Seeking Travis Avalon Rainier Blower Bearings.

[Otis B Driftwood]

So, tore down the squirrel cage again to clean it. Still squeaks
and we don't have mice anymore so I'm calling out The Bearings.
That sound is more than I can bear.

Now, these bearings are entombed in a sandwich of metal that
appears to be permanently sealed. One, which acts as an end
cap for the rotor, has what appears to be a compression ferrule
that has a lot of play. I don't think that's normal.

What do owners of Travis Inserts do in this case?

Thanks.

 

[Otis B Driftwood]

... so I took another look at these sealed bearings and discovered
there are no screws of any sort that hold them in their housing.
All I see are four places where the outer metal plate is crimped
to the rest. No rivets.

 

[Mech e]

Bearings are easy to come by. Measure the outside and inside diameters and thickness (using calipers) and go to mcmaster.com or grainger.com to find replacements.

 

[begreen]

Some of these motors are not meant for service and have sleeve bearings with a felt oil ring around them. I have had success with that style bearing by carefully drilling an oil port hole into the felt, then re-oiling the felt with about 10 drops of lightweight oil (3n1).

 

[Otis B Driftwood]

Hello "mech e" and "begreen"! I'm my own worst echo chamber.

So, I don't see felt but I'm wagering that if I drill a few odd MMs
outside the center, I should be able to oil, correct?

Also, have you heard of anyone daring to punch those clips away
with a hammer and screwdriver in an attempt to access the bearing?
Off the top of my head ( very pointed, ya know ) I'm wagering that
may cause more problems than correct?

Thanks again.

 

[begreen]

Hello "mech e" and "begreen"! I'm my own worst echo chamber.

So, I don't see felt but I'm wagering that if I drill a few odd MMs
outside the center, I should be able to oil, correct?

Also, have you heard of anyone daring to punch those clips away
with a hammer and screwdriver in an attempt to access the bearing?
Off the top of my head ( very pointed, ya know ) I'm wagering that
may cause more problems than correct?

Thanks again.

If it is a sealed ball bearing motor it won't have the oiling felt surrounding the bearing. Post some pics of the motor. Are there any identifying labels or numbers?

 

[Otis B Driftwood]

begreen: Will do tomorrow. I know you can already see
what I'm yappin' about but visuals help 1000%. I'll get
the wife to fork over her phone for 5min so I can get
some pix. In return she'll ask me to paint the house.
I'm so stupid I'll call it an even transaction.

 

[Mech e]

Otis, you are hilarious.

 

[begreen]

Just don't say when you will paint the house, for now.

 

[Otis B Driftwood]

 

[begreen]

What happened in the second picture?

 

[Otis B Driftwood]

Otis, you are hilarious.

Women don't think so, but you already knew that.

 

[Otis B Driftwood]

What happened in the second picture?

You mean you don't like my lube job?

I dunno ... I thought one could post two pix at a time,
but it gave me the option of uploading an attachment.
I thought they were basically the same thing.

So, see those four tabs/clips? I'd love to knock those up
but what would the wife think? Not sure I'd be able to
get them back in position again so I was hoping to get
the attention of someone who's tried and succeeded.

( The knocked up part. I never figured that out. )

Seems to me the whole point of those casings is to
frustrate a tinkerer from getting at a failed bearing
and instead buy a whole new blower. Y'know, built-
in obsolescence. Open the tabs, free the bearing.

 

[begreen]

With all that grease smeared on it, you are asking for problems. That is not how to lubricate a bearing. Clean it all off, otherwise, it may foul the motor. What I am seeing looks like a sleeve bearing, but with all the grease on everything, it's hard to tell. Is that felt surrounding the center bronze bearing?

 

[Mech e]

Yep, clean it up Otis. Those open frame motors typically have sleeve bearings. Show us a pic with all the grease cleaned off and we can go from there.

 

[Otis B Driftwood]

With all that grease smeared on it, you are asking for problems. That is not how to lubricate a bearing. Clean it all off, otherwise, it may foul the motor. What I am seeing looks like a sleeve bearing, but with all the grease on everything, it's hard to tell. Is that felt surrounding the center bronze bearing?

begreen and Mech e: Yep! Horrible, ain't it? I used a humungous axle grease gun
and it looks like it! I've never done this stuff before so of course it's gonna look
like a bad Fourth Grade science project. Maybe that's why I earned all Fs.

Actually, that washer DOES look like my phony mustache. Not felt; just a washer.

The ferrule is a brass ferrule. That has a lot of play and I suppose that's OK.
I just have no idea what condition the bearings are in, but with the squeaking
I assume the worst.

I figgered if I push out the tabs with a cheap screwdriver or something,
the bearings would pop out. Getting it back together is another matter.

BTW, do you folks have a good thread in which I can see pix how RESPONSIBLE
people oiled their blowers rather than ask you yet again for the same info? That
would be great and save you some annoyance.

Again, thanks for this site. It's a wealth of information, even to cheapskates like me.

 

[begreen]

Wipe everything completely clean. Then post another picture of it clean. The bronze "ferrule" may be the bearing if this is a sleeve bearing motor. If so it is surrounded by felt that acts as an oil reservoir. The bronze bearing material is actually porous so that the oil can slowly seep in. If this it the case there is no reason or need to bend the tabs.

 

[Otis B Driftwood]

OK, so not poifect, but close enough.

The next pic focuses in on the ferrule.

 

[Otis B Driftwood]

 

[Otis B Driftwood]

Please don't tell me it's not clean enough ...

 

[begreen]

That helps a lot. In the second picture, it looks like there may be bearings. If you clean it more around the bronze ferrule with a qtip, do you see bearings contained in a race around it? Also, it looks cockeyed. Is it very sloppy or is that just a camera illusion?

Also, now it is easy to see the tabs and why you are asking about them.

 

[SidecarFlip]

I bet it's a spherical shaped 660 CA bronze bushing. If it's still working but noisy (I haven't read the entire thread so excuse my ignorance if I'm all wet) but... Clean the grease off it and toss the whole thing in a plastic bowl filled with motor oil and let it soak for a week. The 660 bronze will soak up the oil and be good again. Usually, there will be a felt washer in there somewhere that is supposed to hold and disperse the oil.

 

[begreen]

Make that lightweight motor oil like 5 or 10W. If there is a felt collar around the bearing I would carefully drill an oil port through the outside casing into the felt in order to provide an easy method for future oiling.

 

[Otis B Driftwood]

Flip and begreen: Thanks! I will give that idea a whirl because Summer's the Time.

BTW, never knew that bronze is created porous for bearings ... VERY interesting.

Yes, I think there are ball bearings encircling that bronze ferrule. I cocked the ferrule
on purpose for show, 'cuz I've no idea if that's good or bad. Regardless, I'll soak those
four sealed bearings in oil and test the motor. Will report back, good or bad.

NOW ... The Question. I realize bearings are easily had. But what about sealed bearings
as these? Again, I loathe the modern style of manufacturing in which we use our gadgets
for a year then park 'em on the curb. That ain't Green!

Cheers.

 

[SidecarFlip]

That bearing is actually porous and will absorb oil. If you take a magnifying glass and look at the end, you'll see dark specks in it. That is graphite and the oil clings to it.