Wadkin BAO/S gear box oil confusion.

[julianf]

I opened up the gearbox cover on my bao/s to find a load of pretty solid grease, that was entirely yellow everywhere other than the single area where the gears were turning, where it had turned into a metallic looking paste : (

Ie there had been no mixing whatsoever.

On looking at the spec of the intended lubricant, its more of an oil than a grease.

My concern is that on the diagrams, i cant really tell what seals the bottom of the gearbox, where the motor shaft enters?


Im wondering if someone has filled it up with grease in the past out of ignorance, or to stop it leaking.

Sadly, although the gear box works, the gears are looking pretty sharp now.

Photo below, not to really show anything, but just to give an idea -

The gearbox sits on top of the green motor on the left.

Thank you.

 

[julianf]

I found another photo from when i took off the lid -

...so someone had been enthusiastic with application but with a poor end result. Scraping through that top layer revealed perfectly yellow grease everywhere except for around the gears themselves : (


And here are a couple more photos from this evening -

Ive still got a bit to clean out, but its mostly done. The gear teeth are well worn, but still fully engaging with the worm. I suspect their strength must be significantly reduced now though.



But, again, i cant see how the seal on the base of the gear box, around the motor shaft, is arranged to stop fluid loss?


Thank you.

 

[Spectric]

@deema / @Sideways this one is for you .

 

[Doug71]

It seems to be a common problem with them and the parts aren't cheap.

https://www.advancedmachinery.co.uk...12in-baos-1-phase-models-b-1031-192-2635-2680
https://www.advancedmachinery.co.uk...12in-baos-1-phase-models-b-1031-191-2633-2680

 

[deema]

That’s unfortunate! On top of the gear box, attached to the lid should be a grease tube. The grease tube should have a cap that is rotated one turn a week, this pushes grease out onto the worm. There are no seals, it kind of bleeds out and mixes with the wood chippings that congregate that’s the nature of the era and the design.

The gearbox should not be packed with grease.

Just looking at it, it would appear that the worm and gear are…..well……in need of replacement, not a cheap solution unless you can make them.

 

[julianf]

It seems to be a common problem with them and the parts aren't cheap.

https://www.advancedmachinery.co.uk...12in-baos-1-phase-models-b-1031-192-2635-2680
https://www.advancedmachinery.co.uk...12in-baos-1-phase-models-b-1031-191-2633-2680

Its not something that i need to think about right now, and there is also little chance of me spending £500 on a gear, when it would be cheaper to get one custom made.

 

[julianf]

That’s unfortunate! On top of the gear box, attached to the lid should be a grease tube. The grease tube should have a cap that is rotated one turn a week, this pushes grease out onto the worm. There are no seals, it kind of bleeds out and mixes with the wood chippings that congregate that’s the nature of the era and the design.

The gearbox should not be packed with grease.

Just looking at it, it would appear that the worm and gear are…..well……in need of replacement, not a cheap solution unless you can make them.

I'm not up on ancient lubricant specs, but I googled some of the numbers listed in the manual and, whilst you mention "grease", the lubricants in the manual (or those that still existed) seemed to be being sold in oil style containers.

I may have got this wrong - I'm on my phone now and it's not easy to check - but I thought I would ask you again for clarity?

Am I supposed to be using a grease or a gear oil?

 

[deema]

@julianf If memory serves, it’s a thick oil, and again, I believe the manual calls it a grease tube.
Worm gears are normally run in very heavy duty oil, this system is more of a dropping system. I think of it a bit like machine way oil, sticky stuff that costs the gears and needs replenishing every so often. There is a modern equivalent to what’s in the manual, I’d give Westway oils a shout, they have it…..or they did…..and it wasn’t very expensive.

 

[Fergie 307]

I would endorse Deema's view on both counts. Your gear is history and needs to be replaced before it lets go altogether, and Westway a great source for modern equivalents of all sorts of old lubricants. There are loads of Chinese sellers on e bay who do worm gears. Bit of a long shot but you might find something that could be modified to fir. A "proper" replacement is likely to be quite expensive.

 

[julianf]

I've been trying to clean out the cutting paste from the gearbox today.

I tried flushing it with MTF (as that's what I had to hand) and it came out the bottom quite rapidly.

It's a shame the casting doesn't have a lip around the input shaft, as then it could have a well of oil in its base that the gear wheel would touch in.

But it doesn't... So fluids just fall out the bottom : (

It strikes me that the gearbox needs some degree of "loss" to carry away the metal, otherwise I end up with the same "cutting paste" situation as I've just got free of.

But it seems a poor design to dump the waste down onto the motor bearings.

I guess it is what it is. And the design is probably why they fail.

 

[julianf]

@julianf If memory serves, it’s a thick oil, and again, I believe the manual calls it a grease tube.
Worm gears are normally run in very heavy duty oil, this system is more of a dropping system. I think of it a bit like machine way oil, sticky stuff that costs the gears and needs replenishing every so often. There is a modern equivalent to what’s in the manual, I’d give Westway oils a shout, they have it…..or they did…..and it wasn’t very expensive.

I've not called them (didn't think about it till after closing) but I'm guessing this is the sort of thing you are talking about -

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/121630866785
Thank you.