe. If that doesn’t fix the issue, the only other way would be to get a new motor. Any shaded-pole, c-frame motor with the same shaft diameter and similar amperage rating should be a suitable replacement. The issue could certainly be something other than worn bearings, so if you notice other things, I can try to give further advice based on that. Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any other questions!
Thank you so much for your help! I took the entire unit apart. Luckily the motor of the dehumidifier (YJ64-30A-0031) was designed in a way that made it possible to replace the bearings (626Z). The old bearings were very dirty and grimey and didn't run smoothly. I replaced the bearings, cleaned all parts with brake cleaner and oiled everything as instructed in your video. The result is: no rattling at all, the motor is as new, purrs like a kitten! I am super happy with the result! Again, thank you so much for your support! Your video gave me an insight in how these motors are designed. And your support really helped me to solve this issue! There should be more good guys like you out there! Thank you! All the best from Münster, Germany! ✌🏻
You covered very little about cleaning. I have a greasy kitchen fan motor. How to clean it? Can I use detergent ? Also if I wash it in water and dry it thoroughly would that be a problem?
Yes this video’s focus was on how to oil the motor so I didn’t go over the cleaning process in detail. Cleaning can be done by spraying some degreaser or WD-40 onto a sheet of paper towel and giving the motor a good wipe. WD-40 alone often does a great job. I haven’t tried detergent before so I can’t say how effective it will be. I highly recommend that you don’t wash it or submerge it in water. That will leave water in the windings or between the stator laminates, which could cause the motor to short out or allow rust to form.
For cleaning greasy electrical components, you can use either chlorinated brake parts cleaner (perchloroethylene aka Tetrachloroethylene) or electrical contact cleaner. Both are good solvents for grease/organic compounds and non conductive. Brake parts Cleaner isn't flammable, but contact cleaner is. Be sure to oil bushings after cleaning
Yes, typically brake cleaners and contact cleaners will work great on dirty electrical components. However, when it comes to electric motors, I wouldn’t recommend brake cleaners. Most are harmful for plastics and the insulating varnish on the windings. Spraying brake cleaner on motors will likely do some irreversible damage that may eventually lead to motor failure. Plastic-safe contact cleaners are completely fine though. I use CRC QD electronic cleaner to clean motor parts.
Can you do a video on how to oil the motor of 12" and 16" Super and Galaxy fans ? I opened one up and it looks like you have to disassemble the whole motor in order to get to it.
I have a 20 yr old bathroom exhaust fan I haven’t serviced so mine might need a bit of work (I usually vacuum the dust out yearly though). Also, just wondering if there is anything you can do to rectify a stator that has some rust.
If it’s just surface rust, you can first try a bit of WD-40 and steel wool to see if the rust will come off. If the rust is deeper, you can use a wire wheel to remove it. I recommend using a small wire wheel attached to a rotary tool or a drill rather than a larger one on a bench grinder. Be extra cautious when wire wheeling near the windings because even a small poke with the wire wheel will destroy them. Avoid using a chemical rust remover as it will wreak havoc with flash rust and potential damage to the windings and the plastic insulation around them. After removing the rust, you can rub on a thin coat of WD-40 on the stator (or an electrical insulating varnish such as the SprayOn EL600) to protect it from future rusting. Hope this helps!
@@TheSuperFanMan Cool. I think I have a small steel wire pencil brush I can use on my portable drill. I'll see how that goes. Thanks for the help anyway.
I made a mistake and put multipurpose grease in my bathroom ventilation fan bearings, I took it back apart and removed all the grease and oil the bearings, Do you think the grease caused damage to the bearings? It runs fine now but before it was noisy
You’re good. Grease isn’t bad for sleeve bearings, it’s just not the best kind of lubricant. Grease is more suitable in bearings that have rolling elements such as ball bearings, while oil works better in sleeve bearings. Your motor should be okay with oil in it now.
can rust on the body make it unusable? The thermal fuse was blown so I changed it and still not working. I took the fuse off and close circuit still not working!! I had to sand the shaft (it was really rusty lol) and I cleaned almost everything except the part holding the coil and the magnet which I call the body. I see there is voltage going through. So it "should" be working, I guess... Anyway, great video! I have learned a lot :D Thank you!
Happy to hear you found the video helpful! The body of the motor is the stator, which is essentially layers of steel laminations that the windings are coiled around. The electricity goes through the windings, which are insulated so the stator is not live even when the motor is running. If the stator does shock you, it means there’s a short circuit the windings. In most cases, rust won’t affect the motor’s functionality unless it’s severe to a point where the rust has grown deep into the stator. Based on your description, it sounds like there is an open circuit in the windings. It’s possible that the motor overheated and the windings shorted out, causing the fuse to trip due to the heat. If that’s the case, the only way to revive it is to have the motor rewound with new windings, which would be a costly repair. One less expensive option would be to look for a replacement motor. Hope this helps!
TheSuperFanMan wow thanks a lot!!!!! and that explain why my power supply goes off on red/white, blue/white. There is a short! I have a lot of fun to dismantle things just to understand how they work especially when they are broken! Of course, electronics, electricity needs some training and circuit knowledge but I am getting there and thanks to you! Thank you for your time :D!
Motors fail either mechanically or electrically, so here are two easy ways to check: - when switched on, does it buzz or hum? Any sound usually indicates that the motor is still alive and needs to be cleaned and oiled. If there is no sound at all, check for continuity. - check the continuity across the motor windings with a multimeter. If there is an open circuit, that usually means the internal thermal fuse blew, rendering the motor unusable unless the fuse is replaced (a very tedious and delicate task). If there is resistance values, the windings are likely okay, and the issue is mechanical, such as the bearings being locked up. Oiling usually solves that. Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any other questions!
What is the issue that you encounter? One common issue can be the bearings not being aligned properly. After fully assembling the motor, use the screwdriver’s handle to whack the motor shaft from various directions. If that doesn’t fix the issue, there may be something else going on. You could make a video showing the issue, I can try to help.
May I ask what type of fan you’re working with, and whether the blades are metal or plastic? It’ll help me narrow down to a specific advice for your fan.
Ah I see. With plastic blades, first check if there is a metal retainer or spring on the hub. Manufacturers often install it to ensure the blades won’t slip off. If there is a retainer of some sort, try to remove it. Usually a bit of gentle prying with a flathead screwdriver will allow you to pop them off. If you’re unsure how a retainer is supposed to come off, feel free to let me know what the retainer looks like and I can help you out. Then you’ll want to spray some WD-40 or something similar into the area between the motor shaft and the blade hub. Let it soak in for at least a few hours or more. Try pulling the blades off again, grabbing it by the hub. Based on my experience, this does this trick in most cases. Plastic blades often get stuck due to old oil residue. If the blades still won’t budge, feel free to let me know and I’d be glad to offer more advice!
They’re technically “brushless” but you normally don’t use that term on these AC induction motors. “Brushed” and “brushless” are terms used on DC motors. The motor shown in this video is a shaded pole, c-frame motor.
