# Dare to repair



## Tin Falcon (Mar 31, 2011)

A few years ago I installed a exhaust hood over the kitchen stove. Lately the fan has been acting up and the motor finally ceased. so decided to take out the motor and have a go at it. I was surprised and how repairable more or less the thing is designed. The motor unplugs from the unit. there is one set of screws going though the motor to hold the bearing mounts. Turns out the upper bearing just needed a bit of cleaning and lubrication. The cooking oil vapors apparently turned to a low grade glue. 
So back up and running 
Tin


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## wheeltapper (Mar 31, 2011)

nice one.
I've had much the same problem with washing machine pump motors, the bearing just dries out and sticks solid.

a quick strip and lube and away we go.

cheaper than a new one ;D

Roy


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## Twmaster (Mar 31, 2011)

It amazes me how many folks would just chuck an item rather than spend some quiet time and attempt to repair something. I get all sorts of things people toss that only need a little love and oil.


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## mklotz (Mar 31, 2011)

Some of you may be old enough to remember this poster...


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## dsquire (Mar 31, 2011)

Tin

You will find that works on bathroom exhaust fans as well. They are relatively easy to take apart. Clean the dust out of the bearings and wash the dirt off the fan blades. Dirty fan blades are not very efficient and are noisy so cleaning them and a drop of oil on the motor shaft and you have like new performance and quieter. :bow:

Cheers 

Don


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## Tin Falcon (Mar 31, 2011)

I like the poster . Not quite old enough to remember it although I do remember hearing the slogan. My dad grew up during the great depression and was young during WWII. Money was tight when I was growing up and we had a a large family by today's standards. very little was thrown away. 
Tin


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## rake60 (Mar 31, 2011)

I'll rip into anything that is broken.

*If it's already broken, how much worse can I make it?* 

I'll even buy things I know don't work.
When I was a kid, I remember my parents friends always had a fancy table 
cigarette lighter on their living room coffee table. 
I found one at an antique consignment shop for $8.00

It had a rotted flint corroded to the striker wheel and a couple stripped threads.

After a lot of cleaning, tear down, re-assembly, tear it down again, reassemble
(I won't type out how many times I did that... ), it didn't look too bad.






Better yet, it works!

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2l_AezV_wM[/ame]

BUT, I never smoke in the house so it will never be used.

At least it's fixed....... scratch.gif

Great thread Tin!

I think we should ask what other members have fixed recently.

Rick


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## kcmillin (Mar 31, 2011)

I fixed my boss's outboard boat motor hydraulic pump. It was not operating on one direction and was supposedly Non Serviceable and would cost $900 to replace. 

So with nothing to loose I tore it down and found there was a pivot arm that had a broken pivot pin. I simply made up a new pin and reassembled the unit. It has worked flawlessly ever since. So much for Non Serviceable. Now if I only new exactly what that little arm does :big:

Kel


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## slkride (Mar 31, 2011)

Hello All

     Been cleaning and oiling our Bathroom and fan for over 40 years, still running fine.

                                                  Tom


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## jct842 (Apr 1, 2011)

I have a fan in a gas fired wall heater. it is not a propeller type but the long drum that the lube dry's out on. it is a 2 min fix but to get to it is a major operation disconnecting the gas line and removing the heater from the wall. I skipped it this year with my bad knee. But I got good news today at the VA, they are going to schedule the operation as soon as they get a letter faxed from my dentist saying my teeth are ok and no danger of an infection from them getting into the blood stream.  john


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## imagineering (Apr 1, 2011)

Well, if it's broke then fix it. If it can't be fixed, make one . . . 
I had a unused Submersible Coolant Pump attached to my Lathe for about 8 Years. The Coolant had got into the Pump & rotted the Plastic, drowning the Motor in the process.

So, out with the Inventor 2011 and ;





3 Hours caution on the CNC Mill; 





Came up with this;





A few hours saw this;





Then this; 





The Drive Motor will bolt to the square Plate above the Coolant so it doesn't drown.

Testing tomorrow . . .

Murray.


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## arnoldb (Apr 1, 2011)

Last year while visiting friends on a farm, their shower door annoyed the heck out of me as it would not slide properly. Turned out the crappy plastic roller wheels had non-stainless balls in them. So I turned up new rollers with aluminium wheels and stainless shafts:





Works a treat now... Sometimes fixing the annoying little things in life makes a big difference.

A word of caution though: Don't repair your neighbour's trumpet (or other loud musical instruments) :

Regards, Arnold


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## Maryak (Apr 1, 2011)

rake60  said:
			
		

> When I was a kid, I remember my parents friends always had a fancy table
> cigarette lighter on their living room coffee table.



I reckon you bought it from my mum ;D

Best Regards
Bob


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## BillC (Apr 1, 2011)

"Dare to repair" - of course! And my motto is that if I cannot repair it, I'll botch it up so badly that no-one else can either !

BillC


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## doc1955 (Apr 1, 2011)

BillC  said:
			
		

> "Dare to repair" - of course! And my motto is that if I cannot repair it, I'll botch it up so badly that no-one else can either !
> 
> BillC


Hey thats kind of my moto too!
The latest example was during my Ringbom build my compressor threw a rod. So I figured what the heck what do I have to loose and cobbled one up. You can see it results here.
Ringbom build
It has been working just fine the compressor vibrates a little due to the rod I made was heavier but it has been working just fine.

 It seems that today's society we just throw it away and go buy a new one and I just don't agree with that.
Plus the repairs you do make gives you a good feeling and more shop confidence that yes I can do that no problem.


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## Dave G (Apr 1, 2011)

A few years ago, the washing machine quit spinning. So out came the tool box. I flips the thing over and remove the pump, motor, gearbox and can find nothing wrong with any of it. Well I puts it all back together and it still don't spin. Then the wife says, do you have the lid down. It won't spin with the lid open. Even I know that, but it got me thinking, there must be a switch for the lid. When I was reaching around trying to find the switch I found a couple of wires hanging loose. At the end of the wires was a switch with 2 broken mounting lugs, (plastic). Now our washing machine spins with the door open or closed but I fixed it. Didn't cost me a dime, just a little bit of electrical tape. It did teach me to look at the easy to fix things first. Dave


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## Dave G (Apr 1, 2011)

Another one, a good friend of mine's mother had a 87 Olds Toronado. It had very low miles but was out of warranty, everynow and then the brakes wouldn't work. These had an electrically operated master cylinder. A replacement master cylinder was like $800. My friend decided to take it apart and found one of the armature wires wasn't properly soldered from the factory. Well he fixed that but in the proccess broke a small part while reassembling it. He was beside himself, so he came to me for help. It was a fairly simple job to make a new part and in no time he had it all back together and working as designed. His mother was in her mid 70s at the time and she was from the south. I asked for nothing in return for helping but joked with him about getting paid for the job in Pinto Beans and Cornbread. Two days later his mom shows up at my door with a pot of Pinto Beans and some warm Cornbread. God bless her, I was only joking but the beans and cornbread were great. My wife didn't like it that day or the next and if you've ever had Pinto Beans you know what I mean. Dave


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## BillC (Apr 1, 2011)

Arrrrrr! Pinto beans and cornbread!


BillC


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## Tin Falcon (Apr 3, 2011)

> I'll even buy things I know don't work.


I have been guilty of that as well. came across a IIRC 5 inch reflector telescope at a flea market. 
IIRc the guy wanted 20 bucks for it. I told him this thing is broke you cant even see through it. 
(you couldn't the secondary mirror was whacked out of place.) bought it for ten took it home and had it working in half an hour or so. the main mirror probably needs resurfacing. 
Tin


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