Motor service/repair?
- Thread starter Cbranch
- Start date
If you don't find anyone closer there is a shop just north of Burlington on hwy. 87.
www.claytonelectricmotorrepair.com
www.claytonelectricmotorrepair.com
I believe there is one in Raleigh too - Hillsborough St near Burke Bros Hardware, but not sure that is any closer for you than Burlington. Based on memory it has WIlliams in the name, but can't recall exactly (search the archives if you are interested). I know others here have suggested that when I had a motor issue. THey had a 3 weeks backlog at the time...
I’ve heard they don’t do small motors anymore but I’ll give them a call
I, too, have had good luck at Southern Elec Motor but NO MORE. They sell motors only - no more repairs. Bummer!
You may be able to fix it with just minimal mechanical skills.
First, blow out any sawdust.
Does it rotate freely turned by hand? No, bearings or lube. It looks old enough to have sleeve bearings and oil reservoirs which can be reoiled.
Is it trying but not coming up to speed? No, start switch mechanism gummed up or a broken spring. Remove the end bell where the power goes in (usually that one) and free up the collar that slides on the shaft.
+2 @pop-pop said. Other than cleaning and making sure there is no resistance in the turn of the armature there is usually this little mechanical spring loaded switch (rotating/centrifugal switch). If you eliminate the other obvious issues, this thing often is the culprit. You can read up on it, but it is used to disengage the start winding if it does not click back the result is increased resistance in the motor causing to overheat and fail.
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The amp rating on that motor plate says 16.4 amps. If that motor has been running on a household 15 amp 120 volt circuit with other things on it, then overheating wouldn't be a surprise. Feeding that motor with overly light wire and maybe running it through a household light switch could also be a contributing factor.
Where things are now will depend on any permanent heat damage to the insulation around the windings.
Replacing that motor with a lower amperage draw motor maybe the answer.
The term "horsepower" written on motors these days is meaningless. Read the amp draw. that will tell the true tale.
What a 120D frame size may differ from what's available today, so there may need to be some new mounting holes bored and maybe the motor shimmed up some. I seem to remember that Kingston Conley made those motors for W-T, but I could be off on that.
Where things are now will depend on any permanent heat damage to the insulation around the windings.
Replacing that motor with a lower amperage draw motor maybe the answer.
The term "horsepower" written on motors these days is meaningless. Read the amp draw. that will tell the true tale.
What a 120D frame size may differ from what's available today, so there may need to be some new mounting holes bored and maybe the motor shimmed up some. I seem to remember that Kingston Conley made those motors for W-T, but I could be off on that.
I'll add a word of caution since you will probably work on the motor on your workbench.
Before testing for the first time, be sure to clamp the motor's base in a vise, or otherwise restrain it to the bench. If you don't, and the motor has vigorous starting torque, it may jump off the bench and injure you.
I learned this lesson the hard way some 65 years ago testing a John Deere starter motor that I had just replaced the brushes in. The motor (10-15 lbs. maybe?) was loose on a welding bench. Almost instantly after I touched the second jumper cable, the motor was on the floor (somewhat scaring me). Since then, I either use a vise or test motors on the floor.
Before testing for the first time, be sure to clamp the motor's base in a vise, or otherwise restrain it to the bench. If you don't, and the motor has vigorous starting torque, it may jump off the bench and injure you.
I learned this lesson the hard way some 65 years ago testing a John Deere starter motor that I had just replaced the brushes in. The motor (10-15 lbs. maybe?) was loose on a welding bench. Almost instantly after I touched the second jumper cable, the motor was on the floor (somewhat scaring me). Since then, I either use a vise or test motors on the floor.
Thanks everyone for the useful advice, particularly oka and Bob Vaughn. I have disassembled and cleaned it out twice. I don’t have complete confidence in the centrifugal switch so that is a possibility I hadn’t considered. I also think I’ve got 14ga wiring so I may be asking too much from my circuit. That makes a lot of sense because I was able to rip 8/4 walnut without any noticeable strain, something I didn’t expect to be able to do. I think a different motor may be the safest long term solution.
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