Lopi 400 PS repair

[G-runner]

Hello,

I'm kind of stuck with a problem I'm having with my freestanding Lopi 400 PS. I've been burning it for the past 3 years and it has run great. I clean it regularly. The recent problem is the auger sticking after it runs a while. I noticed it wasn't turning quite like last year because the fire in the firepot wasn't producing much as good a flame as last year.
What I've done is take the back plate off the stove near the auger. I've tested the auger motor and it is running fine and wants to turn the auger but gets to a certain point and then seems to hang up. The hopper is clear and clean, free of pellets so theres no blockage. What I've found is right above the auger motor there is a metal ring held in place by (4) nuts. When the nuts are removed the ring can be pulled back down on the auger motor shaft. When the stove is then turned on and the auger activated it turns fine and doesn't hang up but when that ring is put back into place with the nuts in position the auger turns a bit then hangs up again. It looks like from inspecting the ring and the area around in on the inside of the ring there may be a little rust. I thought this might be the issue. I've cleaned and lubricated the area well but even still once the ring is put back into place the auger still hangs up and won't after several revolutions. I've tried to remove the auger motor to maybe remove the auger itself to better clean it but I can't get the auger motor off or the auger itself to drop out. I thought it would come out once I removed the ring but it doesn't.

Any help would be great.

Thanks in advance G-runner

 

[G-runner]

Further inspection of the metal ring at the base of the auger shaft look like it might have some rust on the inside of the ring. It seems this ring touches the auger shaft making me think it might be getting hung up there. I still can't get the auger motor or auger itself to drop out. I have removed the allen head set screw. And it appears if you take the two outer nuts off of the metal ring around the base of the auger itself the auger and motor should slide out but it doesn't

 

[G-runner]

Okay, It’s fixed I tried emailing the manufacturer but they didn't provide any useful information. I’ll try to explain my issue and show some pics and hopefully this will help someone else who might have the same issue. Again I have a Lopi 400 PS freestanding stove. It’s pre-1993.

So, the stove would start and run for about 10-15 minutes but then cut off. It seemed the auger motor was not running as strong as it previously had no doubt compounded by the stuck auger. The issue ended up being a stuck auger bearing and worn out auger motor.
On the pre-1993 models of these stoves there are two Allen head screws securing auger bearing to the auger shaft and the other which goes through the auger bearing and auger shaft securing the auger motor. I sheared the second screw off about ½ way while trying to remove it. I tried drilling it out without success. The screw is only about an 1/8” wide. I ended up using a Dremel and grinding the screw back past the auger bearing and was able to manipulate the screw sideways a bit allowing the auger motor to drop. Below is a pic of the auger motor still in the stove. I have it partially taken apart because it wasn’t engaging well. No doubted because of the issue of the auger getting hung up.

Below is a pic of the screw hole where the screw was broken off. I was still able to unscrew the (4) screws that held the lower bushing in place. So you can see below the auger bearing.

Once I was able to get the screw sideways behind the bearing the auger motor dropped. I still couldn’t get the auger bearing to come off the auger shaft though. So, I had to go in through the hopper and use the flat side of a punch and rubber mallet to tap the upper bushing above the auger bearing down until the two dropped off the shaft. Tapping it off took some persistence because the bearing was on tight. I used a little PB blast to help loosen things.

Here is a pic of the upper and lower bushings with the auger bearing together. The two screws that are missing on the sides of the lower bushing are what hold this assembly into the auger tube. All the screws on the assembly have lock washers on them.

Here’s a pic of the lower bushing removed to show the auger bearing sitting in the upper bushing. The bearing has two holes in it. One to hold to the auger shaft and the other goes through to hold the bearing and auger motor in place.

Here’s a pic of the bearing by itself. Top and bottom. Once cleaned and lubricated it turned fine. It doesn’t come apart

All the pieces. Upper, lower bushing and bearing. I sanded the inside of these bushings a bit because they had a little rust on them using 1000 grit sandpaper.

The issue was the bearing was hung up or would stick after the stove ran a while and would only turn about a 1/4” when the assembly was together. Once I lubricated it and placed the assembly back together it would spin freely and worked fine. The other issue was the auger motor itself was worn out. It was date stamped 09/92. I’m sure just being old and also the issue of this bearing being stuck took the rest of the life out of it. So, I purchased a new motor online for about $63 shipped.

With the bearing turning freely I put the assembly back together. Like I said I couldn’t get the auger shaft itself to drop but it didn’t really matter because it turned fine. I tapped the assembly back up on the auger shaft and put the screws back that hold the assembly at the lower bushing to the auger tube. My new auger motor fit right into place. I put the original Allen head screw back securing the auger bearing to the auger shaft. I had another Allen head screw just like the on that sheared off and was able to use it to secure the auger motor to the auger shaft and everything works great now.


Hopefully this helps anyone else with a similar issue.

 

[G-runner]

A little follow up on my previous Lopi 400 PS pellet stove, pre-92 model. My auger bearing started making a grinding noise again after about two weeks of use and so I removed the bushing-bearing assembly again and cleaned the bearing with some PB blast again and this time put some oil on it and left it to soak in around the bearing seals real good. I then spun the bearing round and round and wiped it clean of excess oil. The oil that came out was kind of dark and dirty no doubt from 27 years of use but in the end it was back to turning freely again. The bearing had locked up again and what happens is the outer portion of the bearing starts spinning between the two bushings causing the grinding sound. So the auger motor will still turn the bearing even when locked.
So, after re-assembling the bushing & bearing I re-installed the assembly and its again been running smoothly. I'm not completely satisfied that the bearing might not stiffen up again so I went online to try and find another one. After doing some searching I found the bearing is made by a company called Peer. I was able to find the same bearing on my stove and purchased it from Amazon, shipped for $24. Peer makes all kinds of bearings, a lot of them used in pellet stove applications. I haven't installed it yet because my old one is still running great and very quiet. All I hear is the clicking of the auger motor coming on and off. But I have the new bearing on standby in case.

Below is a pic of the new bearing and that of the old bearing waiting to be installed.

 

[G-runner]

Does anyone know if it’s bad to burn without the firebrick inserts? Mine just broke for me Lopi 400 PS and I really don’t want to spend $125 to buy a new one.
Thanks

 

[pauhou2]

A little follow up on my previous Lopi 400 PS pellet stove, pre-92 model. My auger bearing started making a grinding noise again after about two weeks of use and so I removed the bushing-bearing assembly again and cleaned the bearing with some PB blast again and this time put some oil on it and left it to soak in around the bearing seals real good. I then spun the bearing round and round and wiped it clean of excess oil. The oil that came out was kind of dark and dirty no doubt from 27 years of use but in the end it was back to turning freely again. The bearing had locked up again and what happens is the outer portion of the bearing starts spinning between the two bushings causing the grinding sound. So the auger motor will still turn the bearing even when locked.
So, after re-assembling the bushing & bearing I re-installed the assembly and its again been running smoothly. I'm not completely satisfied that the bearing might not stiffen up again so I went online to try and find another one. After doing some searching I found the bearing is made by a company called Peer. I was able to find the same bearing on my stove and purchased it from Amazon, shipped for $24. Peer makes all kinds of bearings, a lot of them used in pellet stove applications. I haven't installed it yet because my old one is still running great and very quiet. All I hear is the clicking of the auger motor coming on and off. But I have the new bearing on standby in case.

Below is a pic of the new bearing and that of the old bearing waiting to be installed. View attachment 241728View attachment 241729

Iv'e been running my foxfire for years without the fire brick and logs, just makes it easer to clean. Great info and pics on the auger problems. mines 25 years old and running great still but good info

 

[SidecarFlip]

What I would do if I were you is, I'd pop the dust shield off the bearing (a pointed tool like a small pick works well) and remove the dust shield (if you do it carefully you can pop it back on) and clean the bearing out with brake cleaner, re lube it with light oil or hand pack it with chassis grease) and put it back in.

It's just dirty inside. I would also grease the quad reduction gearbox and be apprised the cheap one you bought will have a plastic first reduction gear that won't take a heavy load and will strip. The current crop of cheap Chinese made reduction gearboxes are not really long lasting. One bind up and they are finished. You get what you pay for.

 

[LJF]

Okay, It’s fixed I tried emailing the manufacturer but they didn't provide any useful information. I’ll try to explain my issue and show some pics and hopefully this will help someone else who might have the same issue. Again I have a Lopi 400 PS freestanding stove. It’s pre-1993.

So, the stove would start and run for about 10-15 minutes but then cut off. It seemed the auger motor was not running as strong as it previously had no doubt compounded by the stuck auger. The issue ended up being a stuck auger bearing and worn out auger motor.
On the pre-1993 models of these stoves there are two Allen head screws securing auger bearing to the auger shaft and the other which goes through the auger bearing and auger shaft securing the auger motor. I sheared the second screw off about ½ way while trying to remove it. I tried drilling it out without success. The screw is only about an 1/8” wide. I ended up using a Dremel and grinding the screw back past the auger bearing and was able to manipulate the screw sideways a bit allowing the auger motor to drop. Below is a pic of the auger motor still in the stove. I have it partially taken apart because it wasn’t engaging well. No doubted because of the issue of the auger getting hung up.


View attachment 240168

Below is a pic of the screw hole where the screw was broken off. I was still able to unscrew the (4) screws that held the lower bushing in place. So you can see below the auger bearing.

View attachment 240167

Once I was able to get the screw sideways behind the bearing the auger motor dropped. I still couldn’t get the auger bearing to come off the auger shaft though. So, I had to go in through the hopper and use the flat side of a punch and rubber mallet to tap the upper bushing above the auger bearing down until the two dropped off the shaft. Tapping it off took some persistence because the bearing was on tight. I used a little PB blast to help loosen things.


View attachment 240163

Here is a pic of the upper and lower bushings with the auger bearing together. The two screws that are missing on the sides of the lower bushing are what hold this assembly into the auger tube. All the screws on the assembly have lock washers on them.


View attachment 240162



View attachment 240164



Here’s a pic of the lower bushing removed to show the auger bearing sitting in the upper bushing. The bearing has two holes in it. One to hold to the auger shaft and the other goes through to hold the bearing and auger motor in place.

View attachment 240170


Here’s a pic of the bearing by itself. Top and bottom. Once cleaned and lubricated it turned fine. It doesn’t come apart

View attachment 240169View attachment 240171


All the pieces. Upper, lower bushing and bearing. I sanded the inside of these bushings a bit because they had a little rust on them using 1000 grit sandpaper.

View attachment 240176

The issue was the bearing was hung up or would stick after the stove ran a while and would only turn about a 1/4” when the assembly was together. Once I lubricated it and placed the assembly back together it would spin freely and worked fine. The other issue was the auger motor itself was worn out. It was date stamped 09/92. I’m sure just being old and also the issue of this bearing being stuck took the rest of the life out of it. So, I purchased a new motor online for about $63 shipped.


View attachment 240177


With the bearing turning freely I put the assembly back together. Like I said I couldn’t get the auger shaft itself to drop but it didn’t really matter because it turned fine. I tapped the assembly back up on the auger shaft and put the screws back that hold the assembly at the lower bushing to the auger tube. My new auger motor fit right into place. I put the original Allen head screw back securing the auger bearing to the auger shaft. I had another Allen head screw just like the on that sheared off and was able to use it to secure the auger motor to the auger shaft and everything works great now.


Hopefully this helps anyone else with a similar issue.

THANK YOU for taking the time to post such a thorough description of how you fixed this problem. I'm not at all mechanically inclined, but, thanks to you, I was able to remove, clean, and lube the bearing. It's been running fine for the past 2 weeks.