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OT - Electric Fan Maintenance

N

npowell

Member
My 20-year-old Honeywell fan has been acting up. When I turn it on, more often than not, it rotates about 10% of normal speed, struggling as it does. A little push on the blades generally will help it get up to speed, after which, it runs at normal speed just fine.

I think the problem is too much friction. Accordingly, I am thinking it might help (?) to lubricate the back end of the rotor shaft and the bushing holding it. I've attached a picture.

Assuming it might help to lubricate that interface, I am not sure what lubricant to use. If the lubricant might damage the fan (e.g., the electrical components), that defeats the purpose of trying to fix the issue. Also, because I use the fan in my home, I do not want a mess or foul odors.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. If you think I ought to just buy a new fan, that's an option, too:)

Neil
mvphoto69203.jpg
 
I have to add four or five drops of 3 in 1 oil to the bearings (actually bushings I think) to my desk fan. It runs 24/7 most of the summer. When it acts like you describe, I give it a little oil and its fine again.
 
I get those little isolating fans people throw away all the time. The only thing wrong with them is the motor bushings are dry and seized up.I take them apart and just enough to get about 3 drops of synthetic oil on the shaft and then rotate the motor by hand and back and fourth on the end play until they spin freely, I have one in the garage ive been using for years. If you give the fan a spin and it doesn't spin a little bit freely, it is probably seized.
 

The "oil" the other guy mentioned is mostly a solvent, will make things less gummy for a while, then thicken again.

The "Gold Standard" oil for small motors is shown below.

Clean the old gummy crud off of the shaft and inside the bushing (with a Q-tip and solvent), then re-oil with a few drops of "turbine oil" and it should last a long time before it gums up again.

f7zm7oK.jpg
 
As mentioned, be careful with using 3-in-1 oil--it's not a long-term solution and will cause more problems when the solvent evaporates and gums things up further. Turbine Oil as shown is a much better fix, and will last far longer. Another possibility that I have not personally tried but have had recommended to me is 0-weight synthetic engine oil. As you're only using a drop or two it's very economical, especially if you already have it around.
 
as others have mentioned. the sintered bearing gets dry and or gummy

don't use too much oil. that can be just as bad if it gets were it doesn't belong.

similar things can happen on the small motors in your car/truck/tractor HVAC or engine cooling fan motors. <<tractor related now :)
 
I will clean it up and add a little oil. Hopefully, it will go another 20 years:) Thanks again, guys!

Neil
 
People get quite fancy about it, a good blast of WD40 usually works. Anything you use is bound to attract dust again so its really routine maintenance.
 
Clean it up and put a dab of powdered graphite in it, like we used to lubricate John Deere planter
finger mechanisms with. A couple of drops of diesel fuel and add the graphite, work it in when you
spin it. Good to go.
 
(quoted from post at 20:39:55 02/01/21) As mentioned, be careful with using 3-in-1 oil--it's not a long-term solution and will cause more problems when the solvent evaporates and gums things up further. Turbine Oil as shown is a much better fix, and will last far longer. Another possibility that I have not personally tried but have had recommended to me is 0-weight synthetic engine oil. As you're only using a drop or two it's very economical, especially if you already have it around.
Click to expand...

Back in the mid 60s I had a mobile home that had a "pot burner" type furnace. After a few years, the circulating fan slowed down to a "crawl".
I took it apart and, the sintered metal bearing was all gummed up.
No wear, just gummed up. I always used brake cleaner or carb cleaner to clean the bearing up and tried different types of oil but, because of the heat, they would all "gum up" after a while. If synthetic oil had been available, I'm sure it's use would have solved the problem.
 

I don't know about anyone else, but I have to go through all our fans and clean the stupid cat and dog hair out of them a couple times a year. Forced hot air heat and a house full of animals (they aren't MINE!) makes fans used in summer an iffy thing!
 
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