Enviro EF3 New Bushing, plate, and motor .. still having issues

[Digitalsucks]

Hey y’all,

I’ve been troubleshooting something, and I’ve just about exhausted my patience. I have an older EF3. It’s been great for the most part. But last spring I started having issues, and I’m just now getting back to sorting it out. Firstly, I had an auger jam, and it took out the auger motor. (It would no longer turn). Something to note here, is the brass bushing was completely chewed through by the plate. Like completely through. So, that seems to be what caused the jam. But not sure what cause the bushing to fail…
I replaced the auger motor. I replaced the bushing with the nylon one mentioned on here, and a new end plate. Worked flawlessly for a month or two, then it started to lock up the auger, and you can hear the motor struggling, then clicking, and it can’t turn.

So. Dismantle, clean, inspect. Bushing looks fine. Auger shaft spins freely and motor seems to work fine when not under load. Toss in a handful of pellets… auger binds, motor struggles, clicks, and it’s stuck again. (And it does seem hard to free up by hand, even just few pellets in there.

My question… what the heck am I missing? There is a bit of free play between the bushing/shaft. Is that enough to make it bind under load? When installed, the auger also moves up/down a bit (like1/4“ maybe) in the auger shoot (shoot?). Is that an issues? Did I kill another auger motor somehow? Lol. Looking for any suggestions.

(I also have a problematic 25 pdv englander stove I’m gonna bring up here at some point but that’s a whole other can of worms. Lol)

 

[johneh]

Did you also change the upper bushing ?

 

[Digitalsucks]

Did you also change the upper bushing ?

I did not. I’m not sure how to get at it. The whole hopper seems fixed. Can you access through the firebox?

 

[johneh]

Normally the top bushing does not need replacement
Did you clean the and lube the auger shaft where it goes into the bushing?
Did you put lube on the new nylon insert and clean the auger shaft?
Pull the cover off the auger motor gear case and check the lubricant.
Make sure the auger spins with no effort when the auger motor not installed
Test run the auger with motor installed, with and without pellets direct with a 120 volt feed ( old lamp cord )

 

[Digitalsucks]

Normally the top bushing does not need replacement
Did you clean the and lube the auger shaft where it goes into the bushing?
Did you put lube on the new nylon insert and clean the auger shaft?
Pull the cover off the auger motor gear case and check the lubricant.
Make sure the auger spins with no effort when the auger motor not installed
Test run the auger with motor installed, with and without pellets direct with a 120 volt feed ( old lamp cord )

Auger shaft was cleaned. I didn’t think it was supposed to be. What lube is best? I have some bearing grease.

Auger does spin smoothly without motor. Also spins fine running with no pellets.

Add a cup of pellets and it locks up.

I haven’t opened this motor up, I can. But it is brand new.

But if that bushing is supposed to be lubed, I def did not do that.

 

[johneh]

I use a moly lube but any good heat resistant lube works

 

[Digitalsucks]

I’ll see what the heat-temp rating is on the bearing grease I have, or go buy something and see if that makes a difference.

 

[Digitalsucks]

Ok. So, I emptied the entire hopper, vacuumed everything out. Removed the auger shaft , grease the upper shaft portion (that goes into the upper bearing), and greased the lower shaft/bushing with high temp grease (450ºF). With the auger installed without the motor, it spins freely. The only movement is in the direction of the shaft about 2-3 mm up and down. There might be a mm of movement around the bottom bushing side to side. Overall it spins smoothly. With the motor installed (brand new motor from Midwest Hearth — quietest motor I’ve ever heard btw. Wow). It runs fine with no pellets. As soon as pellets go in, it runs long enough to fill the auger, run the stove for 5 mins, but then the auger is jammed and the motor is struggling (you can see it pushing, trying to turn, but the auger shaft won’t budge. What on earth is causing these jams? Tried two different bags of Eastern Ember pellets. Softwood. We’ve burned them for the last 4-5 years Without issue. Should I try a different brand? Or … what else can I take apart on this stove? Lol. I can’t get to the upper bushing to Inspect, but that seems like the only other thing left?

When I replaced the back plate and bushing that winter, it came with a red rubber plate instead of a steel inner plate. Would that cause an issue?

 

[johneh]

You say it fills the auger tube and supplies enough pellets for, 5 min. fire correct?
When the auger was out did you roll it on a late surface to make sure it was straight?
Did you check the output shute to see if there was something jammed in it?

 

[Mt Bob]

2 things to check--
1 after it runs, and starts to "jam", measure the voltage right at the motor.
2 I have seen lots of sticky gum on well used and older stoves. They look clean, but run your fingers inside it, see if they meet resistance. If so, need to clean. An inch long buildup near the burn pot end puts a load on everything behind it. On really bad ones, I clean, then I run a hone through.

 

[Digitalsucks]

Hey,
The output shoot looks clear. You can see right to the top of the auger and a few pellets ready to drop.
And yes, after everything is reassembled with pellets, it will run, there’s fire, but then it jams. It’s like it jams after the auger tube fills completely.
I have not rolled the auger shaft on a surface. Is it likely to bend/warp? I can check it, but I’ll have to do it tomorrow. Hopefully it’s noticebly bent and that’s my problem.

Thanks for the input. If there’s anything else I can check while I have it out let me know,

 

[Digitalsucks]

2 things to check--
1 after it runs, and starts to "jam", measure the voltage right at the motor.
2 I have seen lots of sticky gum on well used and older stoves. They look clean, but run your fingers inside it, see if they meet resistance. If so, need to clean. An inch long buildup near the burn pot end puts a load on everything behind it. On really bad ones, I clean, then I run a hone through.

Thanks for that.
What will the voltage tell me?
On this stove, there’s no way to check way up by the upper end of the auger. Hands don’t fit, and the whole thing is welded together It looks like? How does one clean up there?

 

[Mt Bob]

Thanks for that.
What will the voltage tell me?
On this stove, there’s no way to check way up by the upper end of the auger. Hands don’t fit, and the whole thing is welded together It looks like? How does one clean up there?

Low voltage would tell you the control board probably has an issue.
To check and clean tube, you can use a long set of pliers, a screwdriver, a dowel with a slot cut in it, etc.
To check, wrap paper towels around, not a tight fit in tube, slide up and down, you will be able to tell if there is residue, the paper may even rip off and stick. To clean, same thing, except use rags, along with a cleaner, mineral spirits , acetone,etc. Even carburetor spray works well.

 

[Digitalsucks]

Awesome. thanks. When I take the auger shaft out to check it again, I’ll also see what I can use to clean the top of that auger tube. I do have some carb cleaner, and brake cleaner handy.

I used dry graphite inside the hopper a while back, which seemed to really help with pellet feeding rate. think there might be a use to shooting some dry graphic up that auger tube, or not recommended/no point?

 

[Mt Bob]

Awesome. thanks. When I take the auger shaft out to check it again, I’ll also see what I can use to clean the top of that auger tube. I do have some carb cleaner, and brake cleaner handy.

I used dry graphite inside the hopper a while back, which seemed to really help with pellet feeding rate. think there might be a use to shooting some dry graphic up that auger tube, or not recommended/no point?

I feel bare metal is best, I know dry graphite will also get "grabby" after a while, like the resins from hot wood also stick to it. But that is just my experience.

 

[Digitalsucks]

So, I haven’t put pellets in yet. But I cleaned the auger tube with acetone. Took the auger shaft out — it seems straight. Reassembled and everything moves freely. There’s a space between the bottom fine of the auger and the backplate. Does that look right?

Also, I can move the auger up and down a mm or 2. That also normal?

Im going to dump pellets in a cup at a time when I get home, and see if it jams again.

 

[johneh]

2mm play is normal
hope it now works for you

 

[Digitalsucks]

Unfortunately, it got jammed again. I fed it pellets a 1 cup/scoop at a time for 2 hrs or so, and it seemed fine. Then it stopped feeding. I could not turn the auger by hand, and the motor was just struggling.

I have yet to check the voltage thing and I’m on my way for surgery so probably can’t get to it for a bit. At least its not too cold yet (famous last words)