GeoPeg posted:Lou1985 posted:nickaix posted:Well, the classic white lithium grease would dry out and get hard as a rock. Even the stuff that comes in '80 and '90s Lionel from the factory has the same problem. It gets down into the grooves on the worm shaft and solidifies. Anything I buy from that era gets de-greased and de-crusted before I even apply power.
I bought a NOS 6-18130 Santa Fe F3 AB set from 1996 this year. I disassembled it and cleaned the old grease (it was white and smelled awful) out of the trucks and replaced it with Labelle 106 grease on the worm, pinion, and wheel gears and put Labelle 107 oil on the axle bearings. I disassembled both "Pullmor" motors and found that either Lionel didn't grease the thrust bearings (the ball bearings in cages) or the grease had dried out. Either way I put some Labelle 106 on each bearing set in both motors and oiled the top of the armature with Labelle 107. It is the quietest "Pullmor" motored locomotive I own. I can barely hear the motors running.
How much grease are people applying that they automotive size tubs of grease? It takes me about 4-5 years to go through a tube of Labelle 106 grease for my 8 locomotive fleet, and that's running trains 3-4 hours a week. I'm on the same tube of Labelle 107 oil I bought 8 years ago.
Lou - a couple of comments, the first being I think that sometimes the only package available for certain types of grease, at certain stores, might be a whole tube for a grease gun - I don't think they are really using that much grease, or at least I hope they aren't!
Secondly - congrats on scoring such a nice engine! I would LOVE to have a Pullmor that is as quiet as yours! I've only got one or two in my mostly PW collection that are even close to being quiet, and they also employ real ball bearings instead of brass/bronze/oilite sleeves.
George
I would think that much grease would separate after having it for years. After all it would take the typical hobbiest decades to go through an entire tube of grease.
The F3s I bought have the modern version of the 2028-100 motor. I have found this motor (and the similar one used in the FMs, GG1s, and early NW2s/Alcos) to be the best running "Pullmor" motor. Grease the caged ball bearings in the thrust washers and they run pretty quiet and smooth. About the same as a can motored diesel without cruise control (i.e. PS1 MTH Premier).
